Some Christians symbolize the Holy Spirit with a dove, and this stems from a lack of proper understanding of the verse above. Acts 17:30 (MSG) tells us that, “God overlooks it as long as you don’t know any better--but that time is past. The unknown is now known, and he’s calling for a radical life-change.” In other words, God wants you to know and live by the truth.
Now, understand that Matthew 3:16 is in no way describing the shape of the Holy Spirit when it says He descended on Jesus like a dove. The key phrase there is “like a dove,” and it means “in the manner of the descent of a dove.” The Holy Spirit alighted on Jesus just the way a dove would, not that He came on Jesus in the shape of a dove! Thus, we’re not supposed to represent Him with a dove or any other animal for that matter! (Deuteronomy 4:15-17, Acts 17:29).
Want to know what the Holy Spirit looks like? Here’s how: the Lord Jesus, talking about the Holy Spirit, said, “ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever” (John 14:16 NIV). “Another Comforter” (as rendered in the New King James version) is translated from the Greek words “Allos parakletos,” which means “another one who is exactly like Me.” That means the Holy Spirit looks exactly like Jesus, who looks like the Father (John 14:8-9).
