Short answer
No. Being filled with the Holy Spirit does not make anyone God. The Bible says the Spirit filled many people, and it calls none of them God (﷾). Barnabas was "full of the Holy Ghost". John the Baptist was filled with it "even from his mother's womb", so being filled from birth is not special to Jesus. The Spirit of God (﷾) also came upon Balaam, Gideon, Samson, Saul, David, Ezekiel and Simeon. The Bible says God (﷾) gives the Spirit "to them that obey him". Christians apply Isaiah 11 to Jesus. It says the Spirit makes him quick to understand "in the fear of the Lord". One who fears the Lord is not the Lord. Islam teaches that God (﷾) strengthened Jesus, His messenger, with the holy spirit, which Muslims understand as the angel Gabriel.
Full explanation
Why Christians point to the Spirit
Christians note that the Spirit of God (﷾) came down on Jesus at his baptism. A voice from heaven called him "my beloved Son". John's Gospel says God (﷾) "giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him". Christians take this fullness of the Spirit as a sign that Jesus is more than a man.
“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
“For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.”
Others "full of the Holy Ghost"
The New Testament uses the same words for many ordinary believers. (The Holy Ghost is another name for the Holy Spirit.) Barnabas and Stephen, two early Christians, were full of the Holy Ghost. The disciples were all filled with it at Pentecost, a Jewish harvest feast, when Acts says the Spirit came on them. Elisabeth and Zacharias, the parents of John the Baptist, were filled with it before Jesus was born. Peter, a disciple of Jesus, says God (﷾) gives the Holy Ghost to those who obey Him. None of them is called God.
“For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord.”
“And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:”
“And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
“And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:”
“And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,”
“And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.”
Filled from the womb: John the Baptist
Some reply that Jesus had the Spirit before he was born. But the angel said the same of John the Baptist. John would be filled with the Holy Ghost even from his mother's womb. No Christian calls John God (﷾).
“But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.”
The Spirit came on many others
The Hebrew Bible (the Jewish scriptures, which Christians call the Old Testament) says the Spirit of God (﷾) came upon many people. They include the foreign seer Balaam and the judges, who were early leaders of Israel: Othniel, Gideon, Jephthah and Samson. They include King Saul and King David, and the prophets Azariah and Ezekiel. Later the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul: the Spirit was given, and it could be taken back. In Luke, the Holy Ghost came upon Mary, and it was upon the old man Simeon. If the Spirit made a man God, all of these would be gods.
“And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him.”
“And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the Lord delivered Chushan–rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushan–rishathaim.”
“But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abi–ezer was gathered after him.”
“Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon.”
“And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.”
“And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.”
“But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.”
“Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.”
“And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:”
“And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the Lord; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them.”
“And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”
“And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.”
| Who | Who they were |
|---|---|
| Balaam | A foreign seer |
| Gideon and Samson | Judges of Israel |
| Saul and David | Kings of Israel |
| Ezekiel | A prophet |
| John the Baptist | Filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb |
| Simeon | An old man in Jerusalem |
| Barnabas | “Full of the Holy Ghost” |
None of them is called God. The Bible says God (﷾) gives the Holy Ghost “to them that obey him”.
Isaiah 11: the promised one fears the Lord
Christians apply Isaiah 11 to Jesus. Isaiah was a prophet of the eighth century BC. He says the spirit of the Lord rests on the promised one. It gives him wisdom, understanding, counsel, might and knowledge. It also makes him quick to understand "in the fear of the Lord". One who is taught by God (﷾) and must fear God (﷾) is God's (﷾) servant, not God himself.
“And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:”
God (﷾) puts His Spirit on His servant
Matthew applies Isaiah 42 to Jesus. In it God (﷾) says: "Behold my servant", "I will put my spirit upon him". Peter preaches that God (﷾) anointed Jesus with the Holy Ghost and with power, "for God was with him". (To anoint is to set a person apart for God's (﷾) work.) Jesus says he cast out devils "by the Spirit of God". In every verse God (﷾) gives and Jesus receives.
“Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.”
“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”
“But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.”
What the Qur'an says
The Qur'an says that God (﷾) gave Jesus clear signs and strengthened him with the holy spirit. It says God (﷾) sent a line of messengers after Moses. Muslims understand the holy spirit here as the angel Gabriel. When Jesus first speaks, as a baby in the cradle, he says he is a servant of Allah (﷾), made a prophet.
“We gave Moses the Book and followed him up with a succession of messengers; We gave Jesus the son of Mary Clear (Signs) and strengthened him with the holy spirit. Is it that whenever there comes to you a messenger with what ye yourselves desire not, ye are puffed up with pride?- Some ye called impostors, and others ye slay!”
“He said: "I am indeed a servant of Allah: He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet;”
Verse by verse
John 3:34 — Gospel of John, chapter 3, verse 34
“For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.”
Cited for
God gave Jesus the Spirit without measure, as He gave it to no one else, so Jesus must be divine.
The response
The verse names two: God (﷾), who gives, and "he whom God hath sent", who receives and speaks God's (﷾) words. A greater gift makes a greater messenger, not a second God. Acts says why Jesus had this power. God (﷾) anointed him, "for God was with him".
Where it lands — The Spirit is given to Jesus by God (﷾), so the gift shows that Jesus depends on God (﷾).
Luke 1:13-15 — Gospel of Luke, chapter 1, verses 13-15
“But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.”
Cited for
Jesus had the Holy Spirit from the start of his life, which no mere man has.
The response
The angel says exactly this of John the Baptist: he would be filled with the Holy Ghost even from his mother's womb.
Where it lands — Having the Spirit from before birth is not unique to Jesus, and it did not make John God.
Matthew 3:16-17 — Gospel of Matthew, chapter 3, verses 16-17
“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Cited for
At the baptism the Spirit came down and the Father called Jesus His beloved Son, so the scene shows him to be divine.
The response
Later in the same Gospel, Matthew applies Isaiah 42 to Jesus. The words echo the voice at the baptism. They read: "Behold my servant ... my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him". God (﷾) does not need to put His Spirit on Himself. David too received the Spirit when he was anointed.
Where it lands — Matthew's own Gospel calls the one on whom the Spirit rests God's (﷾) chosen servant.
Luke 1:35 — Gospel of Luke, chapter 1, verse 35
“And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”
Cited for
Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit without a father, so he is divine.
The response
Adam had neither father nor mother. Luke's own list of Jesus' ancestors ends "which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God". The Holy Ghost also came upon Mary, and no one calls her God. The Qur'an makes the same point: the similitude of Jesus before Allah (﷾) is as that of Adam, whom He created from dust. Hebrews says Melchizedek, a priest-king in Genesis, was without father, without mother, and without beginning of days. Yet Hebrews does not call him God.
Where it lands — A birth by God's (﷾) command shows God's (﷾) power, not a second God.
Perspectives
Mainstream Christian
Jesus is uniquely full of the Spirit. The Spirit came down on him at his baptism, the Father called him His beloved Son, and God gave him the Spirit without measure.
At the baptism of Jesus the Spirit of God came down on him. A voice from heaven called him "my beloved Son".
Rebuttal
Matthew does tell this scene, but later he applies Isaiah 42 to Jesus. In words that echo that voice, God (﷾) says: "Behold my servant ... my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased". Then "I will put my spirit upon him", as it was put on David when he was anointed.
John 3:34 says God gives Jesus the Spirit without measure, which sets him apart from every prophet.
Rebuttal
The verse names two: God (﷾), who gives, and the one "whom God hath sent", who receives and speaks God's (﷾) words. A greater gift makes a greater messenger, not a second God. Acts says why: God (﷾) anointed Jesus, "for God was with him".
The Islamic perspective
Jesus was a mighty messenger whom God (﷾) strengthened with the holy spirit. In the Bible, being filled with the Spirit is God's (﷾) gift to His servants. The Bible gives it to many who are never called God.
The New Testament calls Barnabas, Stephen, Elisabeth, Zacharias and the disciples filled with the Holy Ghost.
John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb.
The Hebrew Bible says the Spirit of God (﷾) came upon many people. They include Balaam, Othniel, Gideon, Jephthah, Samson, Saul, David, Azariah and Ezekiel.
Peter says God (﷾) gives the Holy Ghost to those who obey Him.
Receiving the Holy Ghost therefore marks obedience to God (﷾), not divinity.
Isaiah 11 says the Spirit will make the promised one of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord.
One who must fear the Lord is not the Lord.
Matthew and Acts say God (﷾) put His Spirit on Jesus as His servant. They say God (﷾) anointed him because God (﷾) was with him.
The Qur'an teaches that God (﷾) strengthened Jesus with the holy spirit. It teaches that Jesus was a servant and prophet of Allah (﷾).