The Holy Spirit is called the "Paraclete" in the original Greek, which literally means, "one called alongside to help." He is here for you-and He wants to do a wonderful work in your life. John 1 4:16-18 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Some have wrongly assumed that the Spirit is more of an "It" than a "Him." That is probably due in part to descriptions of Him in Scripture that refer to Him as being like the wind or a fire, or as coming on Jesus in the form of a dove. Yet, this must be balanced with the rest of Scripture.

Jesus referred to Himself as "the Bread of Life" and "the Door" in the New Testament, and God has been called "a Refuge" and "a Consuming Fire," as well as One who will protect us "under His wings." Does that mean that Jesus is a loaf of bread or a door? Does that imply that God the Father is a pile of rocks or a blast furnace, as well as some sort of "giant bird" in heaven? Of course not! In the same way, those descriptions of the Holy Spirit do not mean that He is simply some sort of "force" or power." In order for a being to be considered a person, he or she must possess three characteristics: intelligence, will, and emotion. The Holy Spirit displays all three.

1. The Holy Spirit has intelligence.

1 Corinthians 2:10-11 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

Paul tells us that the Spirit "knows the thoughts of God." Only a person with intelligence can actually know things. A fire does not "know" things; nor does a plant or a tree. But the Holy Spirit does.

2. The Holy Spirit has a will.
I Corinthians 12:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

It is the Holy Spirit who decides what kind of spiritual gifts each believer should receive. Other evidences of the Holy Spirit's will include Acts 15:28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; , when the Apostles prefaced their judgment on a question of Church doctrine by saying, "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit. " In addition, the Holy Spirit has shown His will in setting apart people for the Lord's service Acts l3:2 2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. Only persons with a will are able to communicate this way.

3. The Holy Spirit has emotion.

Acts 5:3, But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 5:4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

Scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit can be grieved, quenched, resisted, blasphemed, and-as this passage attests-even lied to. This passage, found in the account of Ananias and Saphira in ***Acts 5:1-11, also clearly states that the Holy Spirit is God.

The Bible warns of six sins one can commit against the Holy Spirit. Some of them can only be committed by nonbelievers, while others could be committed by believers.

1) Lying to the Spirit.

Lying to the Holy Spirit means to pretend to be something you are not-to go through the motions of the Christian life without really meaning it in your heart of hearts.

2) A believer can grieve the Holy Spirit.

Grieving the Holy Spirit means to make sad or sorrowful. When we allow bitterness to poison our lives or we slander others, we are grieving the Holy Spirit.

3) A believer can quench the Holy Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 5: 19 Quench not the Spirit.

Quenching suggests extinguishing a fire. Unbelief can certainly hinder the working and moving of God's Holy Spirit (see Mark 6:4-5). This sin is also committed when the Holy Spirit leads you to do a certain thing (share your faith, pray more, take a step of faith) and you flatly refuse.

4) A non-believer can resist the Holy Spirit.

Acts 7:51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

These words were spoken by the early Christian martyr Stephen, as he spoke to the unbelieving Sanhedrin shortly before his death. The Holy Spirit seeks to speak to the heart of the unbeliever and lead him to God. This speaks of those who are convinced of the truth of the gospel, yet who refuse to yield their hearts to God.

5) A non-believer can insult the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

It is the office of the Holy Spirit to present the saving work of Jesus Christ to the unsaved. A person insults the love of God by saying that he does not really need God's gift of salvation, or by insisting that Christ's death on the cross was unnecessary or unable to save him. To resist the Spirit's appeal is to insult God and to cut off all hope of salvation.

6) A non-believer can blaspheme the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 12:31-32 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. 12:32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

This is the most serious offense against the Holy Spirit, for there is no forgiveness for the person who commits it. The work of the Spirit is to convict us of sin and bring us to Jesus Christ. To blaspheme Him is similar to insulting, in that we resist His work altogether. This should not be the concern of any Christian, for this is not a sin he can or will commit.

Romans 8:5-6 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Instead of lying to, grieving, quenching, or insulting and resisting the Holy Spirit, we should allow Him to freely work in our lives.