A short study of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts (part 2)

The Person of the Holy Spirit in Acts:

                It cannot be true in any stretch of the imagination that the Holy Spirit is merely an influence or a force, as taught by some cult.  A person is a being who has intellect, emotion, and will.  Although the Holy Spirit is incorporeal, He still possesses intellect, emotion and a will.  We readily see this as He administrates church affairs (Acts 1:2).  He told Philip what to do (Acts 8:29), He told Peter what to do (Acts 11:12), He called and appointed Barnabas and Saul to the ministry (Acts 13:2), they were acknowledged as being “sent forth by the Holy Ghost” (Acts 13:4).  The Holy Spirit exercises volition in forbidding Paul and the missionary team to preach in Asia (Acts 16:6) and also forbid them to go to Bithynia (16:7).  He also exercises His will in choosing pastors (Acts 20:28).

                His divine nature can also be seen in Acts.  In dealing with Ananias, Peter declared the nature of the Holy Spirit in Acts 5:4 – “…thou hast not lied unto man, but unto God.”  The Holy Spirit demonstrates omniscience in Acts 1:16 concerning Judas’ betrayal.  The Holy Spirit demonstrates supernatural powers with Philip in Acts 8:39.  In Acts 10:19 the Holy Spirit told Peter about the three men looking for him in order to take him to Cornelius.  These accounts prove that the Holy Spirit is divine.  He is also a distinct person from the Father (Acts 1:4) and the Son (Acts 1:1-2).