by Boyan Mak Mihaylov

Recently while browsing the internet I came at an article in jw.org by the name “What is the Holy Spirit”¹. I have read it with interest. As a Christian believing in the Holy Trinity I decided to analyze the article. Contrary to the position of Jehovah’s Witnesses that “the holy spirit is God’s power in action, his active force”², I shall argue and defend the position that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person. For this my task is to use only their New World Translation. So all Bible verses unless in Greek are from the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition)³. The Greek version I have used is Nestle 1904⁴.

I shall now place the main question: Is God Jehovah the Person that is behind the “holy spirit” as an impersonal power of Jehovah? With other words does the Holy Spirit have a separate personality as the God Jehovah and the Son have?

Let me start with a definition for the “holy spirit” by the article:

“The holy spirit is God’s power in action, his active force. (Micah 3:8; Luke 1:​35) God sends out his spirit by projecting his energy to any place to accomplish his will.​—Psalm 104:30; 139:7.”

In the Bible, the word “spirit” is translated from the Hebrew word ruʹach and the Greek word pneuʹma. Most often, those words refer to God’s active force, or holy spirit. (Genesis 1:2) However, the Bible also uses those words in other senses:

Breath.​—Habakkuk 2:​19; Revelation 13:15.

Wind.​—Genesis 8:1; John 3:8.

The vital, or animating, force in living creatures.​—Job 34:14, 15.

A person’s disposition or attitude.​—Numbers 14:24.

Spirit persons, including God and the angels.​—1 Kings 22:21; John 4:​24.

These meanings all share the sense of something invisible to humans that produces visible effects. Similarly, the spirit of God, “like the wind, is invisible, immaterial and powerful.”​—An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, by W. E. Vine.

It is true that the word “spirit” is a translation of the Hebrew ruʹach (“breath”) and the Greek word pneuʹma. And it is true that “breath” and “wind” are used in many other senses. I also agree that they share the sense of “something invisible to humans that produces visible effects”. I also agree that the Holy Spirit “like the wind, is invisible, immaterial and powerful.” as the dictionary puts it. The problem is that just because something is “invisible, immaterial and powerful” does not mean that it is not a personality!

Encyclopedia Britannica gives a short definition of the human personality:

„Personality, a characteristic way of thinking, feeling, and behaving. Personality embraces moods, attitudes, and opinions and is most clearly expressed in interactions with other people. It includes behavioral characteristics, both inherent and acquired, that distinguish one person from another and that can be observed in people’s relations to the environment and to the social group.“⁵

When a Trinitarian uses the word “person” for God he means something similar to the human personality but not quite. God does not need a body to be a personality. He is not limited nor in space nor in time. Person is the closest word we can refer to God as he is Someone not something. The term is not perfect yet we have no other.

So the Holy Spirit can be a ”Person” without being visible, material and limited but be “invisible, immaterial and powerful”. Let me give two simple examples with the human being.

The first example comes from literature. Right now my hands write the text but it is my personality actually writing the text trough my hands. When we say that a hand wrote a text it is someone’s hand that usually we have in mind. This is called a metonymy. By a single part of something the whole is signified. Many times this is the way the Bible refers to God.

The second example is from philosophy. A person is not a force but a person has force. The force is not what a person is but it is something that a person can have. I can have physical, intellectual and spiritual forces but I am not the force. So if the Holy Spirit is a Person he can have force but he is not simply “a force”. The Holy Spirit had the force to resurrect Jesus from the dead but He is not the force that resurrected Him.

The Spirit as “Hands” or "Fingers”

The article on jw.org continues:

The Bible also refers to God’s holy spirit as his “hands” or “fingers.” (Psalm 8:3; 19:1; Luke 11:20; compare Matthew 12:28.) Just as a craftsman uses his hands and fingers to do his work, God has used his spirit to produce such results as the following:

The universe.​—Psalm 33:6; Isaiah 66:​1, 2.

The Bible.​—2 Peter 1:​20, 21.

The miracles performed by his ancient servants and their zealous preaching.​—Luke 4:​18; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 12:​4-​11.

The fine qualities displayed by people who obey him.​—Galatians 5:​22, 23.

The article’s argument here is:

1. The Bible refers to the “holy spirit” as God’s “hands” or “fingers”

2. It is an analogy with a craftsman

The article’s conclusion: God has used his spirit to produce something.

Based on the same Scriptures I can make another conclusion. The “hands” and the “fingers” are a metonomy and a metaphor for the Holy Spirit. He is the Craftsman signified by the “hands” and “fingers”. He is Someone who did something not the thing. God did not “use his spirit” as the spirit is some kind of a property of God as Jehovah’s Witnesses believe. No, God is the Spirit (God Himself) who is spoken as a Craftsman who has “hands” and “fingers”. It is the “hands” and “fingers” that are properties of the Craftsmen NOT the spirit who is called “hands” and “fingers” being a mere property “the active force” of God!

Let me use this “method” of Bible interpretation for a psalm. There is a very well know psalm that speaks of Jehovah (who is a Person?) as being a refuge, a stronghold and a dwelling. Why do not the Jehovah’s Witnesses then believe that Jehovah is impersonal? A refuge and a stronghold, and a dwelling are all impersonal things. Lets read Psalm 91.

Is Jehovah in Psalm 91 a Person?

When you begin to read Paslm 91 you will be amazed to see the same kind of language but for Jehovah. Here are three portions of Psalm 91:

Anyone dwelling in the secret place of the Most High

Will lodge under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to Jehovah: “You are my refuge and my stronghold,

My God in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91:1 – 2, NWT)

A “refuge” and a “stronghold” both are impersonal objects who in this context are used by the one writing. If “hands” and “fingers” refer to an impersonal force send by God then to what do refer “refuge” and “stronghold” here when it is “Jehovah” to whom the psalmist refers to? But just to make the situation worse lets read also other parts of Psalm 91:

With his pinions he will cover you,

And under his wings you will take refuge.

His faithfulness will be a large shield and a protective wall. (Psalm 91:4, NWT)

Until now the psalm said that Jehovah is a refuge and a stronghold. But now it says He has pinions and wings! Does that mean that Jehovah is kind of a bird? Or we can conclude that Jehovah is a refuge and a stronghold with pinions and wings? Isn’t this a strange Person? But let’s continue:

Because you said: “Jehovah is my refuge,”

You have made the Most High your dwelling; (Psalm 91:9, NWT)

Now we understand that the same Jehovah who is a refuge is also a dwelling. The psalmist’s refuge, stronghold and dwelling is Jehovah. At first glance it seems that:

1) The psalmist has a refuge, a stronghold and a dwelling by the name of Jehovah

2) Jehovah can not be a person because those objects are impersonal!

Conclusion: Jehovah is something that is a refuge, a stronghold, a dwelling with pinions and wings!

If the “hands” and “fingers” signify an impersonal power then what do these words signify? Is Jehovah a person or a flying refuge, stronghold and dwelling with pinions and wings?

The exegetical mistake here is that we do not consider the genre! Here the Bible uses a poetic language about God that is metaphorical. All that the psalmist does is to compare the Person of God with objects of this world. And it is not a literal comparison. The words “refuge” and “stronghold” speak of a very personal care towards the psalmist. They mean he can trust God, he can come to God and feel secure. The “pinions” and “wings” are a comparison to a bird that cares for its small ones. Both words speak of God’s care. The “dwelling” speaks about being at home with God. Indeed the poetic language understood as poetic language tells us much about the Person of God in a very emotional way! The use of such language does not diminish His Personality in any point!

The use of such kind of language like “hands”, “feet”, “wind”, “breath”, “force”, ”The fine qualities displayed by people who obey him” when referring to the Holy Spirit do neither diminish His Personality!

Why shouldn’t we interpret the Jehovah's metaphorical language the same way as the Holy Spirit’s? I leave this question open to your mind. For me that makes the Spirit more a Person not less.

To What Did Ananias and Saphiras Lie to? (Acts 5:1 - 10)

The statement that the Bible nowhere refers to the Holy Spirit as a person is simply not true. Let’s see another key passage from the New World Translation. It is a narrative and is not poetry as Psalm 91. It is written by Luke and is narrative:

1 However, a man named An·a·niʹas, together with his wife Sap·phiʹra, sold some property. 2 But he secretly held back some of the price, with his wife’s knowledge, and he brought just a part of it and deposited it at the feet of the apostles. 3 But Peter said: “An·a·niʹas, why has Satan emboldened you to lie to the holy spirit and secretly hold back some of the price of the field? 4 As long as it remained with you, did it not remain yours? And after it was sold, was it not in your control? Why have you thought up such a deed as this in your heart? You have lied, not to men, but to God.” 5 On hearing these words, An·a·niʹas collapsed and died. And great fear came over all those who heard about it. 6 Then the younger men rose, wrapped him in cloths, carried him out, and buried him. (Acts 5:1 - 6, NWT)

If we believe that the apostle Peter is not a liar then according to him it was Satan (a person) who emboldened Ananias to lie to God’s active power (impersonal) !?? In everyday life people do not talk like this. If really Peter believed that the Holy Spirit is an impersonal power from God why would he do such a mistake? It seems Peter did not know that the spirit is a power but made the mistake to believe he was a person! Not only this but Peter says: “You have lied, not to men, but to God.” (Acts 5:4, NWT). Not only a person but the Holy Spirit is God, according to Peter!

What Did Speak and Send in Acts 13:1 - 4?

There is another passage in the Book of Acts that is a problem to the Jehovah’s Witnesses belief that the holy spirit is just a “power in action, his active force”:

“Now in Antioch there were prophets and teachers in the local congregation:a Barʹna·bas,b Symʹe·on who was called Niʹger, Lucius of Cy·reʹne, Manʹa·en who was educated with Herodc the district ruler, and Saul. 2 As they were ministering to Jehovah and fasting, the holy spirit said: “Set aside for me Barʹna·bas and Sauld for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

4 So these men, sent out by the holy spirit, went down to Se·leuʹcia, and from there they sailed away to Cyʹprus.“ (Acts 13: 1 4, NWT)

Seven people were ministering to Jehovah here! But the passage does not say “Jehovah said”. It would be very natural for Luke to write “Jehovah said”. If the spirit was just a God’s active force why would he use “the holy spirit said”? Not just this, but these people were “sent out by the holy spirit”. The Holy Spirit says for Barnabas and Paul “the work to which I have called them.” The Holy Spirit here is the Boss! Luke seems to personalize the Holy Spirit here by stating that He speaks and sends! Why would he use such kind of language if the spirit is just God’s active force and is not a Person? If Luke misrepresented the spirit as a person why would he do it? Were Peter and Luke so stupid that they could not make the difference between a power and a Person?

I shall now continue with the so called “misconceptions about the holy spirit” in the article. The misconceptions are in the doctrine of Watchtower not in the Bible as we shall see. They are putting Watchtower glasses while reading the Bible.

Misconceptions about the Holy Spirit

I will go by number according to their article and quote the “misconception”.

Answering Misconception 1

Quote: “Misconception: The “Holy Ghost,” or holy spirit, is a person and is part of the Trinity, as stated at 1 John 5:​7, 8 in the King James version of the Bible.”

Professor Bruce M. Metzger is absolutely right when he says that 1 John 5:7,8 are spurious. But Bruce Metzger is a Trinitarian! The problem is that there are many other verses about the Trinity which are not doubted. To proof that Jesus is God is a topic for another article. If Jesus is God and not created and the Holy Spirit is God and not just God’s active power and an “it” then we can argue for the Holy Trinity.

Answering Misconception 2

Quote: “Misconception: The Bible personifies the holy spirit, and this proves that it is a person.”

“Similarly, when the apostle John quoted Jesus, he personified the holy spirit as a “helper” (paraclete) that would give evidence, guide, speak, hear, declare, glorify, and receive. He used masculine personal pronouns such as “he” or “him” when referring to that “helper.” (John 16:​7-​15)”

First of all why would John use such kind of a language for an active force? Why would John have this strong desire to personify the spirit if he is just an active force? That makes John some kind of a deceiver just like Luke writing Acts 13:1 -4 and Peter saying to Ananias that he has lied to the Spirit and to God. We need to study deeper John 16:12 – 16. Let’s start first with John 16:7:

Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. For if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you; but if I do go, I will send him to you. (John 16:7, NWT)

According to John 16:7 Jesus says that if He (Jesus, a person) does not go away then the helper will not come to his disciples. Let me ask then is the helper a person? It seems that it is not John who personifies the spirit but Jesus himself does! He did not say “God’s active force will come to help you”. He said “the helper”. Somehow the helper must be equal to Jesus to be of a real help? Would anyone say to someone “I will send you a helper. My active power”? That would be a very strange language to use? But let us continue:

8 And when that one comes, he will give the world convincing evidence concerning sin and concerning righteousness and concerning judgment: 9 first concerning sin, because they are not exercising faith in me; 10 then concerning righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; 11 then concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. (John 16:8 - 9, NWT)

Can an active force “give convincing evidence concerning sin”? And righteousness and judgment? Only a real person can give evidence because in giving evidence there is a cognitive process involved. This is an intellectual act.

12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you are not able to bear them now. 13 However, when that one comes, the spirit of the truth, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak of his own initiative, but what he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things to come. 14 That one will glorify me, because he will receive from what is mine and will declare it to you. 15 All the things that the Father has are mine. That is why I said he receives from what is mine and declares it to you. 16 In a little while you will see me no longer, and again, in a little while you will see me.” (John 16:12 – 16, NWT)

First of all here is a name for the Holy Spirit. He is “the spirit of truth”! Can an active force guide someone in all the truth? Not only this but the spirit has, according to Jesus, “his own initiative” (“for he will not speak of his own initiative”, John 16:13). Can an active force have “his own initiative” or a will with other words? No. But the will of the Spirit is in accordance with the will of Jesus and in accordance with the will of the Father. The Spirit will speak and declare to them the things that come. Someone to be able to “speak” and “declare” he must have cognitive powers.

In verse 15 Jesus continues:

“All the things that the Father has are mine. That is why I said he receives from what is mine and declares it to you”.

Here the Spirit receives from Jesus to declare to the disciples. If the Holy Spirit is an active power then we have Jesus (a person) giving a teaching to the holy spirit (not a person) giving it to the disciples (persons). This makes absolutely no sense because usually something is declared from person to person to person.

Quote: However, he did so because the Greek word for “helper” (pa·raʹkle·tos) is a masculine noun and requires a masculine pronoun according to the rules of Greek grammar. When John referred to the holy spirit using the neuter noun pneuʹma, he used the genderless pronoun “it.”​—John 14:16, 17.

The fact is that in the Bible Jehovah is referred as “He”, Jesus is referred to as “He” and the Holy Spirit is referred to as “He”. The fact that the word πνευμα (spirit) is in neuter is a grammatical fact and not a theological. John uses in John 16:13 for the spirit “εκεινος το πνευμα”. But “εκεινος” is a demonstrative pronoun that means: “that person or thing (ille), implying remoteness as compared with οὗτος (hic);”⁶ It can be “it” or “he” or “she” depending on the context in English. And the context here is “the Helper” who is masculine in Greek and as we have seen he has to equal to Jesus!

The Bible does not need to personify something (“the holy spirit”) who is already a Person! That is simply the wrong conclusion of the Watchtower imposing on the Bible something that is not really there. It is imposing on the biblical writers something unnatural and making them liars, deceivers!

If this is the case then the language of the Bible comes just natural. Jesus Christ is a Person and the Holy Spirit is a Person. That is why the Holy Spirit can fully represent Jesus in the life of the apostles and in the life of the believer. He is invisible, powerful, supernatural and yet He works in the world and in the believer.

Answering Misconception 3

Quote from the article:

“Misconception: Baptism in the name of the holy spirit proves that it is a person.

Fact: The Bible sometimes uses “name” to stand for power or authority. (Deuteronomy 18:​5, 19-​22; Esther 8:​10) This is similar to its use in the English expression “in the name of the law,” which does not mean that the law is a person. A person who is baptized “in the name of” the holy spirit recognizes the power and role of the holy spirit in accomplishing God’s will.​—Matthew 28:19.”

Yes, sometimes “name” stands for power or authority. Lets try to read Matthew 28:18 - 19 according to the interpretation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Here is the text of the NWT:

18 Jesus approached and spoke to them, saying: “All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth. 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, 20 teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things. (Matthew 28:19, NWT)”

Let us exchange now holy spirit with “God’s active force”. According to the Jehovah’s Witnesses Jesus is a creation, or a god, so I will exchange the Son with “a god”. We would have something like this:

baptizing them in the name of Jehovah and of a god (the Son) and of God’s active power (the holy spirit).

Why would Jesus mean such a thing? Couldn’t Jesus just say “in the name of Jehovah” here? It is a very strange way to say something if the doctrine of Watchtower is true!

Let’s see the Greek text:

“βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος” (Matthew 28:19, Nestle 1904)

First “τὸ ὄνομα” (the name) is in neuter, it is in Accusative and it is singular. Does that mean then that God is neutral and is not a Person? No. It just means the Greek noun for name is neuter. And always in the Bible “The Holy Spirit” is not masculine but neuter. Then “τοῦ Πατρὸς” (the Father) and “τοῦ Υἱοῦ” (the Son) and “τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος” (the Holy Spirit) are all in Genitive, singular.

If “τὸ ὄνομα” (the name) being in neuter does not mean that God is impersonal then why should “τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος” (the Holy Spirit) being in neuter mean that the Holy Spirit is impersonal?

It is really the one name (singular) of the Father (singular, masculine) and of the Son (singular, masculine) and of the Spirit (singular, neuter). All three are persons. Also there are not three names but only one and it is not the name only of the Father but of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This shows there is a strong connection between the Three. And these are not the words of Matthew but the words of Jesus himself!

Now why would Jesus put Father, Son and Spirit together if the Son is created and the Spirit is just an impersonal power? It would make no sense unless someone wants to see in this text something that is not there!

Misconception: Jesus’ apostles and other early disciples believed that the holy spirit was a person.

Fact: The Bible does not say that, nor does history. The Encyclopædia Britannica states: “The definition that the Holy Spirit was a distinct divine Person . . . came at the Council of Constantinople in ad 381.” This was over 250 years after the last of the apostles had died.

The theological definition about the Holy Spirit was made 250 years after the last apostle died but we have seen from the Bible (NWT) that Peter, Luke, John, Jesus and Matthew all referred to the Holy Spirit as Someone not as something.

Conlusion

Let’s take in account all we went trough:

1) Peter the apostle referred to the Holy Spirit as “the Holy Spirit” / “τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον” (Acts 5:3, Nestle 1904) which is neuter but then “τῷ Θεῷ” (the God) which is masculine. The Holy Spirit is Someone you can lie to and He is God!

2) John the apostle referred to the Holy Spirit as “he” and as “helper”. The Holy Spirit is referred to as Someone who helps, speaks, declares, convinces, guides … and has a will and a cognitive power.

3) Jesus and Matthew referred to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit together in which name (of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit) someone must be baptized. It is strange to be baptized in the name of “a god” and a “something”!

What we see in the Bible is that the noun for spirit is neuter. This is simply a grammatical construction. But Peter, Luke, John, Jesus and Matthew “personify” the Spirit. The only good explanation is that the Holy Spirit is really a Person and that the Bible does not “personify” Him because he already is a Person! The biblical authors use natural, normal Greek. They don’t use some language with hidden meanings which were not understandable by fellow people. The church fathers at Constantinople just simply analyzed the biblical evidence and came to this simple conclusion to which the eyes of Jehovah’s Witnesses are closed today.