Secondly, The Force is made up of all living things, whereas the Holy Spirit is eternal. 10:4). It may be a gentle force, or it may be a strong force. But, when we start on page one of the Bible, before creation ever even began, we see a depiction of the spirit of God hovering over the dark, disordered waters of … The Son was “with” his disciples (14:9) and after he left the Spirit would be “with” them (14:16). These arguments are notoriously unreliable because speakers and authors rarely tell us everything they know. Summary: The Watchtower Society teaches that the Holy Spirit is not a divine person existing eternally with the Father and the Son but is instead an impersonal, active force emanating from Jehovah God when he employs his power or energy toward the world. The common feature of many ancient farewell discourses of importance here is that the speaker typically named a successor, someone who would pick up where he left off as a teacher, leader, or ruler. There is the gentle breeze, and … On that occasion, the night before his death, Jesus spoke at length to his disciples in a speech found in John 13-17 that scholars describe as his “farewell discourse.”7 In such a discourse, the speaker gathers with those he is about to leave behind, explaining that he is about to leave them, exhorting them to continue following his instructions and example, and offering them assurances about their future after his departure. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is NOT a personal being. (Micah 3:8; Luke 1: 35) God sends out his spirit by projecting his energy to any place to accomplish his will. Christian Testimonies - True Stories of God at Work, Spirit, Soul and Body - the Tripartite nature of Man, Praying the Word against deception and spiritual blindness. Arians like Jehovah's Witnesses and Christadelphians, for example, call the Holy Spirit "God's active force", "energy", "like electricity". This does not mean that the Holy Spirit is male (nor is God, even though the metaphor of Father is often used.) It is created to help you know Jesus and get a great eternal reward from God Almighty. Such a deity is not the God of the Bible. Why not, if the holy spirit is equal to the Father and the Son in glory, power, etc.? 12:13); they are “baptized” (Matt. The Holy Spirit also came to give us power. 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 says, “No one knows the mind of God except the Spirit of God who searches all things.” He has feelings. First, the Holy Spirit is not a “force” or energy or an “it,” but He’s a person. He is a person equal in every way with God the Father and God the Son. A Guide to Experiencing More of God. A person always has the following attributes:1. You can not know Jesus without Him. God “gave” his Son (John 3:16) and “will give” the Spirit (14:16). Summary: The Watchtower Society teaches that the Holy Spirit is not a divine person existing eternally with the Father and the Son but is instead an impersonal, active force emanating from Jehovah God when he employs his power or energy toward the world. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14). There are less than a hundred references to the Spirit in the whole Old Testament, whereas in the much shorter New Testament there are roughly 270 references to the Spirit. See also Disclaimer. But you know him, because he resides with you and will be in you” (John 14:15-16 NET). He is a person equal in every way with God the Father and God the Son. [Blurb on page 22] “On the whole, the New Testament, like the Old, speaks of the spirit as a divine energy or power. Rather, pronouns like “he” and “him” are used by New Testament writers and others to indicate only that the Holy Spirit is personal and relational, not a vague force like gravity or karma. Does it go back when its function is complete? The Son did not speak or act “on his own” (5:19; 7:18); the Holy Spirit would also not speak “on his own” (16:13). 2. The Holy Spirit does give us many marvellous experiences, but He Himself is not merely an experience. 1. The main problem with this line of reasoning is that the Bible sometimes speaks this way about God (and also specifically about Christ). But, when we start on page one of the Bible, before creation ever even began, we see a depiction of the spirit of God hovering over the dark, disordered waters of … When this “holy spirit” energy comes from God to people on earth, does it leave his spirit body? He is the One through Him God is now with us. On one occasion Jesus referred to God the Father as “the Power” (Matt. This is a vitally important concept. In fact, the Old Testament has relatively little to say about the Spirit as compared to the New Testament. … The Holy Spirit is God, not a Force. The Holy Spirit has a mind. Yes, there are some apparent philosophical difficulties in the traditional Christian view of the Holy Spirit: How can he be the Spirit of God, be God himself, and yet be personally distinct from the Father? Luke reports on several occasions that the Spirit spoke to the disciples (Acts 8:29; 10:19-20; 13:2, 4; 21:11). However, the arguments the Watchtower uses to support this doctrine are not biblically sound. 12. The “Spirit” is the Spirit – God the Holy Spirit. He is considered to be the third member of the Godhead. These are all legitimate questions, especially considering that Jehovah’s Witnesses commonly insist that there can be no “mysteries” or theological paradoxes in true doctrine. The word spirit is rendered as רוּחַ (ruach) in Hebrew-language parts of the Old Testament. It is not equal to God but is always at his disposition and subordinate to him. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55-56 ESV). Ephesians says that Christians should be “filled with the Spirit” (Eph. The same? He is considered to be the third member of the Godhead. You can not possibly overcome sin without His power. 1:13; 4:30) with the Holy Spirit; they have the Holy Spirit “poured out” on them (Isa. The Son “testifies” (13:21); the Holy Spirit “testifies” to the Son (15:26). The arguments typically overlook possible explanations for why the author is “silent” about the particular matter at hand.12. Such language, which of course is figurative, does not mean that the Holy Spirit is less than personal. In John 13-17, Jesus named the Holy Spirit as his “successor,” as it were: “Then I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it does not see him or know him. Should we describe the Spirit of God as a person, or simply as a force? Rather, pronouns like “he” and “him” are used by New Testament writers and others to indicate only that the Holy Spirit is personal and relational, not a vague force like … 8. Such arguments fallaciously reason that if a particular speaker or writer did not mention something it must be because he was ignorant of it (or even that he would have denied it, given the chance). The Spirit in this passage is not an impersonal force like electricity, but a divine person like Jesus. 5:18) but also says that they should be filled with God (Eph. He is a person of the God-head. He is part of the Trinity. The consistent role of the Holy Spirit in biblical teaching is to work in hidden or invisible ways, usually within the minds or hearts of human beings. Jehovah’s Witnesses describe “holy spirit” as an “energy”: Just as wind is invisible but exerts force, so the immaterial, impersonal holy spirit is unseen but produces effects. The way that this all takes place is through the silent working of the Holy Spirit on our hearts and our minds. Intellect3. As mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, outpourings of the Holy Spirit can include healing, prophecy, exorcism, and speaking in tongues. 1. It also serves for illumination, as a means of communication, and represents a powerful force that can accomplish great things.”6, Rational Difficulties in the Watchtower Doctrine. When this energy enters into a human being, who is in control of that energy—Jehovah or the human being? 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