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Biblically there's is a phrase for the Spirit of God the Father and the Spirit of Christ the Son. And the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.

How about the "Spirit" of the Holy Spirit? Looking at it, it seems that, the thing called "spirit" do not point to the Three Person in the Triune God. The phrase would mean as if the Triune God has a "spirit" that animates the three person namely, Father Son and the Holy Spirit.

God is a Spirit, how come God who is a Spirit also has a "spirit"?

Comparing to a created man who is composed of body and soul. The soul animates the body and the spirit animates the soul.

Is God who existed in eternity as Spirit animated by "spirit" too?

What is the logical and biblical understanding of the "spirit" of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit?

Catholicism is preferred but a Christian biblical understanding is also welcome.

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  • christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/35189/…. This link is related but I'm hoping somehow a new answer might provide a much better explanation. – Francis Sophia Feb 7 '20 at 21:09
  • There are three distinct Persons in One God. Think of it like a clover: each of its three leaves is that clover yet distinct. – user96931 Feb 7 '20 at 22:51
  • @user96931 I am asking for the prefix word "spirit" in referring to the "spirit' of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit which are all spirit as God is a spirit. – Francis Sophia Feb 7 '20 at 22:55
  • In that case, the same word is used with two meanings. God the Spirit refers to one Person of the Holy Trinity, whereas "spirit of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit" refers to an immaterial Being. – user96931 Feb 7 '20 at 22:56
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    @user96931: Good to know. If you like satire, here is a link to a funny take on the theology of the trinity: youtube.com/watch?v=eBRpeq9dVe4 By the way, I should have linked your clover analogy to the error of partialism, not modalism. Don – rhetorician Feb 17 '20 at 1:07
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Jesus said :

Pneuma 'o Theos [John 4:24 TR]

Spirit the God (literally)

This is an equivalence. He is saying that 'God' means 'Spirit'. The nature of deity is a spiritual nature. The scripture (written by Paul the apostle) also says (of the Son of God, Jesus Christ) :

... being in form, of God ... Philippians 2:6 (literal)

The form of God is spirit. God is a spirit.

This is a matter of the nature of Deity.

This nature is shared. From the beginning the plural (or 'composite') term Elohim is used in Genesis to express Deity. It is a matter of union. A perfection of unity within Deity.

The term 'Spirit of Christ' is used in scripture (I Peter 1:11, for example) and the term 'Spirit of the Father' is also used (Matthew 10:20, for example). But the term 'Spirit of the Holy Spirit' is never used.

Thus we learn that the Holy Spirit acts on behalf of the Father and on behalf of Christ.

By carefully observing such expressions we may understand more of the revelation of God by his own word.

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    Another scripture that may be relevant, substantiating your penultimate sentence, is Romans 8:9 - "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." The verses following also show this 'perfection of unity within Deity', i.e. the Godhead. – Anne Feb 10 '20 at 10:30
  • @Nigel J pneuma ho theos means "God is a spirit," and not "Spirit the God." Likewise, en morphe theou hyparkon means "subsisting in the form of God." – Sola Gratia Feb 16 '20 at 23:51
  • The genitive for God is theou; here it is in the nominative theos. You don't use an article in this construction en morphe theou... May I suggest you have not grasped the Greek language quite sufficiently yet? – Sola Gratia Feb 17 '20 at 14:25
  • "Pneuma 'o Theos [John 4:24 TR]" – Sola Gratia Feb 17 '20 at 20:38
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The simplest answer is that God is Spirit ontologically and Triune practically. Therefore it is logical and biblical to say that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit all operate according to the Spirit of God.

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Good question. God is Holy. God is Spirit. God is the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the son of God, received the Spirit at baptism. John 1:32, and Acts 2:33 was given the Holy Spirit to give to others, and Luke 23:46 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!'Interesting that it goes to the Father...

The Holy Spirit is mostly referred to as God in action, in presence... does not speak of himself John 16:13, does not have a place on the throne via Stephen's vision, John/Revelation, does not have a name. (which raises the question of equality which seems to be arbitrarily decided on rather than revealed by the word.)

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