What Evidence in Scripture Identifies the Holy Spirit as a Person?

In this episode of #STRask, hosts Amy Hall and Greg Kokel address theological questions about the personhood of the Holy Spirit and the dangers of certain spiritual formation practices. They begin by examining biblical evidence that the Holy Spirit is a person, not merely a force, citing passages such as Acts 5 (where Ananias is struck dead for lying to the Spirit), Romans 8 (where the Spirit intercedes for believers), and John 16 (where the Spirit testifies about Jesus). They emphasize that the Spirit's actions—convicting, comforting, teaching, grieving, and glorifying—demonstrate personal attributes. The hosts also discuss Mark 13:32, clarifying that Jesus' statement about not knowing the day of His return refers only to His human nature during the kenosis, not the Spirit’s knowledge. They argue that the Spirit, unlike the incarnate Son, was not restricted in divine knowledge. Later, they critique modern spiritual disciplines like contemplative listening prayer, Lectio Divina, and exploring past trauma as essential for spiritual growth, warning that these practices are often non-biblical, potentially dangerous, and can lead to private revelation that undermines Scripture. Instead, they advocate for a theology rooted in biblical truth, where worship and experience flow from knowledge of God, not the pursuit of mystical feelings. The episode concludes with a strong call to prioritize Scripture over experiential spirituality. Key takeaways include: (1) The Holy Spirit is a person, not a force, based on personal actions like interceding, testifying, and being grieved; (2) Jesus’ lack of knowledge about the timing of His return was due to His human nature during incarnation, not a limitation of the Spirit; (3) Practices like listening prayer and seeking private revelation are not biblically supported and risk leading people to misinterpret their own thoughts as divine communication; (4) True spiritual formation begins with biblical knowledge, not emotional experiences; (5) The goal of Christian life is to know God, not to chase feelings; (6) While past trauma may affect spiritual life, healing should be grounded in Scripture and not in unproven mystical practices; (7) The Trinity’s distinct roles are clearly revealed in Scripture, especially in passages like Matthew 28:19 and 1 Peter 1:2; (8) The Holy Spirit’s work is always aligned with God’s revealed Word, not subjective inner experiences.