Rarely does a Christian struggle to think of God as Father. And to envision God as Son is not a problem for many. These personal names come easily to us because our lives and relationships are inescapably intertwined with fathers and sons here on earth. But God as Holy Spirit is often a different matter. There are fewer songs to him, fewer meditations about him, and fewer churches named after him.

How different this is from what we actually read in Scripture. There we see that the Spirit is not third in rank in the Godhead but is coequal and coeternal with the Father and Son, sharing with them all the glory and honour due unto our triune God.

The latest report from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University

Of self-identified Christians, 58 per cent contend that the Holy Spirit is not a real, living being but is merely a symbol of God’s power, presence, or purity. Surprisingly, those who identify as born-again Christians are even more likely to hold that view (62 percent), and half of “theological born-again Christians” also deny the Spirit is a being

But perhaps we shouldn’t be all that surprised by such misunderstandings about the Holy Spirit, for he is much more mysterious than we often admit. But what the Bible makes abundantly clear is that The Holy Spirit is a person—a teaching (Luke 12:11-12), speaking (Acts 13:2), interceding (Rom. 8:26), grieving (Eph. 4:30) person—distinct from the Father and the Son.

The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament 

The Hebrew term ruach (breath, wind, spirit) appears 377 times in the OT . 94 of these 377 instances refer to the Spirit of God. God’s Spirit is called “your Holy Spirit” three times in the OT (Ps. 51:11; Isa. 63:10–11). 

The Holy Spirit is not just given in the NT; he was operative throughout the whole of the OT: the Spirit is the creative power of God in Genesis, was responsible for empowering civil and military leaders in the nation of Israel, and anointed the kings of Israel to enable them to fulfil their calling. Since the miracle of Pentecost, which was the fulfilment of OT prophecy, the Christian church has received the Spirit in a democratized fashion. Now, all Christians receive the gift of the Spirit to enable them to carry out the wide variety of ministries God calls them to. The Spirit also enables supernatural gifts and signs to operate, such as prophecy and speaking in tongues. The Spirit guides Christians in their faith and is the seal upon them that they will ultimately inherit all the blessings of Christ. And above all else, the Spirit is given to shine a light upon Jesus and direct the focus of our heart’s confidence and adoration on him alone.

A mistake made by many is in thinking that the Holy Spirit makes his first appearance among God’s people on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. We will never fully grasp the magnitude of God’s gift to us of his Spirit until we understand his presence and power in the OT.

The Holy Spirit in the new Testament

The departure of Christ ushered in the era of the Holy Spirit. In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit comes to us in person to glorify Christ in every believer as He works to create God’s family on the earth—that is, the Church as God’s household. He is called the Spirit of truth (John 16:13) and our Advocate (John 14:26). When He indwells the life of the believer, He takes the truth of the words of Christ, and reveals their depth of meaning to that individual. The role of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament church is numerous, we will expand on these roles in future lessons, but for now, here are a few quick examples of the role of the Holy Spirit.

• Regeneration – In His meeting with Nicodemus, Jesus explained that the Spirit is the agent of this spiritual resurrection (John 3:1–8).
• Sanctification – Post-regeneration, a believers old sinful nature must yield to the new nature of God imparted to them. The process by which this is done is called sanctification. 
• Teaching and Testifying – The work of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament church also encompasses teaching the church, testifying of Christ, guiding believers in all truths.
• Witnessing Christ – This work of the Holy Spirit is to enable believers to understand clearly and to recall the teachings of Christ in scripture (1Jn 2:20).