What Is The Holy Spirit?
The third person of the Trinity, God's active presence who indwells, empowers, teaches, and guides believers.
Meaning
The Hebrew word ruach, breath, wind, or spirit, describes God's Spirit hovering over the waters at creation, present from the opening verses of Scripture. The Greek New Testament word pneuma carries the same range of meaning, and Jesus refers to the Spirit as the Parakletos, translated Counselor or Advocate, promising the Spirit would teach and remind his followers of all he had said.
The Spirit's dramatic arrival at Pentecost, recorded in Acts 2, is understood as the founding moment of the church's ongoing life, God's presence now dwelling within believers rather than only visiting select individuals as in parts of the Hebrew Bible. The Nicene Creed, finalized in its fuller form at the Council of Constantinople in 381, affirms the Spirit as Lord and giver of life, worshipped and glorified alongside the Father and the Son.
One historic point of division concerns exactly how the Spirit relates to the Father and Son, whether the Spirit proceeds from the Father alone, the Eastern Orthodox position, or from the Father and the Son together, the filioque clause added in the Western church, a genuine and long-unresolved difference between East and West. Traditions also differ on the Spirit's gifts today, Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians emphasize ongoing gifts like tongues, healing, and prophecy, while many other traditions affirm the Spirit's work chiefly in conversion, sanctification, and empowerment for ordinary Christian life.
In Scripture
John 14:26“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you.”
Explore more terms in the Christian glossary, see how the traditions understand it on the denominations guide, or read related verses explained.
The Holy Spirit: Frequently Asked
Who is the Holy Spirit in Christian teaching?
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, fully God, distinct from the Father and the Son. Scripture describes the Spirit as present at creation, promised by Jesus as a Counselor and teacher, and poured out on the church at Pentecost to indwell and empower believers.
What is the filioque debate about the Holy Spirit?
It concerns whether the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father alone, the historic Eastern Orthodox position, or from the Father and the Son together, the filioque clause used in the Western church. This unresolved difference remains one of the significant theological divides between East and West.
Do all Christians believe in the same spiritual gifts today?
Not identically. Pentecostal and Charismatic traditions emphasize ongoing gifts such as tongues, healing, and prophecy as normal Christian experience today. Many other Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox Christians affirm the Spirit's active work but place less emphasis on those specific dramatic gifts.