GLOBAL  IMPACT  STUDIES

If you find the truth, will you believe it?

If any man desires to do God's will, he will have the needed illumination to recognize, and can tell for himself whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking from myself and on my own accord.  John 7:17 

The Deity

Chapter 4

The Holy Spirit ... Elohim's Life and Power

 

The Holy Spirit is not a person distinct from the Father and the Son.  The Holy Spirit is the LIFE AND POWER OF Elohim.  Many people believe the Holy Spirit is a personage, but the Scriptures teach that the Holy Spirit is the impersonal power and life-force of Elohim.  Let us carefully search the Scriptures to see what they reveal about the Holy Spirit and Its operation.

The word Spirit is translated from the Hebrew word “ruach” and the Greek word “pneuma."  Both of these words mean air, breath, wind, power or life.  The Holy Spirit is the divine energy of Elohim . . . His life and power.  It is an impersonal, invisible force just like the wind, breath and air.  Consider carefully the following Scriptures:

And the Spirit of Elohim moved upon the face of the waters” (Gen. 1:2).  The invisible active force of Yahuwah moved upon the waters and brought order and beauty out of the condition described in this verse.  It is Elohim's Spirit.

“And the angel answered and said unto her, the Holy Ghost [Spirit] shall come upon thee, and [even] the POWER OF THE HIGHEST SHALL OVERSHADOW THEE:  Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of Elohim” (Luke 1:35).  The Holy Spirit is explained here to be the "POWER OF THE HIGHEST."  This verse gives us a Biblical definition of the Holy Spirit.

“And behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you:  but tarry . . . until you be ENDUED WITH POWER FROM ON HIGH” (Luke 24:49).

“But you shall receive POWER after that the Holy Ghost [Spirit] is come upon you:  and you shall be witnesses unto Me” (Acts 1:8).

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith Elohim, I WILL POUR OUT OF MY SPIRIT upon all flesh” (Acts 2:17).  It is Elohim's Spirit.

“Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath GIVEN US OF HIS SPIRIT” (1 John 4:13).  It is Elohim's Spirit.

“But if THE SPIRIT OF HIM [Yahuwah] that raised up Yahushua from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Messiah from the dead shall also quicken [or make alive] your mortal bodies BY HIS SPIRIT that dwells in you” (Rom. 8:11).  Again it is Elohim's Spirit.

“And what is the exceeding greatness of HIS POWER to usward who believe, ACCORDING TO THE WORKING OF HIS MIGHTY POWER, which He wrought in Messiah, when He raised Him from the dead” (Eph. 1:19, 20).  It is Elohim’s power!

"Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit?  or whither shall I flee from Thy presence?  If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there:  if I make my bed in hell [the grave], behold, Thou art there [through His Spirit].  If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me" (Ps. 139:7-10).  Elohim can be everywhere through His Spirit.

When all of these Scriptures are put together, we can clearly see the Holy Spirit is NOT A PERSON . . . but an INVISIBLE FORCE . . . ELOHIM’S LIFE AND POWER.  The Holy Spirit is not a person . . . It is the life of Yahuwah.  It is the very essence of Elohim Himself . . . It is His Spirit or life-force.  It is the invisible active force of the Almighty Elohim by which He moves upon His children and accomplishes His purposes.  The Holy Spirit is Elohim’s Spirit or life that can be everywhere (Ps. 139:7-8), and a portion of that Spirit comes into our being when we are born again.

Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of Elohim” (John 1:13).

“Yahushua answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of Elohim” (John 3:5).

”But as then, he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now” (Gal. 4:29).

Man is composed of three parts . . . the spirit, the soul, and the body.  "And the very Elohim of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray Elohim your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Master Yahushua Messiah [Lord Jesus Christ]" (1 Thess. 5:23, emphasis added).  The body is the physical aspect of life . . . the flesh and blood.  The soul of man contains his intellect, his sensibilities and his will.  The soul is the total person . . . the personality of the individual.  The spirit is the life-giving force.  When you lose the spirit, you die.  See Ecclesiastes 8:8; 12:7; James 2:26.  Even so the Holy Spirit is the LIFE-FORCE OF ELOHIM.  It is the life and power that emanates from the Father and the Son.  They both share the same Spirit or life-force which belongs to the Father.  "All things that the Father hath are Mine:  therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall show it unto you" (John 16:15, emphasis added).  This is how both the Father and His Son can abide in or dwell in a person at the same time.

“And I will pray the Father, and He [the Father, Yahuwah] shall give you another Comforter (Holy Spirit – ruach), that He may abide with you forever” (John 14:16, emphasis added).

“I will not leave you comfortless:  I will come to you” (John 14:18).

“Yahushua answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My words:  and My Father will love him, and WE will come unto him and make OUR abode with him” (John 14:23).

Elohim is a BEING or Entity . . . Therefore He has a SOUL (personality).

“Behold My servant [Yahushua], Whom I [Yahuwah] uphold; Mine elect, in Whom MY SOUL delights; I have put MY SPIRIT upon Him:  He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles” (Isa. 42:1).  It is Elohim’s Spirit!

From this Scripture we see that Elohim has both a SOUL and a SPIRIT.  He is a soul because He is a Being.  He also has a Spirit which is His life-force.  Yahushua is a separate entity or Being . . . He also has a soul.  Yahushua “poured out His soul unto death” (Isa. 53:12).  But NOWHERE IS IT SAID THE HOLY GHOST (SPIRIT) HAS A SOUL . . . the reason being the Holy Spirit is not a Being.  Rather, it is the Spirit or life-force of Elohim.  Thus there are TWO SOULS or BEINGS . . . Elohim and His Son.  The Holy Spirit is not a being but is the Spirit or life-force of Elohim . . . the invisible active force of Almighty Elohim.

Some will ask if the Holy Spirit is not a person then why is It called a “He” in the Scriptures? Yahushua said:  “Howbeit when He the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13).  Trinitarians use this to try and prove that the Holy Spirit is a person.  Two legitimate explanations can be given for this:

1.  The Holy Spirit is the Spirit or life-force of Elohim.  Elohim is a masculine Entity.  Therefore, it would certainly be proper to refer to the Holy Spirit in the masculine gender.  Notice the following Scriptures:  “The Spirit of truth which proceeds from the Father” (John 15:26).  “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith Elohim, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh” (Acts 2:17).  “Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit” (1 John 4:13).  Since the Holy Spirit is Elohim’s Spirit, it is therefore proper to refer to It in the masculine gender . . . but this in no way proves that It is another entity separate and distinct from Elohim.

2.  The Greek word for Comforter is “parakletos” and is masculine in gender.  The word “Spirit” is neuter and therefore does not denote gender or personality.  See Romans 8:16, 26 . . . "the Spirit Itself."  But in the Gospel of John, the masculine pronoun is used in reference to the Holy Spirit because it is referred to as the Comforter . . . a masculine gender word.  In the Greek language the gender of the pronoun always agrees to the gender of the noun to which it refers.  This is just a grammatical rule.  The use of masculine or feminine pronouns in the Hebrew or Greek languages is absolutely no proof of gender or personality.  They are used with reference to things and qualities.

There is no more logic in calling the Holy Spirit a person . . . than in calling wisdom or patience a person.  Proverbs 9:1 tells us “Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars."  James 1:4 says, “Let patience have her perfect work."  Does this mean wisdom and patience are women?  No!  They are figures of speech known as personification . . . but they do not denote personages.  Sometimes, the Holy Spirit is personified, but this does not prove the Holy Spirit is a person separate and distinct from Elohim.  The Holy Spirit sometimes takes on the attributes of Elohim’s personality . . . because Elohim is the One Who operates and works through His Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is Elohim’s power.  The working of the Spirit is the working of Elohim and His Son.  When the Bible describes the Spirit as speaking (Rev. 2:7), it refers to the work of Elohim speaking through His power.  When the Spirit is described as making intercession (Rom. 8:26-27), it refers to the intercession Messiah our High Priest makes for us through the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25).  Yahushua is our only intercessor . . . He is our only mediator (1 Tim. 2:5).  When Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit, he lied to Elohim who was working through that holy power (Acts 5:3).  When one “grieves” the Holy Spirit of Elohim (Eph. 4:30), they grieve Elohim Himself who works through His Holy Spirit.

Additional Reasons Why the Holy Spirit is NOT a Person

1.  The Holy Spirit is never addressed in prayer.

2.  Worship is never directed towards the Holy Spirit.

3.  The Holy Spirit is designated in the Bible by impersonal symbols.  Some of these are wind (John 3:8; Acts 2:2), fire (Acts 2:3), water (John 3:37-39). oil (Ps. 45:7; Isa. 61:1), seal (Eph. 1:13), dove (Matt. 3:16), and breath (John 20:22).

4.  The impersonal characteristics of the Spirit reveal It as the power of Elohim and not a personality.  The Spirit is mentioned as being poured out (Acts 2:17; 10:45), shed forth (Acts 2:33; Tit. 3:5-6), breathed upon people (John 20:22), and filling people (Acts 2:4; Eph. 5:18).  Yahushua was anointed with this power (Acts 10:38).  Men are baptized in It (Matt. 3:11; Acts 1:5) and drank of It (1 Cor. 12:13).  None of these things could be said of the Holy Spirit if It was a person.  Also, the Holy Spirit is compared to the blowing of the wind . . . an invisible force (John 3:8).

5.  The Holy Spirit is NOT included in the Apostolic Salutations.  See Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2; Philippians 1:2; Colossians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:2; 1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2; Titus 1:4; Philemon 3.  Elohim and Yahushua are mentioned but the Holy Spirit is left out . . . why if the Holy Spirit is the third person in the Deity?

6.  The Holy Spirit is not mentioned as Enthroned or Reigning.  The Bible pictures Elohim, the Father, sitting upon His throne and Yahushua either sitting or standing at His right hand.  See Acts 7:55-56; Revelation 5:1-5; 22:3.  The Holy Spirit is never seen . . . Why, if the Holy Spirit is a third person in the Deity?

7.  The Spirit is never designated as the “third person” in the Scriptures.  Moreover, the Father is never called the “first person” and the Son is never called the “second person.”  This is all Trinitarian terminology . . . foreign to the language of the sacred Scriptures.

The Divine Order as Given in 1 Corinthians 11:3 Leaves Out the Holy Spirit

The Apostle Paul certainly had an understanding of the Deity.  In 1 Corinthians 11:3, Paul gives us the DIVINE ORDER that flows from Elohim to the woman.

But I would have you to know, that the head of every man is Messiah; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Messiah is Elohim” (1 Cor. 11:3).

Now when we line this Scripture up, we see the woman with her head . . . the man.  We see man with his head . . . Messiah.  We see Messiah with His head . . . Elohim.  Elohim the head of Messiah.  Messiah the head of man.  And man the head of the woman.  If the Holy Spirit is a person . . . then why did Paul leave It out of the divine order here?  If Elohim and Yahushua were one and the same, then Yahushua would not have a head. Woman has a head!  Man has a head!  Messiah has a head!  Elohim has no head . . . for there is none greater than Elohim.  He is the Supreme Being (Elohim).  This is the simplest explanation of the Deity you will ever find.  It shows there are TWO ENTITIES in the Deity . . . with one being greater than the other.

So the above Scriptures prove conclusively that there are TWO DIVINE ENTITIES . . . Elohim, the Father, and Yahushua Messiah, His Son.  The Holy Spirit is not a separate entity . . . separate and distinct from the Father and the Son.  Rather, it is the life and power of the eternal Elohim . . . and both the Father and the Son perform their work through the power of the Father's Spirit. 


DD