Mary Baker Eddy, founder of “Christian Science,” characterized the third person of … In its opening words, the Bible speaks of the holy spirit —also rendered “God’s active force”— as “moving to and fro over the surface of the waters.” ( Genesis 1:2 ) In the account of Jesus’ baptism, while God is described as being in “the heavens,” the holy spirit appears “descending like a dove” upon Jesus. The Holy Spirit speaks to the people of God, and encourages us to hear His voice (Hebrews 3:7). The word spirit (from the Latin spiritus meaning "breath") appears either alone or with other words in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and the New Testament.Combinations include expressions such as the "Holy Spirit", "Spirit of God", and in Christianity, "Spirit of Christ".. It is also clear that the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit of God (1 Thessalonians 4:8; Isaiah 63:10–11). Trinity Apologetics 6,709 views. Others understand the Holy Spirit as the impersonal power that God makes available to followers of Christ. An impersonal force cannot know anything. . .” The Holy Spirit is a “person” equal in … 3) The Holy Spirit has a will. Answer: There are many misconceptions about the identity of the Holy Spirit. We can deduce this from Acts 5:3-4, where it … [Blurb on page 22] “On the whole, the New Testament, like the Old, speaks of the spirit as a divine energy or power. (Micah 3:8; Luke 1:35) God send out his spirit by projecting his energy to any place to accomplish his will.-Psalm 104:30; 139:7. According to Trinitarians, the Holy Spirit is a separate person, distinct from the Father and the Son. Misrepresented Spirit? The Holy Spirit also came to give us power. But Christians also believe the Holy Spirit can live within us, filling our hearts and minds with freedom, joy, purpose, and grace. The whole episode of Acts 2…now, pretty much all of the book of Acts speaks of what happens when the Holy Spirit empowers human beings to do God’s work. “As for the ‘Holy Spirit,’ the so-called ‘third Person of the Trinity,’ we have already seen that it is not a person, but God’s active force (Judges 14:6)” [The Truth That Leads To Eternal Life, p. 24]. The Spirit is, first and foremost, God’s personal presence. We are not the ones necessarily that conquer sin; God the Holy Spirit is the power that dwells in us to help us do this. It is not a person but is a powerful force that God causes to emanate from himself to accomplish his holy will ( Reasoning from the Scriptures 1985, 81). Question: "Who is the Holy Spirit?" 5 The Holy Spirit Speaks "...and the Spirit said to Philip" (Acts 8:29) Holy Spirit a Person, Not a Force. the holy spirit is the active force of God. Because the names “Holy Ghost” and “God” have been used interchangeably, we conclude that the Holy Ghost is God. ~ IF The Holy Spirit is just a force, then I (& any truth-seeker) would be compelled by intellectual honesty & integrity, to abandon belief in the Trinity & become a JW !!! As mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, outpourings of the Holy Spirit can include healing, prophecy, exorcism, and speaking in tongues. This shows us not only that the Holy Spirit is God (because only one who is God can look into the mind of God) but also that he is a Person. God's HOLY SPIRIT is NOT a PERSON but is God's active FORCE by which he accomplishes his purpose and executes his will." In conclusion, Wolfhart Pannenberg shows proper humility and admits that his theory is precisely a theory, and awaits further verification. I occasionally write about religion in a broad sense but a friend’s dramatic encounter with the Holy Spirit over a decade ago is worth an airing. One of the topics we discussed while standing on the front porch was the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a person, not a force - Duration: 14:17. In this way, the Holy Spirit is the presence of Jesus in our lives. The holy spirit is God’s active force that he uses to accomplish his will. Intellect3. Some view the Holy Spirit as a mystical force. I was inspired and intrigued by his proposition and tempered conclusion, as it may provide a fruitful way for understanding a theology of nature without the idolatry of natural revelation. Later while looking into this topic online, I discovered this understanding is widespread * in the Christian faith as well: a poll result found that 59% of Christians see the Holy Spirit as a force. The Holy Spirit chooses which gifts each believer receives. God the Holy Spirit brings godly repentance and brings about an awareness of when we are not doing the right thing. The Holy Spirit is God. Jesus prayed to the Father , but His mother Mary was pregnant with Him as a result of the Holy Spirit: “She was found with child of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18). We should not confuse the Holy Spirit with the way He might make us feel sometimes, or with the power that He has.The Holy Spirit is God. But he gives no place for the Holy Spirit, and this is because the Holy Spirit is a thing, not a personality. That would make the Holy Spirit the “father” of Jesus, if the Holy Spirit … God's Spirit is that power by which They do whatever it is They want to accomplish in Their purposes. JUDE 1:20 (KJV) Insight p.1019, & Aid p.1543 ~ INSIGHT On The Scriptures (1988) is the updated version of AID To Bible Understanding (1971) WOW !!! Emotions2. The architects of the trinity doctrine admit that it is a 'somewhat unsteady silhouette', requiring assumptions and inferences, but unsupportable by Scripture. The Holy Spirit has infinite knowledge and is able to search even the deep things of God. (6) The Holy Spirit distributes spiritual gifts ‘to every man severally as he will.’(I Cor.12:11) The phrase ‘he wills’ in Greek means ‘a decision of the will after previous deliberation’. The Spirit is a person and not merely a force. Is the Holy Spirit the Cosmic Force Field? A he or an it? . Jehovah’s Witnesses and certain other groups, such the Iglesia ni Cristo, claim that the Holy Spirit is not a Person but merely a force (for example, “the power of God”). Holy Spirit, in Christian belief, the third person of the Trinity. This Doctrinal Report concerns the Spirit of God. Here’s another puzzle for someone who believes the Spirit is a person. Etymology. Is the Holy Spirit a person or the power of God? The Holy Spirit is part of God’s deity and it has a separate person that is why we are also praying to Him. Download Share. An impersonal force or unifying energy does not have a distinct will, but a person certainly does. Furthermore, throughout the Bible, the Holy Spirit exhibits the characteristics of a Person, not an inanimate force. This page is also available in: हिन्दी (Hindi) When we study the ministry of the Holy Spirit, we can see that He has all the credentials of a separate and distinct, intelligent, individual being and not just a force.. Let’s review His ministry: 1-The Holy Spirit leads and guides “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). 3 min read. Learn more about the importance of the Holy Spirit in Christianity. The main evidence presented as "proof" that the Spirit is more than just a divine power or force is the use of masculine pronouns found primarily in John's gospel. 14:17. A person always has the following attributes:1. David had long experienced the power of the holy spirit. The Holy Spirit and the Trinity (Part One) Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh. 4/1/1994. He is not impersonal or unthinking. Only feebleminded pastors would say that the Holy Spirit is merely an active force, and not God, just like pastors of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. As these quotations indicate, the “Jehovah’s Witnesses” consider the Holy Spirit to be God’s invisible, active force. The Holy spirit is God's power in action, his active force. The Holy Spirit - A Person or Power? The JW actively believes that the Holy Spirit is a force, and not a person. A force can’t be grieved. An honest, careful, thorough comparison of WT opinion with Scriptural evidence, shows there is no need to accept WT conclusions. It is an "it," not a "he" or a "she." by Ernest L. Martin, Ph.D., 1991. He performs personal acts. John W. Ritenbaugh The Holy Spirit WOW !!! Obviously the Bible makes the Holy Spirit equal to God. It is a power, a force that emanates from Them. 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 word spirit is rendered as רוּחַ (ruach) in Hebrew-language parts of the Old Testament. Holy Spirit as Force. They are not only undermining the Holy Spirit but they are also insulting it. Will4. For instance, a Jehovah’s Witness might say something like this: “The holy spirit … The Holy Spirit —A Force You Need in Your Life “DO NOT throw me away from before your face; and your holy spirit O do not take away from me.” (Psalm 51:11) This was King David’s fervent prayer after he had made a tragic mistake. He will begin to deal with the sins in our life and help us overcome them. So sometimes the Holy Spirit is like the mysterious but powerful wind; sometimes he is like a personal helper, partner, or advocate beside us. ~ IF The Holy Spirit is just a force… In the Bible, the word "spirit" is translated from the Hebrew word ru'ach and the Greek word pneu'ma. Among non-Trinitarian Christians, au contraire, one may hear the view that the Spirit of God is not a third person but an impersonal force, like in Star Wars: “The Force be with you.” Something near this view was expressed in a pre-1994 CoG7 doctrine that read, in part, “The Holy Spirit is an extension of the power of God in the world . The Holy Spirit can speak (Acts 8:29, 11:12, 13:2)—though some people don’t think the Holy Spirit can speak because they think of the Holy Spirit as an impersonal force, or simply a presence. 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