And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
John 14:16-17
- That He (the Comforter) may abide with you forever
- Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, but it seeth Him (the Spirit of truth) not
- Neither knoweth Him (the Spirit of truth)
- Ye know Him (the Spirit of truth)
- For he (the Comforter) dwellethwith you, and shall be in you
Did you notice that Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit five times in these two verses using masculine pronouns? Let’s take a look at another passage and see what else Jesus said about Him.
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
John 16:7-15
Let’s examine these verses:
- If I depart, I will send Him (the Comforter) unto you
- When He (the Comforter) is come…
- He (the Comforter) will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment
- Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come
- He (the Spirit of truth) will guide you into all truth
- He (the Spirit of truth) will not speak of Himself
- Whatsoever He (the Spirit of truth)shall hear, that shall he speak
- He (the Spirit of truth) will shew you things to come
- He shall glorify me
- He shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you
- All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you
Are you starting to see a pattern in Jesus’ statements about the Holy Spirit? Masculine pronouns are used 17 times in the 11 verses that we have looked at.
The Holy Spirit is a person. We can develop a relationship with Him. Unfortunately it seems like far too many Christians do not realize this.
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.
Romans 8:16
This verse seems to always be referenced by at least one person when I talk about these things. Notice that the Holy Spirit is referred to as “itself” in the King James version. There have been a lot of people tripped up by this but it is actually an incorrect translation of the Greek word αὐτὸ which should be translated “himself”. The literal translation of the verse reads:
- Himself the Spirit bears witness with the spirit of us that we are the children of God.
Let’s look at some other verses where this Greek word is used:
- Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren. (Matthew 1:2)
- And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon. (Matthew 1:11)
We could go further but I think you understand the point I’m trying to make. The Holy Spirit is a person. He is not an impersonal force and He is not an “it”.
The word αὐτὸ is translated incorrectly again in Romans 8:26:
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Romans 8:26
The Spirit “itself” maketh intercession…
Let’s take a look at the literal translation to gain a better understanding of what Paul is trying to tell us:
Likewise now also the Spirit joins to help the weakness of us the for things which we should pray for as it behooves not we know but Himself the Spirit makes intercession with groanings inexpressible.
In this verse Paul is telling us that the Holy Spirit will join us in partnership wot help us pray for things that we do not know how to pray for. Unfortunately this meaning is largely lost in the King James because of the incorrect translation that gives the impression once again that He is some impersonal force.
The Holy Spirit is a person that we can get to know. We cannot develop a relationship with an “it” but we can develop a relationship with the Holy Spirit. He will talk to us, teach us, and lead us.
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