The Holy Spirit Fills,
Baptized/Anointed with the Holy Spirit, etc.
Reasoning from the Scriptures states:
A comparison of Bible
texts that refer to the holy spirit shows that it is spoken of as ‘filling’ people; they can be ‘baptized’
with it; and they can be “anointed” with it. (Luke 1:41; Matt. 3:11; Acts 10:38) None of these expressions would
be appropriate if the holy spirit were a person.[1]
The WTBTS booklet, Should
You Believe in the Trinity?, elaborates further, stating:
In harmony with this is
the Bible’s general usage of “holy spirit” in an impersonal way, such as paralleling it with water and fire.
(Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8) People are urged to become filled with holy spirit instead of with wine. (Ephesians 5:18) They are
spoken of as being filled with holy spirit in the same way they are filled with such qualities as wisdom, faith, and joy.
(Acts 6:3; 11:24; 13:52) And at 2 Corinthians 6:6 holy spirit is included among a number of qualities. Such expressions
would not be so common if the holy spirit were actually a person.[2]
Insights on the
Scriptures, Vol. 2 notes:
Christians are spoken
of as being baptized ‘in holy spirit.’ (Ac 1:5; 11:16)...It is most unlikely
that such expressions would be made if the holy spirit were a divine person.[3]
Finally, the 9/1/84 edition of The Watchtower also states:
On the other hand, the
Bible speaks of the spirit as being ‘poured out,’ and of people being “filled with holy spirit,” receiving
the spirit as a “free gift,” and being ‘baptized in holy spirit,’ none of which would make sense if
the holy spirit were a person. – Acts 2:4, 17, 38; 4:31; John 1:33[4]
The objections, so stated
above, are that it is inappropriate to say that a person (or persons) may be filled, anointed or baptized with the Holy Spirit,
that the Holy Spirit can be poured out and that the Holy Spirit can be a free gift if the Holy Spirit is a person.
The Holy Spirit Fills
WTBTS citation:
Luke 1:41
And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped
in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: (KJV)
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth
was filled with the Holy Spirit. (NASB)
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth
was filled with the Holy Spirit. (NIV)
Well,
as Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the infant in her womb leaped;
and Elizabeth was filled with holy spirit,
(NWT)
Yes, the Holy Spirit fills
us and we should seek to be filled by him, as noted in the verses cited by Reasoning from the Scriptures.
But God also fills us:
Ephesians 3:17,19
[17] That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
[19] And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with
all the fulness of God. (KJV)
[17] so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in
love, [19] and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled
up to all the fullness of God. (NASB)
[17] so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established
in love, [19] and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to
the measure of all the fullness of God. (NIV)
[17] to have the Christ dwell through [YOUR] faith in YOUR hearts with love; that YOU may be rooted and established on the foundation, [19] and to know the love of the Christ which surpasses knowledge, that YOU may be filled with
all the fullness that God gives. (NWT)
We are not only filled with
God, but we are filled with all the fullness of God. Please note as well that, according to Ephesians 3:17 above, Jesus
also dwells in our hearts (highlighted in green). Jesus is certainly a person. God is certainly a person.
Please note the NWT’s
“filled with all the fullness that God gives” (emphasis mine) in Ephesians
3:19 above. The word “gives” does not appear in the original Greek. This
can be easily verified with the WTBTS Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures[5]. (Click on the link at the bottom of this page for more information.)
Ephesians 4:10
He that descended is
the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) (KJV)
He who descended is
Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) (NASB)
He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order
to fill the whole universe.) (NIV)
The
very one that descended is also the one that ascended far above all the heavens, that he might
give fullness to all things. (NWT)
Jesus (who descended and
ascended) fills everything, or as the NIV renders it, Jesus fills “the whole universe.” Jesus is certainly a person.
Also, on the other side
of the coin:
Acts 5:3
But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy
Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? (KJV)
But Peter said, "Ananias,
why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the
Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?
(NASB)
Then Peter said, “Ananias,
how is that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and
have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?” (NIV)
But Peter said: “An·a·ni’as,
why has Satan emboldened you to play false to the holy spirit and to hold back secretly
some of the price of the field?” (NWT)
Although the NWT does not render this verse as so, Acts 5:3 clearly contains the Greek words plēroō (“fill”)
and kardia (“heart”) in the Greek text. I consulted 72 translations.[6] 56 indicated that Satan filled the heart of Ananias and it should be noted that the majority of the 16 translations
that differed[7] are contemporary English versions given to paraphrase rather than the more literal, word-for-word translations. Also note
that the NWT translation of pseudomai as “play false to,” when “lie” is quite sufficient and
“lie” is clearly indicated as the definition of pseudomai by both Strong’s and Thayer’s and
translated as such in 64 of the 72 translations I consulted.[8]
In any event, the Greek
tells us Satan filled the heart of the Ananias and according to the WTBTS, Satan is a person.
The fact that a subject
is said to fill people does not demand that the subject is an impersonal force rather than a personal being.
Baptized with the Holy Spirit
WTBTS citation:
Matthew 3:11 (parallel passage Mark 1:8)
I indeed baptize you
with water unto repentance: but he that cometh
after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I
am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize
you with the Holy Ghost, and with
fire: (KJV)
"As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and
I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (NASB)
"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals
I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and
with fire. (NIV)
I,
for my part, baptize YOU with water because of YOUR repentance; but the one coming after me is stronger than I am, whose sandals I am not fit to take
off. That one will baptize YOU people with holy spirit and with fire. (NWT)
Acts 1:5
For John truly baptized with water; but
ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence (KJV)
for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit
not many days from now." (NASB)
For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." (NIV)
because John, indeed,
baptized with water, but YOU will be baptized in holy
spirit not many days after this.” (NWT)
Acts 11:16
Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. (KJV)
"And I remembered the
word of the Lord, how He used to say, `John baptized with
water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' (NASB)
Then I remembered what
the Lord had said: 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' (NIV)
At this I called to
mind the saying of the Lord, how he used to say, ‘John, for his part, baptized with water,
but YOU will be baptized in holy spirit.’ (NWT)
Yes, we are baptized with
the Holy Spirit.
But we are also baptized
into Jesus Christ:
Romans 6:3
Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized
into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? (KJV)
Or do you not know
that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? (NASB)
Or don't you know that
all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? (NIV)
Or
do YOU not know that
all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? (NWT)
We are baptized into Christ
(who is a person) so being baptized with the Holy Spirit would hardly demand impersonality.
The fact that we are
baptized with Holy Spirit does not, therefore, demand that the Holy Spirit is an impersonal force rather than a personal
being.
The Holy Spirit & Fire
John the Baptist also tells
us that Jesus will baptize us with the Holy Spirit and with fire. The Holy Spirit is also described as tongues of fire at
Pentecost (Acts 2:3,4). Since fire isn’t a personal being, JWs argue the Holy Spirit isn’t a personal being, either.
But God is also said to
be fire, and associated with fire, in the Old Testament:
Deuteronomy
4:24
For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. (KJV)
"For the LORD your
God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. (NASB)
For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. (NIV)
For
Jehovah your God is a consuming fire, a God exacting exclusive devotion. (NWT)
Exodus 13:21
And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire,
to give them light; to go by day and night: (KJV)
The LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night
to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.
(NASB)
By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire
to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.
(NIV)
And
Jehovah was going ahead of them in the daytime in a pillar of cloud to lead them by the way, and
in the nighttime in a pillar of fire to give them light to go in the daytime and nighttime. (NWT)
God is certainly a person,
though Yahweh has been said to be fire and associated with fire. Nor is the Holy Spirit devoid of personality because he has
been said to be and/or associated with fire.
The fact that a subject
is said to be fire or associated with fire does not demand that the subject is an impersonal force rather than a personal
being.
The Holy Spirit & Water
The WTBTS also
contends that Bible writers drew a parallel with water baptism and baptism with the Holy Spirit in verses cited in Acts 1:5
and Acts 11:16 above. Please note the word “but” in each of these verses. A parallel involves illustrating similarity
between two subjects. A contrast involves illustrating differences between two subjects. The word “but” indicates
that water baptism and baptism in the Holy Spirit are being contrasted against each other.
John Gill states:
John's baptism was water baptism, an immersion of persons in water: he was the first administrator of it, and therefore
is here mentioned by name; and his, and the baptism of the Spirit, are opposed...[9]
They are “opposed,”
or set in contrast to each other.
In fact, all the commentaries
I consulted for both Acts 1:5 and Acts 11:16[10] indicated these verses contrasted the lesser baptism of water against the greater baptism of the Holy Spirit. Not one indicated
water baptism was a parallel for baptism with the Holy Spirit.
Contrary to the insistence
of the WTBTS, a parallel is not demanded for the baptism of water and the Holy Spirit.
Even if the Holy Spirit
were parallel to water, God is also spoken of as and associated with water.
Jeremiah 2:13
For my people have
committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed
them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
(KJV)
"For My people have
committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for
themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water.
(NASB)
"My people have committed
two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own
cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. (NIV)
‘because
there are two bad things that my people have done: They have left even me, the source of living
water, in order to hew out for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that cannot contain the water.’
(NWT)
Jeremiah 17:13
O LORD, the hope of
Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters. (KJV)
O LORD, the hope of
Israel, All who forsake You will be put to shame. Those who turn away on earth will be written down, Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the LORD. (NASB)
O LORD, the hope of
Israel, all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of living water. (NIV)
O
Jehovah, the hope of Israel, all those who are leaving you will be put to shame. Those apostatizing from me will be written
down even in the earth, because they have left the source of living water, Jehovah.
(NWT)
God is called water and
he is definitely a person.
Psalms 36:8, 9
[8] They shall be abundantly
satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. [9] For with thee is the fountain
of life: in thy light shall we see light. (KJV)
[8] They drink their
fill of the abundance of Your house; And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. [9] For with You is
the fountain of life; In Your light we see light. (NASB)
[8] They feast on the
abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. [9] For
with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. (NIV)
[8] They drink their fill of the fatness of your house; And of the torrent of
your pleasures you cause them to drink. [9] For with you is the source of life;
By light from you we can see light. (NWT)
We shall also drink from
God, as a river and he is called the fountain of life. (Also note: the NWT translates mâqôr as source whereas the KJV, NASB and NIV translate mâqôr as fountain. Mâqôr is translated as fountain, spring or well in 41[11] out of 43[12] translations or notes the correct translation in a footnote. The definitions indicated by Strong’s and BDB define mâqôr as a fountain, the word is consistently translated as “fountain” by the KJV throughout
the Bible...The NWT’s variation is, in my opinion, completely unwarranted and unnecessary.)
John 7:37, 38
[37] In the last day,
that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto
me, and drink. [38] He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers
of living water. (KJV)
[37] Now on the last
day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. [38] "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, `From his innermost being
will flow rivers of living water.' " (NASB)
[37] On the last and
greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come
to me and drink. [38] Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow
from within him." (NIV)
[37] Now on the last day, the great day of the festival, Jesus was standing up and he cried out, saying: “If anyone
is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. [38] He that puts faith in me, just as the Scripture has said, ‘Out from his inmost part streams of living water will
flow.’” (NWT)
We should come to Jesus
and drink. Jesus is a person.
Also, note in John 7:38, whoever believes in Jesus Christ will become a source of living water. Christian believers are certainly
people.
The fact that a subject
is said to be water or associated with water does not demand that the subject is an active force rather than a personal being.
Anointed with the Holy Spirit
WTBTS citation:
Acts 10:38
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all
that were oppressed of the devil; for
God was with him. (KJV)
"You know of Jesus
of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went
about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (NASB)
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all
who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
(NIV)
namely,
Jesus who was from Naz´a·reth, how God anointed him with holy spirit and power, and
he went through the land doing good and healing all those oppressed by the Devil; because God was with him. (NWT)
The language of Romans 6:3
in the section above is very near that of Acts 10:38. We’re baptized into Jesus Christ, into his death. Jesus was anointed
with the Holy Spirit, with power. Jesus, in Romans 6:3, is paired with death, but this certainly does not remove personality
from Jesus. Similarly, in Acts 10:38, the Holy Spirit is paired with power, but this doesn’t remove personality
from the Holy Spirit.
Furthermore, for more information
on Jesus’ anointing we should look to Luke 4:18:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me
to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty
them that are bruised, (KJV)
"THE SPIRIT OF
THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,
AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, (NASB)
"The Spirit of
the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the
prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, (NIV)
With
that they called them and charged them, nowhere to make any utterance or to teach upon the basis of the name of Jesus. (NWT)
In
Luke 4:18, Jesus quotes from Isaiah 61:1:
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he
hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that
are bound; (KJV)
The Spirit of the Lord
GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; (NASB)
The Spirit of the Sovereign
LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, (NIV)
The
spirit of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah is upon me, for the reason that Jehovah has anointed me to tell good news to the meek
ones. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to those taken captive and the wide opening [of the
eyes] even to the prisoners;
(NWT)
Jesus
also quotes from Isaiah 42:7, adding to the list of offices, tasks he was appointed to perform. Isaiah clearly elucidates
that God had anointed the Messiah to achieve certain purposes set forth by Yahweh God.
Vincent
Word Studies also expounds on anointing:
Anointing was applied to kings (1Sa 9:16; 1Sa 10:1), to prophets (1Ki 19:16), and to priests (Exo 29:29; Exo 40:15; Lev 16:32) at their inauguration. “The Lord's anointed” was a common
title of the king (1Sa 12:3, 1Sa 12:5; 2Sa 1:14, 2Sa 1:16). Prophets
are called “Messiahs,” or anointed ones (1Ch 16:22; Psa 105:15)...Hence the word” Christ” was representative of our Lord, who
united in himself the offices of king, prophet, and priest.[13]
In his commentary on Luke
4:18, Albert Barnes says:
Anciently kings and prophets and the high priest were set apart to their work by anointing with oil...Hence, those
who were set apart to the work of God as king, prophet, or priest, were called the Lord’s anointed, 1Sa 16:6; Psa 84:9;
Isa 45:1. Hence, the Son of God is called the “Messiah,” a Hebrew word signifying the “Anointed,”
or the “Christ,” a Greek word signifying the same thing. And by his being “anointed” is not meant
that he was literally anointed, for he was never set apart in that manner, but that “God had set him apart” for
this work; that “he” had constituted or appointed him to be the prophet, priest, and king of his people.[14] (emphasis mine)
John Gill agrees with Barnes,
saying “...for it was with
the Holy Ghost he was anointed, as to be king and priest, so likewise to be a prophet: hence he has the name Messiah, which
signifies anointed…”[15] So, in saying the Holy Spirit anointed Jesus or Jesus was anointed
with the Holy Spirit (and power), we should understand that Jesus was set apart, was appointed or assigned to the tasks God
had set for him. The focus here is not on the physical ritual and oil used in the Old Testament to anoint with. Rather, the
focus is that God assigned Jesus, appointed him as the Christ. This is demonstrated by the Greek word used for anoint in Acts
10:38, chriô. Chriô is
used in the New Testament 5 times[16] and never refers to oil and physical anointing. Chriô speaks of appointing, assigning or consecrating. For instance:
2
Corinthians 1:21
Now
he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; (KJV)
Now
He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, (NASB)
Now
it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, (NIV)
But he who guarantees that YOU
and we belong to Christ and he who has anointed us is God. (NWT)
Christians
are anointed by God, according to 2 Corinthians 1:21, but we are not physically anointed with oil. We are appointed, assigned
to God’s service.
Another
word altogether, aleiphô, is used in the New Testament (9 times[17]) to refer to physical anointing with oil. For example:
Mark 16:1
And
when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might
come and anoint him. (KJV)
When
the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and
anoint Him. (NASB)
When
the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus'
body. (NIV)
So when the sabbath had passed, Mary Mag´da·lene, and Mary the mother of James, and Sa·lo´me bought spices
in order to come and grease him. (NWT)
So aleiphô refers to literal, physical anointing
with oil, but that word is not used in reference to the Holy Spirit in Acts 10:38 cited by the WTBTS or Acts 4:18. Chriô, which refers to assigning or appointing, is used instead. Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary
of Old and New Testament Words states, “chriô is more limited in its use
than aleiphô; it is confined to ‘sacred and symbolical
anointings;’ of Christ as the ‘Anointed’ of God...”[18] and the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia states, “The thought is to appoint, or qualify for a special
dignity, function or privilege.”[19] As such, we should not consider the anointing spoken of in Acts 10:38 as a literal, physical anointing.[20]
The fact that people
can be anointed with a subject as well as impersonal abstracts such as power does not demand that the subject is an impersonal
force rather than a personal being.
The Holy Spirit is Poured Out
The WTBTS cites:
Acts 2:17 (quoting from Joel 2:28-32)
And it shall come to
pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: (KJV)
`AND IT SHALL BE IN
THE LAST DAYS,' God says, `THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND; AND
YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS; (NASB)
"'In the last days,
God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
(NIV)
‘“And
in the last days,” God says, “I shall pour out some of my spirit upon every
sort of flesh, and YOUR
sons and YOUR daughters
will prophesy and YOUR
young men will see visions and YOUR
old men will dream dreams; (NWT)
So the Holy Spirit is said
to be poured out.
Philippians 2:17
Yea, and if I be offeredF9 upon the sacrifice and service
of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all. (KJV) (Footnote
F9: offered: Gr. poured forth)
But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice
and share my joy with you all. (NASB)
But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith,
I am glad and rejoice with all of you. (NIV)
Notwithstanding,
even if I am being poured out like a drink offering upon the sacrifice and public service
to which faith has led YOU,
I am glad and I rejoice with all of YOU.
(NWT)
2 Timothy 4:6
For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. (KJV)
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. (NASB)
For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. (NIV)
For
I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the due time for my releasing
is imminent. (NWT)
Paul was poured out, too.
Paul’s a person.
Psalm 22:14
I am
poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint:
my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
(KJV)
I am
poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax; It is melted within me. (NASB)
I am
poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. (NIV)
Like water I have been poured out,
And all my bones have been separated from one another. My heart has become like wax;
It has melted deep in my inward parts. (NWT)
David,
speaking prophetically of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, saying he will be poured out.
Isaiah
53:12
Therefore
will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of
many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (KJV)
Therefore,
I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He
poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And
interceded for the transgressors. (NASB)
Therefore
I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he
poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made
intercession for the transgressors. (NIV)
For that reason I shall deal him a portion among the many, and it will be with the mighty ones that he will
apportion the spoil, due to the fact that he poured out his soul to the very death,
and it was with the transgressors that he was counted in; and he himself carried the very sin of many people, and for the
transgressors he proceeded to interpose. (NWT)
Again,
Jesus is spoken of prophetically as being poured out. Jesus is certainly a person.
In his commentary on Acts 10:45, A.T. Robertson says “poured out” is “used metaphorically of the Holy Spirit also in Act 2:17 (from Joe 2:28.), Act 2:33.”[21] Metaphorical. As in not literal.
Since
Jesus and Paul were said to be poured out, the fact that the Holy Spirit is said to be poured out does not demand that he
is an active force instead of a personal being.
The Holy Spirit is a Free Gift
The WTBTS cites:
Acts 2:38
Then Peter said unto
them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive
the gift of the Holy Ghost. (KJV)
Peter said to them,
"Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (NASB)
Peter replied, "Repent
and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (NIV)
Peter
[said] to them: “Repent, and let each one of YOU be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of YOUR sins, and YOU will receive the free gift of the holy spirit. (NWT)
So the Holy Spirit
is a gift.
But…
John 3:16
For God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life. (KJV)
"For God so loved the
world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish,
but have eternal life. (NASB)
"For God so loved the
world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish
but have eternal life. (NIV)
“For
God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone
exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life. (NWT)
God also
gave his son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is definitely a person.
SUMMARY: The above arguments (and perhaps others) are based
on figurative language applied to the Holy Spirit. One must demand a literal interpretation of the figurative
language in order to object to the personality of the Holy Spirit. As shown above, however, similar figurative language is
used and applied to both Jesus and Yahweh God. As such, a literal interpretation is neither required, nor does such figurative
language demand that the Holy Spirit is not a personal being.
[1] Watch Tower Bible
and Tract Society of New York, Inc. “Entry for ‘Spirit.’” Reasoning
from the Scriptures, 1985. P. 380.
[2] Watch Tower Bible
and Tract Society of New York, Inc. Should You Believe in the Trinity?, 1989. P. 22.
[3] Watch Tower Bible
and Tract Society of New York, Inc. “Entry for “SPIRIT.’” Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 2,
1989. P. 1020.
[4] Watch Tower Bible
and Tract Society of New York, Inc. “’We Worship What We Know.’” The Watchtower, September 1, 1984.
I initially hesitated
to include quotations from WTBTS periodicals (The Watchtower and Awake!) on this site because unless the reader
has access to the relevant WTBTS CD-ROM containing the quoted material or is able to obtain the quoted material directly from
a JW, verifying the quotation would be difficult. However, I opted to include quotations from WTBTS periodicals in the interests
of making this study as comprehensive as possible. The reader should note, however, that I quote periodicals sparingly and
only when I couldn’t find the information/ideas expressed therein inside WTBTS books and booklets (which are more readily
available).
[5] Watch Tower Bible
and Tract Society of New York, Inc. The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures, 1985. P. 852.
[6] Please see Bibles Consulted
page of this site for more information.
[7] 16 translations did not indicate that Satan filled the heart of Ananias:
“Satan made you,” Contemporary English Version; “let Satan take control of you,” Good News Translation
– Second Edition; “did Satan get you,” THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language; “let Satan
rule your thoughts,” New Century Version; “Satan tempted thy heart,” Douay-Rheims Bible; "let Satan
(the devil) rule your heart," Holy Bible: Easy-to-Read Version; “Satan filled you with the idea,” GOD’S
WORD; “the Evil One put it into your heart,” Bible in Basic English; "Sathanas temptid thin herte," The Wycliffe
Bible; “Satan taken possession of your heart,” Weymouth’s New Testament; “satan inspire thine heart,”
Daniel Mace New Testament (1729); "Satan has so taken possession of your heart," Twentieth Century New Testament; "let
Satan take control of you," Today's English Version; "Satan so filled your mind," J.B. Phillips New Testament; "Satan
so possessed your mind," New English Bible; “has Satan emboldened you,” New World Translation.
[8] 8 translations did not translate pseudomai as “lie” or “lye.” They are: “deal falsely with,” The J.B. Rotherham
Emphasized Bible; “deceive,” GOD’S WORD; “be false to,” Bible in Basic English; “deceive,”
Weymouth’s New Testament; "attempt to impose on," The Living Oracles New Testament;
"cheat," J.B. Phillips New Testament; “play false to,” New World Translation; "play false to," The Emphatic
Daiglot (also published by the WTBTS).
[9] Gill, John. “Commentary on Acts 1:5.” John Gill’s
Exposition of the Entire Bible, 1690-1771.
[10] Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible, John Gill’s
Exposition of the Entire Bible, Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary,
Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament, Vincent’s
Word Studies.
[11] “source,” Good News Translation – Second Edition; “giver,”
New Century Version; “came from,” New Life Bible; “source,” New World Translation.
[12] Please see Bibles Consulted page of this site for more information.
[13] Vincent. “Commentary on Matthew 1:1.” Vincent’s Word
Studies, 1886.
[14] Barnes, Albert. “Commentary on Luke 4:18.” Albert Barnes’
Notes on the Bible, 1798-1870.
[15] Gill, John. “Commentary on Luke 4:18.” John Gill’s
Exposition of the Entire Bible, 1690-1771.
[16] Luke 4:18, Acts 4:27, Acts 10:38, 2 Corinthians 1:21, Hebrews 1:9.
[17] Matthew 6:17, Mark 6:13, Mark 16:1, Luke 7:38, Luke 7:46 (twice), John
11:2, John 12:3, James 5:14.
[18] Vine, W.E. “Entry for ‘Anoint, Anointing’”.
Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 1966.
[19] Kapp, Jacob W. “Entry for ‘Anoint; Anointed.’”
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 1915.
[20] For a deeper study of anointing, I refer the reader to “Anointing
and Holy Spirit Baptism” by M.W. Bassett, available at http://www.altupc.com/altupc/articles/ahsb.htm . (Accessed April 2010.) Bassett states, “The New Testament teaches us that the elements of the Old Testament were
shadows of spiritual things. We therefore understand that the anointing shown here and many, many times through the activities
of God’s priests and prophets, were reflections of a spiritual reality transcending the oil used by the priest...When
oil was used to anoint, it also represented a greater spiritual reality to be revealed in time to come.” See article
for more information.
[21] Robertson, A.T. “Commentary on Acts 10:45.” Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament, 1932.
