Just as we say “God the Father” or “God the Son,” we also say “God the Holy Spirit.” We confess with these words that the Holy Spirit is God and equal to the Father and the Son. We think nothing of making this confession. Even my two-year-old daughter can say, “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

But not everyone believes this. If you read any literature from the Jehovah’s Witnesses, you will notice that they spell the name with small letters (“holy spirit”). They believe that the Holy Spirit is just a force that comes from God.

One God, three persons

A story in Acts shows us in a dramatic way that the Holy Spirit is a person and that the Holy Spirit is God.

“Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.

“Then Peter said, ‘Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God’ ” (Acts 5:1-4).