(Ephesians 4:30) Doesn’t the Fact That the Holy Spirit Can Be “grieved” Prove that it is a Separate person?

“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30)

Some maintain that since the Holy Spirit of God can be grieved that it must be a separate person. This is not a necessary, nor logical conclusion. Daniel wrote, “I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me” (Daniel 7:15). Daniel’s spirit was grieved, yet I doubt anyone would be willing to suggest that Daniel’s spirit was a person separate and distinct from Daniel.

Ephesians 4:30 actually demonstrates that the Holy Spirit belongs to a Person. The text says, “…the holy Spirit of God.” The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, it is God’s own Spirit. The translators chose to render πνευμα το αγιον in this verse as “holy Spirit” with a lowercase “holy,” even though this exact Greek phrase is used 18 other times in the NT and was always translated, “the Holy Ghost.” This verse demonstrates that the term “Holy Ghost” is not a name of a person, but a description of the Spirit of God. The English word “Ghost” is a poor translation of the Greek word πνευμα. “Spirit” is a much better translation that avoids the unbiblical idea of a disembodied ghost of a dead person. The Bible says, “The dead know not any thing” (Ecclesiastes 9:6). The word “holy” is an adjective to describe God’s Spirit.

Just as the troubled spirit of Daniel was not a separate person, the holy Spirit of God is not a separate person from God.