Objection · Case 04 · The Trinity
Couldn’t “lying to the Spirit is lying to God” just mean the Spirit is God’s power or presence? That identifies the Spirit with God without making the Spirit a separate person.
One objection from the free evidence repository at apologetics.pro.
Response
A good point, and Acts 5 does primarily support the deity of the Spirit; it supports personhood only insofar as lying is something done to a someone. The distinction of the Spirit from the Father comes from other texts: the Spirit is sent by the Father and the Son, intercedes with the Father, and is named as a third party in the baptismal formula. Acts 5 gives one leg of the argument, not both, and it should not be asked to carry more.
About this exhibit
This objection is to Lying to the Spirit is lying to God, Acts 5:3-4.
Peter tells Ananias he has lied to the Holy Spirit, then says in the next breath, “You have not lied to man but to God.” Lying is something you can only do to a someone.
Under Claim 08: The New Testament treats the Holy Spirit as a person who acts, not as an impersonal force or energy.