Key Scripture: “Then Peter said, ‘Ananias, how is it 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? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God’.” (Acts 5:3-4)

The objective of The Holy Spirit Is God Approach is to show Jehovah’s Witnesses that the Holy Spirit is both a person and God himself, not an impersonal, “active force” that emanates from God.

Why it matters

The Holy Spirit points people to Christ rather than to himself. However, if Jehovah’s Witnesses attack the doctrine of the Trinity, you will need to be able to present a positive case that the Holy Spirit is a person—one who speaks, thinks, decides, and has emotions. You will also need to be able to show the biblical evidence that the Holy Spirit is truly God, and to be able to answer Watchtower proof texts and objections.

Don’t get sidetracked into discussing issues of tongues or miracles or healing with Jehovah’s Witnesses. Focus instead on the basics of the identity of the Holy Spirit.

The unexpected approach

The Witnesses will expect you to begin by proclaiming your belief that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity.

Instead, begin by saying, “Before we talk about the Holy Spirit, I’d like you to clarify what you believe about Satan. Do you believe that Satan is an angelic spirit person or is ‘Satan’ just personification—the Bible’s way of referring to an impersonal, evil force in the universe, sort of like “the dark side of the Force” in Star Wars?”

They will tell you that Satan is a real spirit person. Ask them how they know that. Keep drawing them out on this until they show you that Satan did what persons do—he carried on a conversation with Jesus, he planned and carried out supernatural attacks on Job and his family, and the like. The more detail they give you, the better.

Then say, “That’s very similar to my reasons for believing that the Holy Spirit is a person rather than a force. I would like to show you some Bible verses about the Holy Spirit and get your take on them.”

The Holy Spirit is a person (pp. 182-189)

     The Holy Spirit speaks directly (pp. 183-186) 

Throughout the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit is quoted giving instructions and explanations, often using the pronoun “I.” Here are several examples you can have the Witnesses read aloud.

After each one ask, “Can you see why this leads me to conclude that the Holy Spirit is a person, not just an impersonal force?”

  • Acts 13:2-4: To the disciples at Antioch: “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 10:19-20: To Peter in Joppa: “While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”
  • Acts 8:29: To Philip: “The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
  • Acts 21:11: To Agabus: “Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.'”

     The Watchtower explanation

The Watchtower’s explanation for instances in which the Holy Spirit is quoted directly is that it was really Jehovah speaking through human beings, using “holy spirit” like we might use radio waves to send messages over long distances.

Here is how I recommend you refute this explanation:

  • In the Acts 13 statement to the disciples at Antioch, there is no indication that there was a human prophet through whom the Holy Spirit spoke.
  • In the Acts 8 and Acts 10 passages, there was no other person present through whom the Holy Spirit could have spoken.
  • In Acts 21, although Agabus relayed the message, he quoted the Holy Spirit directly as being the one who gave him the words to speak.
  • No one would say, “The radio transmitter said to me…” We would attribute the statements to the person at the other end. In fact, many times in the Bible Jehovah simply speaks directly to people such as Cain and Abraham. So when a passage says, “The Holy Spirit said…” shouldn’t we assume that the Holy Spirit is a person and that he is the one who is being quoted?
  • If a ship’s captain uses the intercom system to give the navigator an order, would the navigator tell his aides, “The ship’s intercom-transmitter-and-receiver-system just said to me, ‘Head for Cyprus immediately and await further instructions’?” Of course not! He would simply say, “The captain just ordered me to…” Similarly, if the Holy Spirit were like an impersonal radio wave, no prophet would say, “The Holy Spirit said…” He would simply say, “Thus says Jehovah…”

 Study Questions

  1. Please read these scriptures, where the Holy Spirit speaks directly to various apostles. How can they help you show Jehovah’s Witnesses that the Holy Spirit is a person, not an impersonal force? (pp. 183-84)
  • Acts 8:29
  • Acts 10:19-20
  • Acts 13:2-4
  • Acts 21:11
  1. How would you answer Jehovah’s Witnesses’ claim that when the Holy Spirit is quoted directly it is really the Father (Jehovah) speaking, much the same was as human beings might use radio waves to communicate over long distances? (pp. 184-186)

 

 

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