The Holy Spirit is a person and part of Jehovah
These are some of the biblical arguments that show that the Holy Spirit is very much part of the godhead and yet is treated as a separate person
1. Jeremiah looked forward to the day when there would be a new covenant with each of God’s people
“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbour, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”Jeremiah 31:33-34
Yet when this passage is quoted in the New Testament it is the Holy Spirit who is speaking. The Watchtower teaches that the Spirit is a force but a force cannot speak, speech requires a mind:
“The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” Hebrews 10:15-17
It is clear that the apostles regarded the Holy Spirit to be part of Jehovah. The Spirit is described as ‘he’. And this is obvious in the Greek. The question must be asked why the New World translation changes this to ‘it’. It can only be because the Watchtower authorities do not like the doctrine that the Holy Spirit is a person.
2. The last words of King David
The last words of famous people are often interesting,
“These are the last words of David: “The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse, the utterance of the man exalted by the Most High, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, the hero of Israel’s songs: “The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me; his word was on my tongue. The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: ‘When one rules over people in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God . . . 2 Samuel 23:1-3
Again, how can the Spirit of God speak if he is not a person. In verse 3 it is the God of Israel speaking whereas in verse 2 it is the Spirit. The Spirit is God.
3. Peter’s evidence
Peter refers to the Holy Spirit as a person and not as a force. Referring to the Old Testament prophets he said:
“. . . trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow.” 1 Peter 1:11
The Watchtower translation omits ‘of Christ’ even though this is in the Greek! Presumably because this does not fit with their theology. Their translation reads:
“what season the spirit within them was indicating concerning Christ.” 1Peter 1:11 NWT
This can only be described as a fraudulent deliberate mistranslation!
4. Stephen’s evidence
In Stephen’s final speech to the Sanhedrin, before he was stoned, he refers to the three persons of the Trinity:
“The Most High does not live in houses . . .” Acts 7:48
“You always resist the Holy Spirit. Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute?” Acts 7:52
The Spirit reveals himself as the invisible voice of God.
“”And now you have betrayed and murdered him . . .” Acts 7:52
Stephen regards all three persons as being Jehovah. As he was dying he does not address the ‘Most High’ but the one he worships and adores, his Lord, the he recognised to be Jehovah, come into his world in the flesh:
“Lord Jesus: receive my spirit.” Acts 7:59
These last words of Stephen are quoted from Psalm 31. But the wording is changed, Stephen also prays to the Lord, Jehovah, but calls him by the name Jesus. The psalm reads:
“Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.” Psalm 31:5
Jehovah’s Witnesses argue that Jesus cannot be God because God is one and emphasise that this is taught in the New Testament as well as the Old. For example,
“God is one.” Galatians 3:20
However even in this passage ‘one’ can refer to a corporate unity. This paragraph goes on to say:
“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28
5. Paul’s evidence
Paul prays to the three persons in the Trinity and he addresses them as distinct people:
“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 2 Corinthians 13:14 NIV
Note how the New World Translation has changed this. The article before the Holy Spirit has been dropped although it is there in the Greek, capital letters are not used for him and the word for fellowship changed:
“The undeserved kindness of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the sharing in the holy spirit be with all of you.” 2 Corinthians 13:14 NWT
This must have been done to demean the Holy Spirit.
6. Jesus evidence
Jesus would have the final word on this. Jesus told his disciples:
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” John 16:13-15
Jesus describes the Holy Spirit as a person. He calls him ‘he’ eight times and describes what he will do, He will ‘guide’, ‘speak’, ‘hear’ and ‘tell’- all characteristics of a person. The Holy Spirit always points people to Jesus as Jehovah. Consequently to reject him is to reject Jesus and the only sin that will not be forgiven is to reject their status and rule.
7. Paul repeatedly spoke about Christians being obedient to Jesus, where his Spirit is in the driving-seat of our lives
“And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.” Romans 8:9-10
Again the Watchtower demeans Christ and treats him as a man with the highest standards and the Holy Spirit is demeaned to being a force. Verse 9 literally talks about God’s Spirit being ‘in you’ but when, in the next verse instead of saying ‘Christ in you’ they have added ‘in union with’. This can hardly be a honest mistake. Paul says the Spirit ‘gives life’ because he gives us Jehovah’s righteousness. The Spirit can only give us ‘life’ this because he also is Jehovah.
“But if anyone does not have Christ’s spirit, this person does not belong to him. But if Christ is in union with you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness. “if God’s spirit truly dwells in you. But if Christ is in union with you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness.” Romans 8:9-10 NWT
Jesus taught:
“Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.” Mark 3:28-29
