Who is the Holy Spirit (Foundations Series #5, August 31, 2025)

John 14:15-26 (ESV)

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day, you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.

25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, 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.

Who is the Holy SpiritBrian Lee

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Introduction

In his book, Keep in Step with the Spirit (1984), theologian-pastor J. I. Packer described the Holy Spirit as the “shy member of the Trinity.” He did not mean that the Spirit is timid or weak, but that His great mission is to shine the spotlight on Jesus Christ. Packer explained that the Spirit works like a floodlight: the brighter He shines, the less we notice Him, because our eyes are fixed on Christ.

Some have explained the Trinity this way: God the Father planned salvation, God the Son accomplished salvation, and God the Holy Spirit applies salvation to our lives. The point is this. Without the Spirit, Christ’s work would remain outside of us. But by the Spirit, we are born again, united to Christ, equipped with gifts, and empowered for the Great Commission.

In John 14:26, Jesus promised:

“But the Helper, 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” (ESV).

The Greek word for "helper" is paraklētos. The NIV translates it “Advocate,” which I like, because He defends us. The KJV renders it “Comforter,” from the Latin "com forte" — “with strength.” Both are true: the Spirit is our Advocate and our Strength.

So, who is this “shy member of the Trinity”? We'll try to answer that along with the following. What does it mean that He indwells us? And how should we think about His gifts?

1) The Holy Spirit is God: Not a force, but a Person.

Job 33:4 says: “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”

The Spirit is not a vague influence, energy, or impersonal force. He is the third person of the Trinity — fully God, equal in power and glory with the Father and the Son. He was present at creation, hovering over the waters (Genesis 1:2). He gives new birth (John 3:5–8). He speaks, guides, and can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30). These are things only a person can do.

So when we think of the Spirit, let’s not think of “power” or “energy.” Let’s think of the person of God Himself. To think of the Spirit as less than God is to misunderstand Him. The Holy Spirit is God with us and in us. He is not a force, but a Person. The Holy Spirit is God.

2) The Holy Spirit indwells believers: Not a visitor, but a resident.

Romans 8:9–11 says:

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

The Greek word for "dwell" is oikeō, which means “to dwell, to reside, to make a home.” Paul uses this word to make a point. This is not a temporary camping out. This is a settled, permanent residence.

In Romans 7:17, Paul says sin once “dwelt” (oikeō) in us. Before Christ, sin had made its home in our hearts. But now, by grace, that same “home” is claimed by the Spirit of God. We are no longer sin’s dwelling, but the Spirit’s dwelling.

Even more, Ephesians 3:17 says:

“that Christ may dwell (katoikeō) in your hearts through faith.”

A stronger form of the word is used here, meaning Christ settles in permanently. By His Spirit, Christ Himself dwells in us.

So what does it mean that the Spirit indwells us? It means God has moved in. He is not a visitor, but a resident. He changes us from the inside out, assuring us that we belong to Him.

That’s why Galatians 4:6 says:

“Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’”

How do we know the Spirit indwells us? Not by emotional highs, but by this new self-awareness: we cry out to God not merely as “God,” but as “Abba, Father.” This means we are a family with God! In Christ, we are inseparable from God as Christ is inseparable from the Father. This means that even though sin and guilt tempt us, the resurrection life of Jesus is at work in us.

Not a visitor, but a resident. The Spirit makes His home in you.

3) The Holy Spirit and the Gifts: Not for division, but for edification.

1 Corinthians 12:4–7 says:

"4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good."

Every believer has a gift of the Holy Spirit. Some teach. Some serve. Some lead. Some encourage. The gifts are different, but the purpose is the same: to glorify Christ and to build up His church.

Yes, Christians disagree about the sign gifts — tongues, prophecy, healing. Some say they ceased, others say they continue. But here’s what is clear and non-negotiable:

The Holy Spirit is sovereign. He gives as He wills.

The Holy Spirit ordinarily works through the Word, prayer, and sacraments. These are sufficient to make us holy in Christ.

The purpose of every gift is love, edification, and Christ-centeredness (1 Corinthians 14:1).

As Edmund Clowney observed, the real evidence of the Spirit is not signs and wonders but growing faith in Christ, obedience to Scripture, and love for one another.

So let us not divide over gifts. Same Spirit. Same Lord. Same Purpose. And the Spirit always points us back to Jesus Christ.

Not for division, but for edification.

Conclusion

The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force but the living God. Not a force, but a Person. He indwells His people, assuring us of adoption. Not a visitor, but a resident. He equips us with gifts to build up the church.

And yet, true to Packer’s insight, the Holy Spirit remains the “shy member of the Trinity.” Like a floodlight on the cross, His mission is not to draw attention to Himself but to illuminate Jesus Christ. The more we are filled with the Spirit, the more the beauty of Christ will shine in our lives and in our church.

Let us walk in step with the Spirit, rejoice in His presence, and let His light so fill us that the glory of Christ is what shines brightest through us.