DAY 28
CHALLENGE
“The Holy Spirit is not a person. Instead, it is the active power that God uses to accomplish his will. It’s an impersonal force—like radio waves.”
DEFENSE
Contrary to this view of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Scripture indicates that the Holy Spirit is a person, not an impersonal force.
Impersonal forces don’t know things or make choices, but the Holy Spirit does both. He knows the thoughts of God (1 Cor. 2:11), and he chooses how spiritual gifts will be distributed (1 Cor. 12:11). The Holy Spirit thus has the personal attributes of intellect and will.
Scripture refers to the Holy Spirit as a Paraclete (Greek parakletos; see John 14:26; cf. 15:26, 16:7–8). This term, often translated as “Comforter,” “Counselor,” or “Advocate,” refers to a person who is called to aid one, especially in legal settings. Scripture also speaks of Jesus, who is unmistakably a person, as a Paraclete (1 John 2:1).
Impersonal forces cannot communicate, but Scripture refers to the Holy Spirit communicating (Acts 5:32, 20:23, 21:11, 1 Tim. 4:1). Sometimes the Holy Spirit is directly quoted (Acts 8:29, 10:19, 21:11; Rev. 14:13). The Holy Spirit is even quoted using the personal pro- noun I: “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them’” (Acts 13:2).
This is particularly significant because the Holy Spirit is directly quoted in the historical narrative of Acts. He is quoted just like other persons, and the quotation cannot be dismissed as symbolic. This is straightforward historical narrative.
Scripture thus depicts the Holy Spirit with intellect and will, as a person who—like Jesus—assists Christians, and as a person who communicates and does so using the personal pronoun I. The claim the Holy Spirit is an impersonal force is not supported by the text.
TIP
Jehovah’s Witnesses deny that Christ is God. When they go door knocking, they’re usually well coached on how to discuss their views on this, but they are less prepared to discuss the personhood of the Holy Spirit. This can be a fruitful topic of discussion, given the biblical evidence discussed above.