The Anchor Bible Dictionary, in its article on the Holy Spirit, describes it as "The manifestation of divine presence and power perceptible especially in prophetic inspiration" (Vol. 3, Doubleday, New York, 1992, p. 260).

Many scriptures refer to the Holy Spirit as the power of God (Zechariah 4:6; Micah 3:8). Paul told Timothy that it is the "spirit of...power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7, emphasis added throughout).

Luke 4:14 records that Jesus Christ began His ministry "in the power of the Spirit." Luke 1:35 identifies the Holy Spirit with "the power of the Highest." Speaking of the Holy Spirit, which would be given to His followers after His death, Jesus told them, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you..." (Acts 1:8).

Peter relates how "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, [and Jesus] went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him" (Acts 10:38). The Holy Spirit is here associated with the power by which God was with Him—the power through which Jesus Christ performed mighty miracles during His earthly, physical ministry. The Holy Spirit is the very presence of God's power actively working in His servants.

The apostle Paul's desire was that the members of the Church in Rome would "abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit," in the same way that Jesus Christ had worked through him "in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God" (Romans 15:13, Romans 15:19).

Divine inspiration by the Spirit

The Bible also shows that God inspires and guides His prophets and servants through the power of the Holy Spirit. Peter noted that "prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21).

Paul stated that God's plan had been "revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets" (Ephesians 3:5), and that his own teachings were inspired by the spirit (1 Corinthians 2:13). Paul, in 1 Corinthians 2:9-10, explains that God through His Spirit has revealed to us the things which He has prepared for those who love Him. God the Father is the Revealer, working through His Spirit in those who serve Him.

Jesus Christ told His followers that the Holy Spirit, which the Father would send to them, "will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you" (John 14:26).

It's through God's Spirit within us that we can gain spiritual understanding and insight. "For what man knows the things of a man except [by] the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except [by] the Spirit of God" (1 Corinthians 2:11-12).

Jesus Christ had this spiritual understanding in abundance. As the Messiah, He was prophesied to have "the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord" (Isaiah 11:2).

What the Holy Spirit isn't

The traditional Christian view of the Holy Spirit presents it not only as the power of God, but also a third person with the Father and Son in a Trinity. But when the Bible is taken at face value it's clear that it's never presented as a separate person. It's always presented as an attribute or power of God. There are many scriptures that demonstrate it's not a divine person. For example, the Holy Spirit is referred to as a gift (Acts 10:45; 1 Timothy 4:14). We are told that it can be quenched (1 Thessalonians 5:19), that it can be poured out (Acts 2:17; Acts 10:45), and that we are baptized with it (Matthew 3:11). It must be stirred up within us (2 Timothy 1:6), and it also renews us (Titus 3:5). These are certainly not attributes of a person. They certainly are attributes of God's character and power.

This Spirit is also called "the Holy Spirit of promise...the guarantee of our inheritance...the spirit of wisdom and revelation..." (Ephesians 1:13-17).

This Spirit is not only the Spirit of God the Father; it's also "the Spirit of Christ" (Romans 8:9; Philippians 1:19; 1 Peter 1:11). It dwells within Christians, leading and enabling us to be children of God (Romans 8:14).

In contrast to God the Father and Jesus Christ, who are consistently compared to human beings in their form and shape, the Holy Spirit is just as consistently represented in a completely different manner. It is described as appearing as a dove (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32) and as "tongues of fire" (Acts 2:3). Jesus Christ compared it with "living water" (John 7:37-39).

There is further evidence that the Holy Spirit is not a person, but is the divine power of God. In Matthew 1:20, we read that Jesus was begotten by the Holy Spirit (Moffatt translation). Yet Jesus Christ continually prayed to and addressed the Father, not the Holy Spirit, as His father (Matthew 10:32-33; Matthew 11:25-27; Matthew 12:50; Matthew 15:13; Matthew 16:17, Matthew 16:27; Matthew 18:10, Matthew 18:35). He never represented the Holy Spirit as His Father.

(There's so much more evidence that the Holy Spirit is God's power, mind, and life essence through which He begets us as His children, and that it is not a divine person. Read all about it in our free Bible study aid Is God a Trinity?)