Just What Is THE HOLY SPIRIT?
Good News Magazine
July 1964
Volume: Vol XIII, No. 7
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Just What Is THE HOLY SPIRIT?

What does it do and how do you get it? The Holy Spirit, according to the organized religions of this world, is the third person in the Godhead. BUT IS THAT TRUE?

   MORE than NINE HUNDRED MILLION PEOPLE — nearly ONE-THIRD of the entire population of the world — believe in the doctrine of the Trinity. It is one of the few MAJOR doctrines upon which virtually all professing Christendom, Protestant and Catholic alike, basically agree.
   World-renowned evangelists have been quoted as saying that the Holy Spirit, the supposed third person of the Godhead, "is not easy to explain in non-theological terms." The same noted evangelist has also been quoted as saying, "In actuality, this [the doctrine of the Trinity] IS A MYSTERY." No one can possibly understand the "three in one." When pointedly questioned concerning the belief in a Triune or three-in-one God, the answer is in effect — WHO KNOWS? It is something we must accept in faith.

Nebulous Foundation

   The belief in the Trinity is the heart and core — "the CENTRAL doctrine of the Christian religion" (The Catholic Encyclopedia, article "Trinity"). It is the one point of doctrine where there is the most agreement. Yet in spite of the great universal agreement, it is still one of the most DIFFICULT-TO-EXPLAIN doctrines of Christianity. Explanations of it are clouded, mysterious, vague and nebulous. This foundational belief of supposed Christianity can't be clearly explained by anyone.
   Of the nine hundred million professing believers in the Trinity, not one is able to clearly, without equivocation, PROVE and substantiate his belief. Every advocate of the Trinity when pinned down is forced to resort to such terms as "mysterious," "hard to define," "difficult to explain" and "easily misunderstood."
   Would you want to build your Christian life on a foundation stone as shaky as this? Millions have blindly and ignorantly accepted this pagan doctrine as the truth. They have assumed that the lay member in the church doesn't need to understand and explain one of the most important facets of the God which he worships. Their religious leaders have convinced them that the truths of God are A GREAT MYSTERY which no one can understand. "Don't question, just accept and follow. You can't understand God's way, so don't try," they say.
   Is that true? Is it impossible for anyone to understand the truths of God? If so, how can anyone ever attain salvation?

No Mystery to the Disciples

   The Bible speaks of the plan of salvation as being a mystery. But that doesn't mean that God's truths are a MYSTERY to those whom He is calling to salvation. Open your Bible to Mark 4:11. Jesus Christ of Nazareth, one of the very members of the Godhead, is here speaking to His disciples. He has just given the multitude the parable of the sower and the seed, and after the multitude left, His disciples came to Him for the interpretation of the parable. "And he said unto them, Unto you it is given TO KNOW the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them."
   Jesus Christ is plainly, clearly and pointedly showing that the truths of God, the doctrines of salvation or the very words of life are a mystery TO THOSE WHO ARE NOT BEING CALLED. Only those who are His very own disciples are privileged TO KNOW THE MYSTERY OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD. His truth, His way and His teachings aren't "mysterious, hard-to-define, etc." to His people. He only spoke in clouded, ambiguous terms to the unconverted.
   The same applies today!
   To the unconverted the ways of God make no sense. They can't see where it really pays to serve the Living Creator. They can't understand the fantastic and wonderful blessings which come as a result of obedience to our Heavenly Creator. To them, His ways seem too hard to follow, so they don't want or try to understand them.

There Is A Way That Seems Right

   When allowed to go his own way, man thinks of religion or God's way as being veiled, clouded, hazy, hard to understand and impossible to follow. Consequently the doctrines of men reflect that feeling. But Proverbs 16:25 says, "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." What about you? Do you want to blindly follow the teachings of man? Do you want to accept as truth and base your salvation on a teaching which even the teachers can't understand or explain? Or would you rather come to understand the plain and simple truth of Jesus Christ as proclaimed in His Bible?
   Jesus Christ never at any time in any way thought, hinted or alluded to the Holy Spirit as a third person in the Godhead. There is absolutely no basis or PROOF whatsoever in the Bible for the world-wide acceptance of the teaching of the Trinity. Even the erudite writers of the Catholic Encyclopedia must confess that, "the passages which can be cited... as attesting to His (the Holy Spirit's) distinct personality are few" (Ibid.).
   They are forced to admit that the Bible contains NO scriptures which even remotely HINT of a third personality in the Godhead. Yet, this teaching is said to be, "... the CENTRAL DOCTRINE of the Christian religion" (Ibid.). Without believing this fundamental doctrine — you CAN'T BE SAVED — so says the Roman Catholic Church.
   Should you just accept "in faith" one of the most important beliefs in Christianity? Does God expect and want you to blindly, naively and unquestioningly accept "in faith" ANY of His precious truths? Is there any basis or proof whatsoever in the Bible for the teaching of the Trinity?
   The answer in every case is a resounding, thundering NO! Nowhere in God's Bible is there even the remotest hint that there are three persons in the Godhead.

The Right Way

   Christians are commanded to, "Prove ALL things..." (I Thess. 5:21). Universal acceptance or reasonability ARE NOT PROOFS of any doctrine. GOD'S WORD, the Bible, is the test of any doctrinal truth — not what MEN say, think or believe! Jesus Christ said, "... Thy word is TRUTH" (John 17:17). He also said in another place, "The word that I [Jesus] have spoken, the same shall judge him [you] in the last day" (John 12:48).
   God's Word — the BIBLE — is the only standard for spiritual truths. As you read this article, GET YOUR BIBLE! Mark it as you go along with colored pencils or pens or anything, only mark it so you can't forget. Study the scriptures given until you understand, are able to give an answer to this pagan belief of the Trinity. DO IT NOW!

What Is the Trinity?

   "The Trinity is... the truth that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit... The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet these are not three Gods, but one God... co-eternal and co-equal: all alike or uncreated and omnipotent" (The Catholic Encyclopedia, article "Trinity").
   That is a pretty positive statement. Where is the authority to back it up? How have these learned teachers arrived at their conclusions? Have they honestly searched the Bible, as the Bereans did (Acts 17:11), with open minds eagerly looking for the truth? Or have they blindly accepted without question the false teachings of their predecessors?

What Is the Source?

   One source often referred to, both by Catholic and Protestant alike, is the old stand-by-TRADITION! Ancient writers and "early Church fathers" are quoted, often misquoted, to show that for centuries this doctrine has been taught.
   These facts are true; the belief in the Trinity has been extant for centuries and even millenniums. The fact that "... the doctrine of the blessed Trinity has from the earliest times been taught by the Catholic Church and professed by her members" (Ibid.) doesn't, however, prove the doctrine of the Trinity. The fact that men have believed a thing from the earliest times is proof of nothing. In these same earliest times, men also believed that the world was flat. They also believed the sun revolved around the earth and that mice, rodents and scorpions could be created from rotting vegetable matter under a stone. These beliefs didn't make such things so. Actual fact and proof has since demonstrated the fallacy of these ignorant beliefs.
   Another interesting aspect which is blatantly overlooked is that many of those, to whom they now refer as believing in the "blessed Trinity," were anathematized for their beliefs. They were considered heretics in their day and completely disfellowshipped and many times put to death because of their heretical beliefs. It wasn't until the Council of Chalcedon, in 451 A.D., that the doctrine of the Trinity became the official formula of Catholic orthodoxy. Would God allow His Church to continue 400 years in absolute, blind ignorance of one of the primary foundation stones of Christianity?
   RIDICULOUS! OF COURSE NOT!

Nothing New

   Actually the idea of the Trinity wasn't something new or peculiar only to Catholicism. It goes clear back to the time of Nimrod and his wife Semiramis. In the time shortly after the Flood, Nimrod began organizing all mankind and leading them in false worship. Became of his false teachings, Nimrod was hunted down and killed by Shem, who was one of the early followers of God.
   The death of Nimrod frightened those who had been following him and openly worshipping Satan and caused them to stop their idolatrous practices — momentarily. Nimrod's wife, Semiramis, was not so easily dissuaded. She had been sharing in the limelight with Nimrod and wasn't willing to let go of the adulation of others without a fight. She, as most people at that time, knew there was to be a Messiah sent to deliver the people from their sins. She understood human nature and knew if she were clever enough she could deceive most of the people into following their old ways again. She therefore hit upon a plan.
   Shortly after the death of Nimrod, the story began to circulate that he had been resurrected from the dead and made immortal. The son which Semiramis soon bore was then called the Son of God and passed off as the Messiah. The people, looking for and expecting a Messiah, readily accepted her teachings. In time, it was only logical that Semiramis, the mother of the Son of God, had to be a god in her own right. In this way, Nimrod, Semiramis and the son Horus were soon worshipped as three distinct gods.
   Semiramis went even further in revising the false practices which "seemed to be so right" and appealed so much to the natural mind of man. She didn't dare openly worship a false god for fear of punishment. So she veiled her false worship in mystery and symbols. Only those who had been initiated into the inner circle of worshippers knew the true meaning of the symbols and understood what they were worshipping. As time wore on, even the initiates forgot the real meaning of the symbols and what they represented. Thus it all became a MYSTERY. And so it is even to this day!
   Satan has done a masterful job at deceiving the whole world (Rev. 12:9). Those who believe in the doctrine of the Trinity do not realize that in reality they are worshipping the original three — Nimrod, Semiramis and Horus. An air of mystery clouds the origin of these beliefs and all are hidden in the dim past. So it is the Catholic Church states that the true profession of the mystery of the Trinity is to admit the inability to understand or explain it.
   Do you understand? Can you see that the belief in the Trinity actually came from the old pagan belief and worship of Satan and Nimrod?
   Tradition or the long-accepted beliefs of man are no proof that the Holy Spirit is an individual, distinct personality in the Godhead.

Look in Your Bible

   "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isa. 8:20).
   "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for DOCTRINE, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (II Tim. 3:16). God's Word — THE BIBLE — is the place to go to find spiritual truth. Traditions of men are just that. They aren't the TRUTH OF GOD!
   Get your Bible now if you didn't before. See what the Bible says about the Trinity. Don't depend on the writing of men

I John 5:7

   I John 5:7 is one of the primary scriptures cited as proof of the Trinity. This verse reads: "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit: and these three are one." There, doesn't that prove that there are three persons in the Godhead?
   It would IF it were in the original letter written by John. BUT IT WASN'T! It isn't found in ANY OF THE MANUSCRIPTS until the eighth century after Christ. You can prove this for yourself by looking into any commentary on the Bible such as the Critical and Experimental, Adam Clarke's or numerous other study books of the Bible.
   This verse is a HOAX, a deliberate FRAUD foisted off on a deceived world by some scribe or writer centuries after John wrote the original book. It was NEVER intended by God to be a part of the Bible. It was inserted CENTURIES after the canon of the Bible was completed in a VAIN, FUTILE attempt to prove the false teaching of the Trinity.

The Holy Spirit a Person?

   Matthew 28:19-20 is one of the major proofs cited by the advocates of the Trinity to prove the Holy Spirit as a separate individual. The phrase "in the name of" IS said to show the equality of the three names mentioned. The joining of these three names is said to be absolute proof the Holy Spirit is equal to both the Father and Jesus Christ and is therefore a separate, distinct individual. Is that what is really meant by the connection of these three names?
   ABSOLUTELY NOT!
   The true meaning of the inspired Greek here is something entirely different. First of all, the word "in" which is found in the King James Version of the Bible is translated from the Greek word eis which means INTO and not just "in" the name or place of three distinct persons. Therefore, we are baptized INTO the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
   What is the difference?
   To be baptized "in" a person's name is to do it in his place or stead. But to be baptized INTO a person's name, particularly as the Greek of that day meant it, is to do it in the individual's name, by his authority and it included everything that name covered. In the Greek language, everything belonging to any single person was referred to and called by his name.

God's Name

   What is the NAME into which converts are baptized? What is the name all converts or true Christians bear as a result of being baptized in water in the name, or by the authority, of Jesus Christ?
   THE NAME OF GOD! It is the Father "... of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is NAMED" (Eph. 3:15). GOD is the family name of the Divine Kingdom. We are, after baptism, the begotten sons of God. We are to become the ACTUAL sons of God through birth into the God family at the resurrection. WE WILL BE GODS!
   What this verse actually shows is that when we are baptized, we are inducted into A FAMILY. The name of God (Elohim) as given in Genesis 1:1 shows a plurality in the Godhead — a God family — Father and Son with more sons to be added. When we are baptized into the name of God, we are simply being baptized info the family of God.
   All that is shown by the mentioning of the Holy Spirit in this verse is that the Holy Spirit BELONGS TO THE GOD FAMILY. It is the essence or power of God. Just as the seed of life or spermatozoa of a man engenders a child and makes that child his, so the Spirit of God engenders us, upon baptism, into the God family and makes us begotten children of God.
   The Holy Spirit then is the power of God which emanates from God. Since this power belongs to God, it is also found to be with His Son and the joining force which makes them a family. The truth of the matter in this verse is positive proof of the family relationship of God. It has nothing whatsoever to do with a Triune God.
   If the Holy Spirit were a person, Jesus Christ prayed to the wrong individual. Throughout the four Gospels, we find Christ speaking to God as His Father. Yet in Matthew 1:18, we find that Mary was with child of the Holy Spirit. This would have to mean that the Holy Spirit and not God the Father was and is Christ's Father. Yet never once in all the Bible do we find Jesus Christ praying to the Holy Spirit.

God's Name - The Personal Pronoun

   It is said that the use of the personal pronoun in reference to the Holy Spirit also shows the distinct personality of the Holy Spirit. Those who say such a thing KNOW BETTER. It is an outright and deliberate lie!
   In English, the personal pronouns "he, his, him, etc." are used in reference to a male individual such as a man or boy. The same applies to the feminine pronouns in regard to women or girls. The neuter pronoun "it" reflects no such masculinity or femininity. It is used when speaking of inanimate things such as a house, wind or anything which doesn't have life in itself.
   In Greek, as in most of the Romance languages, every noun is either masculine or feminine. They do not think of an inanimate object as being neuter, but think of it in terms of gender.
   The words used in the Greek and translated as the masculine pronoun "he" in English, are auto and ekeinos. Both of these words are neuter. A Greek rule of grammar says that the neuter pronoun ALWAYS takes the gender of the word it modifies. If the object being spoken of is masculine, the pronoun reflects that masculinity. If the object is feminine, the opposite is true. The gender of the word is dependent upon the attributes which are indicated and portrayed by the word. In other words, if the attribute or characteristic of the word is thought of as being masculine, either of these pronouns, unto or ekeinos, used in reference to that attribute would be in the masculine gender.
   Paraclete, which is one of the primary words used in referring to the Holy Spirit, means "a comforter, an advocate or a helper." All of these attributes were considered by the Greeks to be of a masculine nature. Therefore, the neuter pronoun modifying it would reflect that masculinity and be translated as "he." This doesn't prove the separate identity of the Holy Spirit. This is simply a rule of grammar which must be followed.
   Those who would prove the separate individuality of the Holy Spirit by this means know better. They are deliberately twisting the truth when they say it proves the Holy Spirit to be a separate person in the Godhead.
   The King James translators have correctly translated the pronouns (auto and ekeinos) at times, in such a manner as to show their neuter nature. John 1:32 and 6:63 as well as Romans 8:16 are three places where the original translators rendered these pronouns properly as "it" as they actually should be. Here is proof that they knew the proper way to translate the word when their minds weren't closed by their own vain reasonings and preconceived ideas.

What Is the Holy Spirit?

   God is power! His power is the Holy Spirit. It is the power of God or Spirit of God by which all things were created in the very beginning.
   How can this be? Genesis 1:1 says: "In the beginning GOD CREATED..." Doesn't that mean that God Himself had to fashion the whole creation with His own hands? NO! God the Father didn't do the creating personally. Christ was the one who did the actual creating of all things (John 1:3). This truth is again demonstrated in Hebrews 1:2. Here it says, referring to Christ, "...by whom also he made the worlds."
   Does this then mean that it was Jesus Christ only who fashioned all things? Again the answer is no. As has been said before, the word for God in Genesis 1:1 is Elohim which signifies a plurality or family relationship between the Father and Son.
   The God family planned the creation long before it ever took place. Each and every detail was carefully thought out. Just as a contractor will have blueprints drawn up long before he ever lays the foundation for a large construction job, so the family of God planned the universe. After all planning was completed, Jesus Christ executed the plans through the power of the Holy Spirit. That doesn't mean that a third party took over and did the job. It simply means the work was done by the power, or spirit or authority of the God family.
   Take the Panama Canal for example. We say the United States built the Panama Canal. Did all forty-eight, as it then was, of the states go down to the Isthmus of Panama and do the work? Of course not. It was done by the authority or power of the United States. The men, money and power of the United States caused the canal to come into being. In that way, the United States did the job. An exact parallel.

Holy Spirit Is Omnipresent

   The power of God is everywhere. That is how Jesus was able to do all the work of the creation by Himself. David's prayer in Psalm 139:7-8 shows that he knew God's Spirit or power was omnipresent. No matter where in the universe you might go, God's Spirit will still be there. That is how Jesus Christ is "... upholding all things by the word of his POWER" (Heb. 1:3). By His authority as God, He keeps all things in the universe in their place. This work is done through the power of the God family and with the express consent of the Father (Verse 2).
   There is no equality in the God family. The Father is SUPREME as witnessed to by Christ Himself (John 14:28). Since Jesus is the administrator of the Holy Spirit (John 15:26), He is greater than that Spirit. These two scriptures alone nullify and make void the supposition that the Holy Spirit is of equal rank with the Father and the Son. The Spirit is the very power of Golf — the agent by which He does His will. IT IS NOT ANOTHER PERSON!

It Is a Gift

   This power of God can be yours as a free gift if you will only meet the preordained requirements. Once you have repented and been baptized, God GIVES you the free Gift of His Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).
   If the Holy Spirit were a person, God is being rather presumptuous to go around giving a part of that person to whomever He chooses. Again in speaking about the gift of the Spirit, God says that in the last days He will pour it — His Spirit, which belongs to Him — out upon all mankind (Acts 2:17). The meaning of the Greek here is to literally pour out as you would water from a pitcher.
   How can you pour out a person? YOU CAN'T!! It is impossible!

What Are Its Functions?

   We are to learn what God is planning by observing the happenings here on earth (Rom. 1:20). Everywhere we look we can see every animal, bird, microbe and plant reproducing itself. In Genesis 1:26, God (Elohim) is quoted as saying: "... Let us make man in OUR IMAGE... " God is reproducing Himself! How very plain that is to any rational, thinking individual. WE ARE TO BE MADE IN THE VERY IMAGE OF GOD! We are to become Gods ourselves.
   The Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, unites with our minds and we are BEGOTTEN AGAIN — this time spiritually. Read it in your own Bible.
   "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath BEGOTTEN US AGAIN unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (I Pet. 1:3). In Verse 23, it says, "Being BEGOTTEN AGAIN, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever" (Ivan Panin Translation).
   The Holy Spirit impregnates us with the God nature. That spiritual begettal imbues us with the nature and mind of God. Throughout our Christian lives we continue to grow and develop in the understanding and mind of God until we are finally born INTO the God family and made immortal at the return of Jesus Christ to this earth (I Cor. 15:49-52). We will then rule this earth as God's sons.

Why the Deception?

   Why has Satan palmed off the doctrine of the Trinity on the world? Because he doesn't want YOU to rule in his place. Satan was originally created to carry out God's rule on earth. He rebelled and refused to serve the Creator and was cast out of his position of responsibility (Ezek. 28:11-19 and Isa. 14:12-14). A third of the angels united with Lucifer in that rebellion and were CAST DOWN TO THIS EARTH WITH HIM — having forever DISQUALIFIED themselves and Satan from ruling in the Government of God.
   Since they are disqualified, they don't want anyone else to take what had once been their place. They have tried for nearly 6000 years now to hide from all the world the breathtaking TRUTH OF GOD. If they can make you believe in the Trinity, you will be deceived into thinking that the Godhead consists of only three persons. You would then never in your wildest dreams ever imagine that YOU were created to be born into the GOD FAMILY and actually become a part in ruling this earth!
   Satan wants you to think that God is a limited Trinity and not a growing family or Kingdom into which we may enter. If we look upon the Godhead as being a closed unit, we won't WORK and STRIVE to qualify for that family.
   There you have it. There is the truth about the Holy Spirit. God's family isn't closed to mankind as Satan would have you believe.
   IT'S WIDE OPEN to you, your family and all mankind. If you just accept the truth of God and obey Him, YOU can be made in the exact likeness of God at Christ's return.
   THE DECISION IS YOURS!

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Good News MagazineJuly 1964Vol XIII, No. 7