The short answer is: No one in the Bible explicitly calls the Holy Spirit "God" in a single, direct statement...

However, a key event in the Book of Acts is widely interpreted by Christian theologians as the first implicit identification of the Holy Spirit as God. This involves the apostles Peter and Ananias.


The Key Passage: Acts 5:3-4


This is the most critical passage for your question. The scene involves a man named Ananias who lied about the proceeds from a sale of property he was donating to the early church.


"Then Peter said, 'Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?... You have not lied just to human beings but to God.'" (Acts 5:3-4, NIV)


Here's the breakdown of why this is so significant:


1. Peter's Accusation (v.3): Peter says Ananias has "lied to the Holy Spirit."

2. Peter's Explanation (v.4): Peter then clarifies this act by saying, "You have not lied just to human beings but to God."


The Theological Implication: In this parallel statement, Peter equates lying to the Holy Spirit with lying to God. This is the closest the Bible comes to a direct statement that the Holy Spirit is God. The early Christian understanding, as expressed by Peter, was that the Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force but a divine Person who is, in essence, God Himself.


Other Foundational Biblical Concepts


While Acts 5 provides the most direct link, the concept of the Holy Spirit's divinity is built on a foundation found throughout the Bible:


· Divine Attributes: The Holy Spirit is described as having attributes that belong only to God:

  · Omnipresence (Psalm 139:7-10)

  · Omniscience (1 Corinthians 2:10-11)

  · Eternity (Hebrews 9:14)

Historical Development After the Bible


It's crucial to understand that the explicit doctrinal term "God" for the Holy Spirit was formalized by the early Church after the biblical books were written, as they defended and refined the doctrine of the Trinity against various heresies.


· The First Council of Nicaea (325 AD) focused on establishing the divinity of Christ (homoousios with the Father).

· The First Council of Constantinople (381 AD) expanded this to clearly affirm the full divinity of the Holy Spirit. The updated creed from this council (which we now call the Nicene Creed) includes the line:

  "And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son], who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified."


· Divine Works: The Holy Spirit performs works that only God can do:

  · Creation (Genesis 1:2)

  · Regeneration (being "born again" by the Spirit, John 3:5-8)

  · Inspiration of Scripture (2 Peter 1:21)

· Association with the Father and Son: Several passages place the Holy Spirit on an equal level with God the Father and Jesus Christ, most famously the baptismal formula:

  · Matthew 28:19: "...baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." This triadic formula strongly implies a unity of essence.


Here, the Holy Spirit is called "Lord" (the Greek Kyrios, used to translate Yahweh in the Old Testament) and is stated to be worthy of the same worship as the Father and Son—an act reserved for God alone.


Conclusion


To summarize:


· In the Bible: The Apostle Peter in Acts 5:3-4 makes the first and most powerful implicit identification of the Holy Spirit as God by equating "lying to the Holy Spirit" with "lying to God."

· In Church History: The term "God" for the Holy Spirit was formally and explicitly adopted by the collective body of the First Council of Constantinople in 381 AD, which dogmatically defined the Holy Spirit as co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son.