Topical Bible: the Personality of Holy Spirit: He Can be Resisted

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The Holy Spirit, as the third person of the Trinity, possesses a distinct personality that can be engaged with by believers and non-believers alike. One aspect of His personality is that He can be resisted. This resistance is a significant theme in Scripture, highlighting the human capacity to oppose the Spirit's work and prompting.

Biblical Instances of Resisting the Holy Spirit

1. Acts 7:51: In Stephen's speech to the Sanhedrin, he accuses the Jewish leaders of resisting the Holy Spirit. He states, "You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did." This passage underscores the historical pattern of resistance among the Israelites, illustrating that the Holy Spirit's guidance and conviction can be actively opposed.

2. Isaiah 63:10: The prophet Isaiah reflects on the rebellion of the Israelites, saying, "But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit. So He turned and became their enemy, and He Himself fought against them." This verse indicates that resistance to the Holy Spirit is not a new phenomenon but has been a recurring issue throughout the history of God's people.

3. Ephesians 4:30: The Apostle Paul admonishes believers, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." This exhortation suggests that believers can resist the Spirit's sanctifying work through actions and attitudes that grieve Him.

The Nature of Resistance

Resistance to the Holy Spirit can manifest in various forms, including disobedience, unbelief, and a hardened heart. It is an act of the will, where individuals choose to reject or ignore the Spirit's promptings, leading to spiritual stagnation or regression. This resistance can occur both in the lives of believers, who may resist the Spirit's call to holiness and transformation, and in non-believers, who may reject the Spirit's conviction of sin and call to salvation.

Consequences of Resisting the Holy Spirit

The resistance of the Holy Spirit carries significant consequences. For non-believers, persistent resistance can lead to a hardened heart, making it increasingly difficult to respond to the Spirit's call to repentance and faith. For believers, resisting the Spirit can result in a loss of spiritual vitality, diminished effectiveness in ministry, and a lack of peace and joy in the Christian life.

The Holy Spirit's Persistent Work

Despite human resistance, the Holy Spirit continues His work of conviction, guidance, and sanctification. His persistence is a testament to God's grace and desire for all to come to repentance and maturity in Christ. The Spirit's work is not easily thwarted, and He continually seeks to draw individuals into a deeper relationship with God, even in the face of resistance.

In summary, the Holy Spirit's personality includes the capacity to be resisted, a reality that Scripture addresses with both warning and hope. The call to believers is to remain sensitive and responsive to the Spirit's leading, allowing His transformative work to proceed unhindered in their lives.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Acts 7:51
You stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Personality of the Holy Ghost
... How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord ... I think I
have fully established the point of the personality of the Holy Ghost; allow ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 1 1855/the personality of the holy.htm

The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit
... same arguments which there prove the Personality of the ... sorrow of Gethsemane may
be endured by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the most sensitive person of the ...
/.../evans/the great doctrines of the bible/the doctrine of the holy.htm

A Letter on the Sin against the Holy Ghost to John Uytenbogard ...
... the confirmation of the truth of the personality of the ... to those extraordinary gifts
of the Holy Spirit which at ... Therefore, the sin against the Holy Ghost is ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 2/a letter on the sin.htm

The Necessity of Divine Influences. [*Continued]
... the believer should have as full faith in the distinct personality, and immediate ...
Man asks for the Holy Spirit, only as he is moved by the Holy Spirit. ...
/.../shedd/sermons to the natural man/the necessity of divine influences 2.htm

1 John ii. 18
... in that relation to the human spirit which it ... those signs specified in the Holy
Scriptures receive a ... to be finally reached in that representative personality. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/neander/the first epistle of john/1 john ii 18.htm

"Let not Your Heart be Troubled"
... Christ's representative, but divested of the personality of humanity ... letter of the
word of God, he might be ... and promises; but unless the Holy Spirit sets home ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 73 let not your.htm

Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness.
... Our Lord's temptation makes the personality of the tempter ... But in the Holy City which
is to come ... asserted his purity and might, the Spirit visibly acknowledged ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/xix jesus tempted in the.htm

The First Per??an Discourses - to the Pharisees Concerning the Two ...
... the opposite of the sin against the Holy Ghost, was ... presence and rule there as an
evil spirit would not ... to point away from His merely Human Personality to His ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xi the first peraean.htm

Philo of Alexandria, the Rabbis, and the Gospels - the Final ...
... presented as the Ruach ha Qodesh, of Holy Spirit. ... Not a concrete personality, and
yet, from another ... central section Israel after the Spirit (the circumcised in ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter iv philo of alexandria.htm

Jerusalem
... for himself, openly and publicly, the authority of the Holy Spirit. ... The Spirit" was
an ... and explained Jesus' strange and overmastering personality in accordance ...
/.../lake/landmarks in the history of early christianity/ii jerusalem.htm