If you do not believe the Holy Spirit is a person, then what is it? What do Bible verses that reference the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of God mean? Question: If you do not believe the Holy Spirit is a person, then what is it?
The Bible includes over 100 verses that mention the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God or just the Spirit. Here are four examples:
Genesis 1:1-2 NIV:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2Now the earth
was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and
the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

John 14:26 NIV:

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my
name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I
have said to you.

Matthew 12:32 NIV:

Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but
anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either
in this age or in the age to come.

John 16:7-15 NIV:

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all
the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he
hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me
because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to
you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the
Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
When reading translations of scripture, it is important to remember that the original Greek and Hebrew text didn't use capital letters to personify the &quot;holy spirit&quot; expression.
It is the translators, inspired by the Trinity doctrine, that decided to add the capitalization.
Similarly, the use of &quot;he&quot;, &quot;who&quot;, etc. rather than &quot;it&quot;, &quot;which&quot;, etc. in reference to God's spirit is also a decision of the translators.
For instance, Jewish translations of the Hebrew scriptures do not capitalize &quot;spirit&quot; nor refer to it as &quot;he&quot;.
Compare the passage quoted in the question:

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.
He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.
All that belongs to the Father is mine.
That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

with what it looks like without personification:

But when it, the spirit of truth, comes, it will guide you into all the truth.
It will not speak on its own; it will speak only what it hears, and it will tell you what is yet to come.
It will glorify me because it is from me that it will receive what it will make known to you.
All that belongs to the Father is mine.
That is why I said the spirit will receive from me what it will make known to you.”

Both translations are equally correct, but depend on the influence, or lack thereof, of the Trinity doctrine.
Anyone reading the second version would have no reason to even suspect that &quot;spirit&quot; refers to a sentient living being.
It doesn't, but the &quot;spirit&quot; in this passage could just as easily be referring to &quot;The Bible&quot; in the way the words are used here.
Read in this way, God's spirit is simply a spiritual force that belongs to God and through which God acts.
The expression is treated no differently than &quot;God's finger&quot; or &quot;God's judgement&quot; would be.


Allowing preconceived ideas to influence one's understanding is known as eisegesis (using scripture to confirm what one knows).
Looking at scriptures without the influence of preconceived ideas is known as exegesis (using scripture to derive what one knows).

In terms of strengthening one's existing faith, eisegesis can help and exegesis can hurt.
But in terms of objective translation, eisegeis is bad and exegesis is good.