Spirit of God E15 — Some New Testament passages present the Spirit as a distinct agent, or entity, who teaches, reminds, and even dwells within Jesus' followers. But more often, the Bible describes the Spirit as God's power, presence, or energy. So what led early Christians to conceive of the Spirit of God as the third person of the Trinity? In this final episode of the series, Jon and Tim discuss how the Spirit came to be understood as a person and what this means for how we experience God's presence today.CHAPTERSIs the Spirit a Person? (0:00-10:18)Clues in the Gospel of John (10:18-33:28)Persons of the Trinity Assumed in Paul’s Writings (33:28-45:52)Layers of Meaning in the Trinity (45:52-58:29)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode’s official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCESOn the Holy Spirit by St Basil the Great“How did the Spirit become a Person?” (essay) by Joerg FreyGod and Spiritual Beings (podcast series)Check out Tim's extensive collection of recommended books here.SHOW MUSIC“Pure Joy” by Lofi Sunday feat. John Lee“Eucalyptus” by Lofi Sunday feat. Eluzai“City Sunset” by Lofi Sunday feat. Marc VanparlaBibleProject theme song by TENTS SHOW CREDITSProduction of today’s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey and Aaron Olsen edited today’s episode and provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty writes the show notes. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Released on 26 Oct 2026