The Holy Spirit in Christianity
In Christianity, the Holy Spirit is the third of three persons constituting God. Along with the
Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit is God. According to Orthodoxy, he proceeded from the
Father only. According to Catholicism and Protestantism, he proceeded from both the Father
and the Son altogether.
It is ironic that the Holy Spirit’s status as the third of three persons and proceeding from the
Father and/or the Son is baseless in the Bible. Let’s have a look at the Holy Spirit’s nature
according to the Bible.
In the Old Testament, we notice that the Holy Spirit is not set up as God. He is rather por-
trayed as God’s Spirit that supports the believers. However, the Old Testament suggests incar-
nation, immanentism and pantheism, which are not endorsed by Islam.
In the Old Testament, we read about the Holy Spirit: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and
renew a right and steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence And do
not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” (Psalm 51:10-11)
We also read: “But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; therefore He turned Himself
to become their enemy, he fought against them. Then His people remembered the days of
old, of Moses. Where is He who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of His
flock? Where is He who put His Holy Spirit in the midst of them.” (Isaiah 63:10-11)
In the New Testament, we observe that there is marked discrepancy over the Holy Spirit’s
nature. The New Testament tells us that Mary was made pregnant by the Holy Spirit. There
is nothing wrong with that. Actually, the Holy Spirit played an important role in making Mary
pregnant with Jesus though the New Testament suggests incarnation, immanentism and pan-
theism like the Old Testament.
In the New Testament, we read: Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His moth-
er Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with
child by [the power of] the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her [promised] husband, being a just and
righteous man and not wanting to expose her publicly to shame, planned to send her away
and divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to
him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your
wife, for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit...” (Matthew 1:18-20)
According to the above verses from the New Testament, it is safe to say that if we take in-
carnation immanentism and pantheism for granted, it is Jesus who proceeded from the Holy
Spirit not vice versa.
Since it is Jesus who proceeded from the Holy Spirit according to the New Testament, there
should be no wonder when Jesus states as quoted by the New Testament that insult to him
can be forgiven, whereas insult to the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven.
In the New Testament, we read: “Therefore, I tell you that people will be forgiven for every sin
and insult to God. But insulting the Holy Spirit won’t be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word
against the Human One will be forgiven. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit won’t be
forgiven, not in this age or in the age that is coming.” (Matthew 12:31-32)
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ird Person) and Angel The Holy Spirit in Islam and ChristianityBetween God (Third Person) and Angel
In consideration of the fore-
going, if we concede that the
Holy Trinity is right, the order
of persons should go as fol-
lows: the Father, then the Holy
Spirit, and then the Son.
However, even the verses in-
terpreted as implying the Holy
Trinity in the New Testament
involve flagrant contradictions.
For example, we read: Jesus
came near and spoke to them,
“I’ve received all authority in
heaven and on earth. There-
fore, go and make disciples of
all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
(Matthew 28:18-19)
We may ask: who gave Jesus
all authority in heaven and on
earth? If it is the Father Who
gave them, it is the Father
Who must be God. If it is the
Father and the Holy Spirit who
gave them, it is the Father and
the Holy Spirit who must be
God to the exclusion to Jesus.
If Jesus really ordered baptism
in the name of the Father, the
Son and the Holy Spirit, does
Difference between the Holy Spirit and God’s Spirit
Just as the conception of the Holy Spirit differs in the current scriptures of the Abrahamic reli-
gions, that of God’s Spirit also differs.
In the Old Testament, there is no difference between the Holy Spirit and God’s Spirit. As indicated
above, the Holy Spirit is not a person or god separate from God (the Father). He is rather God’s
Spirit thereby He supports the good among His servants. Still, the Old Testament suggests incar-
nation, immanentism and pantheism for both.
For example, about God’s Spirit, we read in the Old Testament: But Moses replied, “Are you jeal-
ous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put
his Spirit on them!” (Numbers 11:29)
As for the New Testament, there is no difference between the Holy Spirit and God’s Spirit either.
They are synonymously used. For example, we read in the New Testament: “When Jesus was
baptized, he immediately came up out of the water. Heaven was opened to him, and he saw the
Spirit of God coming down like a dove and resting on him.” (Matthew 3:16)
In the Qur’an, the word “Spirit” is used with “God” to give different meanings as follows:
1- To stand for God Himself or one of His attributes. For example, God says that He blew into
Adam from His Spirit, i.e. from Himself or from His ability. In the Qur’an, we read:
And when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My Spirit, then fall down
to him in prostration.” (Al-Hijr 15:29)
Also, God says that He blew into Mary from His Spirit, i.e. from Himself or from His ability. In the
Qur’an, we read:
And [mention] the one who guarded her chastity, so We blew into her [garment] from
Our Spirit, and We made her and her son a sign for the worlds. (Al-Anbiya 21:91)
We also read:
And [the example of] Mary, the daughter of ‘Imran, who guarded her chastity, so We
blew into her [garment] from Our Spirit, and she believed in the words of her Lord
and His scriptures and was of the devoutly obedient. (At-Tahrim 66:12)
2- To stand for the Holy Spirit, namely Angel Gabriel. For example, we read in the Qur’an:
And she took, in seclusion from them, a screen. Then We sent to her Our Spirit, and he
represented himself to her as a well-proportioned man. (Maryam 19:17)
We also read:
For such He has written Faith in their hearts, and strengthened them with a spirit
from Himself. (Al-Mujadilah 58:22)
3- To stand for Jesus. For example, we read in the Qur’an:
O People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your religion or say about Allah ex-
cept the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allah
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