The Holy Spirit: His Personality and Divinity

The Holy Spirit is not merely an impersonal force or poetic metaphor but is presented in Scripture as a personal and divine being. His personality and divinity are explicitly affirmed in both the Old and New Testaments through His actions, speech, attributes, and roles. This study will demonstrate the Holy Spirit’s personality and deity through:

• Personal Pronouns (“He”)
• Actions, Speech, and Emotions
• Offices Only a Person Can Perform
• Baptism into the Singular Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
• The Holy Spirit as the Temple’s Indwelling Presence
• Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
• The Holy Spirit Speaks as YHWH
• Impartation of Divine Gifts and Fellowship
• The Spirit as YHWH in the Hebrew Bible
• Works of the Holy Spirit as the Works of God
• The Spirit’s Indwelling Proves Deity and Omnipresence
• The Trinity’s Work in Creation and Redemption

1. The Holy Spirit Is Referred to as “He” (Personal Pronouns)

In Greek, pneuma (πνεῦμα, “Spirit”) is a neuter noun, which should typically require an impersonal pronoun (“it”). However, the New Testament deliberately uses the masculine pronoun (“He”) for the Holy Spirit, emphasizing His personality. Key Verses:

• John 16:13-14 – “When He (ἐκεῖνος) comes, the Spirit of truth, He will guide you into all truth… He will glorify Me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
• The masculine pronoun (ἐκεῖνος, ekeinos) is used instead of the expected neuter, breaking normal grammatical rules to affirm the Spirit’s personality.

🔅James White (The Forgotten Trinity, pg. 143) Regarding John 16:13-14 writes,

The Spirit here testifies about the Lord Jesus. Then Spirit guides disciples, He speaks, and He discloses future events. He glorifies Christ as well. Each of these indicate personality.

• John 15:26 – “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness about Me.”
• The Holy Spirit bears witness, which requires conscious intention and communication—attributes of personhood.

Scholarship agrees, on John 16:14 the following commentaries make these excellent observations:

• 🔅 Cambridge Bible for schools and colleges talks explicitly about how the pronouns are emphatic. Here’s what it says: 14. He shall glorify me] Both pronouns are emphatic; ‘Me shall that Spirit of truth glorify.’ Just as the Son glorifies the Father by revealing Him (John 1:18; John 17:4) both in word and work, so does the Spirit glorify the Son by revealing Him. In both cases to reveal is necessarily to glorify: the more the Truth is known, the more it is loved and adored. for he shall receive … unto you] Better, because He shall take of Mine and shall declare it to you. The verb rendered ‘receive’ is the same as that rendered ‘take’ in John 16:15, and ‘take’ is better, as implying that the recipient is not wholly passive (lambanein, not dechesthai). Comp. John 10:17, John 12:48, John 20:22.
• 🔅 Ellicott records, 14) He shall glorify me.—The pronoun is here full of emphasis. The thought is that the future guidance of the Spirit promised in John 16:13, will be the revelation of the many things of Christ Himself which they cannot bear now (John 16:12). For he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.—Better, as in John 16:13, . . . . announce it unto you. This is the test of the Spirit, “Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that confesseth not Jesus is not of God.” (Comp. Notes on 1John 4:1-2.) The revelation of Christ is not an imperfect revelation which the Holy Spirit is to supplement. It is a full revelation imperfectly received, and His office is to illumine the heart, and bring home to it the things of Christ.
• 🔅 Bengel’s Gnomen: John 16:14. Ἐκεῖνος ἐμὲ δοξάσει, He shall glorify me) This is the economy of the Three Witnesses: the Son glorifies the Father; the Holy Spirit glorifies the Son. See ch. John 14:13, “Whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son;” John 17:4, “I have glorified Thee on the earth”—ἐκ τοῦ ἐμοῦ, of Mine) Hence it was the Holy Spirit who taught the apostles to say and do all things in the name of Jesus Christ.
• 🔅 Gill’s exposition of the entire Bible reads, He shall glorify me,.... In the ministration of the Gospel, which is "the ministration of the Spirit", 2 Corinthians 3:8; and asserts Christ to be God over all, to have all that the Father hath, to be possessed of all divine perfections, to have the fulness of the Godhead dwelling in him; ascribes the same works and worship to him as to, the Father; and, as in a glass, holds him forth to be beheld as the brightness of his glory, and his glory to be seen in it, as the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth: it declares him to be the only Saviour and Redeemer of lost sinners, that justification is solely by his righteousness, pardon by his blood, and atonement by his sacrifice; and which ministration the Spirit makes effectual to the bringing of many souls to Christ to believe in him, profess his name, and expect life and salvation from him, by all which he is glorified. Moreover, the Spirit of God glorifies Christ in the experience of the saints, by leading them to him for righteousness, peace, and pardon, for grace, and fresh supplies of it, for wisdom and strength, for food and rest, for life and happiness; and by enabling them to live by faith on him, on whom he has encouraged them to venture, and to whom they have committed their all; and by instructing them to glory in him, as their wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption; and by ascribing the glory of their salvation to him, and by making continual application to him, under his direction and influence; by leaning on him, and expecting every good thing from him both for time and eternity...

These points are so persuasive that even the New World Translation (NWT) renders John 16:13-14 with the masculine pronoun “he” for the Holy Spirit, despite the organization’s stance that the Holy Spirit is an impersonal force. This underscores the strength of the grammatical argument:

• Greek Grammar Forces the Use of "He" (ἐκεῖνος)
• In John 16:13-14, the masculine pronoun ἐκεῖνος (ekeinos, “that one” or “he”) is used, instead of the expected neuter pronoun that would match πνεῦμα (pneuma, “Spirit”) grammatically.
• This is an intentional grammatical break that emphasizes the personality of the Holy Spirit.
• The NWT’s Theological Bias and Its Concession though the NWT usually avoids rendering the Holy Spirit as a person, often using “it” instead.
• However, in John 16:13-14, it still translates “he”—because altering the grammar would be too blatant of a distortion, they really had no other choice.

Even a non-Trinitarian translation like the NWT could not avoid rendering the Holy Spirit as “he”, demonstrating just how strong the biblical case is for His personhood.

Thus, the consistent use of personal pronouns and personal actions proves that the Holy Spirit is a person, not a mere force. If the Holy Spirit was rightly understood to be impersonal St. John would would not have used masculine pronouns. The fact that masculine pronouns are repeatedly used of the Holy Spirit Proves His personality.

🔅 Joel R. Beeke and Paul M. Smalley (Reformed Systematic Theology Vol 1) relate, "The Bible also makes clear that the Spirit is a divine person. Though some false teachers have claimed that the Holy Spirit is merely a divine energy or impersonal force, the Bible clearly identifies him as a person. Christ did not describe the Spirit with the impersonal word for comfort, but the personal term Comforter, and referred to him with masculine pronouns." (Pg. 889)

🔅 Charles Hodge (Systematic Theology) on page 524 begins his argument for the personality of the Holy Spirit by saying: The first argument for the personality of the Holy Spirit is derived from the use of the personal pronouns in relation to Him. A person is that which, when speaking, says I; when addressed, is called thou; and when spoken of, is called he, or him. He continues, The fact that men sometimes personify the heavens, or the elements, gives not pretext for explaining as personality all the passages in which God or Christ is introduced as a person. So also with regard to the Holy Spirit. He is introduced as a person so often, not merely in poetic or excited discourse, but in simple narrative; and in didactic instructions; and his personality is sustained by so many collateral proofs, that to explain the use of the personal pronouns in relation to Him on the principle of personification, is to do violence to all the rules of interpretation.

2. The Holy Spirit Acts, Speaks, and Feels

A person is defined by their ability to act with intention, communicate, and experience emotions. The Holy Spirit exhibits all three in Scripture.

A. The Holy Spirit Speaks

• Acts 13:2 – “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’”
• The Spirit “said” – He speaks with authority and intention, proving personal agency.
• Acts 1:16 – “Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas.”
• The Spirit spoke through the prophets, an action of a divine person.
• Revelation 2:7 – “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
• The Holy Spirit instructs believers, proving He is a personal and active guide.

Again, scholarship is in agreement affirming that the Holy Spirit’s speaking in Scripture demonstrates His personhood:

🔅Robert Morey in his expansive book titled, “The Trinity” on page 408 writes, The exegetical evidence for the personhood of the Spirit is overwhelming. The Holy Spirit "hears" (John 16:13), “searches all things” (1 Cor 2:10), “speaks” (Mark 13:11), “teaches” (John 15:26), “convicts of sin, righteousness, and unbelief” (John 16:8), “comforts” (John 16:7), “guides” (John 16:3), “glorifies Christ” (John 16:14), “reveals” (John 16:14), “forbids” (Acts 16:6-7), “intercedes” (Rom 8:26), “brings to rememberance” (John 14:26), “separates” and “sends” out people (Acts 13:1-4), “sets” elders over the church (Acts 20:28), etc. These actions require intellect, emotion, and will.

🔅Charles Hodge (Systematic Theology, pg 526) We often read that “the Holy Spirit said” (Acts xiii.2; xxi.11; 1 Tim vi.1, etc.) This is so constantly done, that the Spirit appears as a personal agent from one end of the Scriptures to the other, so that his personality is beyond dispute. The only possible question is whether He is a distinct person from the Father. But of this there can be no reasonable doubt, as He is said to be the Spirit of God and the Spirit which is of God (ἐκ θεοῦ); as He is distinguished from the Father in the forms of baptism and benediction; as He proceeds from the Father; and as He is promised, sent, and given by the Father. So that to confound the Holy Spirit with God would be to render the Scriptures unintelligible. These scholarly sources consistently affirm that the Holy Spirit’s ability to “speak, command, teach, and testify” proves that He is a personal being, not merely an impersonal force.

B. The Holy Spirit Can Be Grieved

• Ephesians 4:30 – “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
• Only a personal being can experience grief.
• Isaiah 63:10 – “Yet they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit.”
• The Holy Spirit has emotions, proving His personhood.

Once again here are a few scholarly quotes affirming that the Holy Spirit’s ability to be grieved (Ephesians 4:30, Isaiah 63:10) proves His personhood:

🔅James White (The Forgotten Trinity, pg 146) An impersonal force cannot be grieved, pained, or injured, nor can a mere force or power seal believers for the day of redemption.

🔅DA Carson General Editor (NIV Zondervan SB, fn Eph 4:30, pg 2406) grieve. Shows that the Holy Spirit is a person, not just an impersonal force, since only a person can be grieved.

Conclusion: The ability to grieve implies a personal relationship, emotions, and will, all of which confirm that the Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force, but a divine Person.

C. The Holy Spirit Intercedes in Prayer

• Romans 8:26-27 – “The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words… the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
• The Spirit prays and intercedes, which requires intellect and will—attributes of personhood.

Here are scholarly sources and quotes affirming that the Holy Spirit’s intercession in prayer (Romans 8:26-27) proves His personhood:

🔅James White (The Forgotten Trinity, pg. 143) writes: Here the Spirit "helps," "intercedes with groanings," and "intercedes for the saints." Impersonal forces do not help, groan, or intercede in this obviously intensely personal fashion. The very act of intercession demands personality.

Conclusion: Interceding requires a mind, will, knowledge, and relational engagement—all of which are attributes of a person, not an impersonal force. The Holy Spirit’s intercession in Romans 8:26-27 is strong evidence of His personhood.

3. The Holy Spirit Performs Offices Only a Person Can Perform

A. He Teaches and Guides

• John 14:26 – “The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
• This passage may be the most important Scripture yet in proving the personality of the Holy Spirit, because here we not only see the Holy Spirit as “personal” but also explicitly “distinct” from the Father. This passage proves the Holy Spirit is both personal and distinct—
• The Holy Spirit as “He” (Personal Pronouns) proves His personality.
• “Teaching” is an act of a personal being, not an impersonal force.
• The Holy Spirit being “sent” by the Father demonstrates His distinction from the Father.

Once again, Biblical scholarship confirms these observations:

🔅E. Calvin Beisner in (God in Three Persons, pg. 153) notes regarding the Holy Spirit being “sent”– The Holy Spirit “proceedeth from the Father.” The Father’s saw such a procession as an indication of the consubstatiality of the Spirit with the Father, and with the Son also, for as eternal he is not created (Heb 9:14); if he is distinct personally from the Father must be one of enduring in the same substance, for in eternity past there was no other substance but that of God in which the Spirit could subsist. The fact that in some sense he does “proceed” was clear to them from John 15:26: “who goes out from the Father.” That this procession is not a temporal thing they reasoned from the fact that he is eternal and that he is eternally distinct. He was active in creation (Gen 1:2; Job 33:4). Beisner concludes, that the Holy Spirit "then, is God just as the Father and the Son, and this is precisely what we found in the New Testament (2 Cor. 3:17; Acts 5:3-4; Heb 9:14) He is also distinct from them personally (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7)

🔅 St Augustine (Of the Faith and of the Creed) The Holy Spirit is not of an inferior nature to the Father and the Son, but, so to say, cosubstantial and coeternal.

Conclusion:

• “He” (ἐκεῖνος) affirms the Holy Spirit’s personhood, not just an impersonal force.
• “Teaching” requires intellect, volition, and relational ability, which only a person possesses.
• Being “sent” by the Father proves distinction from the Father, confirming the Spirit’s unique personhood in the Trinity.

B. He Comforts and Counsels

• John 16:7 – “If I do not go away, the Helper (Paraklētos) will not come to you.”
• Paraklētos (παράκλητος, “Comforter, Advocate”) refers to a person who comes alongside to help, not an impersonal force.

This passage is also noteworthy because the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ are distinguished in the text, yet the two will later be conflated elsewhere in New Testament writing and theology.

Here:

• The Holy Spirit is distinct from Christ (as seen in Jesus “sending” the Spirit).
• Yet, the Spirit and Christ are later conflated (as the Spirit continues Christ’s presence and work).

This observation is also well known among Biblical scholars:

🔅Robert Letham (The Holy Trinity: In Scripture, History, Theology, and Worship, p.58) writes: Jesus identifies the Spirit’s coming with his, for it is as if Jesus himself is to come in person (John 14:18) This reminds us of John’s earlier comment that the Spirit can come only when Jesus has been glorified (John 7:37-39, cf. 16:7)...the presence of the Holy Spirit is interchangeable with that of the Father and the Son coming (John 14:21,23).

🔅Alister E McGrath (Understanding the Trinity, pg 122) The Holy Spirit is somehow involved in our experience of both God and Jesus, without being identical to either of them (John 16:14; 20:22; Acts 5:9; 8:39; 16:7; Rom 8:9, 26, 34; 1 Cor 3:17-18; 1 John 4:2; 5:8). In some sense, Jesus Christ gives, or is the source of, the Spirit, but the Spirit and Jesus cannot be directly identified. The Spirit of God, which the Old Testament recognized as being present in the whole creation, is now experienced and understood afresh as the Holy Spirit of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Conclusion:

• John 16:7 shows distinction: The Spirit’s coming depends on Jesus’ departure, showing they are separate persons.
• Yet, the Spirit is later conflated with Christ: The Spirit mediates Christ’s presence so intimately that later biblical texts speak of them interchangeably (e.g., 2 Cor. 3:17, Rom. 8:9-10).

C. He Leads and Directs

• Acts 16:6-7 – “They were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia… the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.”

🔅(The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1912, Vol. 15, p 47-49) relates, The doctrine as to the Holy Spirit is equally clear. That His distinct personality was fully recognized is shown by many passages. Thus He reveals His commands to the Church’s ministers: “ As they were ministering to the Lord and fasting the Holy Ghost said to them: Separate me Saul and Barnabas” (Acts, xiii, 2). He directs the missionary journey of the Apostles: “They attempt to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus suffered them not” (Acts 16:7; Acts 5:3; 15:28; Rom 15:30). Divine attributes are affirmed of Him.

🔅Robert Letham (The Holy Trinity: In Scripture, History, Theology, and Worship, p.58) writes: ...the presence of the Holy Spirit is interchangeable with that of the Father and the Son.

🔅Alister E McGrath (Understanding the Trinity, pg. 129) writes: It is also important to realize that the New Testament tends to think of the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Christ as much as of God.

D. The Holy Spirit Has a Will

• 1 Corinthians 12:11 – “All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He distributes them to each one, just as He determines.”
• The Spirit chooses who receives which gifts, demonstrating that He has a will.

🔅 Barnes thoroughly states: As he will - As he chooses or as in his view seems best. Dr. Doddridge remarks, that this word does “not so much express arbitrary pleasure, as a determination founded on “wise” counsel.” It implies, however, that he does it as a sovereign; as he sees to be right and best. He distributes these favors as to him seems best adapted to promote the welfare of the whole church and to advance his cause. Some of the doctrines which are taught by this verse are the following:

1. The Holy Spirit is a “person.” For, he acts as a person; distributes favors, confers endowments and special mercies “as he will.” This proves that he is, in some respects, distinguished from the Father and the Son. It would be absurd to say of an “attribute” of God, that it confers favors, and distributes the various endowments of speaking with tongues, and raising the dead. And if so, then the Holy Spirit is “not” an attribute of God.
2. He is a sovereign. He gives to all as he pleases. In regard to spiritual endowments of the highest order, he deals with people as he does in the common endowments bestowed upon people, and as he does in temporal blessings. He does not bestow the same blessings on all, nor make all alike. He dispenses his favors by a rule which he has not made known, but which, we may be assured, is in accordance with wisdom and goodness. He wrongs no one; and he gives to all the favors which might be connected with eternal life.

🔅 Gill agrees: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit,.... Though these gifts, ministrations, and operations, are so different in themselves, and are bestowed upon different persons, yet they are all wrought by one and the same Spirit of God, who is the true Jehovah, and properly God, as these his works declare; for who, but the most high God, could ever communicate such gifts to men? Dividing to every man severally as he will; giving one man this gift, and another that; imparting such a measure to one, and such a portion to another, just as seems good in his sight. For as his special grace in regeneration is dispensed when and where, and to whom he pleases, signified by the blowing of the wind where it listeth, John 3:8 so his gifts, ordinary and extraordinary, are severally distributed, according to his sovereign will and pleasure. This is a clear and full proof of the personality of the Spirit, who is not only distinguished from his gifts, and the distribution of them, which is a personal act described to him; but this is said to be done according to his will, which supposes him an intelligent agent, capable of choosing and willing; and whose will agrees with the Father’s, and with the Son’s.

🔅 Cambridge states: It is worthy of remark that what is predicated of God in 1Co 12:6, is here predicated of His Spirit. The word translated worketh is the same in both places. “The Spirit worketh, not is worked. He worketh as He will, not as He is bidden.” — St Chrysostom.

🔅 St Gregory, the Theologian (Oration 31.6 PG 36, 140 A) – If the Holy Spirit were an activity, clearly it must be activated because he has no active power...how comes it then that he does act? He says things, he decrees.

🔅 James White (the Forgotten Trinity, pg. 147) Regarding the Spirit imparting gifts, James White observes, “just as He wills.” The word translated “wills” is the Greek term boulomai. It is used only of persons and refers to the volitional act of the will. [He then cites: Mt 11:27 to whom the Son wills (boulomai). And Heb 6:17 to show the Father wills (boulomai) the same term.] White concludes, “So if we can plainly see that the Son’s willing is an act of a person, and the Father’s willing is the act of a person, how can we possibly avoid recognizing that the Spirit sovereignly and wisely gives gifts to the church just as He wills to do so, and that makes Him, inarguably, a person?

🔅 The Expositor’s Greek while more technical, agrees with James White stating: καθὼς βούλεται signifies that He acts in the distribution upon His choice and judgment, where lies the hidden reason for the giving or withholding of each particular gift. — For βούλομαι, see parls.; and for its difference from ἐθέλω, cf. 1Co 12:18; also 1Co 4:19,21; and parls. Eurip., Hippol., 1329 f., supplies a good example of the distinction, οὐδεὶς ἀπαντᾶν βούλεται προθυμίᾳ τῇ τοῦ θέλοντος, ἀλλʼ ἀφιστάμεθʼ ἀεί: “None of us likes to cross the purpose of one that is bent on anything, but we always stand aside”. No predicate could more strongly imply personality than does βούλεται.

Summarizing the Expositor’s Greek: The Greek term “καθὼς βούλεται” signifies that the Holy Spirit distributes gifts according to His own choice and judgment, implying a deliberate and intentional decision. The distinction between βούλομαι (to will with reason and intent) and ἐθέλω (to wish or desire) highlights the purposeful and personal nature of the Spirit’s actions. The reference to Euripides’ Hippolytus further illustrates that βούλομαι conveys a firm, reasoned will, reinforcing the personality of the Holy Spirit.

Here’s a bullet-point summary of the key ideas from the quotes above:

• "καθὼς βούλεται” (as He wills) – Indicates the Holy Spirit acts according to His own choice and judgment in distributing gifts.
• The reason for giving or withholding each gift is hidden in His divine will.
• Distinction between:
• βούλομαι – A will based on reasoned intent and judgment.
• ἐθέλω – A more general desire or wish.
• 1 Corinthians references show how βούλομαι signifies deliberate divine action (1 Cor. 12:18, 4:19, 4:21).
• Key theological implication: The use of βούλεται (He wills) strongly implies the personality of the Holy Spirit, not just an impersonal force.

4. Baptism Into the Singular Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

A. The Singular “Name” Proves Unity and Deity

Matthew 28:19 – “Baptizing them in the name (singular) of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

The singular “name” signifies that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share one divine nature.

teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. - Matthew 28:20

• 🔅 St. Jerome says of the passage: “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” that they whose Godhead is one should be conferred at once, to name this Trinity, being to name One God. Didymi Lib. ii, de Spir. Sanct.: And though some one there may be of so averse a spirit as to undertake to baptize in such sort as to omit one of these names, therein contradicting Christ Who ordained this for a law, his baptism will effect nothing; those who are baptized by him will not be at all delivered from their sins. From these words we gather how undivided is the substance of the Trinity, that the Father is verily the Father of the Son, and the Son verily the Son of the Father, and the Holy Spirit the Spirit of both the Father and the Son, and also the Spirit of wisdom and of truth, that is, of the Son of God. This then is the salvation of them that believe, and in this Trinity is wrought the perfect communication of ecclesiastical discipline. The Son is the Offspring of the Unbegotten, One of the One, True of the True, Living of the Living, Perfect of the Perfect, Strength of Strength, Wisdom of Wisdom, Glory of Glory; the Image of the Unseen God, the Form of the Unbegotten Father. Neither can the Holy Spirit be separated from the confession of the Father and the Son. And this consolation of our longing desires is absent from no place. He is the pledge of our hope in the effects of His gifts, He is the light of our minds, He shines in our souls. These things as the heretics cannot change, they introduce into them their human explanations. As Sabellius who identifies the Father with the Son, thinking the distinction to be made rather in name than in person, and setting forth one and the same Person as both Father and Son. As Ebion, who deriving the beginning of His existence from Mary, makes Himnot Man of God, but God of man. As the Arians, who derive the form, the power, and the wisdom of God out of nothing, and in time. What wonder then that men should have diverse opinions about the Holy Spirit, who thus rashly after their own pleasure create and change the Son, by whom that Spirit is bestowed? Observe the order of these injunctions. He bids the Apostles first to teach all nations, then to wash them with the sacrament of faith, and after faith and baptism then to teach them what things they ought to observe; “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”. He then who promises that He will be with His disciples to the end of the world, shows both that they shall live for ever, and that He will never depart from those that believe.
• 🔅 Benson states of the passage: εις το ονομα, into the name, (not names,) of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost — Words which have been considered, in all ages of the Christian Church, as a most decisive proof of the doctrine of the Trinity; implying not only the proper personality and Deity of the Father, but also those of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. For it would be absurd to suppose that either a mere creature, or a mere quality, or mode of existence of the Deity, should be joined with the Father in the one name into which all Christians are baptized. “To be baptized into the name of any one implies a professed dependance on him, and devoted subjection to him; to be baptized, therefore, into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, implies a professed dependance on these three divine persons, jointly and equally, and a devoting of ourselves to them as worshippers and servants. This is proper and obvious, upon the supposition of the mysterious unity of three coequal persons in the unity of the Godhead; but not to be accounted for upon any other principles.” — Scott. “Our Lord,” says Mr. Fletcher, “enjoining us to be equally baptized in the name (equally consecrated to the service) of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaches us to honour the Son as we honour the Father, and to honour the Holy Ghost as we do the Son; and when the Socinians assert that the Son is a mere man, they indirectly tell us, that he is as improperly joined with the Father to be the great object of our faith in baptism, as a taper would improperly be joined with the sun to enlighten the universe.
• 🔅 St Gregory the Theologian (Oration 31,28. PG 36, 165A) Were the Spirit not to be worshipped, how could he deify me through baptism? If he is to be worshipped, why not adored? And if so adored, how can he fail to be God? One links with the other, a truly golden chain of salvation. From the Spirit comes our rebirth, from the rebirth comes a new creating, from new creating a recognition of the worth of Him who effected it.
• 🔅 DA Carson General Editor (NIV Zondervan SB, fn Mt 28:19, pg 1998) That the “name” is singular of three persons suggests a unity of being of Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.
• 🔅 James White (The Forgotten Trinity, pg. 145) It is self-evident that the Father is a person; so also is the Son. How, then, could two persons share a single name with a non-person, a mere force? The willingness of the Scripture writers to associate the Spirit in this way with both the Father and the Son is plain evidence of His personality.
• 🔅 J. D. Douglas & F. F. Bruce, (New Bible Dictionary, Trinity, p. 1298) The apostolic conception of the Holy Ghost and of His relation to the Father and the Son is clear from Acts. Peter, in explaining the phenomenon of Pentecost, represents it as the activity of the Trinity. 'This Jesus ... being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear' (Acts 2:32,33). It is not too much to say that the apostolic Church was built upon faith in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

Here is a bullet-point summary of the key ideas from the quotes:

The Trinity in Baptism & Theology

• The phrase “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” signifies that the one Godhead is revealed as a Trinity.
• Didymus the Blind: Omitting any of the three persons in baptism contradicts Christ’s command and renders the baptism ineffective.
• The Trinity is indivisible – the Father is truly Father of the Son, the Son is truly the Son of the Father, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, being sent by both the Father and the Son.
• The Holy Spirit is essential to salvation, wisdom, and truth, uniting believers with God.
• The Son’s relationship with the Father:
• He is the Offspring of the Unbegotten (Father).
• True God from True God, Perfect from Perfect, Wisdom from Wisdom.
• The Image of the Invisible God, the exact representation of the Father.
• The Holy Spirit cannot be separated from the Father and the Son.
• The Spirit is the pledge of believers’ hope, enlightening minds and souls.

Refutation of Heresies

• Sabellianism (Modalism): Claims the Father and Son are the same person, only different in name.
• Ebionism: Views Jesus as a mere man who became divine, rather than God Incarnate.
• Arianism: Argues that the Son was created out of nothing and is not eternal.
• If people distort the Son’s nature, they will also misunderstand the Holy Spirit.

Jesus’ Command to Teach & Baptize

• Christ’s Great Commission:
• Teach all nations.
• Baptize them in the name (not names) of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• Continue teaching them to obey Christ’s commands.
• Jesus’ promise to be with His disciples until the end of the world guarantees:
• The Church’s endurance.
• His constant presence with believers.

Personality of the Holy Spirit

• James White (The Forgotten Trinity, p. 145):
• The Father and Son are recognized as persons.
• The Holy Spirit must also be a person, not a mere force, since He shares the same name with them in baptism.
• Benson on Matthew 28:19:
• The singular “name” (not “names”) implies Trinitarian unity.
• Christians are baptized into dependence and devotion to three divine persons.
• This confirms the co-equality of the Trinity and refutes anti-Trinitarian views.
• Socinianism (denying the divinity of Christ) is flawed because honoring a mere man alongside the Father would be as absurd as comparing a candle to the sun.

The Trinity in Apostolic Teaching

• New Bible Dictionary (J.D. Douglas & F.F. Bruce, p. 1298):
• The Holy Spirit’s role is evident in the early Church.
• Peter at Pentecost (Acts 2:32-33) describes Jesus’ exaltation, the Father’s promise, and the Spirit’s outpouring—all working together.
• The apostolic Church was founded on faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

This summary captures the key theological affirmations on the Trinity, baptism, the personality of the Holy Spirit, and the rejection of heresies.

B. The name of the Lord

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2Co 3:17, ESV)

Identifies the Spirit with the Lord – This verse highlights the unity between Christ and the Holy Spirit, showing that the Spirit is not separate from the Lord’s presence and work.

• 🔅 E. Calvin Beiser (God in Three Persons, pg 152) The Holy Spirit, with the Son, is “the Lord.” This is no casual use of the word, as one might call a civil authority “lord,” but is parallel to its use with the Son. He then who is Lord along with the Son is the Same Lord, namely the “Lord of the New Testament, the way of referring to Jehovah in the Old (2Co 3:17; 1Co 8:6; Phil 2:11; cf. Isa 45:23). As Lord, the Holy Spirit is God. He is not an impersonal force, for such a force could never be called “Lord.” The Holy Spirit is also the “Giver of Life” (John 3:5; Rom 8:10).
• 🔅 Benson: Now the Lord Christ is that Spirit — Of the law of which I spake before, to whom the letter of it was intended to lead; and it is the office of the Spirit of God, as the great agent in his kingdom, to direct the minds of men to it. And where the Spirit of the Lord is — Enlightening and renewing men’s minds; there is liberty
• 🔅 Barnes: Now the Lord is that Spirit - The word “Lord” here evidently refers to the Lord Jesus; see 2Co 3:16. It may be observed in general in regard to this word, that where it occurs in the New Testament unless the connection require us to understand it of God, it refers to the Lord Jesus. It was the common name by which he was known; see John 20:13; John 21:7, John 21:12; Eph 4:1,5. Barnes goes on to say: He here says, that the Lord Jesus was “the Spirit” to which he referred, and by which he was enabled to understand the Old Testament so as to speak plainly, and without obscurity. The sense is, that Christ was the Spirit; that is, the sum, the substance of the Old Testament. The figures, types, prophecies, etc. all centered in him, and he was the end of all those institutions.
• 🔅 Vincent’s word studies: Κύριος the Lord is used in Exodus 34:34 for Jehovah. The Lord Christ of 2Co 3:16 is the Spirit who pervades and animates the new covenant of which we are ministers (2Co 3:6), and the ministration of which is with glory (2Co 3:8). Compare Rom 8:9-11; John 14:16,18.

Summary of ideas from the quotes above:

1. The Holy Spirit as Lord (E. Calvin Beiser, God in Three Persons, pg. 152):

• The Holy Spirit, along with the Son, is called “Lord,” not as a mere title of respect but as a direct reference to Jehovah (2Co 3:17; 1Co 8:6; Phi 2:11; Isa 45:23).
• This affirms the divinity of the Holy Spirit, distinguishing Him from an impersonal force.
• The Holy Spirit is also called the “Giver of Life” (John 3:5; Rom. 8:10).

2. Benson on 2 Corinthians 3:17:

• Now the Lord Christ is that Spirit—He is the fulfillment of the law, guiding people to its true purpose.
• The Holy Spirit, as the great agent in Christ’s kingdom, enlightens and renews minds.
• Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

3. Barnes on 2 Corinthians 3:17:

• "Lord” here refers to Jesus, as is commonly the case in the New Testament unless context suggests otherwise.
• Christ is the Spirit who enables understanding of the Old Testament, making its meaning plain.
• He is the fulfillment of Old Testament figures, types, and prophecies.

4. Vincent’s Word Studies on 2 Corinthians 3:17:

• The term “Lord” in Exodus 34:34 refers to Jehovah, and in 2 Corinthians 3:16, it refers to Christ.
• The Lord Christ is the Spirit who pervades and animates the new covenant (2 Cor. 3:6, 3:8).
• Supporting passages: Romans 8:9-11, John 14:16, John 14:18.

5. The Holy Spirit as the Temple’s Indwelling Presence

• 1 Corinthians 6:19 – “Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.”
• Temples are dedicated to Deity—if our bodies are temples of the Spirit, then the Spirit is God. This point is also clear in the context of the book, because earlier in 1 Corinthians (3:16,17) Paul explicitly says so by equation.

Once again scholars agree, here is an example of three scholarly sources affirming that the believer as a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19) proves the Holy Spirit’s divinity, since temples are exclusively dedicated to God:

🔅 Wesley notes, And even your body is not, strictly speaking, your own even this is the temple of the Holy Ghost - Dedicated to him, and inhabited by him. What the apostle calls elsewhere the temple of God, 1Cor 3:16,17, and the temple of the living God, 2Cor 6:16, he here styles the temple of the Holy Ghost; plainly showing