If the Holy Spirit is a force, as the Watchtower Society argues, ?read the facts?

Question

The claim that the Holy Spirit is personified in Scripture, David Reed suggests pointing the interested
Jehovah’s Witness to an article that appeared in a 1973 issue of Awake! magazine
in which we read: “Is the Devil a personification or a person?...Can an
unintelligent ‘force’ carry on a conversation with a person?...only an intelligent
person could....‘Every quality, every action, which can indicate personality is
attributed to him in language which cannot be explained away.’”41
If such argumentation can be used to prove the Devil’s personhood, then it
can also be used (with much more substantiating evidence) to prove the Holy
Spirit’s personhood. For, indeed, the Holy Spirit can carry on a conversation with
others (Acts 8:29; 13:2), and the Holy Spirit has all the qualities of personality (see
1 Cor. 2:10; 12:11; Eph. 4:30) and performs all the actions of personality (see John
14:26; 15:26; Rom. 8:14; Acts 8:29). Clearly, personality is attributed to the Holy Spirit in language which cannot be explained away

• If the Holy Spirit is a force, as the Watchtower Society argues, then
why does the Holy Spirit use the personal pronouns “Me” and “I”
in reference to Himself (Acts 13:2)?

Regarding the use of personal pronouns of the Holy Spirit, Reformed
theologian Charles Hodge concludes that the Holy Spirit “is introduced as a person
so often, not merely in poetic or excited discourse, but in simple narrative, and in
didactic instructions; and his personality is sustained by so many collateral proofs,
that to explain the use of the personal pronouns in relation to Him on the principle
of personification, is to do violence to all the rules of interpretation.”43
Now, in discussing John 14—16, you will want to focus some of your
attention on John 14:16: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another
Helper, that He may be with you forever”

there are two words in the Greek
language for the English word, “another.” One word (heteros) means “another of a
different kind.” The other word (allos) means “another of the same kind.” It is this
second word, allos, that is used in John 14:16. Jesus is saying that He will ask the
Father to send another Helper of the same kind as Himself—that is, personal! Just
as Jesus was a personal advocate/representative who helped the disciples for three years during His earthly ministry, so now the disciples would have another
personal advocate/representative—the Holy Spirit—who would be with them
throughout their lives.
The purpose of this personal advocate/representative is to bear witness to
Christ (John 15:26-27). This is something that only a person can do.

makes these matters known to believers. Note that Jesus once told a group of Jews:
“You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life”
Reasoning from the Scriptures with the Jehovah’s Witnesses —Chapter 7
222
(John 5:39). Jesus used the same Greek word that is used in 1 Corinthians 2:10.
Just as the Jews used their minds to “search” the Scriptures, so the Holy Spirit uses
His mind in searching the things of God.
We are also told in 1 Corinthians 2:11 that the Holy Spirit “knows” the
thoughts of God. How can the Spirit “know” the things of God if the Spirit does
not have a mind? A force does not know things. Thought processes require the
presence of a mind.

Answer 1

The Scriptures clearly teach that the Holy Spirit is NOT a person, but an impersonal thing or quality. Here are two obvious lines of reasoning...

1. People are NOT filled with other people; they are filled with impersonal QUALITIES:
(Luke 1:41) Elizabeth was filled with holy spirit
(Luke 2:40) filled with wisdom
(Luke 4:28) became filled with anger
(Luke 5:26) they became filled with fear
(Luke 6:11) they became filled with madness
(Acts 3:10) they became filled with astonishment
(Acts 5:17) Sadducees, rose and became filled with jealousy
(Acts 19:29) the city became filled with confusion

2. Logical connections
Here the impersonal thing Holy Spirit is connected with the impersonal thing "power":
(Acts 10:38) God anointed him with holy spirit and power

Here the impersonal thing Holy Spirit is connected with the impersonal thing "joy":
(Acts 13:52) the disciples continued to be filled with joy and holy spirit

The Scriptures apply anthroporphic qualities to many impersonal things. Trinitarians are required to believe that the Holy Spirit is a person, but literally *ALL* of their so-called "proofs" that the Holy Spirit is a person fail in the light of the entire bible. Here are lines of reasoning that expose the unscripturality of the arguments which pretend that the Holy Spirit is a person.


Comparing these two Scriptures (which describe the identical event) helps explain that the Holy Spirit can be thought of as "God's finger".
(Luke 11:20) If it is by means of God's finger I expel the demons, the kingdom of God has really overtaken YOU. . .
(Matthew 12:28) If it is by means of God’s spirit that I expel the demons, the kingdom of God has really overtaken YOU.

Can a person's finger be "hurt" (or "grieved")? Obviously.
(Isaiah 63:10) They themselves rebelled and made his holy spirit [or "God's finger"] feel hurt
(Ephesians 4:30) Also, do not be grieving God's holy spirit [or "God's finger"]


The Scriptures often personify impersonal things or qualities:
(Luke 7:35) wisdom is proved righteous by all its children
(Romans 5:14) death ruled as king
(Romans 5:21) sin ruled as king

Referring to the "mind" or governing principles of an inanimate thing does not make it a person; neither does referring to a thing's "heart" or core make it a person:
(Matthew 12:40) the heart of the earth
(Exodus 15:8) the heart of the sea
(2 Samuel 18:14) the heart of the big tree
(Deuteronomy 4:11, footnote) the heart of the heavens

The Scriptures clarify that actual PERSONS spoke ON BEHALF OF the Holy Spirit:
(Acts 4:25) holy spirit said by the mouth of our forefather David...
(Acts 28:25) The holy spirit aptly spoke through Isaiah the prophet
(Matthew 10:20) it is the spirit of your Father that speaks by you

Other nonpersons 'testify' or 'bear witness':
(1 John 5:7,8) there are three witness bearers, the spirit and the water and the blood

Arguments pretending that a person can "fill" another person are based on pagan witchcraft and Babylonish mysticism. The Scriptures consistently show that only nonpersonal qualities can "fill" a person. Jehovah's Witnesses are unlikely to trade their Scriptural true worship for witchcraft and Trinitarian false worship; apostasy such as trinitarianism was foretold in the bible.

(2 Thessalonians 2:1-3) We request of you not to be quickly shaken from your reason... the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed

(2 Peter 2:1) there will also be false teachers among you. These very ones will quietly bring in destructive sects


Finally, if trinitarians are true Christians, why do they ignore Christ's command that each Christian must preach?

(2 Timothy 4:3-5) For there will be a period of time when they will not put up with the healthful teaching, but, in accord with their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for themselves to have their ears tickled; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, whereas they will be turned aside to false stories. You, though, keep your senses in all things, suffer evil, do the work of an evangelizer, fully accomplish your ministry.

(Matthew 28:19,20) Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/ti/article_07.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/ti/article_08.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/ti/
http://watchtower.org/e/20020515/
http://watchtower.org/e/20050422/article_02.htm

Answer 2

Did you know that the definition of the Holy Spirit as a divine person equal in substance to the Father and the Son was made at the Council of Constantinople? The First Council of Constantinople, the second ecumenical council of the Christian church, was summoned by Emperor Theodosius I in 381. It promulgated the Nicene Creed and declared finally the Trinitarian doctrine of the equality of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Who is Emperor Theodosius? A Roman emperor of the East (379–392) and of East and West (392–395). Born of Christian parents, he served in the military under his father, a general. So, the doctrine of the TRINITY came from a MAN which sadly, was accepted by those who claims to be Christians and claims to believe only in the BIBLE. By the way, Concerning the church’s adoption of the pagan concept of the Trinity, the New Catholic Encyclopedia says: “The formulation ‘one God in three Persons’ was not solidly established, certainly not fully assimilated into Christian life and its profession of faith, prior to the end of the 4th century." Obviously, the TRINITY (or the holy spirit being equal to God, Jehovah and his Son, Christ) is no where to be FOUND in the Bible.

Answer 3

Luke 11:20 called the holy spirit, God's finger. See parallel in Matthew 12:28. The holy spirit is a part of God, not a separate person of God. If you say " I clapped" most probably it means "I clapped with my hands". The instrument that was used to make the sound is the hands. God uses his spirit (his active force) in doing what he wants. If the spirit can be grieved, teach and speak the Bible points that it is God who was being grieved, who teaches and speaks. God uses his spirit to do those things. If you go against the workings of the holy spirit you are actually going against the workings of the owner of that spirit, the Father Jehovah. See 2 Cor 3:17

E.W. Bullinger remarks in Appendix 9 of the Companion Bible for the meaning of the spirit:
The meaning of the word is to be deduced only from its usage. The one root idea running through all of the passages is invisible force.

Notice also the usage of the word spirit in the Bible. The Bible states that the spirit are used for baptism just like water, enveloped with spirit, etc. The holy spirit is inserted, or sandwiched in, with a number of qualities ( 2 Corinthians 6:6)
And more than a hundred times the holy spirit is referred to as “the spirit of Jehovah,” “God’s spirit,” “my spirit” and “spirit of Jesus Christ.” All such possessive uses of the holy spirit further argue that it is an instrumentality rather than a separate and distinct person.—Judg. 3:10; Matt. 3:16; Acts 2:18; Phil. 1:19, NW.

The spirit is not a separate person of God, but a part of the Father. That's why in all the visions of God's people in the heaven, only two are present, the Son and the Father. That's why Jesus said that we have to exercise faith in the Father and the Son (John 14:1, John 17) not mentioning any other person, because the holy spirit is already part of the Father.


Jehovah used his holy spirit, which is part of him not a separate person, to talk to his people. Any channel that Jehovah used,even angels, carry the messages of Jehovah as if that channel is Jehovah.
Please see Exodus 3:2, 6
2 - Then Jehovah’s angel appeared to him in a flame of fire in the midst of a thornbush
6- And he went on to say: “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses concealed his face, because he was afraid to look at the [true] God.

Answer 4

the holy spirit can actually manifest in diverse forms. though there is a problem with the earlier predictions of the jehovah's witnesses on the end of the world twice which never came to pass. but that does not preclude the fact that they may have come out better than before in some areas of undrstanding the bible.

Answer 5

You are well informed! Another question the JW's could not explain to me is the book of Genesis...when it says: "1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
26And 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 creepeth upon the earth. 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."
The versus indicate that God alone is not singular...the three aspects defer to the Father-figure. In verse 26, you notice it says that God said, "let us...after our" (the word for us and our is elohim which means God plural). I noticed in John, 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
So they say Jesus is not God...yet how can they believe the book of Genesis and not the book of John. The very nature of JW teachings defies the direction of Jesus to avoid the traditions and teachings of men over the teachings of scripture. Some things they changed in their Bible was to take every instance of the word God and Lord and rewrite it as Jehovah, which is English for YHWH or YahWeh...but there are instances in which God the father is addressing the Lord Jesus, before his birth...in old testament times. Some say that the Archangel Michael is the form of Christ before he was born...some say the Shekinah that lead the Israelites through the wilderness was pre-human Christ. Perhaps the JW's are subject to the unpardonable sin by denying the Holy Spirit: Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come" (Matthew 12: 31-32 NKJV).
1Cor 2:13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
One thing I still have a hard time with is why the JW's argue over the crucifiction of Christ...they say it was a torture post, not a crucifix...historical research has already proven it was a cross. Why argue over little words? 1 (Timothy 6:3-5) 3If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; 4He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, 5Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

Answer 6

I also have a lot of questions about what the Watchtower Society teaches. Check out the first link below.

Answer 7

All of this is nonsense. There is no such thing as a holy spirit, or god, or sin, or salvation. There is not a scintilla of evidence to support a single word of any of it. Use your time for something useful, such as enjoying a sunset.

Answer 8

The Holy Spirit is a person, but He does ot talk about himself, although as you explained - He does demand obedience from His
Believers.

Answer 9

He is a person, He is part of God. They may just think of it as the force since they can't understand Him fully.
He has a great personallity too, love Him :)

Answer 10

Please believe the bible..not the watchtower..they are most certainly not to be trusted. The bible talks about the holy spirit as he etc..meaning a "person"..part of the Godhead...it is all through the bible.