Paragraph 16 and the Holy Spirit

 

 

Paragraph 16 of Chapter 2 in the KNOWLEDGE book states:

 

...The Bible itself says that “prophecy was at no time brought by man’s will, but men spoke from God as they were born along by holy spirit,” or God’s active force...[1]

 

The KNOWLEDGE book states the Holy Spirit is God’s active force as fact, but does not elaborate further so we must turn to other WTBTS sources for more information.

 

Reasoning from the Scriptures states:

 

The correct identification of the holy spirit must fit all the scriptures that refer to that spirit. With this viewpoint, it is logical to conclude that the holy spirit is the active force of God. It is not a person but a powerful force that God causes to emanate from himself to accomplish his holy will. – Ps. 104:30; 2 Pet. 1:21; Acts 4:31.[2]

 

The WTBTS book Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. 2 also has this to say about the Holy Spirit:

 

It may thus be compared to radio waves that can transmit a message from a person speaking into a microphone and cause his voice to be heard by persons a distance away, in effect, ‘speaking’ the message by a radio loudspeaker. God, by his spirit, transmits his messages and communicates his will to the minds and hearts of his servants on earth, who, in turn, may convey that message to yet others.[3]

 

The WTBTS booklet, Should You Believe in the Trinity?, further states:

 

The Bible’s use of “holy spirit” indicates that it is a controlled force that Jehovah God uses to accomplish a variety of his purposes. To a certain extent, it can be likened to electricity, a force that can be adapted to perform a great variety of operations.”[4]

 

Why does the WTBTS believe as noted above? And what objections do JWs raise against Christianity’s doctrine of the Holy Spirit as a divine person? These objections are addressed in the pages linked below.