The Scriptures speak of the Holy Spirit in many ways that demonstrate
that it is 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;
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.
This Spirit is also called "the holy Spirit of promise ... the
guarantee of our inheritance ... the spirit of wisdom and revelation
..." (Ephesians 1:13-14,17).
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 compared
it with "living water" (John 7:37-39).
