Who is the Holy Ghost?

The Holy Ghost is the Holy Spirit. The two names refer to the same person of the Trinity, whom Christians worship with the Father and the Son. If the word “Ghost” sounds unfamiliar in church, you are hearing language preserved in the Book of Common Prayer and the Authorised Version of the Bible.

God present and active

Article V of the Anglican Articles of Religion describes the Holy Ghost as “very and eternal God”. Here “very” means true: the Spirit shares fully in the divine being, majesty and glory of the Father and the Son. Christians are not speaking of a lesser divine helper or an impersonal force.

Calling the Spirit a person does not mean imagining another human body. It means that Christian faith speaks of someone who acts, teaches and brings us into relationship with God. The Trinity is one God, not three separate gods.

The promise Jesus gives

In John 14:15–26, Jesus speaks to the disciples about his departure. He promises another Comforter, the Spirit of truth. The Spirit will remain with them, teach them and bring Jesus’ words to their remembrance.

This gives the promise a particular shape. The disciples are not left to manufacture the presence of God through their own effort. The Spirit’s work is bound to Jesus and his teaching. It is more than a name for a moving atmosphere or a powerful feeling.

Paul brings another image into view in Romans 8:14–17: adoption. The Spirit bears witness that we are God’s children and enables the prayer “Abba, Father”. The image is one of belonging and inheritance.

Family language can be painful when our own experience has been unsafe. Paul’s emphasis here is on the belonging God gives: the Spirit bears witness to our place among God’s children.

Listen for that promise of presence the next time you hear “Holy Ghost” in worship. Christ Church’s statement of faith places this confession within our belief in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.