First, His personality.

(1). He is described in the word of God as a person, and not as an influence:

John xiv. 16, 17, 25, 26.—And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. * * * * These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

John xv. 26.—But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.

John xvi. 7-15.—Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Acts viii. 29.—Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Gonear, and join thyself to this chariot.

Acts x, 19.—While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.

Acts xv. 28.—For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater bur den than these necessary things.

The words he and him should always be used, instead of the word it, when speaking of the Spirit.

(2). We are baptized into His name, and He is invoked in prayer, showing that He is a person as truly as the Father and the Son:

Matt. xxviii. 19.—Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

I Cor. xiii. 14.—The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

Eph. vi. 18.—Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching there. unto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

(3). Men are said to vex, to blaspheme, to resist, to grieve, to quench the Spirit, which they could not do, unless He is a person: unto you,

Isa. lxiii. 10.—But they rebelled, and vexed his Holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.

Matt. xii. 31.—Wherefore I say All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

Acts vii. 51.—Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

Eph. iv. 30.—And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

I Thess. v. 19.—Quench not the Spirit.

(4). He does those things for us that can be done only by a person, for it is He who regenerates, quickens, teaches, reproves, helps and sanctifies the believer:

John iii. 5.—Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

John vi. 63.—It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

John xiv. 26.—But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

John xvi. 8.—And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.

Rom. viii. 26.—Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

I Cor. vi. 11.—And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

(5). Personal Acts that could not be performed by an attribute or influence are ascribed to Him, as when He is said to know, to Reveal, to bestow power, to love, to search the deep things of God, and to distribute of His manifold giſts “to every man severally as He will:”

John xvi. 13, 14.—Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Acts i. 8.—But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye hall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Rom. xv. 30.—Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me.

I Cor. ii. 10, 11.—But God hath Revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the Spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

I Cor. xii. 8-11.—For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

(6). It is often affirmed in the Bible that the Spirit “said” and “spake,” proving conclusively that He is a person:

II Sam. xxiii. 2.—The Spirit of the LORD: spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.

Mark xii. 36.—For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool,

Acts i. 16.-Men and brethren, this Scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.

Acts xiii. 2.—As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

Acts xxi. 11.—And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.

Acts xxviii. 25.–And when he had said these words the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves.

I Tim. iv. 1.—Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.

Heb. iii. 7.—Wherefore, as the Holy Ghost saith, To-day if ye will hear his voice.

Rev. ii. 7.—He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches: To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Rev. xiv. 13.—And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

Rev. xxii. 17.—And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whoso ever will, let him take the water of life freely.

(7). The visible manifestations of the Spirit show that He is a person:

Matt. iii. 16.—And Jesus, when he was baptised, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him.

Luke iii. 21, 22.—Now when all the people were baptised, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptised, and praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

John i. 32.—And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.

Acts ii. 3, 4.—And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.