There are many different ways the Bible describes the Holy Spirit, some of which are listed below. Consider meditating on the below scriptures and allowing God to use them to inform your thoughts, prayers, and decisions for today. The names of God still fuel my daily prayers and life, both private and public. They also inform my desire to “know God and make him known.” May they similarly serve you in this way.
God’s name represents who he is. The psalmist says, “Give thanks to the LORD and praise his name. For he is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. . . . Those who know your name will trust in you. For you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you” (Ps 100:4–5; 9:10). The LORD says, “Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name.” (Ps 91:14). Knowing and trusting in the name of the LORD is important!
Each of God’s names represents a dimension of him still exhibited today—somewhere, somehow. Clicking on the below scriptures will open these names within the paragraphs they are found in the Bible.
1. The Spirit of grace and supplication (Zech 12:10)
2. The Spirit of truth (John 14:17; cf. 16:5–15)
3. The Spirit of holiness (Rom 1:4)
4. The Spirit of life (Rom 8:2)
5. The Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead (Rom 8:11)
6. The Spirit of justice (Isa 28:6)
7. The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD (Isa 11:2).
Click here for a full list of the names of God, which includes 15 descriptions of the Holy Spirit.
Click here for a full list of the names of Jesus.
“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it” (1 Thess 5:23–24).
Dear Pastor, I just found this teaching from Post 19: Eight Characteristics of the Spirit of God. My question is: “What is a SPIRIT as a noun”? The word is used over 500 times through out the Bible and it is used in many ways. To name a few: Holy Spirit, Spirit of God, One spirit, Poor in Spirit, Willing Spirit, Fruit of the Spirit.
Since it is not a physical attribute, is it something emotional or mental.
I believe in the Word but I struggle in defining exactly what a spirit is and where it comes from.
I look forward to your reply.
This is an excellent question Larry. For starters, I’d read Gen 1:26-27; 2:7; John 3:1-8; 4:21-24; Acts 2:38; Rom 8:9; 2 Cor 2:6-16; 1 Thes 5:16. There are also books on topic I could recommend.
In short, in terms of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is often understood as the bond of love between the Father and the Son. Identifying the Holy Spirit with the word love, of course, means we can think of the Spirit in terms in a myriad of ways: reason, passion, action, etc. Common to all of these aspects is the nature of love—namely, self-giving and desirous of the good of the beloved.
The vital link between God and the Christian is spiritual. The spiritual aspect of a person is often understood as its immortal, immaterial aspect—the highest aspect of a human being, helping us to understand and do eternal things.
There is, of course, much more to this topic and various opinions on it. I’m available to talk more about this with you in person.
Thanks so much Pastor.