What Is the Holy Spirit? - Misconceptions About the Holy Spirit

 Misconception: The Bible personifies the holy spirit, and that this proves that it is a person.

Fact: The Scriptures do at times personify the holy spirit, but this does not prove that the holy spirit is a person. The Bible also personifies  wisdom, death, and sin. (Proverbs 1:20; Romans 5:17, 21)  For example, wisdom is said to have "works," and "children," and sin is depicted as seducing, killing, ad working out covetousness. - MATTHEW 11:19; LUKE 7:35; ROMANS 7:8, 11. 

Similarly, when the apostle John quoted Jesus, he personified the holy spirit as a "helper" (paraclete) that would give evidence, guide, speak, hear, declare, glorify, and receive.  He used masculine personal pronouns such as "he" or  "him"  when referring to that "helper." (John 16:7-15) However, he did so because the Greek word for "helper" (pa-ra'kle-tos)  is a masculine noun and requires a masculine pronoun according the rules of Greek grammar.  When John referred to the holy spirit using the neuter noun pneu'ma he used the genderless pronoun "it."  - JOHN 14:16, 17.

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