IS GOD · 2007. 12. 18. · Is God a Trinity? 3 strictly philosophical sense, nor in the Semitic sense. God™s spirit is simply God™s power. If it is sometimes represented as being

IS GOD

A TRINITY?

This booklet is a free educational service, provided by the “Church of God, a Christian Fellowship inCanada,” in collaboration with the “Church of the Eternal God” in the United States of America.Printed in Canada in 2002. This booklet is not to be sold.

Scriptures in the booklet are quoted from the New King James version ((c)1988 Thomas Nelson, Inc.Publishers) unless otherwise noted.

Author: Norbert Link

Contents

But What About You? 1

What Theologians Tell Us About the Trinity 1

How the Trinity Became “Christian” Dogma 3

Paul’s Greetings to the Churches 5

The Holy Spirit is Not God 5

Who Begot Christ? 6

The Father Created Everything Through Christ 7

Spirit compared with Water 8

The Spirit of the Father and of the Son dwells in us 9

One Spirit 10

One Mediator 13

Proofs for the Trinity? 14

The Holy Spirit vs. the Spirit in Man 17

Human Wisdom and the Mind of Christ 19

Paul’s Use of the Word “Spirit” 19

The Letter That Kills 20

The Flesh Bestows on Us Death 20

The Holy Spirit Speaks to Us 21

The Holy Spirit Witnesses to Us 22

The Holy Spirit Teaches Us 23

The Holy Spirit—a “He”? 24

Personifications of Dead Objects 25

The God Family is Destined to Grow 28

Is God a Trinity? 1

Everyone in mainstreamChristianity, it seems, �knows�that God is a Trinity�one

God in three persons, namely �theFather, the Son and the Holy Ghostor the Holy Spirit.� The majority ofprofessing Christians wouldn�t evenconsider questioning this teaching.Many will tell you that, unless youbelieve this doctrine, you are not atrue Christian.

BUT WHAT ABOUT YOU?Have you ever wondered whether

this teaching is derived from God�sWord, the Bible? We have clearproof from Scripture that the Fatherand the Son are separate persons ordivine beings, and that they are God.The Bible refers to the Father and toJesus Christ as God in numerouspassages�but it never refers to theHoly Spirit as God, or as a separatedivine person.

Why? If the Trinity is such animportant doctrine, why is it noteven mentioned in the Bible?

Did you know that this �keyteaching� of �orthodox Christianity�was totally unknown in the earlyNew Testament times and did not

become generally accepted untilseveral hundred years after Christestablished His Church on the day ofPentecost in 31 A.D.? And did youalso know that the Trinity actuallyhides and obscures the fact of whoand what God really is�and whyGod created you, and what yourawesome potential is?

Let us briefly review what thosewho believe in, and teach theconcept of the Trinity, tell us aboutit. This alone might be an eye-opener for you.

WHAT THEOLOGIANS TELL USABOUT THE TRINITY

The Swiss Protestant theologianKarl Barth wrote about the conceptof the Trinity. Funk and Wagnall�sNew Encyclopedia refers to KarlBarth as, �widely regarded as one ofthe most notable Christian thinkersof the 20th century.� He wrote in,�Doctrine of the Word of God,� p. 437:�The Bible lacks the express declara-tion that the Father, the Son and theHoly Spirit are of equal essence andtherefore in an equal sense GodHimself. And the other expressdeclaration is also lacking that God is

What is the Biblical Truth on this vitally important,

yet grossly misunderstood subject?

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2 Is God a Trinity?

God thus and only thus, i.e., as theFather, the Son and the Holy Spirit.These two express declarationswhich go beyond the witness of theBible are the twofold content ofthe church doctrine of the Trinity.�(Emphasis added).

In other words, Prof. Karl Barthadmits that the Bible nowhere statesthat the Father, the Son and theHoly Spirit are all God.

Karl Barth was not the only onewho pointed out that the Scripturesdo not expressly teach the concept ofthe Trinity. Listen to this quote fromDr. William Newton Clarke, whowrote a book entitled, �An Outline ofChristian Theology.� He states, forinstance, on page 167, when discuss-ing the first few verses of the firstchapter of the book of John: �Thereis no Trinity in [John�s prologue]; butthere is a distinction in theGodhead, a duality in God.�

He continues on page 168, afterhaving established that the NewTestament does teach the divinity ofJesus Christ: �The New Testamentbegins the work, but does not finishit; for it contains no similar teachingwith regard to the Holy Spirit. Theunique nature and mission of Christare traced to a ground in the being ofGod; but similar ground for thedivineness of the Spirit is nowhereshown. Thought in the NewTestament is never directed to that

end.� (Emphasis added).In other words, William N. Clarke

is pointing out here that the Biblenowhere states that the Holy Spirit isa divine being.

Here is a statement from theGerman theologian Karl Rahner,who is described in Funk andWagnall�s New Encyclopedia as �theleading Roman Catholic theologianof the 20th century.� This is what hehad to say in a book called, �TheTrinity,� on page 22: ��in reality theScriptures do not explicitly presenta doctrine of the �imminent� Trinity(even John�s prologue is no suchdoctrine).� (Emphasis added).

Remarkably, the New CatholicEncyclopedia supports ProfessorRahner�s and Prof. Barth�s state-ments. In an article entitled, �Trin-ity,� it first points out, in Vol. XIII, onpage 574, that �[t]he Trinity is �the truth that in the unity of theGodhead there are three persons, theFather, the Son and the HolySpirit� The Father is God, the Sonis God, and the Holy Spirit is God.And yet these three are not threeGods, but one God�co-eternal andco-equal: all alike or uncreated andomnipotent.�

Then, after having made such asweeping statement, it goes on toadmit: �The [Old Testament]clearly does not envisage God�sspirit as a person, neither in the

Is God a Trinity? 3

strictly philosophical sense, nor inthe Semitic sense. God�s spirit issimply God�s power. If it is sometimesrepresented as being distinct fromGod, it is because the breath ofYahweh acts exteriorly� �Themajority of [New Testament] textsreveal God�s spirit as something,not someone; this is especially seenin the parallelism between the spiritand the power of God�� (Emphasisadded).

But then we must ask why theTrinity seems to be universally taughtand accepted in Christianity today,when the Bible does not expresslyteach it. How did it become part ofChristian dogma?

HOW THE TRINITY BECAME“CHRISTIAN” DOGMA

The New Catholic Encyclopediaexplains in Vol. 14, on page 295, inthe article, �Trinity�:

��when one does speak ofunqualified Trinitarianism, one hasmoved from the period of Christianorigins to say, the last quadrant of the4th century. It was only then that whatmight be called the definitiveTrinitarian dogma, �one God in threepersons,� became thoroughly assimi-lated into Christian life and thought.�

How did this happen?The truth, as so often is the case,

is stranger than fiction. In her book,

�A History of God,� former Catholicnun Karen Armstrong gives us someinteresting insight as to whattranspired. She writes on pages 117and 118, when describing how theTrinity found its way from GreekOrthodoxy into the Western World:�� the Trinity only made sense as amystical or spiritual experience� Itwas not a logical or intellectualformulation but an imaginativeparadigm that confounded reason�For many Western Christians� theTrinity is simply baffling [in otherwords, a �mystery�]�

�Logically, of course, it made nosense at all� Gregory of Nazianzushad explained that the very incom-prehensibility of the dogma of theTrinity brings us up against theabsolute mystery of God; it remindsus that we must not hope to under-stand him� It was no good, forexample, attempting to puzzle outhow the three hypostases [Greek for�persons�] of the Godhead were atone and the same time identical anddistinct. This lay beyond words,concepts and human powers ofanalysis.�

Karen Armstrong goes on toexplain that in the Western World,the Catholic Church�s FatherAugustine introduced a slightlydifferent concept of the Trinity.Rather than speaking about �oneGod in three persons,� he coined the

4 Is God a Trinity?

phrase, �one God in three manifesta-tions.�

We are also told that it was therenowned Thomas of Aquinas whomade the teachings of the Greeks,such as Plato and Aristotle, popularin the Western World. And in sodoing, Western Christians learnedthat Aristotle, too, had taught atrinity�but he had called the threepersons or manifestations - �thinker,thought, and unmoved mover.�

During the Reformation, thedogma of the Trinity was rejected bysome of the reformers, but not, forexample, by Luther and Calvin. Forthem, according to KarenArmstrong, �these traditionaldoctrines of God were too deeplyembedded in the Christian experi-ence for either Luther or Calvin toquestion.� (page 277).

And because of this thoughtlessobedience to humanly devised ideas,Calvin began to persecute those whowould point out problems with theconcept of the Trinity. We read onpage 280: �In 1553, Calvin had theSpanish theologian Michael Servetusexecuted for his denial of the Trinity.Servetus had fled Catholic Spain andhad taken refuge in Calvin�s Geneva,claiming that he was returning to thefaith of the apostles and the earliestfathers of the church, who had neverheard of this extraordinary doctrine�The doctrine of the Trinity was a

human fabrication which hadalienated the minds of men fromthe knowledge of the true Christ�His beliefs were shared by two Italianreformers�Giorgio Blandrata� andFaustus Socinus�� (Emphasis added).

Criticism toward the concept ofthe Trinity continued. In 1699,Gottfried Arnold wrote a book,arguing that the Trinity, althoughregarded as orthodox, could not betraced back to the original church.(page 306). Puritan poet JohnMilton was also �doubtful about suchtraditional doctrines as the Trinity.�(page 308).

Karen Armstrong continued:�Christianity�retained many paganelements in its description of God�Christianity� had turned its backon its Jewish roots and reverted tothe irrationality and superstitionsof paganism (p. 369)� Origen andClement of Alexandria had beenLiberal Christians� when they hadintroduced Platonism into theSemitic religion of Yahweh.� (pp.383-384). (Emphasis added).

So we learn that the concept ofthe Trinity, �one God in threepersons,� is derived, then, notfrom the Bible, but from paganGreeks, having found its way intoChristianity early on.

The concept remains a confusingissue, such that many Christianstoday who say they believe in the

Is God a Trinity? 5

Trinity don�t even understand it. Onpage 201 of Karen Armstrong�s bookshe writes, �To all intents andpurposes, many Western Christiansare not really Trinitarians. Theycomplain that the doctrine of ThreePersons in One God is incomprehen-sible, not realizing that for theGreeks that was the whole point.�

But God�s Truth is clear. It mustnot be incomprehensible to Hisfollowers. Paul warned that we mustbe careful, though, not to be cor-rupted �from the simplicity that is inChrist.� (2 Cor. 11:3). If one cannotunderstand one of the major doc-trines being presented, then chancesare, something is wrong with what isbeing presented. We must be careful,then, to let the Bible be the proof ofwhat we believe.

PAUL’S GREETINGS TO THECHURCHES

One of the most compellingproofs in the Bible that the HolySpirit is NOT a divine person or aGod being, and, therefore, theconcept of the Trinity is wrong, is thefact that none of the writers bringgreetings from the Holy Spirit. Forexample, the apostle Paul bringsgreetings from God the Father andJesus Christ. Never once does heinclude greetings from the Holy Spirit.

Notice how Paul greets theCorinthians in 1 Cor. 1:1-3. �Paul,

called to be an apostle of Jesus Christthrough the will of God, and Sosthenesour brother, to the church of Godwhich is at Corinth, to those who aresanctified in Christ Jesus, called to besaints, with all who in every placecall on the name of Jesus Christ ourLord, both theirs and ours: Grace toyou and peace from God our Fatherand the Lord Jesus Christ.�

In virtually all of Paul�s writings,you will find the same introduction(cp. 2 Cor. 1:1-2; Gal. 1:1-3; Eph.1:1-2; Phil. 1:1-2; Col. 1:1-2; 1Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1-2; 1 Tim.1:1-2; 2 Tim. 1:1-2; Titus 1:1-4; andPhilemon 1-3). Nowhere is the HolySpirit included in the greetings thatPaul brings from God�the Fatherand Jesus Christ. This shows, clearly,that Paul was not inspired by God toreveal the personage of the HolySpirit. What an oversight and insultthis would be to the Holy Spirit IFthe Holy Spirit were one of threepersons�and a God being.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NOT GODAnother Biblical proof against the

Trinity is that the Holy Spirit isnowhere identified as God. No one isrecorded in Scripture as havingprayed to the Holy Spirit. Further, theHoly Spirit is never described as aseparate being, either. Rather, theHoly Spirit emanates from God theFather and Jesus Christ. One could

6 Is God a Trinity?

say, the Holy Spirit is part of God, as,for instance, the arm, the eye or thehand is a part of a human being, orof God, for that matter. But the armis not a being by itself, nor is the arma person�one could not say that thearm of the man is another man, orthe arm of the Lord is another Godbeing. Likewise, the Holy Spirit ofGod is not a separate God being orperson within the Godhead.

Consider how God gave to Mosesthe Ten Commandments, writtenwith His own finger on tablets ofstone (cp. Ex. 31:18). God used Hisfinger to give understanding toMoses, but this does not mean thatGod�s finger is a distinct person or aGod being. God�s finger was part ofGod, but not separate from God.The same is true for the Holy Spirit.It�s part of God, emanating fromGod, but it is not God, nor is it adivine God being.

WHO BEGOT CHRIST?Jesus Himself prayed exclusively

to the Father. Never once did Hepray to the Holy Spirit. IF the HolySpirit were a person, and a separateGod being, then the human JesusChrist would have prayed to the wrongperson. How can we say this?

Consider that Jesus Christ wascalled the Son of God, not the Sonof the Holy Spirit, even though Hewas conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Notice in Matthew 1:18: �Now thebirth of Jesus Christ was as follows:After His mother Mary was be-trothed to Joseph, before they cametogether, she was found with child ofthe Holy Spirit.�

God�s inspired Word tells usclearly that the Holy Spirit madeMary pregnant. Notice the words ofan angel to Joseph, as recorded inMatt. 1:20: ��Joseph, son of David,do not be afraid to take to you Maryyour wife, for that which is con-ceived [or begotten, gennao in theGreek] in her is of the Holy Spirit.��

Turn now to Luke 1:32 and 35,where we find more of the inspiredwords of the angel to Mary: ��He willbe great, and will be called the Son ofthe Highest; and the Lord God willgive Him the throne of His fatherDavid� The Holy Spirit will comeupon you, and the power of theHighest will overshadow you; there-fore, also, that Holy One who is tobe born will be called the Son ofGod.�� These Scriptures in Matthewand Luke tell us that, IF the HolySpirit were a person and God, thenChrist would have been the SON ofthe Holy Spirit, and NOT of theFather.

However, John 1:14 says that itwas the Father who begot Christ:�And the Word became flesh anddwelt among us, and we beheld Hisglory, the glory of the only begotten

Is God a Trinity? 7

of the Father, full of grace and truth.�Do we find, then, a contradiction

here between the record of Luke,telling us that the Holy Spiritfathered Jesus, and the record ofJohn, stating that it was God theFather? Not at all! Rather, we seethat GOD the FATHER begotChrist through the power of HisSpirit. This proves that the HolySpirit cannot be a person�otherwise, we would have acontradiction here, with Christhaving two fathers�the �Father�and the �Holy Spirit��and withthe �person� and third member ofthe �Trinity,� the Holy Spirit, beingChrist�s �main� Father.

Remember, too, that the angeltold Mary in the book of Luke thatChrist would be called the Son of theHighest. If the Holy Spirit were aperson, then the Holy Spirit bywhich Mary was impregnated wouldbe the HIGHEST in the Godhead.This, of course, is absurd! No onewho believes in the Trinity hasEVER stated that the Holy Spirit isthe highest! Quite to the contrary,they claim that the Father, the Sonand the Holy Spirit are all EQUAL.That none is HIGHER than the other.

The fact that the Holy Spiritcannot be a divine person or God,becomes very clear when consideringwho in the Godhead is called the�highest.� The Bible shows us that it

is the Father (and not the HolySpirit) who is the highest in theGodhead. Notice Eph. 4:6: ��oneGod and Father of all, who is aboveall, and through all, and in you all.�

This tells us that the FATHER isthe highest, �above all.� The Fatheris higher than Christ (cp. John 10:29,�My Father�is greater than all.�)So, when Jesus Christ was called theSon of the Highest, He was calledthe Son of God the Father�not ofthe Holy Spirit. It was God theFather who, through His Holy Spirit,impregnated Mary. She was withchild OF or THROUGH the HolySpirit. God the Father, the highestwithin the Godhead, brought Mary�spregnancy about through the powerof His Holy Spirit. (Note that inLuke 1:35, the Holy Spirit is definedas the �power of the Highest.�)

THE FATHER CREATEDEVERYTHING THROUGHCHRIST

It is also remarkable that the HolySpirit is not mentioned in a passagelike, 1 Cor. 8:6, where the Godheadis described. One would surelyexpect that the Holy Spirit wouldsomehow be referred to here, if itwere a person. But note what weread: ��yet for us there is one God,the Father, of whom are all things,and we for Him; and one Lord JesusChrist, through whom are all things,

8 Is God a Trinity?

and through whom we live.�IF the Holy Spirit were a person,

why is it not mentioned here? Weread that there is only one God�theFather�and one Lord�JesusChrist. And we read that all thingsare THROUGH Christ. So it wasCHRIST who created everything.Or, one could say that God theFather created everythingTHROUGH Christ. That�s whatEphesians 3:9 tells us,�God�created all things throughJesus Christ.� Col. 1: 16 confirmsthis: �All things were createdthrough Him.� (There are additionalScriptures revealing this truth, suchas John 1:1-3; 1 Cor. 8:5-6; andHebr. 1:1-2). And how did Christ doit? Through the power of His HolySpirit. But it was still Christ. If theHoly Spirit were a person, then Godwould not have created everythingthrough the person of Christ, butthrough the person of the HolySpirit. This shows that the HolySpirit cannot be a person.

SPIRIT COMPARED WITHWATER

Let�s now notice a passage in Acts2 that shows, too, that the HolySpirit cannot be a person. Acts 2:17reads: �And it shall come to pass inthe last days, says God, that I willpour out OF My Spirit on all flesh.�The Holy Spirit cannot be a person,

since one cannot �pour out� a personand one cannot divide a person, bysending something OF that personinto someone else.

Turn also to John 4:10, 14, wherethe Spirit is compared with water.Jesus tells the woman at the well: ��Ifyou knew the gift of God, and who itis who says to you, �Give Me adrink,� you would have asked Him,and He would have given you livingwater� whoever drinks of the waterthat I shall give him will never thirst.But the water that I shall give himwill become in him a fountain ofwater springing up into everlastinglife.��

Later, the Bible makes it veryclear that Christ was talking hereabout the Holy Spirit, comparing itwith living water to be poured out.We read in John 7:37-39, in theAuthorized Version: �In the last day,that great day of the feast, Jesusstood and cried, saying, If any manthirsts, let him come unto me, anddrink. He that believeth on me, asthe scripture hath said, out of hisbelly shall flow rivers of living water.(But this spake he of the Spirit,which they that believe on himshould receive��

Christ compares the Holy Spiritwith living WATER. We read earlierthat God pours out of His HolySpirit�again the same analogy ofwater being poured out on or into

Is God a Trinity? 9

people is being used. How can aperson be compared with water to bepoured out? Some say, this is just ananalogy. For instance, God is com-pared with a consuming fire in Heb.12:29, but He is not a fire.

However, God looks very muchlike a consuming fire when Hereveals Himself to the eyes of man.Notice in Ex. 24:17. God is NO-WHERE pictured, however, as waterthat is being poured out. Such adescription just does not fit for aperson, showing that the Holy Spiritis not a person.

THE SPIRIT OF THE FATHER ANDOF THE SON DWELLS IN US

Acts 2: 33 states: �Therefore,being exalted to the right hand ofGod, and having received from theFather the promise of the Holy Spirit,He [Christ] poured out this which younow see and hear.�

Notice, it says here that Christreceived the Holy Spirit from theFather, and that Christ then pouredout the Spirit from the Father. This isconfirmed, too, in John 15:26, wherewe read Christ�s words: ��But whenthe Helper comes, whom I shall sendto you from the Father, the Spirit oftruth who proceeds from the Father,He will testify of me.�� Again, we aretold here that Christ sends us theHoly Spirit from the Father (cp. alsoJohn 16:7).

Notice also Christ�s words in John14:16-17: ��And I will pray theFather, and He will give you anotherHelper, that He may abide with youforever�the Spirit of truth�for Hedwells with you and will be in you.��Here we see that it is the Father whowill give us the Holy Spirit. He doesso through Christ, as we read earlier.

[We will address later in thebooklet why the Holy Spirit issometimes referred to with �He,� asis the case in the two passages justquoted. We will show that this doesnot prove at all that the Holy Spiritis a person.]

Titus 3:5-6 confirms that theFather gives us the Holy Spiritthrough Jesus Christ: �[God] savedus, through the washing of regenera-tion and renewing of the Holy Spirit,whom [better: �which,� cp. Autho-rized Version] He poured out on usabundantly through Jesus Christ ourSavior.�

We also see, however, in John14:26, that the Father Himself sendsus His Holy Spirit, in the name ofJesus Christ. Christ said: ��But theHelper, the Holy Spirit, whom theFather will send in My name, He willteach you all things, and bring toyour remembrance all things that Isaid to you.��

Notice that it is not only the HolySpirit of the Father that dwells in us.We also see that it is the Spirit of

10 Is God a Trinity?

Christ that dwells in us. Gal. 4:6 tellsus: �And because you are sons, Godhas sent forth the Spirit of His Soninto your hearts, crying out, �Abba,Father.�� We see here that God theFather sent the Spirit of His Son,Jesus Christ, in our hearts, andbecause it is the Spirit of His Son, wecan call God our Father. Notice it,too, in Phil. 1:19: �For I know thatthis will turn out for my deliverancethrough your prayer and the supplyof the Spirit of Jesus Christ.� Again, itis the Spirit of Christ that dwells inus�not a third person!

That the Spirit of the Father andof Christ dwells in us becomes veryclear when reading Rom. 8:9: �Butyou are not in the flesh but in theSpirit if indeed the Spirit of Goddwells in you. Now if anyone doesnot have the Spirit of Christ, he isnot His.� Here we read that theSpirit of God dwells in us, and whenwe do not have the Spirit of Christdwelling in us, we are not evenChristians.

So putting all those passagestogether, we can see that the Spirit ofGod the Father and of Christ dwellsin us, and that both God the Fatherand Jesus Christ send us, or pour intous, the Holy Spirit. But how can thatbe? Isn�t there only ONE Spirit?

ONE SPIRITThere is clearly only one Spirit,

just as there is only one baptism, onefaith, one hope and one body (cp.Eph. 4:4-5). But consider this:Although there is only one baptism,there are many individuals beingbaptized. And even though there isonly one body, there are manymembers in that body (cp. 1 Cor.12:14). And we know that the ONEGod consists of the Father and theSon, that is, God is not just one person.

The same is true for the HolySpirit. There is ONE Spirit, but bothGod the Father and Jesus Christ areSpirit beings, and the Holy Spiritemanates from both of them. That iswhy we read about the Spirit of theFather and the Spirit of Christ.When we read that there is oneSpirit, then the reference is to theoneness or harmony between Godthe Father and Jesus Christ. It isexactly the same when Christ said, �Iand the Father are one.� (John10:30). Christ did not mean, theFather and He were �one� being�but that they were �one� in purposeand goal and mindset and character.When Christ spoke these words, Hewas clearly a separate person fromGod the Father. Christ said in John17:11, that we all should be one, asthe Father and Christ are one inspirit�not in the sense that we allwould become one being, but rather,that we all be of the same spirit. Godthe Father and Christ are one in

Is God a Trinity? 11

spirit, and so are we to become one inspirit.

Notice Christ�s words in John14:23: ��If anyone loves Me, he willkeep My word; and My Father willlove him, and We will come to himand make Our home with him.��Both the Father and Jesus Christ livein us. John 14:16-18 confirms toothat not only the Father, but alsoJesus Christ live in us, through theHoly Spirit, when Christ told Hisdisciples, ��I will pray the Father, andHe will give you another Helper�,the Spirit of truth�[that] will be inyou. I will not leave you orphans. Iwill come to you.�� God the Fatherand Jesus Christ have both come tous, and they both have made theirhome with us. They do this throughthe Holy Spirit that flows from bothof them into us. This proves, as wewill see in a moment, that the HolySpirit cannot be a person.

First, though, let�s turn back for amoment to John 7:37-39. ThisScripture is directly related to thepassage in John 14:23 and proves,too, that the Holy Spirit is not aperson. It reads: �On the last day,that great day of the Feast, Jesusstood and cried out, saying, �Ifanyone thirsts, let him come to Meand drink. He who believes in Me, asthe Scripture has said, out of hisheart will flow rivers of living water.�But this He spoke concerning the

Spirit, whom [better: �which,� cp.AV] those believing in Him wouldreceive; for the Holy Spirit was notyet given, because Jesus was not yetglorified.�

Note that the word �given� is initalics�this means, it is not in theoriginal Greek; it was added by thetranslator. Other translators presentthis passage quite differently:

The New Revised StandardVersion: ��for as yet there was noSpirit, because Jesus was not yetglorified.�

The New American Bible:�There was, of course, no Spirityet��

The New Jerusalem Bible:��for there was no Spirit as yet��

The Moffat translation: �...asyet there was no Spirit��

When we check this in theInterlinear translation from theGreek, which renders the originalGreek word for word, we find thefollowing phrase, ��for not yet wasSpirit Holy, because Jesus not yet wasglorified.�

The German translations areall fairly consistent in theirrenderings. The revised LutherBible, the Elberfelder Bible, andthe Menge Bible, all state, �TheSpirit was not yet there��

The Zuercher Bible evenstates, ��the Holy Spirit did notexist yet�� They point out in the


Appendix: �Some have translated,�the Holy Spirit was not yet given,�because they were offended by theliteral original text.�But how could this be? How is it

possible to say that the Holy Spiritdid not exist yet, or was not thereyet, since Christ was not yet glorified?

The answer becomes clear whenwe consider that only a glorified Godbeing can give His Holy Spirit toothers. When Christ spoke thosewords, the Holy Spirit of the Fatherwas clearly there and dwelling inHim � but Christ was referring hereto Himself. He said, �Let him whothirsts come to ME.� And Christ wasa man when He said that, and as aman, having given up His glory, Hecould not give the Holy Spirit,emanating from Him as a glorifiedGod being, to others. Remember, itwas the Holy Spirit of the FATHER(as distinguished from the HolySpirit of Christ) that dwelled inChrist, and through which Christ didthe marvelous works (cp. Acts10:38-39).

For Christ to bestow His HolySpirit on others, He needed to beglorified first. Christ made this clear,when He said in John 16:7: ��if Ido not go away, the Helper will notcome to you; but if I depart, I willsend Him to you.�� This proves,then, several things: It proves thatwhen Jesus Christ was here on earth,

He was a man, FULLY flesh. He wasNOT human and divine at the sametime. He was not fully man and fullyGod. This passage proves that theHoly Spirit is not a person. Rather,the Holy Spirit emanates fromglorified God beings. As long asChrist was not glorified, He had noHoly Spirit of His own to bestow onothers. That�s why the Holy Spirit ofthe glorified Christ was not there yet�ONLY the Holy Spirit of the Fatherwas there.

But then, after Christ�s resurrec-tion and glorification, both the Fatherand the Son dwell in us throughtheir Spirit�the Holy Spirit�whichemanates or proceeds from both theFather and the Son.

The passages in John 14:23 andJohn 7:37-39 (discussed above) showus then why the Holy Spirit cannotbe a separate or distinct person orbeing within the Godhead: Sincethe Spirit of the Father and of theSon lives in us, two persons wouldlive in us, and the Godhead wouldnot consist of only three persons, butof four�God the Father, God theSon, God the Holy Spirit of theFather, and God the Holy Spirit ofthe Son. But no one teaches, to ourknowledge, that God consists offour persons. And so we see, nomatter how we look at it, the wholeconcept of the Holy Spirit being aseparate person has no biblical basis!


ONE MEDIATORJesus is our Mediator, our only

Mediator, between us and God theFather. Turn to 1 Tim. 2:5-6, andnote: �For there is only one God, andthere is only one mediator betweenGod and humanity, himself a humanbeing, Jesus Christ.� (New JerusalemBible).

God the Father never becameman, but Christ did. So, Christ is theonly Mediator between God andman, as Christ can sympathize withour weaknesses, having beentempted in all points, when He washuman, as we are today. Hebrews4:15 tells us, �For we do not have aHigh Priest who cannot sympathizewith our weaknesses, but was in allpoints tempted as we are, yetwithout sin.�

Let�s turn now to Rom. 8:26,where we are told what the HolySpirit does for us: �Likewise theSpirit also helpeth our infirmities: forwe know not what we should prayfor as we ought: but the Spirit itselfmaketh intercession for us withgroanings which cannot be uttered.�(Authorized Version).

Here we read that the Spiritmakes intercession for us, in otherwords, that it is a �mediator� be-tween God and man. So, IF the HolySpirit were a person, we would havetwo mediators, Jesus Christ and theHoly Spirit.

Let�s see, though, what is meantby the statement that the Spiritmakes intercession for us. Continu-ing in verse 27 of Romans 8 we aretold: �Now He who searches thehearts knows what the mind of theSpirit is, because He makes interces-sion for the saints according to thewill of God.� And who exactly is itwho searches the heart and whomakes intercession?

The answer is in Rom. 8:34: �It isChrist who died, and furthermore isalso risen, who is even at the righthand of God, who also makesintercession for us.�

Notice it, too, in 2 Cor. 3: 17: �Nowthe Lord IS the Spirit; and where theSpirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.�

So we see that it is Christ, throughHis Spirit, who makes intercessionfor us. (cp. Heb. 9:15; 7: 25; 1 John2:1). Both the Father and the Sonare Spirit beings. We are told byChrist in John 4:24 that GOD ISSpirit. We are also told in 1 Cor.15:45 that Jesus Christ, after Hisresurrection, became �a life-givingSpirit.� Jesus Christ was God. He wasa Spirit being before He became aman, and He became God, a life-giving Spirit being, at the time of Hisresurrection (cp. Titus 2:13).

Let�s briefly address here howChrist, through His Spirit, makesintercession for us. Although Godthe Father and Jesus Christ ARE


Spirit, they have form and shape, abody, hands, arms, eyes, and so on,but they are composed of spirit, notmatter. We see God the Father andChrist described as sitting on athrone. But Christ is not always inheaven. He appeared to man beforeHis birth as a human being, and afterHis resurrection. He will returnvisibly, riding a white horse. So, inthat sense, He is at a certain place ata certain time, but He IS omnipres-ent, that is, at all places at everytime, through His Spirit. Spirit canbe compared with the air thatsurrounds the globe. Air is every-where. So is Christ, through HisSpirit, and it is through His Spiritthat Christ can intercede for usbefore the Father at any time,regardless of where He may be.

We have seen, then, that Christintercedes for us through His Spirit.That shows that the Holy Spiritcannot be a person, becauseotherwise, Christ would not be theonly Mediator between God andman�the Holy Spirit would beanother or second mediator.

PROOFS FOR THE TRINITY?There are some Scriptures that

might seem to �prove� the conceptof the Trinity, but a closer study ofthose Scriptures reveals that such isnot the case. Let�s take a closer lookat these Scriptures.

Does 1 John 5:7-8 Prove theTrinity?

1 John 5:7-8 is probably the mostfrequently quoted text to �prove�that God is a Trinity. The New KingJames Bible translates it this way:�For there are three that bear witnessin heaven: the Father, the Word, and theHoly Spirit; and these three are one.And there are three that bearwitness on earth: the Spirit, thewater, and the blood; and these threeagree as one.�

The way this passage is translatedin the New King James Bible isconsidered a proof text by some thatthe Holy Spirit is a person. But this isnot true at all. With that rationalegiven to verse 7 (�there are threethat bear witness in heaven: theFather, the Word and the HolySpirit, and these three are one�), itwould follow from verse 8 (�there arethree that bear witness on earth, theSpirit, the water and the blood, andthese three agree as one�), that�water� and �blood� would also haveto be persons. But nobody claims that.

In addition, most scholars agreethat the words in verse 7, �inheaven: the Father, the Word andthe Holy Spirit, and these three areone,� were later added by theCatholic Church to �prove� theTrinity, and that these words werenot in the original writings. ManyBible translations and commentaries


state that this particular phrase,referred to as the �CommaJoanneum,� is �not contained in thebest authorities and constitutes a lateaddition in the Latin Text.� [PattlochBible, Appendix, page 85].

The Zürcher Bible comments in afootnote that �this passage wasadded in the fourth century in theLatin Text, and only in the 15th

century in some Greek Texts.� TheNIV adds in a footnote that thisparticular phrase is only contained�in the late manuscripts of the LatinBible and that it is not found in anyGreek manuscripts before the 16th

century.� Other commentaries pointout that these words are clearly afalsification and that they havetherefore been correctly omitted,even as a footnote, in manymodern translations. So this passageis clearly not proof at all that the HolySpirit is a separate divine person.

Does Matt. 28:19 Prove theTrinity?

If there is any Scripture, besidesthe one in 1 John 5:7-8, which hasbeen quoted more frequently thanany other, in order to �prove� theexistence of the Trinity, it would beMatthew 28:19. Let�s read thispassage, in context, beginning withverse 18:

�(18) And Jesus came and spoketo them, saying, �All authority has

been given to Me in heaven and onearth. (19) Go therefore and makedisciples of all the nations, baptizingthem in the name of the Father and ofthe Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20)teaching them to observe all thingsthat I have commanded you; and lo,I am with you always, even to theend of the age. Amen.��

These words by Jesus do notprove a Trinity. As the role of Christin the baptismal ceremony is mightyimportant (cp. Rom. 6:1-4; Gal.3:27), so also is the role of the Father.It was God the Father who gave Hisonly begotten Son as a sacrifice forus, so that we could have eternal life.Once we repent and believe we arethen to be baptized as an outwardsign of inner repentance, to �bury ourold self.� Once we come out of thewatery grave, we are to walk innewness of life. And, this can only bedone with the help of God�s Holy Spirit.

We are to make disciples bybaptizing them, and by teaching them toobserve all things that Christ com-manded. And, we baptize a person�in� or �into� [the Greek word eiscan mean �in� or �into�] the �name�or �possession� [the Greek wordonoma can mean �name� or �posses-sion�] of the Father and of the Sonwho both are present through theHoly Spirit. The entire clause,�baptize in the name of,� in Greek,�eis (to) onoma tinos,� also conveys


the meaning of coming under the�control� or �authority� of the Fatherand of the Son (cp. Strong�s, #3836;and William Arndt and F. WilburGingrich, p. 575). And as we will seein the next section, it is the Holy Spirit,emanating from the Father and fromthe Son, by which we have fellowshipwith the Father and Jesus Christ.

When we are baptized in, or into,the name or possession of Jesus, werecognize that we are baptized intoHis death (Rom. 6:3). When wecome out of the watery grave, andone of God�s ministers places hishands on our heads and asks Godthe Father for the Holy Spirit,emanating from both the Father andthe Son, we recognize that it is theHoly Spirit of God flowing into usthat enables us to walk in newnessof life. We also recognize that we areentering, at that very time, theFamily of God as begotten, but notyet born, children of God the Fatherand brothers and sisters of our elderbrother Jesus Christ. In that sense,we become the possession or the�property� of the God Family. Andall of this is made possible, then,through God�s Holy Spirit, dwellingin us. So rather than teaching thepersonage of the Holy Spirit, Matt.28:19 teaches how God makes itpossible, through His Spirit in us, tobecome a part of the Family of God.

Does 2 Cor. 13:14 Prove theTrinity?

2 Cor. 13:14 reads: �The grace ofthe Lord Jesus, and the love of God,and the communion of the HolySpirit be with you all. Amen.�Understand, now, that we obtaincommunion or fellowship through theHoly Spirit, but let�s note with whomwe have communion or fellowship. 1Cor. 1:9 tells us: �God is faithful, bywhom you were called into thefellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ ourLord.� (Notice, too, Phil. 2:1,pointing out that �consolation inChrist� is the same as �comfort oflove� and �fellowship of theSpirit.�).And 1 John 1: 3 adds,�[T]hat which we have seen andheard we declare to you, that youalso may have fellowship with us;and truly our fellowship is with theFather and with His Son Jesus Christ.�

Our fellowship with the Fatherand Jesus Christ is accomplishedthrough the Holy Spirit, flowing fromGod and joining us with God andour fellow brethren. The passage in 2Cor. 13:14 does not teach us that theHoly Spirit is a divine being.

Does Acts 5 Prove the Trinity?Some would use Acts 5:1-9 as

proof that the Holy Spirit is God andthe third member of the Trinity. Byway of background, Ananias and hiswife Sapphira decided to sell a


possession and to give part of theproceeds to the disciples, falselyclaiming, however, that it was all thatthey had received. Peter responded,�Ananias, why has Satan filled yourheart to lie to the Holy Spirit�Youhave not lied to men but to God� (vv.3-4). Later, he told Sapphira, �Howis it that you have agreed together totest the Spirit of the Lord?�

Some say that Peter equated inthis passage the Holy Spirit withGod. But Peter didn�t do that.Rather, he was telling Ananias andSapphira that God�s Spirit��theSpirit of the Lord��was dwelling inhim and the other disciples, and thatGod was present through His Spirit.Ananias and Sapphira had not justlied to human beings, but to theHoly Spirit of God, dwelling in thosehuman beings, and since God theFather and Jesus Christ dwell in usthrough the Holy Spirit, they hadactually lied directly to God theFather and God the Son. Peter didnot say that the Holy Spirit is God,but that through the Holy Spirit,God is present.

Remember�God is omnipresentthrough His Spirit. In Psalm 139:7,David makes it clear, too, that God iseverywhere through His Spirit. Heasks, �Where can I go from YourSpirit? Or where can I flee from yourpresence?� The Holy Spirit is not adistinct or separate God being, but it

emanates from God, so that God,having form and shape, is omnipresent.

We hope by now that you can seehow Scriptures can be twisted toprovide so-called proof of somethingthat is not true at all, and that theBible itself provides the answers ifone is willing to search and find thoserevealed answers�the real proofs.

Does Personification Provethe Trinity?

What about personifying orlending human attributes to some-thing that is not a person? Is thatproof of the Trinity? Some want toprove the Trinity, and especially theidea that the Holy Spirit is a con-scious divine Person, by turning toScriptures which seem to imply thatthe Holy Spirit does something, orthat it thinks and speaks. Let�s take acloser look at some of these examplesof personification.

THE HOLY SPIRIT VS. THESPIRIT IN MAN

One such example is found in 1Cor. 2:10. The context here is thatsomething that is not physical dwellsin every human being. The Biblecalls this non-physical component inevery person the �spirit in man� orthe �spirit of man.� This humanspirit distinguishes man from animalsin intelligence, mind set and abilities.Paul goes on to point out that every


converted person also has withinhim or her the Holy Spirit, whichdistinguishes the converted mindfrom the natural, unconverted mindin spiritual understanding, compre-hension, and ability to live byspiritual principles. Verse 10 reads:�But God has revealed them [thespiritual things] to us through HisSpirit. For the Spirit searches allthings, yes, the deep things of God.�

This sounds as if the Spirit of Godis a conscious, active, distinct being.But let us ask the question�is the�spirit in man� a conscious, active,distinct being? We know that it isnot, because when man dies, the�spirit of the man� goes back to God,but neither that �spirit� of the deadman, nor the dead man, have anyconsciousness [For proof, ask for ourfree booklet, Evolution�A FairyTale for Adults?].

Let�s consider Psalm 77:6: �I callto remembrance my song in thenight; I meditate within my heart,And my spirit makes diligent search.�While both the Holy Spirit withinus, as well as the �spirit in man�within us, makes diligent search, the�spirit in man� is not a distinct being.Neither does the passage in 1 Cor.2:10 show, then, that the Holy Spiritis a distinct being.

Let�s continue in 1 Cor. 2:11, thelast sentence: ��no one knows thethings of God except the Spirit of

God.� This sounds again like a distinct,conscious being. But let�s read thefirst part of that sentence: �For whatman knows the things of a man exceptthe spirit of the man that is in him.�

So again, both the Spirit of Godand the �spirit of man� �know�something. This terminology doesnot justify the conclusion that theHoly Spirit is a God being�other-wise, the �spirit in man� would haveto be a being too, which it is not.

Note, too, this passage in Romans8:16: �The [Holy] Spirit itself bearethwitness with our spirit, that we are thechildren of God.� [Authorized Version].

If the Holy Spirit is a personbecause it bears witness, then is the�spirit in man� a person, too, becauseit also bears witness? No, �the spiritin man� is not a person in addition tothe man where it resides; i.e., there isnot a person living in every person.Every human being has a �spirit inman,� regardless of whether theperson is converted or not. But onceconverted, the person has in additionliving in him or her God�s HolySpirit. The result is described in 1Cor. 6:17: �But he who is joined tothe Lord is one spirit with him.� Inother words, they have become, orare becoming, one in mind andpurpose. And that is why we readthat both the Holy Spirit and ourspirit bear witness to the fact that weare God�s children. This does not


make either the Holy Spirit or ourspirit to be persons. Rather, it�s afigurative way of saying that becauseof the Holy Spirit living in us,working on and guiding our humanspirit, God calls us His children.

HUMAN WISDOM AND THEMIND OF CHRIST

Let�s continue reading in 1 Cor. 2,verse 13, to see how the Bibledescribes certain concepts to makethem clearer for those who are calledby God while others stumble at theWord. We read: �These things wealso speak, not in words which man�swisdom teaches but which the HolySpirit teaches, comparing spiritualthings with spiritual.� Both the HolySpirit and the wisdom of man aredescribed here as �teaching� some-thing. But, just as man�s wisdom isnot a distinct person, so, the HolySpirit is not a distinct person, either.Consider verse 16: �For who hasknown the mind of the Lord that hemay instruct Him [i.e., the Lord]?But we have the mind of Christ.�

The Holy Spirit in us that teachesus and searches out spiritual thingsfor us is the mind of Christ, sinceChrist lives in us through His Spirit.We now have a different mind set.We don�t have any longer the carnal,natural mind of man. And to makethis point very clear, Paul personifiesthe Holy Spirit in us�as he personi-

fied both the human spirit andhuman wisdom. He wanted to showwhat a great influence these have forus spiritually, but, he did not mean toconvey that all of these are, in fact,persons.

PAUL’S USE OF THE WORD“SPIRIT”

Notice how Paul, in his writings,uses the word �spirit.�

Turn to 1 Cor. 5:4, where weread: �In the name of our Lord JesusChrist, when you are gatheredtogether, along with my spirit, with thepower of our Lord Jesus Christ,deliver such a one to Satan��

Let�s ask again�Was the spirit ofPaul, that was with the members inCorinth, while Paul dwelled some-where else, a person that had leftPaul? Of course not�otherwise Paulcould not have written the letter, ifthe spirit had left him. We read inother places that once the spirit inman leaves the man, the man is dead(cp. James 2:26). So, what Paul istelling us here, is that his mind waswith the Corinthians. Likewise, theSpirit of God is not a person either,but the mind of God that God wantsto share with us.

We must be careful, when weread certain passages that seem toimply that the Holy Spirit acts ordoes things, not to conclude thatthose passages teach the personhood


of the Spirit. In most cases, the truthbecomes clear in the passage, if weread it in context, and if we don�tonly quote from the passage selectively.

Let�s review another example, thistime in 1 Cor. 14:14: �For if I pray ina tongue, my spirit prays, but myunderstanding is unfruitful.� Is thespirit of Paul that prays a person? Ifnot, why do some conclude, inreferring to Romans 8:26, that theHoly Spirit must be a person as it isstated there that the Spirit �prays�(Note from our earlier discussionthat, in any event, it is actually JesusChrist who prays)? Further, let�s read1 Cor. 14:15: �What is the conclusionthen? I will pray with the spirit, and Iwill also pray with the understanding.I will sing with the spirit, and I willalso sing with the understanding.�

So, if Paul�s spirit is a person, isthen Paul�s understanding also aperson? After all, Paul prays with thespirit, and with the understanding.But, the answer is, the mind and theunderstanding of the man are beingpersonified here, and the same is truewhen the Bible talks about the HolySpirit of God.

Notice 1 Cor. 16:18: �For theyrefreshed my spirit and yours.� Thisdoes not mean, of course, that thespirit of Paul and the spirit of all ofthe Corinthians were persons.Rather, their minds and whole entirebeings were refreshed or comforted.

THE LETTER THAT KILLSNotice another example, dealing

directly with God�s Spirit, in 2 Cor.3:4-6. Let�s also see from the context,that this has to be a personification:�And we have such trust throughChrist toward God� [O]ur suffi-ciency is from God, who also madeus sufficient as ministers of the newcovenant, not of the letter, but of theSpirit; for the letter kills, but theSpirit gives life.� Some say, here isproof that the Holy Spirit is a personbecause it says that the Holy Spiritgives life. But if that is so, is then theletter a person, too, because it alsosays, that the letter kills? It should berather obvious that both terms arebeing used in a personified way.

THE FLESH BESTOWS ON USDEATH

A similar example can be foundin Gal. 6:8: �For he who sows to hisflesh will of the flesh reap corruption,but he who sows to the Spirit will ofthe Spirit reap everlasting life.�Those who say that this proves thatthe Holy Spirit is a person, since itbestows on us everlasting life, mustanswer whether this then proves thatthe flesh is a person, too, as the fleshbestows on us death. Again, bothterms are used in a personified way,to make a certain concept clear�ifwe follow our own fleshly desires, wewill die, but if we follow God who


teaches us through His Spirit in us,we will live.

But notice what this all means.Since all these abstract concepts,that are clearly NOT persons, suchas the letter that kills and the fleshthat kills, are personified, and theyare being compared with the HolySpirit at the same time, then thisindicates strongly that the HolySpirit is not a person either, butthat it is likewise personified to geta certain thought across in themost powerful way.

We have seen, of course, fromother passages, that the Holy Spirit isnot a person. But those who usepassages in which the Holy Spirit ispersonified to show that the HolySpirit is a person don�t realize thattheir arguments go against them andthat the very passages that they quoteindicate the opposite.

THE HOLY SPIRIT SPEAKS TO USConsider this passage in Hebrews

3: 7-11: �Therefore, as the Holy Spiritsays: �Today, if you will hear Hisvoice, do not harden your hearts asin the rebellion, in the day of trial inthe wilderness, where your fatherstested Me, tried Me, and saw Myworks forty years. Therefore I wasangry with that generation, and said,�They always go astray in their heart,and they have not known My ways.�So I swore in My wrath, they shall

not enter My rest.��The way this is worded, it is the

Holy Spirit that speaks and says thatthe fathers have rebelled againstHim, that He was angry, and thatthey would not enter His rest. Butwho actually said those words? Whowas the one who became angryabout the transgressions and rebel-lion of the fathers?

Note in Numbers 14:20-23:�Then the Lord said: �I have par-doned, according to your word, buttruly, as I live, all the earth shall befilled with the glory of the Lord�because all these men who have seenMy glory and the signs which I did inEgypt and in the wilderness, andhave put Me to the test now theseten times, and have not heeded Myvoice, they certainly shall not see theland which I swore to their fathers,nor shall any of those who rejectedMe see it.��

It was the Lord (Yahweh) who saidit. As we know from other passages,the Lord of the Old Testament whospoke directly with Moses and otherswas Jesus Christ, not the Father.Christ pointed out that no one hasever seen God the Father (John1:18). But Moses, for example, didsee �the form of the Lord.� (Num-bers 12:8). Moses, then, saw thesecond God being in the GodFamily�the One who wouldbecome known as Jesus Christ. And


so, Christ was with the people ofancient Israel, through His Spirit.

Note this in 1 Cor. 10:4,9: ��Forthey [the Israelites under Moses]drank of that spiritual Rock thatfollowed them, and that Rock wasChrist� Nor let us tempt Christ assome of them also tempted, and weredestroyed by serpents��

Also, note 1 Peter 1:10-11: �Ofthis salvation the prophets haveinquired and searched carefully, whoprophesied of the grace that wouldcome to you, searching what, orwhat manner of time, the Spirit ofChrist who was in them, was indicat-ing when He testified beforehandthe sufferings of Christ and theglories that would follow.�

Therefore, the Holy Spirit that�speaks� in the passage in the bookof Hebrews, or that testifies ofChrist�s sufferings and glory, is theSpirit of Christ. The Holy Spirit isnot a person, but the person ofChrist was present amongst theIsraelites through His Spirit, andChrist spoke to them through HisSpirit. That the Holy Spirit, emanat-ing from both the Father and theSon, cannot be a person, becomesclear when considering that Christ�sHoly Spirit (as distinguished fromthe Father�s Holy Spirit) was notpresent when Christ lived here onearth as a human being, as wealready saw. It was Christ�s Holy Spirit

that dwelled in the prophets of old,but Christ�s Holy Spirit did not exist,when Christ gave up His glory tobecome a man. Therefore, the HolySpirit of Christ the Son cannot be aperson.

THE HOLY SPIRIT WITNESSESTO US

Note this in Heb. 10: 15-16: �Butthe Holy Spirit also witnesses to us,for after He had said before, �This isthe covenant that I will make withthem after those days, says the Lord: Iwill put My laws into their hearts,and in their minds I will write them,�then He adds, �Their sins and theirlawless deeds I will remember no more.��

We are told here first, that theHoly Spirit says something, but then,that the Lord says it, and then again,that the Holy Spirit says it. So theScriptures use here the terms �theLord� and �Holy Spirit� interchange-ably. Obviously, it is the Holy Spiritof Jesus Christ that witnesses�inother words, Christ speaks throughHis Spirit. But that does not make theHoly Spirit a person.

Some have pointed out that theHoly Spirit speaks to the differentchurches in the book of Revelation,and concluded that this must mean,then, that the Holy Spirit is a person.Consider first, though, the fact thatthe book of Revelation speaksconsistently about the Father and


the Lamb, Jesus Christ, but the HolySpirit is never mentioned once as aperson or a being. Both the Father andthe Lamb will live in the NewJerusalem�but no mention of theHoly Spirit.

When we read that the �Spirit�speaks to the churches, we mustrealize that the revelation comesfrom God the Father who gave it toJesus Christ (Rev. 1:1). So, the Spiritthat speaks to the churches is againthe Spirit of Christ�it is Christ,through His Holy Spirit, who revealsand passes on the message that Hehad received from the Father.

The same can be seen from thebook of Acts. In Acts 16:6 and 7, weread that the �Holy Spirit� forbadethe disciples to preach in Asia, andto even go to a certain place. In Acts20: 22-23, we read that the HolySpirit testified to Paul in every citythat chains and tribulation awaitedhim. But how did the Holy Spirit dothat?

Acts 21:4, 11 give us a clue. Weread: �And finding disciples, westayed there seven days. They toldPaul through the Spirit not to go upto Jerusalem� When he [a certainprophet] had come to us, he tookPaul�s belt, bound his own hands andfeet, and said, �Thus says the HolySpirit, �So shall the Jews at Jerusalembind the man who owns this belt,and deliver him into the hands of

the Gentiles.��We see that people spoke, inspired

by the Holy Spirit. Let�s turn now toActs 23:11, to find out who actuallygave these prophecies through themouths of those prophets: �But thefollowing night the Lord stood by meand said, �Be of good cheer, Paul; foras you have testified for Me inJerusalem, so you must also bearwitness in Rome.��

It was Jesus Christ who, throughHis Spirit, inspired people to talk.These passages that we have read donot tell us that the Holy Spirit is a person.

THE HOLY SPIRIT TEACHES USSome claim that the Holy Spirit

must be a person because the Biblesays that the Spirit teaches us. Butthis argumentation is not convinc-ing. Let�s note 1 John 2:27, whichsome have quoted to support theirclaim that the Holy Spirit must be aperson. It reads, �But the anointingwhich you have received from Himabides in you, and you do not needthat anyone teach you; but as thesame anointing teaches you concern-ing all things, and is true, and is nota lie, and just as it has taught you,you will abide in Him.�

We understand that the anointingspoken of here is a reference to theHoly Spirit. But note, again, whoactually teaches us. Turn to 1 Thess.4:9: �But concerning brotherly love


you have no need that I should writeyou, for you yourselves are taught byGod to love one another.�

When used without clarification,the reference to the person of �God�in the New Testament is usually areference to the Father. (However,the word �God� can refer to JesusChrist as well. Cp. Titus 2:13). Notein 1 Cor. 3:23 and in John 6:45: �It iswritten in the prophets, �And theyshall all be taught by God.� There-fore, everyone who has heard andlearned from the Father comes to Me.�

It is God the Father who teachesus. And since God the Father andJesus Christ are one, and God beings,and since Christ only teaches uswhat He has heard from the Father(cp. John 8:28), it is also correct,then, that Christ is teaching us (1John 5:20). Both do it through theHoly Spirit emanating from them. Sothey teach us through the HolySpirit�but that does not make theHoly Spirit a divine God being.

THE HOLY SPIRIT—A “HE”?Some claim that the Holy Spirit

must be a person and a God being,because it is referred to in the Biblein numerous places as �He.� How-ever, as we will see, this argument isreally one of the most uneducatedones. First of all, we should noticethat several Bible translations havedeliberately chosen to render certain

passages in such a way as to implythat the Holy Spirit is a person, whileother translations are, in general,much more accurate and true to theoriginal text. For instance, if you readRom. 8:16 in the New King JamesBible, or in many other moderntranslations, you find the followingrendering: �The Spirit Himself bearswitness�� This could give theimpression that the Holy Spirit is aperson. The Authorized Versiontranslates, however, �The Spirit itselfbeareth witness�� This translationis accurate as in accordance with theGreek and English grammar.

In many languages, every nounhas a gender that is masculine,feminine, or neuter. It�s strictly amatter of grammar. For instance, inthe German language, the word for�horse,� �Pferd,� is neuter, whereasthe word for �dog� �Hund,� ismasculine, and the word for �cat,��Katze,� is feminine. In addition, theword for �tree,� �Baum,� is mascu-line, as is the word for �car,��Wagen,� whereas the word for �fir-tree,� �Tanne,� is feminine, and theword for �pig,� �Schwein, �is neuter.More confusing, perhaps, theGerman words for �breath,� �wind,�and �spirit,� i.e., �Atem,� �Wind,�and �Geist,� are all masculine. Wecan clearly see, then, that the genderof the noun does not tell us anythingabout the nature of the noun�


whether it�s a person, an animal, aplant, an object, or a thing.

The same applies to the Greek.The Greek word for �spirit,��pneuma,� is neuter. Therefore, allpronouns referring to �pneuma�should be accurately translated as�it� in the English language. Thosewho have arbitrarily decided totranslate the pronouns as �he,� oreven �He,� rather than as �it,� whenreferring to the Holy Spirit, haveonly done so in order to convey theirfalse beliefs in the personhood of theHoly Spirit. In addition, if thetranslators would be consistent, theywould have to translate manypronouns of Hebrew words referringto the Spirit as �she,� as in themajority of cases, nouns with afeminine gender describing the Spiritare used in the Old Testament.

There is one particular noun thatrefers to the Holy Spirit and that ismasculine in the Greek. This noun is�parakletos� and has been translatedinto English as �Helper� or �Com-forter.� (cp. for example, John 14:16-17). Since the noun is masculinein the Greek, the pronouns referringto it are also masculine in the Greek.But this is strictly a matter ofgrammar, not of meaning. Totranslate those pronouns as mascu-line into English, however, gives atotally wrong impression.

Questions of grammar and gender

of nouns in a particular language donot determine whether the nounsare persons, plants, things, or objects.Wrong or misleading translations mustnot be used for doctrinal conclusions.

PERSONIFICATIONS OF DEADOBJECTS

We saw already that the Biblesometimes personifies the HolySpirit. This should not come as asurprise. We should all realize thatthe Bible often personifies deadobjects, or concepts, or speechlessanimals�attributing to themspeech, feelings, action or otherconscious conduct. It should,therefore, not come as a surprise thatthe Holy Spirit of God is sometimesdescribed this way. But, as we haveseen, this does not prove that it is adistinct person, or a God beingwithin a Trinity.

Let us take note of some of thoseBiblical examples of personification.

Godly Wisdom—a Person?In Proverbs 1, �godly wisdom� is

described. Wisdom, of course, is nota person, but let�s see what we readabout it, beginning in verse 20:�Wisdom calls aloud outside. She raisesher voice in the open squares. She criesout in the chief concourses� Shespeaks her words.� And then, begin-ning in verse 22, we actually readwhat �wisdom� is saying to us in


direct quotes. So, we see that God�swisdom is personified here, but it�sclearly not a person.

We see the same repeated inProverbs 8. Beginning in verse 1, weread, �Does not wisdom cry out, andunderstanding lift up her voice? � (3)She cries out by the gates�� And,again, verse 4, we find what exactlywisdom is saying. It is given in quoteswith wisdom speaking for herself,exclaiming, ��(30) The Lord pos-sessed me at the beginning of Hisway� (27) When He prepared theheavens, I was there� (30) I wasbeside Him as a master craftsman�(32) Now therefore, listen to me, mychildren, for blessed are those whokeep my ways.��

And, again, Proverbs 9:1-6personifies wisdom and lets it speakto us, as if it were a separate being.But, it is not. Wisdom is one of thecharacteristics of God. And it is Godwho must give us His wisdom, if wewant to live by God�s standards. Let�snotice this in Proverbs 2:6: �For theLord gives wisdom; from His mouthcome knowledge and understand-ing.� Can we see how parallel therelationship between God andwisdom is with the relationshipbetween God and His Holy Spirit?After all, we receive Godly wisdomthrough God�s Spirit. Both wisdomand the Holy Spirit are personalized,but, neither one of them is, in fact, a person.

The Love of God—a Person?Since we are talking about some

of God�s attributes or characteristicsthat the Bible sometimes personifiesto make clear to us the importanceof the same, let�s note anotherexample in 1 Cor. 13: 4-7. In thispassage, the love of God is describedin such a way as if it were a person,but it is, of course, not a person:

�Love suffers long and is kind; lovedoes not envy; love does not paradeitself, is not puffed up, does not behaverudely, does not seek its own, is notprovoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoicein iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bearsall things, believes all things, hopes allthings, endures all things.�

Only a person or a being canrefuse to envy, behave in a certainway, think, rejoice or believe. Here,love is described as doing that, as iflove was a person. It�s not a person,of course, but the one and foremostcharacteristic of God, that is given tous, through God�s Spirit living in us.And, so, as love is not a person, butpersonalized, so is God�s Holy Spirit nota person, either.

The Faith of God—a Person?Notice now an additional ex-

ample. We find another one of God�scharacteristics described as a personin 2 Timothy 1:5: �I call to remem-brance the genuine faith that is inyou, which dwelt first in your grand-


mother Lois and your mother Eunice,and I am persuaded is in you also.�

The faith of God is described hereas dwelling in a person. Othertranslators even say that the faith isliving in them. Only a person, not anabstract concept or an attribute ofsomeone else, can dwell or live. So,here, God�s faith is personified, butthe faith of God is clearly not aseparate person or being within theGodhead. Neither is the Holy Spirit aseparate person, although we read manytimes that the Holy Spirit dwells or livesin us.

Sin—a Person?However, not only the attributes

of God are sometimes portrayed in apersonified way. Likewise, wrongconcepts, which we must overcome,are also personified. Notice this inRomans 6:12, 14: �Therefore do notlet sin reign in your mortal bodies,that you should obey it in its lusts�For sin shall not have dominion overyou��

Sin is portrayed as a ruler, anenemy that must not conquer us.Rather, we are to conquer it, as if itwere a person. We are reminded of asimilar admonition that God gave toCain in Genesis 4:7: �If you do well,will you not be accepted? And if youdo not well, sin lies at the door. Andits desire is for you, but you shouldrule over it.�

The Blood—a Person?We also find an interesting

mixture of conscious beings andunconscious concepts, attributes, orideas in Hebrews 12: 22-24. Andwhile some of those things men-tioned herein are clearly not persons,they are all described as if they were:�But you have come to Mount Zionand to the city of the living God, theheavenly Jerusalem, to an innumer-able company of angels, to thegeneral assembly and church of thefirstborn, who are registered inheaven, to God the Judge of all, tothe spirits of just men made perfect,to Jesus the Mediator of the newcovenant, and to the blood ofsprinkling that speaks better thingsthan that of Abel.�

For instance, the blood of sprin-kling does not speak per se; neitherdoes the blood of Abel. But the Biblepictures it that way, as if the bloodwere a conscious being. And Godhad introduced that thought earlyon, in Genesis 4:10: �And He said:What have you done? The voice ofyour brother�s blood cries out to Mefrom the ground.� Again, the bloodis personified here, as having anactual voice, to show the enormityand seriousness of what Cain had done.

The Heavens, Earth, Rivers,Hills—All Persons?

There is quite a number of places


where the Bible gives attributes,personality and consciousness tothings which don�t possess them�but they are personified, as if theywould act or conduct themselves ashuman beings would.

Note Romans 8:22: �For we knowthat the whole creation groans andlabors with birth pangs together untilnow.� Creation is portrayed here as awoman in labor. It�s personified,personalized. But it�s only a picture.

Notice it also in Isa. 49:13: �Sing,O heavens! Be joyful, O earth! Andbreak out into singing, O mountains!For the Lord has comforted Hispeople, and will have mercy on Hisafflicted.� Again, we see how feelingsand emotions and personal conductare ascribed to God�s creation.

Note, too, Isa. 55:12: ��Themountains and the hills Shall breakforth into singing before you, And allthe trees of the field shall clap theirhands.� This is clearly a picture, ofcourse. Trees don�t clap their hands,and hills don�t sing. Everybodyunderstands that this is a picture.But when we read that God�s HolySpirit speaks, then suddenly peopleassume that this must mean thatthe Holy Spirit is a person.

The book of Psalms is filled withpersonified descriptions. Let�s justlook at a few:

Psalm 96:11-13: �Let the heavensrejoice, and let the earth be glad�

Let the field be joyful, and all that isin it. Then all the trees of the woodswill rejoice before the Lord. For He iscoming, for He is coming to judgethe earth.�

Psalm 148:2-4, 7-11: �Praise Him,all His angels; Praise Him, all Hishosts! Praise Him, sun and moon;Praise Him, all you stars of light!Praise Him, you heavens of heavens,And you waters above the heav-ens� Praise the Lord from theearth, You great sea creatures and allthe depths; Fire and hail, snow andclouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling Hisword; Mountains and all hills;Fruitful trees and all cedars; Beastsand all cattle; Creeping things andflying fowl; Kings of the earth and allpeoples; Princes and all judges of theearth��

In this passage, angels, men,animals and plants, as well as lifelessor unconscious objects such as water,planets and stars, are all asked topraise the Lord, as if they all werepersons. Yet, nobody would assumethat water, for example, is a personwith feelings, emotions, or ability toreason. It is understood that thispassage in Psalms pictures thegreatness of the Creator God.

THE GOD FAMILY ISDESTINED TO GROW

The false concept of the Trinitydoes not only convey a totally wrong


picture of God�it also hides thepurpose of man�s existence. Mostdon�t understand and believe that itis man�s destiny to become God.

God is a Family�presentlyconsisting of the Father and the Son.Through the power of His HolySpirit, we can become a part ofGod�s Family. Rather than being aclosed Trinity for all eternity, God isenlarging His Family by reproducingHimself in us. True Christians arealready called God�s begotten childrenif His Spirit dwells in them. We arenot yet glorified or born again, and ithas not yet appeared or becomemanifest what we will be�namely,born again children of God. We doknow that when Jesus Christappears, we will become born againchildren of God�we will then belike Him and see Him as He is�thefirstborn among many brethren (cp. 1John 3:1-2; Romans 8:29).

The concept of the Trinity thatteaches that God is�and that Hehas always been�Father, Son andHoly Spirit, hides and obscures thefact that God is a Family. In thebeginning, there were two Godbeings�one being referred to as theWord or the Spokesman, as well asanother being, referred to as God

(John 1:1). But the Word was God,too, as �God� is a family name. TheWord became flesh�He becameknown as Jesus Christ (John 1:14),while the other God being, the�highest� in the Godhead, becameknown as the �Father.� Christbecame born again as the Son ofGod in the resurrection (Romans1:1-4). Before New Testament times,God was not known yet as the �Father,�and the Word was not known yet asthe �Son.� But Christ is now the Sonof God�and, He is also the firstbornamongst many brethren. You, too,can become a begotten and, at thetime of the resurrection, born again�son of God.� The false concept of aclosed Trinity totally hides thisawesome truth. If you want to knowmore about your ultimate potential,please write for our free booklet,�The Gospel of the Kingdom of God.�

We have seen in this booklet thatGod is not a closed Trinity. Rather,God the Father and Jesus Christ theSon are a loving Family. The Fathergave His only-begotten Son for us sothat you and I can join His Familyand have eternal life. God wants usto worship Him in �spirit and intruth (John 4:24).� Let�s make surethat we do.


United StatesChurch of the Eternal God

PO Box 270519San Diego, CA 92198

CanadaChurch of God, ACF

Box 1480Summerland B.C V0H 1Z0

United KingdomGlobal Church of God

PO Box 2111Derby DE1 1ZR

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Allee du Grand Cheniat, 30B-6280 Loverval

PhilippinesChurch of the Eternal God

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8000 Davao City

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IS GOD · 2007. 12. 18. · Is God a Trinity? 3 strictly philosophical sense, nor in the Semitic sense. God™s spirit is simply God™s power. If it is sometimes represented as being