THE HOLY SPIRIT IS LORD

The Holy Spirit is our Advocate from Heaven. He is our Consoler. On the day of the Pentecost, the Holy Trinity is fully revealed in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. He is the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity. When we proclaim the Nicene Creed during the Mass, we also profess our belief in the Divinity of the Holy Spirit. 

"I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets [1]."

And yet, as Catholics, we should be aware of the common criticisms that are raised by non-Catholics and non-Trinitarians such as Jehovah's Witnesses, Iglesia ni Cristo, and others who deny our doctrine on the Holy Trinity. For them, the Holy Spirit is not God, but rather, they think that He's just a "force" or a power instead of a Divine Person. 

There are some people who do not believe that the Holy Spirit is God because the Greek word that was used for the word "spirit" is neuter in contrast to masculine. They argue that because the "Father" and "Son" are clearly masculine, this means that the both the Father and Son are Persons while the Holy Spirit is just an impersonal force.

John 14:26

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit (pneuma), 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. 

The Greek word "pneuma", which is used for the word "Spirit", is a Nominative Neuter Singular according to a Greek Text Analysis [2]. However, the problem with this argument is that a neuter can still refer to a person. We have other instances when the word "pneuma" is used. Jesus said, "God is spirit (pneuma)" in John 4:24. According to the Greek Text Analysis, this is also a word that is neuter, but clearly, God is Personal and not an impersonal force [3]. Meanwhile, other people may cite Acts 2:17 to point out that the Holy Spirit is just a force because the Bible describes of the Spirit as being poured out.

Acts 2:17

‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;

How can the Holy Spirit be a Person if the Spirit is "poured out"? Just as how a "neuter" does not necessarily meant that the word is impersonal, the same applies here. Psalm 22 is a Psalm that describes the sufferings of Jesus. And yet, even the word "poured out" was used for Christ. This is what we can read on Psalm 22:14.

Psalm 22:14

I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax, it is melted within my breast;

Our Savior Jesus Christ is truly a Person despite the fact that He was described as being "poured out like a water." In the same way, the passage in Acts does not disprove the Personhood and Divinity of the Holy Spirit. The pouring out of the Holy Spirit signifies that Jesus Christ sends Him to us which is stated clearly both in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and in the Word of God.

CCC 739

739 Because the Holy Spirit is the anointing of Christ, it is Christ who, as the head of the Body, pours out the Spirit among His members to nourish, heal, and organize them in their mutual functions, to give them life, send them to bear witness, and associate them to His self-offering to the Father and to His intercession for the whole world. Through the Church's sacraments, Christ communicates His Holy and sanctifying Spirit to the members of His Body [4].

John 16:6-8

But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you. And when He comes He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:

The Holy Spirit is the Advocate or the Counselor whom Jesus promised to sent to us as He ascended to the Father in heaven. At the same time, let's notice that the pronoun that is used in the Scriptures about the Holy Spirit is "He" and "Him." Besides this, the Holy Spirit performs actions such as convicting the world about sin, righteousness and condemnation. In John 14:26, Jesus says that Holy Spirit will teach us all things and remind us of the teachings of Christ. The works of the Holy Spirit prove that He is a Person, not an impersonal force.

Our Counselor, the Holy Spirit, is not just a Person, but He is our God. The Holy Spirit is the Third Member of the Holy Trinity. One of the attributes that only God has is omniscience or being "all knowing." The fact that the Holy Spirit teaches us all things means that He knows all things. St. Paul also wrote of the knowledge of the Holy Spirit pointing to His omniscience.

1 Corinthians 2:11

For what person knows a man’s thoughts except the spirit of the man which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

Only Someone who has infinite knowledge can comprehend the thoughts of God. Omniscience is an attribute of God alone, and this verse shows us that the Holy Spirit is God. At the same time, there are certain passages where we will see that the Holy Spirit acts as God.

Hebrews 3:7-10

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, when you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put Me to the test and saw My works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their hearts; they have not known My ways.’

The Holy Spirit is the God in the Old Testament who was with the Israelites in the wilderness. For forty years, the Israelites put Him to the test, and they were disobedient to God, the Holy Spirit. They were unable to see the ways of God. Even in Hebrews 10, we will also see that the Holy Spirit is truly our God. 

Hebrews 10:15-17

And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, 16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” 17 then He adds, “I will remember their sins and their misdeeds no more.”

The Holy Spirit is the Lord who places His law on our hearts. He is not a force but a Divine Person who bears witness, who establishes covenant with us. He forgives us of our sins, and we receive His gift of salvation by following the will of God. The bible passages that non-Trinitarians use as objections to our belief should not be interpreted literally, and they should be understood in light of clear passages in the Scriptures that speak of the Holy Spirit as God. May we listen to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so that our hearts will be filled by the fire of His love. And, may we pray to the Holy Spirit for the conversion and enlightenment of people who are unaware of His true identity as our Lord. 

References:

[1] Nicene Creed:

https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe

[2] Greek word "Pneuma" in John 14:26: https://biblehub.com/john/14-26.htm#lexicon

[3] Greek word "Pneuma" in John 4:24:

https://biblehub.com/john/4-24.htm#lexicon

[4] CCC on Holy Spirit:

http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/739.htm