Chapter 2 -
Teaching about the Holy Spirit and the Trinity
Jehovah's Witnesses do not
believe in the divinity of Jesus, and neither do they believe in the
personality and divinity of the Holy Spirit and the Trinity. They deny these as
these quotes indicate:
But the Holy Spirit does not
have the name of a person. The reason for this is that the Holy Spirit is not
an intellectual person. It is an impersonal, invisible working power. (Pyhitetty olkoon sinun nimesi, p. 279)
We have already observed that
the "holy spirit", the third person of the trinity, is not a person,
but the working power of God. (…)
The facts
clearly indicate that the Bible does not teach trinity. (Sinä voit elää ikuisesti paratiisissa maan päällä,
[You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth] p. 40)
THE PERSONALITY OF THE HOLY
SPIRIT
When it is a question of the
personality of the Holy Spirit, Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in this. To
them, the Holy Spirit is only the working power of God; like wind, electricity,
or any such thing.
However, if we
look at this through the next examples, they refer to the personality of the
Holy Spirit, meaning that the teaching of the Watchtower society cannot be
right:
The name "he". Firstly, the
Bible uses the name "he" for the Holy Spirit, and this is a
clear proof of the personality of the Holy Spirit. Mere energy and power cannot
be called "he” but a person can:
- (Isa 40:13-14) Who has directed
the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counselor has taught him?
14 With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him,
and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him
knowledge, and showed to him the way of understanding?
- (Isa 63:10) But they rebelled, and vexed
his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be
their enemy, and he fought against them.
- (John 15:26) But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send to
you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceeds
from the Father, he shall testify of me:
- (John 14:16,17,26) And I will pray
the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you
for ever;
17 Even the
Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him
not, neither knows him: but you know him; for he
dwells with you, and shall be in you.
26 But the
Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he
shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance,
whatever I have said to you.
- (John 16:7-8) Nevertheless I tell you
the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the
Comforter will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send him
to you.
8 And when he is come, he will
reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
- (John 16:13-15) However, when he,
the Spirit of truth, is come, he will
guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of
himself; but whatever he shall hear, that shall he
speak: and he will show you things to come.
14 He
shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it to you.
15 All things that the Father has are mine: therefore said I, that he
shall take of mine, and shall show it to you.
- (Acts 8:15-16) Who, when they were come
down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:
16 (For as yet he was fallen on none of them: only they
were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
He can do different things. When we are
looking for the second piece of evidence for the personality of the Holy
Spirit, there are several passages of the Bible that say that the Holy Spirit
can speak, want, prove, and be grieved. A mere neutral power cannot have these
kinds of characteristics:
- (2 Sam 23:2) The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me, and his
word was in my tongue.
- (Neh 9:20) You gave also your
good spirit to instruct them, and withheld not your manna from their
mouth, and gave them water for their thirst.
- (Isa 63:10) But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit:
therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought
against them.
- (Isa 11:2) And the spirit of the
LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the
spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the
LORD;
- (Luke 2:26) And it was revealed to him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the
Lord's Christ.
- (John 15:26) But when the Comforter
is come, whom I will send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of
truth, which proceeds from the Father, he shall testify of me:
- (John 16:13) However, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come,
he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of
himself; but whatever he shall hear, that shall he
speak: and he will show you things to come.
- (Acts 2:4) And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and
began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
- (Acts 5:9) Then Peter said to her,
How is it that you have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?
behold, the feet of them which have buried your husband are at the door, and
shall carry you out.
- (Acts 10:19-20) While Peter
thought on the vision, the Spirit said to him, Behold, three men
seek you.
20 Arise
therefore, and get you down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I
have sent them.
- (Acts 13:2-4) As they ministered to
the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul
for the work whereunto I have called them.
3 And when they
had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
4 So they, being
sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed to Seleucia; and from there they
sailed to Cyprus.
- (Rom 15:30) Now I beseech you,
brothers, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the
Spirit, that you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;
- (1 Cor 12:11) But all these works that one and the selfsame
Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
- (Eph 4:30) And grieve not the holy Spirit of God,
whereby you are sealed to the day of redemption.
- (1 Tim 4:1) Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the
faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
THE DIVINITY OF THE HOLY
SPIRIT
When we are looking for proofs for the divinity of the Holy Spirit,
which is also denied in the teaching of the Watchtower Society, we can find
several passages that support the divinity. One of them is that the Bible
speaks in many places about the "Spirit of God". The same Spirit of God
was with God also in Creation:
- (Gen 1:2) And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness
was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved on
the face of the waters.
- (2 Chron 24:20) And the Spirit of God came on Zechariah
the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said to them,
Thus said God, Why transgress you the commandments of the LORD, that you cannot
prosper? because you have forsaken the LORD, he has also forsaken you.
- (2 Cor 3:3) For as much as you are
manifestly declared to be the letter of Christ ministered by us, written not
with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of
stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
- (1 Peter 4:14) If you be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are
you; for the spirit of glory and of God rests on you: on their
part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
- (1 Cor 2:10-11) But God has
revealed them to us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things,
yes, the deep things of God.
11 For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man
which is in him? even so the things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God.
Evidence of the divinity of the Holy Spirit can also be found in other
Bible verses. This comes out very well in the next verses:
- (Judges 15:14 / Judges
16:20) And when he came to Lehi, the
Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily
on him, and the cords that were on his arms became as flax that was
burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.
16:20 And she said, The Philistines be on you, Samson. And he awoke out
of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake
myself. And he knew not that the LORD (in the original
language Yahveh) was departed from
him.
- (Acts 5:3-4) But Peter said, Ananias,
why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to
keep back part of the price of the land?
4 Whiles it remained, was it not your own? and after it was sold,
was it not in your own power? why have you conceived this thing in your
heart? you have not lied to men, but
to God.
- (Hebr 9:14) How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the
eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your
conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (the eternal Spirit can
be only God)
- (2 Sam 23:2-3) The Spirit of the
LORD spoke by me, and his word was
in my tongue.
3 The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to
me, He that rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.
- (1 Cor 3:16/ 6:19) Know you not that you are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
6:19 What? know you not that
your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you
have of God, and you are not your own?
- (Isa 6:8-9 / Acts 28:25-26) Also I heard the
voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then
said I, Here am I; send me.
9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear you indeed, but
understand not; and see you indeed, but perceive not.
Acts 28:25-26: And when they agreed not
among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spoke
the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet to our fathers,
26 Saying, Go to this people, and say, Hearing you shall hear, and
shall not understand; and seeing you shall see, and not perceive:
THE TRINITY
When we start to search for
proof for the teaching of the Trinity, meaning that one God has informed
Himself as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we can find several points
in the Scriptures that support it. Those are among others:
The names of God. Firstly, we
should note that according to the Bible, there is only one God (Isa 45:18,21,
Isa 46:9). However, the Bible also proves that the Father is God (Deut 4:35),
the Son is God (1 John 5:20-21), and that the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4).
Thus, a logical conclusion is that all these three must be the one and same
God. It is the only reasonable conclusion.
The word "Elohiym". One possible
reference to the different manifestations of God is the plural form
"Elohiym" used for Him. It appears in many places in the Bible, it is
also used several times in the first chapter of the Bible that speaks about
Creation – the verbs which follow are always singular. The word Elohiym also
appears in the First Commandment where the plural form is used for God, even
though the verb is in singular. This commandment referring to the diversity of
God, says:
- (Exo 20:2-3) I am (singular) the LORD your God (plural), which have brought you out of the land of Egypt, out
of the house of bondage.
3 You shall have no other gods before me.
Plural expressions. If we continue to
study the tension between the plural and singular, it is also seen in other
examples from the Bible; they all use the first person of the plural for God,
even though the verb is in singular. We should especially note that in the
first of these examples (Gen 1:26,27), God could not speak to angels (this
might have been commonly believed), but to Himself because man was created
as the image of God, not that of angels; the verse 27 indicates this clearly:
- (Gen 1:26-27) And God said, Let
us make man in our image, after our
likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the
fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every
creeping thing that creeps on the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of
God created he him; male and female created he them.
- (Gen 3:22) And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is
become as one of us, to know good
and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of
life, and eat, and live for ever:
- (Gen 11:6-7) And the LORD said (singular), Behold, the people is one, and they have all one
language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from
them, which they have imagined to do.
7 Go to, let us go (plural) down, and there confound their language, that they may not
understand one another's speech.
- (Isa 6:8) Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?
Then said I, Here am I; send me.
Other verses. There are also
several other verses that refer to the essence of God either directly or indirectly.
For instance, the next verses are examples of this:
- (John 14:26/ 15:26) But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring
all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said to you.
15:26: But when the Comforter is come, whom
I will send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which
proceeds from the Father, he shall testify of me:
- (2 Cor 13:14) The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.
- (Matt 28:19) Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
- (1 Peter 1:2) Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the
Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, to
obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to
you, and peace, be multiplied.
- (Rom 8:9But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so
be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have
not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
- (Gal 4:6And because you are sons, God has
sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba,
Father.