The Personhood of the Holy Spirit: Part 1 - Personal Pronouns

TBC Glassboro Sermons and More · The Personhood of the Holy Spirit: Part 1 - Personal Pronouns

As a member of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit is a Person.  Personhood dictates self-consciousness and self-determination.  God is self-conscious.

• I am the Lord, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; - Isaiah 45:5
  

Additionally, God is self-determined. 

• But He is unique and who can turn Him? And what His soul desires, that He does. - Job 23:13
  

Jehovah Witnesses and Unitarians deny the personhood of the Holy Spirit.  Such a viewpoint is based on the Greek term pneuma, which is translated as spirit.  The Greek term pneuma is gender neutral, neither male nor female.  According to the rules of Greek grammar, any pronoun used in place of a noun must agree with said noun in gender.  Thus, male gender nouns must be substituted by male gender pronouns; female pronouns for female nouns and neuter pronouns for neuter pronouns.  However, the human writers of Scripture broke the rule and used masculine pronouns in reference to the Holy Spirit.

• When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, - John 15:26
  
• But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. - John 16:13-14     

By doing using the masculine pronoun, the human writers of Scripture conveyed the idea that the Holy Spirit is not a force but a person.