IS THE HOLY SPIRIT A PERSON? – Part 2

In the first part of this article, I examined the definition of the term “person” as well as the various passages Trinitarians use to support their belief that the holy spirit of God is indeed a person. I also examined the use of the word “Holy Spirit” in the New Testament which seem to portray the spirit of God as having “his” individual personality.

In this second part of the article, I want to bring out some biblical ideas that go against this belief:

• Jesus Christ And His Apostles Never Talked Of The Holy Spirit As A Person

What is clearly seen in the Bible is that our Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles never made reference to the Holy Spirit in places where “he” ought to be mentioned if the holy spirit were indeed a literal person. Consider the following:

Words of Jesus

“But about that day or hour [of His second coming] no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son [Jesus], but only the Father [God]” (Mark 13:32 NIV, bold emphases and words in square brackets are mine throughout).

“But about that day or hour no-one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son [Jesus], but only the Father. (Matt. 24:36 NIVUK).

“Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man [Jesus] will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. (Luke 9:26 NIVUK).

“For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted [given] the Son also to have life in himself” (John 5:26 NIV).

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3 NKJV).

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me [Jesus]” (John 14:1 NKJV).

“He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.” (Rev. 3:12 NKJV).

It should be observed that, in all these passages, the Lord Jesus Christ did not make any mention of the holy spirit as a person. He talked of the angels, the Father (God) and himself. Did he forget the holy spirit? No, not at all! He did not mention the holy spirit because it is not a literal person like God, Jesus, and the angels. The person of the holy spirit is not found in the Bible; it was added to Christian teachings by religious speculators at the Council of Constantinople in AD 381.

Words of John

“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:3 NIV).

“Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.” (1 John 2:22-23 NIV).

“John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come [God, the Father], and from the seven spirits [seven angels] before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, (Rev. 1:4-5 NIVUK).

“I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb [Jesus] are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. (Rev. 21:22-23 NIVUK).

“Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord [God] and of his Christ [Jesus], and he will reign forever and ever.” (Rev. 11:15 NLT).

Words of Paul

“I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favouritism. (1 Tim. 5:21 NIV).

“yet there is for us only one God, the Father, who is the Creator of all things and for whom we live; and there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created and through whom we live.” (1 Cor. 8:6 GNT).

“You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.” (Eph. 5:5 NLT).

“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:3; 2 Cor. 1:2; Gal. 1:3; Eph. 1:2; Phil. 1:2; Col. 1:2; 1 Thes. 1:1; 2 Thes. 1:2; Philm. 1:3; 1 Tim. 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:2; Tit. 1:4).

There are many other verses of the Bible, especially from the Book of Revelation, which prove the doctrine of the personhood of the holy spirit as mere human fabrication. Other verses that give proof of this include Rev. 1:2; 5:13; 6:16; 7:10,13-17; 14:1,4,10; 22:1-3. Revelation 14:9-10 says, “A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb [Jesus Christ].” (Rev. 14:9-10 NIVUK).

It stands to reason, from these passages, that the one who sits on the throne [God] and the Lamb [Jesus Christ], and angels, are the literal beings known in Revelation. The Holy Spirit was never shown to be a literal being.

When confronted with these passages that make no mention of the Holy Spirit, Trinitarians erroneously believe the Holy Spirit is discriminated against and despised. How wrong they are! Discrimination and despisement are products of corrupt minds. The Lord Jesus Christ and his holy apostles did not have these vices in their minds. They did not refer to the holy spirit as a person  in heaven or on the earth simply because there is no third person known as the Holy Spirit. The holy spirit known in the Bible is “the hand of God” – the invisible breath from God which the Almighty Father uses to do all His divine works throughout the universe. This invisible exhalation of God has the divine power of God in it. It is not an independent thing on its own. While it is at work, it is connected to God and His Son. The only persons known in heaven are God the Father of all beings, Jesus the only begotten Son of God, and the holy angels of God.

• Man Was Created In the Image of God

When man was to be created by God, He said, “’And now we will make human beings; they will be like us and resemble us. They will have power over the fish, the birds, and all animals, domestic and wild, large and small.’ So God created human beings, making them to be like himself. He created them male and female,” (Gen. 1:26-27 GNT).

Mankind is created to be like God inwardly (morally) and resemble Him outwardly (in appearance). Although God is Spirit, the Almighty can put Himself in a form that is visible to the human eye. The form that has been seen of God is the shape we humans have (Exod. 33:20-23; Num. 12:8; Dan. 7:9; Acts 7:55,56; 17:29). Being the only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ has the same form as the one who begot Him (Eph. 1:3; Phil. 2:6). Therefore, in shape we have the appearance of God and His Christ, the only two divine persons known in the Bible. But the holy spirit has been made visible twice – at the baptisms of Christ and His disciples with the holy spirit (Matt. 3:16; Acts 2:3). What form was seen of the holy spirit? It was vapour that had the appearance of a dove, and something that looked like tongues of fire which spread out. This is not the form God and His Son have. Therefore, it is not a person. If it were another person in the Godhead, it would have been seen with the same human shape.

Moreover, the Athanasian Creed have said, and I agree, that the holy spirit is “neither made, nor created, nor begotten” (Line 23). This being so, we are left with only two options – that the holy spirit is either a self-existed being or is a part of God Himself. But since the Bible has made it clearly known that the Father is the only God and the Father of all beings, meaning that He alone self-existed, the holy spirit couldn’t have been another self-existed being. Therefore, the only unimpeachable conclusion that can be made is that it is a part of God just as God’s attributes of holiness, wisdom, love, et alia, are part of Him. And this conclusion is saliently supported by the numerous Bible passages that call the holy spirit the arm/hand/finger of God, the eyes of God, the breath of the Almighty, et alia. The other persons, apart from God, are His only begotten Son and His created beings which are angels and humankind. Since the holy spirit is none of these, it is not a person. It is the power of God at work in His creation.

• Depictions of the Holy Spirit

Besides being depicted as the hand or arm or finger of God, we have been made to know that God pours out the holy spirit the same way liquids are poured out (Isa. 44:3; Ezek. 39:29; Joel 2:28,29; Acts 2:17,18). Our Lord Jesus said whoever believes in Him will drink of it like water (John 7:37). God anoints people with it (Psa. 45:7; Acts 10:38; 2 Cor. 1:21). Hence, it has been called “oil of gladness” (Psa. 45:7) and “anointing” (1 John 2:27). Apostle Paul said true believers are like letters written, not with ink but, with the spirit of God (2 Cor. 3:3). He also likened the holy spirit to fire which can be extinguished (1 Thes. 5:19). In another place he said the holy spirit is a seal or mark of God’s ownership of the believers and that the holy spirit given to the believers serves as a first instalment or pledge, guaranteeing that He will fulfil all His promises to His people (2 Cor. 1:21,22). God’s people are baptized with it (Matt. 3:11), partake of it (Heb. 6:4), and can be filled with it (Acts 2:4; Eph. 5:18). These depictions have shown that the holy spirit is not a person, much less God.

• Symbols of the Holy Spirit

Symbols which have been used to represent the holy spirit include water (Isa. 44:3; Ezek. 39:29; John 4:14; 7:37-39), oil (Psa. 45:7; Acts 10:38); breath (Job 27:3; 33:4; Ezek. 37:5-10; John 20:22), wind (Acts 2:2; Ezek. 37:9), fire (Acts 2:3; cf. 1 Thes. 5:19), dove (Matt. 3:16). It is likened to intoxicating thing like wine (Eph. 5:18), ink (Col. 3:3). It is also associated with abstract things such as wisdom (Acts 6:3), faith (Acts 6:5; 11:24), and joy (Acts 13:52). The mention of the holy spirit alongside abstract things are too revealing to convince even the most befuddled mind that the holy spirit itself is an abstract thing, and, therefore, cannot be a person.

Conclusion

The Trinitarian Creed has said that the holy spirit is “neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.” (Athanasian Creed, Line 23). He, according to their creed, is self-existed. Their creed says the three persons of the Trinity – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost (or Holy Spirit) – are self-existed, coequal and coeternal persons. But the Bible says the Father is the one God, the only self-existed being. See Mal. 2:10; John 5:44; 17:3; 1 Cor. 8:6; Eph. 4:6; 1 Tim. 2:5.

This one God of the Bible is a singular being. He is neither a Duality nor a Trinity. Jesus Christ said the Father is the one God (John 5:44), the only true God (John 17:3). Apostle Paul affirmed it in 1 Cor. 8:6 by identifying the one God as the Father. He said He is the father of all beings (Eph. 4:6). In 1 Tim. 2:5, he said Jesus Christ is the mediator between this one God and mankind. He also said that this one God is the God of our Lord Jesus Christ(Eph. 1:17). Paul did not make up this statement. Our Lord Jesus Christ himself had said so a number of times (Matt. 27:46 (Mark 15;34); John 20:17; Rev. 3:12). If God, the Father, is his God, when and how did he become a coequal God with the one who is his God? Which verse in the Bible says the one God is made up of three self-existed, coequal and coeternal Gods? There is none.

The Bible has not portrayed God’s holy spirit as a literal and separate person from God. God’s spirit is called His holy spirit because it is the spirit of the Holy One. Just as a human’s spirit is not another person from the human, so is God’s spirit not another person from God, let alone another God.

The Trinitarian teaching is one great “Greek gift” that the fourth century theological speculators gave to Christianity. It has done a great deal of disaster to Christian belief. If that “tare” had not been sown into God’s field, many people would have had a better insight into the scriptures.

On the individual level, we have not shown ourselves to be intelligent and wise. We have remained babies in our understanding (Eph. 4:14; 1 Cor. 14:20). I have suddenly been struck with astonishment in recent times about the type of faith we now profess. I have found out that too many Christians never rise above the many erroneous and false doctrines of their leaders and denominations  no matter how glaring they may be. Many there are who are dissipating much time and effort on defending their dogmas instead of spending the time and effort in digging into the Bible to mine out the biblical truth. We know that although false doctrines cannot be totally weeded out of theology (Matt. 13:24-30), we have it as our personal duty to keep pointing people to the true teachings of the Bible. And we pray that God will open the hearts of Trinitarians to see that the fourth century religious voyagers have given them nothing short of Tritheism which itself is Polytheism.