The Spirit is not a creature
Basil opens his homily by arguing from baptism and Scripture that the Holy Spirit belongs to the uncreated Trinity, not to creation.
The one who is baptized into the Trinity is baptized into Father and Son and Holy Spirit—not into rulers, not into powers, not into any of the other things that belong to creation. Let him understand clearly, then, that the Trinity is above creation, and let him not try to bring down any part of the Trinity into creation. Let him also remember the Lord, who breathed the Holy Spirit, and who showed by that breathing that the Spirit belongs to the divine being and not to created nature. Let him consider as well the apostolic explanation of the Trinity, in which we see one activity of Father and Son and Holy Spirit—since neither the Son nor the Spirit is by nature something created or made. For God does not need his own creation in order to carry out his own activity.
The Apostle says: “There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are varieties of workings, but the same God who works all things in all” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6). So then, what God works, the Spirit works. “The one and same Spirit works all things,” he says, “apportioning to each one as he wills” (1 Corinthians 12:11). Let no one bring the Spirit down into slavery when he hears that the Spirit works all the things of God just as he wills. And again: “The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). For if he is not saying that divinity dwells in us through the Spirit that dwells in us—as John says, “By this we know that he is in us, from the Spirit he has given us” (1 John 4:13)—then one destroys all hope. For if God is not in us, we will obtain neither life nor eternal goods.
Paul also says again: “Do you not know that you are God’s temple, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16), and again: “Your bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God” (1 Corinthians 6:19). Creation needs revelation in order to know the things of God, but the Spirit reveals. “God has revealed to us,” he says, “through his Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:10). And the Spirit searches on our behalf, because we make our search in him: “The Spirit,” he says, “searches even the depths of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10). But the Spirit knows by himself, just as our own spirit does. “For who among human beings knows the things of a person except the spirit within that person? So also no one has known the things of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:11).
God gives life, for Paul says: “I charge you before God, who gives life to all things” (1 Timothy 6:13). Christ gives life, as he says: “My sheep hear my voice, and I give them eternal life” (John 10:27). And we are given life through the Spirit, as Paul says: “He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11). So then, we are given life by God through Christ in the Spirit.
Greek
ΤΟΥ ΕΝ ΑΓΙΟΙΣ ΠΑΤΡΟΣ ΗΜΩΝ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΟΥ, Ἀρχιεπισκόπου Καισαρείας Καππαδοκίας, ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΠΝΕΥΜΑΤΟΣ. Ὁ βαπτιζόμενος εἰς Τριάδα βαπτίζεται εἰς Πα τέρα καὶ Υἱὸν καὶ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα· οὔτε εἰς ἀρχὰς, οὔτε εἰς δυνάμεις, οὔτε εἰς τὰ ἑξῆς ἐν κτίσμασι. Δῆλον οὖν αὐτῷ ἔστω, ὅτι ἡ Τριὰς ὑπὲρ τὴν κτίσιν ἐστί· καὶ μηδὲν τῆς Τριάδος εἰς κτίσιν κατάγειν ἐπιχειρείτω. Μεμνήσθω δὲ καὶ τοῦ Κυρίου, Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐμφυσήσαντος, καὶ δείξαντος διὰ τῆς ἐμφυσήσεως, ὅτι τὸ Πνεῦμα τῆς θεϊκῆς οὐσίας ἐστὶ, καὶ οὐ τῆς κτιστῆς φύσεως. Λογιζέσθω δὲ καὶ τὴν ἀποστο λικὴν ἐξήγησιν περὶ Τριάδος, ἐν ᾗ μίαν ἐνέργειαν ὁρῶμεν Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου Πνεύματος· ὡς οὐκ ὄντος κτιστοῦ καὶ ποιητοῦ τὴν φύσιν οὔτε τοῦ Υἱοῦ οὔτε τοῦ Πνεύματος. Ὅτι μὴ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ κτίσεως ὁ Θεὸς ἐπιδεῖται πρὸς τὸ τὴν ἰδίαν ἐνέργειαν ἀποδιδόναι. Λέγει δὲ ὁ Ἀπόστολος· «Διαιρέ σεις χαρισμάτων εἰσὶ, καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα. Καὶ διαιρέσεις διακονιῶν εἰσι, καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς Κύριος. Καὶ διαιρέσεις ἐνεργημάτων εἰσὶν, ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς Θεὸς, ὁ ἐνεργῶν τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν.» Οὐκοῦν ἃ ἐνεργεῖ Θεὸς, ταῦτα τὸ Πνεῦμα ἐνεργεῖ. «Πάντα ἐνεργεῖ, φησὶ, τὸ ἓν καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα, διαιροῦν ἑκάστῳ καθὼς βούλεται.» Μηδὲ εἰς δουλείαν καταγέτω τὸ Πνεῦμα, ἀκούων, ὅτι καθὼς βούλεται πάντα ἐνεργεῖ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ πάλιν· «Ὁ δὲ Κύριος τὸ Πνεῦμά ἐστιν. Οὗ δὲ τὸ Πνεῦμα Κυρίου, ἐκεῖ ἐλευθερία.» Καὶ γὰρ εἰ μὴ θεότητα λέγει κατοικεῖν ἐν ἡμῖν διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος κατοικοῦντος, λέγοντος τοῦ Ἰωάννου, «Ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκομεν, ὅτι ἐν ἡμῖν ἐστιν, ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματος οὗ ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν,» πᾶσαν ἀπολεῖ τὴν ἐλπίδα. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ Θεὸς ἐν ἡμῖν, οὔτε ζωῆς οὔτε ἀγαθῶν αἰωνίων τευξόμεθα. Λέγει δὲ καὶ πάλιν ὁ Παῦλος· «Οὐκ οἴδατε, ὅτι ναὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστε, καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ οἰκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν;» καὶ πάλιν· «Τὰ σώματα ὑμῶν ναὸς τοῦ ἐν ὑμῖν ἁγίου Πνεύματός ἐστιν, οὗ ἔχετε ἀπὸ Θεοῦ.» Καὶ κτίσις μὲν ἀποκαλύψεως δεῖται πρὸς τὸ εἰδέναι τὰ Θεοῦ· τὸ Πνεῦμα δὲ ἀποκαλύπτει. «Ἡμῖν, φησὶν, ὁ Θεὸς ἀπεκάλυψε διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος αὐτοῦ.» Καὶ καθ' ἡμᾶς μὲν ἐρευνᾷ, ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ τὴν ἔρευναν ποιούμεθα· «Τὸ Πνεῦμα, φησὶν, ἐρευνᾷ καὶ τὰ βάθη τοῦ Θεοῦ·» καθ' ἑαυτὸ δὲ γινώσκει, ὥσπερ τὸ ἡμέτερον πνεῦμα. «Τίς γὰρ οἶδε, φησὶν, ἀνθρώπων τὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰ μὴ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ; Οὕτω καὶ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐδεὶς ἔγνωκεν εἰ μὴ τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Καὶ ζωογονεῖ μὲν Θεός· λέγει γὰρ ὁ Παῦλος· «Παρ αγγέλλω ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζωογονοῦντος τὰ πάν τα·» ζωὴν δὲ δίδωσι Χριστὸς, ὁ λέγων· «Τὰ πρό βατα τὰ ἐμὰ τῆς φωνῆς μου ἀκούει, κἀγὼ ζωὴν αἰώνιον δίδωμι αὐτοῖς.» Ζωοποιούμεθα δὲ διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος, ὥς φησιν ὁ Παῦλος· «Ὁ ἐγείρας Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ζωοποιήσει καὶ τὰ θνητὰ σώματα ὑμῶν διὰ τοῦ ἐνοικοῦντος αὐτοῦ Πνεύματος ἐν ὑμῖν.» Ζωογονῇ τοίνυν ὑπὸ Θεοῦ διὰ Χριστοῦ ἐν Πνεύματι.