Intelligence, Will, and Emotion
For a being to be considered a person, he or she must possess certain characteristics. First among these is intelligence; second is will; and third isemotion.
All three are required if personality is to exist.
Human beings possess all three and therefore can truly be considered persons.
But rocks bicycles, flowers, oak trees, and even computers all lack personality; they may be useful
and pleasant and highly desirable, but none of them can be considered persons.
They do not have intelligence, will, and emotion.
Yet when we consider what the Bible says of the Holy Spirit, it becomes clear very quickly that He is indeed a Person possessing intelligence, will, and emotion.
Let's consider each of these attributes in turn.
1. Intelligence.
In I Corinthians 2:10,11, the apostle Paul writes of the Spirit's intimate knowledge of the "deep things of God" - inarguably a description of intelligence.
He writes:But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all
things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?
Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
All the way through this passage, divine intelligence is ascribed to the Spirit.
Paul insists that the Holy Spirit "knows" the things of God. Only a person with intelligence can "know" something. And not only does He know these "deep things," Paul says the Spirit also "teaches" us, helping us to compare "spiritual
things with spiritual" (I Corinthians 2:13).
Don't miss what Paul says about the Holy Spirit here.
First, God "reveals" things to us by the Spirit. Second, the Spirit "searches" all things, even "the deep things of God."
The deep things of God that man does not know, the Spirit does know.
Third, the Spirit of God "teaches" us of the things that God freely gives us by helping us to compare one spiritual thing with another.
All of these activities manifestly require intelligence, one of the key components
of personality.
The Bible insists that the Holy Spirit possesses intelligence.
2. Will.
The Holy Spirit is also said to have a will.
In talking about the gifts of the
Spirit in I Corinthians 12, Paul said that the Holy Spirit distributes "to each one individually as He wills" (verse 11).
It is the Holy Spirit who decides what kind of
spiritual gift each believer should receive. This act of choosing demands that He have a will.
And in Acts 15:28, the apostles prefaced their judgment on a question of church doctrine by saying, "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to
us."
In so saying they ascribed to the Spirit the same kind of judgment-making ability which they themselves possessed.
On some occasions, the Bible says the Spirit forbade His servants to visit certain areas, thus demonstrating His will:
Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.
After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them (Acts
16:6,7).
Only persons with a will are able to "forbid" men from taking a certain course of action or to disallow them from enacting another plan.
Yet the Holy Spirit did both, making it clear He is a Person with a will.
3. Emotion.
The Spirit has emotion. Paul warned the Ephesians, "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God" (Ephesians 4:30).
Likewise in the Old Testament, Isaiah wrote, "But they rebelled, and vexed his holy spirit; therefore, he was turned to be their enemy" (Isaiah 63:10 KJV).
You can vex the Holy Spirit.
Now, this would be impossible to say of a mere essence or a non-person. It would be ridiculous to say, "Please, don't grieve that plant," or "You have vexed that plant. He's angry with you."
You cannot say this of anything other than a person.
The Holy Spirit is a Person who loves you, who can be grieved and vexed by you.
On the positive side, in the book of Romans, Paul speaks about the love of the Spirit (Romans 15:30).
Now I wonder: Have you ever heard a sermon preached on the love of the Holy Spirit?
I'm sure you've heard sermons on the love of
Christ. Paul often talked about the love of Christ, and surely we've all heard many sermons on the love of God.
But interestingly enough, the love of the Holy
Spirit is seldom broached in sermons.
Yet it is a biblical fact.
Again, only a person can love. You may adore a certain plant or flower in your home, but it would be nonsense to say, "My, how that plant loves you. It's just passionate about you!"
But it would make perfect sense to say, "The Holy Spirit loves you.
In fact, He's passionate about you."
Better yet, it is true.
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