Feel free to contact me if you think I could add to this list or clarify any of the points. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list or a detailed defense. It is simply a way for you to know what I believe. To see a more exhaustive overview of my beliefs, I hold to most of what is in the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith.
- The traditional 66 books of the canon to be the infallible, inerrant Word of God as contained in their original autographs.
- The one God is the Father/YHWH alone, from whom all things derive their existence. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is eternally distinct from the Father. And there is the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and likewise eternally distinct.
- Salvation comes only through Jesus and His atoning work. It is by faith alone (which necessarily includes repentance) in Jesus that results in eternal life.
- Works are essential for the Christian in demonstrating that Christ has saved them. However, it is not the works that save, but Christ’s atonement and imputed righteousness.
- The Bible is the sole, infallible rule of faith for the church.
- The man Jesus Christ will return again physically to this earth and will establish His kingdom here.
- There will also be a physical resurrection of the dead, just as Christ’s resurrection was physical.
- I believe what is commonly referred to as “Reformed Soteriology.” That is, God is fully sovereign and will accomplish salvation for all those for whom He intends.
- The Genesis creation account describes events that took place in an undefined period of time (i.e. the creation of the heavens and the earth) followed by 6 literal days of proclamations. The fulfillment of these proclamations are an undefined period of time. Therefore, I do not believe the age of the earth can be determined by the Biblical text.
- I am an orthodox preterist in that I believe most of the Olivet Discourse and the book of Revelation was fulfilled in the events leading up to the destruction in 70 A.D. Events yet to be fulfilled include the physical resurrection and final judgment.
- The New Covenant consists of both Jews and Gentiles. Therefore, there is currently no distinct plan of salvation for the Jews. Therefore, all Christians (whether ethnic Jew or Gentile) are “true Jews” and Abraham’s true descendants through faith in Christ.
- Final punishment is eternal in duration and may include a period of conscious torment for some.
MJF APOLOGETICS 
Do I understand you to say you believe in the Trinity?
Yes, I do
Sorry but the Bible does not teach that God is made up of three Gods in one. Can you show us where Jesus said that God is made up of three Gods in one ?
Can you show us where any of the disciples said that God is made up of three Gods in one ?
And as the foundation doctrine of the Trinity is that all three are co-equal, can you show us where Jesus said that all three are EQUAL ? Can you
show us where any of the Bible writers stated that all three are equal !
I agree with the trinty and I am Catholic… any time you want to talk about this contact me many issues I am looking forward to hearing back from you…
Hello Liz, thanks for your comment. What would you like to discuss specifically as it relates to the Trinity?
Hi Michael,.How was Matthew 24 completed when Jesus is asked about the signs of the end of the world?
Hello Michael, thanks for your question. Regarding Matthew 24, that’s the very thing in question isn’t it? In other words, was Jesus being asked about the end of the world or the destruction of the temple? To be fair, to the Jew, the destruction of the temple may have been equivalent to the “end of the world.” But whichever the case, Jesus’ answers following clears up the misunderstandings; namely, that the events leading up to the destruction of the temple were to happen in their lifetime. i.e. “this generation” (Matt. 24:34)
Hi Michael Doyle,
It was both. The disciples were asking about the destruction of the temple AND the end of this world. Here is what he said ” Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him in private and asked, “When will this happen? What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world?”
So it was a TWO part question. Jesus went on to tell them that there would be earthquakes and famine and wars etc…..Then in verse 14 Jesus said “and this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come”
So now it is about saving peoples lives and helping them to avoid going down with this world.
Enjoyed you video and the spirit in which you approach Jehovah’s Witnesses. Since every doctrine which is unique/original to Watchtower religion is in fact extra-biblical, these are the teachings most effectively questioned. I noticed you did not mention your view of final punishment in your belief section. Do you believe in the immortality of the soul?
Hello Rick,
Thank you for your comments. There are many things that I didn’t mention in my list, and that’s why I linked to the 1689 London Baptist Confession. But to answer your question directly, I don’t prefer to use the phrase “immortality of the soul.” Rather, I would like to just say that i’m a dualist who believes that there is an immaterial component of man separate from his physical body that survives death and awaits judgment or eternal life.
Hi again Michael,
Interesting answer.
I believe the scriptural position is:
– God alone has immortality (I Timothy 6: 15-16)
– Although we have eternal life/Jesus now, we seek immortality (Romans 2:7)
– True believers will be raised immortal (I Corinthians 15: 53-54)
Hi Rick-
Thank you for your thoughts, and I would agree with you in how you stated it.
Hi Michael
Based on your full preterist understanding of Matthew 24, Jesus’ parousia occured in the first century. So how do you see history wrapping up without a future parousia?
I believe that Jesus warned that the second coming would not happen during the siege and the aftermath, that unlike the destruction of Jerusalem, no man would know the timing, it would happen during normal times, no running would be necessary, the saints would be taken, it would be a snare on the whole earth rather than a local catastrophe. (Verse 36 on)
Hi Rick-
I still believe in a future parousia per the resurrection in 1 Cor. 15. But I don’t think that is necessarily the same parousia as mentioned in Matt. 24. I just don’t see any good reason to think that Matt. 24 has anything to do with the 2nd coming. Instead, I use other texts to establish the 2nd coming.
Hello Michael,
Are you a Young-Earth-creationist?
I don’t take a position on the age of the earth. I don’t believe the Bible teaches a young or old earth. That’s something only science can determine.
But in your beliefs section you state that God made all things around 6000 years ago.
Yes, I need to change that. I didn’t realize I still had that on there. I do believe the days are literal 24 hour days though.
I notice that you say you hold to ” 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith.” and yet they use the cross in their worship, so I do hole you do not follow the use of the PAGAN cross !
The instrument that Jesus died on was just that, a torture instrument, and all the evidence points to the fact that Jesus did not doe on a cross but rather a “upright pole of stake” !
An important reason is that Jesus Christ did not die on a cross. The Greek word generally translated “cross” is stau·ros′. It basically means “an upright pale or stake.” The Companion Bible points out: “[Stau·ros′] never means two pieces of timber placed across one another at any angle. There is nothing in the Greek of the [New Testament] even to imply two pieces of timber.” In several texts, Bible writers use another word for the instrument of Jesus’ death. It is the Greek word xy′lon. (Acts 5:30; 10:39; 13:29; Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 2:24) This word simply means “timber” or “a stick, club, or tree.”
The most convincing proof of all, however, comes from God’s Word. The apostle Paul says: “Christ by purchase released us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse instead of us, because it is written: ‘Accursed is every man hanged upon a stake [“a tree,” King James Version].’” (Galatians 3:13) Here Paul quotes Deuteronomy 21:22, 23, which clearly refers to a stake, not a cross.
Since such a means of execution made the person “a curse,” it would not be proper for Christians to decorate their homes with images of Christ impaled. So if there was a chance that this is true it means that people are putting Jesus onto a pagan symbol!
If you did have the truth you would NOT follow this pagan tradition.
Yes, of course the cross is Pagan. It was a means of death from the Pagan Romans. But it turns out that it was a stake rather than a cross…my faith isn’t phased either way.
Yes the fact speak for themselves as JW’s are the only people as a whole who preach the good news of the Kingdom. I read the Bible before becoming a TRUE Christian, and so your false teaching that Jesus is God is what would put me off your teaching as does the false teaching of Salvation comes only through Jesus and His atoning work. It is by faith alone ( a quote form your website) Therein lies the problem, YOU critique others for the way they preach the Kingdom and yet you have MAJOR false teachings You are like the person Jesus mentioned who say “allow me to remove the straw from your eye, while you have a HUGE rafter in your !
So then lets put it to the test then shall we, YOU say Salvation comes only through Jesus and His atoning work. It is by faith alone, and TRUE Christians will tell you that faith without works is dead , and that faith must be backed up by good works. Please read Heb 9:5 which says “And after he had been made perfect,j he became responsible for everlasting salvation to all those obeying him,”
So the question we can ask ourselves is, “WHAT are some of the things Jesus commanded or told us to do ? Well, he told us to go out and make disciples, he commanded us to have love among each other, and he commanded us to remember his death when he instituted the “lords evening meal” and there are other commands that came from him, so the question is this ” if we do not obey Jesus in what he told us to do, THEN WHAT ? YOUR TURN !
Could you define using the scriptures what the “good news” is?
I think you know what the good news is, Matt 24:14 And this gospel (good news) of the kingdom will be proclaimed in the whole earth, for a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come” God will only bring the end WHEN the good news of the Kingdom has been preached in all the earth, it is one of the most important signs making the end. I only see JW’s all around the earth doing so !
Is that your only scriptural definition of the good news? I.e. “the kingdom”? I just want to make sure I’m understanding you correctly.
When it comes to the “good news of the Kingdom” then that is the very one we are talking about, the GOOD NEWS of the KINGDOM, the very one true Christians will be preaching about before the end comes !
I’m sorry, but you are missing an essential component of the good news even after I gave you the opportunity to provide scripture and clarification. If your “good news” doesn’t include the death, burial, resurrection, and appearances of the risen Christ as the means of salvation, then you are preaching “a different gospel” that Paul warned about Gal. 1:6-9. But here is specifically how Paul defines the good news and ties it to salvation. He also expresses it “as of FIRST IMPORTANCE.” So why aren’t JWs preaching this message as first and foremost?
“Now I make known to you, brothers, the gospel which I proclaimed as good news to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I proclaimed to you as good news, unless you believed for nothing.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures”
(1 Corinthians 15:1-4)
The problem is that you are NOT understanding the simple truth of the “Good news of the Kingdom” and WHAT the Kingdom is. I did not need to explain in detail just what the Kingdom is and what it does for us, but as you ask !
When Jesus said “this good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the earth” that is what he said, you need to ask yourself WHAT is the Kingdom that Jesus spoke of as it is NOT simply heaven ! Of course the Kingdom encompasses so much, and we have a lot to look forward to as to what that Kingdom will do for mankind and the earth !
And when you read 1 Cor 15 where Jesus hands over the Kingdom to his God Yehovah, he would have brought to an end death and suffering, here you are 1 Cor 15:24
Next, the end, when he hands over the Kingdom to his God and Father, when he has brought to nothing all government and all authority and power.
This is the very Kingdom that Daniel wrote about at Dan 2 when it clearly tell us that “in those days” (time of the end) God will set up a KINGDOM that will crush and put an end to all these Kingdoms (human kingdoms) and it will stand to time indefinite. This is the Kingdom TRUE Christians preach, this is the Kingdom Jesus said would be preached before the end comes ! This is the Kingdom which will rule over the earth when he returns in all Kingdom power to bring an end to this evil world , to this world in which Satan is the ruler (1 John).
This is the Kingdom which Jesus taught us to pray for, when he said “let you Kingdom COME” this is God instrument that he uses to bring peace and life back to this world, this is the Kingdom that he set up for the purpose of reuniting mankind. And when Jesus returns as KING of that Kingdom, he will execute judgement on this earth, he will bring an end to death and man made kingdoms and rulers. We only have one world, we only need ONE Kingdom government ! Then as 1 Cor 15 Vs 28 tell us, “the Son himself will also subject himself to the One who subjected all things to him, that God may be all things to everyone” The TRUTH is there, you just need to search for it !
If you really want to talk about the kingdom, let’s talk about the fact that there is no biblical basis whatsoever for the 1914 date as Jesus’ reign as king.
Not sure why you are going on about dates for ? You asked for an explanation of the Kingdom, and what it is that we preach about it, so please stick to one topic at a time. If you want to talk about WHEN the Kingdom was established then that is another subject.
When you answer the question I left you with about PROOF from the Bible alone, that the holy spirit is God and is equal to God, then maybe I will entertain your question, AFTER ALL, it is YOU who says in your bio ” feel free to contact me if you need any points clarifying, and so I do, so now it is over to you to clarify your stance on the Trinity !
Actually, what I asked you for was a definition of the gospel, but your answer said nothing about Paul’s definition provided in 1 Cor. 15:1-4. But to your point, I’m not “going on about dates” other than pointing out how foundational 1914 is to the JW understanding of the kingdom. To emphasize how important it is to JW theology, consider the fact that WT connects the gospel to 1914. So I don’t think I’m out of line at all to bring it up in a discussion on the kingdom.
“Let the honest-hearted person compare the kind of preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom done by the religious systems of Christendom during all the centuries with that done by Jehovah’s Witnesses since the end of World War I in 1918. They are not one and the same kind. That of Jehovah’s Witnesses is really “gospel,” or “good news,” as of God’s heavenly kingdom that was established by the enthronement of his Son Jesus Christ at the end of the Gentile Times in 1914. (Luke 21:24)” -w81 5/1 p. 17
And not ONCE did you dispute what the “Good news of the Kingdom is” all I see you doing is trying to force your ideology onto the truth of the Bible and WHAT the Kingdom is and just WHY it is the “Good news of the Kingdom”. Typical tactics used by those who do not really know just what the Kingdom is. And that is why my friend, YOU do not preach much about it as you cannot preach what you DO NOT know.
You need to spend more time out there in the real world giving people the TRUE hope rather than in your virtual online world , spending all your time on trying to fault-find other religions. Maybe you ought to take your own advice and do what I did before becoming a Christian, and that is to read the Bible with open eyes !
Jesus said “go out and make disciples” not sit behind a PC and critique others. I think you are totally disobeying Jesus command by your distorted way of trying to preach the Gospel ! There are many people out there drowning in the sea of mankind, so please do what Jesus commanded us to do and try and save them rather than sitting there on your boat arguing that your lifeboat is the right one, and that the lifeboat others use is wrong, and that your is the right one, and others will not be saved getting onto the liferaft of others. Untie your liferaft, go out into the sea of mankind and try and at least save some !
I have to smile when I see people like you putting in so much effort in trying to disprove others and ignoring the REAL lifesaving work. I preach the real message of hope and recently I am calling on people who have lost all hope, even from the main churches, and many are listening to us, and it is great, it is rich pickings for us, and where are all the other so called Christians ? Sitting at home looking after number one !
You might benefit from reading 1 Tim 4:16
Obviously, I’m not disputing the “Good news of the kingdom,” because that is what Jesus taught. And the good news of the kingdom is that Jesus has had “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matt. 28) since the first century, and he continues to have it and will someday return in judgment (Acts 17:31). This and for many other reasons are why JWs are preaching a false gospel. And that’s why I brought up 1 Cor. 15:1-4 where Paul explicitly defines the gospel, which I don’t think you responded to. I’m not going to respond to the other things you said because it involves me personally, and I don’t care about what you think of me personally.
You say to contact you if to clarify any points, so I have one. You say “I hold to most of what is in the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith.” which means accepting that Jesus is fully God, so please then answer the following:
If Jesus is God then why did he say “I am going back to MY GOD and MY FATHER ? So WHO is the God of Jesus, and what is his name, when you find the answer to that question then you will see the TRUTH behind WHO God is !
Jesus backed up that belief when in prayer to his heavenly father said,…””This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ. John 17: 3. Notice how he calls his father the ONLY TRUE GOD!
The first century Christians taught the same when they preached for example 1 Cor 15: 24-28 where we see in Vs 24 that Jesus has a GOD AND FATHER and that in Vs 28 he SUBJECTS himself to his God & Father!
SOME do say however, that Jesus does address God as his God and his father because he was A MAN however one of the clearest scripture which shows that Jesus is NOT God is Rev 3:12 where we see Jesus as NOT a man but back in heaven:
“The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. New International Version ………So WHO is the God of Jesus and what is his name ?
Please read Rev 1:1 which says: “a revelation from Jesus which GOD GAVE HIM”
So WHO is the God Of Jesus, and what is his name ?
It is very strange, your way of preaching, correct me if I am wrong but I seem to remember Jesus COMMANDING us to “
Go, therefore, and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you”
I do NOT see much (if any) of YOU teaching people to observe all the things Jesus commanded us ? but rather what I see is someone who thinks that the command at Matt 28 is to simply just pull down others ! You really need to heed what it says at Heb 5:9 which says “And after he had been made perfect,j he became responsible for everlasting salvation to all those obeying him,”
It really does look like you’re not obeying Jesus in the command he gave to “teach others all the things he commanded ”
You say in your bio at the top of the page to contact you for clarification. So here is my question:
You accept the Trinity teachng. Well up until the time of Christ Jews did not (and still do not) believe in the Trinity, OK, so now we get to the time of Jesus and the new Christian congregation, and now Jews according to your beliefs, are having to accept the Trinity, and as I understand it the Trinity is that There is God the father, God the SOn and God the holy spirit, and that all three are “co-equal, co-eternal and co-omniscient .
Right, so can you show me ONE verse from the Bible that clearly tells us that the holy spirit is equal to God ? Or one verse that clearly says that the holy spirit is God ? And I am not talking about Matt 28 where all 3 are mentioned in the same verse or about lying to the holy spirit, but please can you show us all where it CLEARLY tells us that the holy spirit is equal to God and is God ?
Will await your reply. Thanks
Still waiting for you to defend YOUR Trinity ?????
I’ve provided this several times, but here it is again:
In the Hebrew Scriptures, the Spirit was so closely connected with Yahweh that no Jew imagined this Spirit was something other than Jehovah’s presence.
“The Spirit of Yahweh will rest on Him” (Isaiah 11:2)
“Who has encompassed the Spirit of Yahweh, or as His counselor has informed Him” (Isaiah 40:13)?
The Spirit was simply the manifestation or extension of God’s presence.
If this is the case, how would we decide if this Spirit is personal or impersonal? If the Spirit does things only a person would do, then the Holy Spirit is a person. While examples can be provided from the Hebrew Scriptures, the Christian Scriptures have the strongest support. The Spirit speaks (Acts 13:2, Gal. 4:6), testifies (John 15:26), hears and guides (John 16:13-14), prays (Rom. 8:26-27), has knowledge of God and man (1 Cor. 2:10-11), loves (Rom. 15:30), distributes spiritual gifts and has a will (1 Cor. 12:11), can be sinned against (Mark 3:29-30), and can be insulted (Heb. 10:29).
What about the divinity or deity of the Spirit (or lack thereof)? Here we see some of the most unique attributes of God being said of the Spirit.
“You also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit” (Eph. 2:22).
“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence” (Psalm 139:7)?
“The depths of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.” (1 Cor. 2:11).
“The eternal Spirit” (Heb. 9:14).
Well, you managed to show that the spirit works with God and through God but did NOT prove the underlying foundation of the Trinity which is:
That all three are co-equal, co-eternal and co-omniscient.
All you did was to show that Yehovah (not Yahweh) uses HIS spirit. I did NOT ask you to prove if the holy spirit was a person or not, what I asked YOU to provide was a clear scripture that clearly shows us that the HS is EQUAL to God?
You assume a lot, so I will ask you once again for a clear scripture that tells us that the HS is EQUAL to God ? You seem to have no problem in showing verses in which you try to prove Jesus is equal to God and is God such as John 1 and Heb etc……but you seem to be a bit thin on the ground in showing us clear Biblical proof that the holy spirit is EQUAL to God. Simply saying it is implied does not cut it with those who actually study Gods word without wearing Trinity glasses. So the hunt goes on for someone to show us a clear Bible verse that clearly tells us the the holy spirit is EQUAL to God.
I don’t think you understand what is meant by “equality” as it relates to the Trinity. No, the word “equal” is not used with regards to the Holy Spirit. However, what is meant by it is an equality of nature (or essence), meaning that the Holy Spirit possesses all the attributes God has. And the reason I brought up personhood is because it refutes the notion that HS is an impersonal force. If you’d like, I can share with you more scriptures regarding HS having the same attributes as God? I already shared some of those, but I wasn’t attempting to provide an exhaustive answer to your inquiry. Honestly, I hesitate to spend much more time talking to you as I have because you have personally insulted and attacked me.
OK, so then we do NOT see anywhere where it tells us that the HS is co-equal to God, that is an assumption made by you and those attempting to defend the foundation dogma of the Trinity that all three are co-equal.
I do find it amazing that you advocate reading the Bible and letting the Bible guide us, and yet you try to defend something that does not come out in scripture !
If one is going to defend a teaching then it has to be clearly demonstrated by scripture, and thus there is no scripture which clearly teaches us that all three are co-equal !
So when we read God’s word we do not see any verse in the Bible that Jesus is co-equal either, unless you know where Jesus or the disciples said that Jesus was co-equal with his father ?
It’s not an “assumption,” and I provided a basis for it through the attributes God has which are shared with the HS, such as eternality. I don’t think the word “equal” has to be used in scripture for this to be the case. So let me ask you a question. Can you prove using scripture alone that men and women are equal? I think you’ll have a hard time doing so if you require the word “equal” to be there in a specific verse.
You mention that the HS is often referred to as a person, then please note what many non-biased translators say:
Please do not skip over but read carefully:
In the Hebrew Scriptures, the word most frequently used for “spirit” is ru’ach, meaning “breath; wind; spirit.” Having a similar meaning in the Greek Scriptures, the word is pneu’ma.
The way that the Bible uses the term “holy spirit” indicates that it is God’s active force that He uses to accomplish a variety of His purposes. He can use his spirit to create, to pull down, to inspire, to strengthen, to destroy and so he uses HIS holy spirit to communicate. Jehovah does NOT have a physical body like we do, and so when he talks to us he will use HIS holy spirit .
Genesis 1:2 says that “God’s active force [“spirit” (Hebrew, ru’ach)] was moving to and fro over the surface of the waters.” This shows that God’s spirit was his active force working to form the earth.The Holy Spirit is God’s active force. There is no biblical evidence that the impersonal, nameless Holy Spirit is a person.
Note what this Trinitarian publication admits about the Holy Spirit:
“The majority of NT texts reveal God’s spirit as someTHING, not someone” – New Catholic Encyclopedia, p. 575, Vol. 13, 1967
The Holy Spirit is not God. In fact, the biblical evidence supports just the opposite:
1) The holy spirit is an “IT“. (Num. 11:25) Also, Acts 2:33 calls the Holy Spirit “that” (or “this” in other versions) which according to the KJV New Testament Greek lexicon is a thing, not a person……Since when do we ever hear of a person being called an “it” you do not use the pronoun “IT” to refer to a person now do we. ! Have you ever heard Jesus being referred to as an “IT”
Even TRINITARIAN publications admit that the H.S. is NOT a person: “In the OT the Holy Spirit means a divine power …” – p. 269, The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1976.
“On the whole, the New Testament, like the Old, speaks of the Spirit as a divine energy or power.” – A Catholic Dictionary
The fact that the holy spirit is personified does NOT mean it is a person, for example, in the Bible WISDOM is said to cry out in the street, it is spoken of as having children, so does that make wisdom a person ? Death is said to rule over mankind, and to be our master, but no one would say that death is a real person !
Furthermore, the inspired NT Greek writers used a different gender when they mention the holy spirit ! This is enough to prove it is not a person. But even more importantly this different gender for “Holy Spirit” (and its pronouns) is the neuter gender. This proves grammatically, all by itself, that Holy Spirit simply is not a person! Any good NT Greek lexicon that shows the gender of words will show that “Spirit” is neuter. Also see John 14:17 in the trinitarian interlinear New Testament, The Zondervan Parallel New Testament in Greek and English, 1980: “the Spirit of truth which [ o – neut. – p. 173, Machen] the world cannot receive, because it beholds not it [the Spirit] nor knows [it]; ye know it [the Spirit]”!
When Stephen was given a vision of heaven he saw only TWO, he saw Jesus sitting at the right hand of God, no mention of the HS here !Yehovah expects us to be modest when walking with him, and so when he shows you the truth behind what the HS is, he expects us to accept it and so we need to worship God with TRUTH !
It is a shame that so many offshoots of what was the main church have broken free of her and yet still have NOT broken FREE of her influence but still have the baggage ! Rev 18 tells us to have nothing to do with Babylon the great, where this Trinity teaching comes from, and God warns us that we will share with her in her plagues if we continue to support her !
I actually provided reasons and specific scriptures show in the HS to be a person. If you actually want to discuss this, then please interact with what I’ve said on it thus far. And then I can potentially address what you said here.
And the EncyclopediaBritannicaMicropaedia, 1985 ed., Vol. 6, p. 22 says:
“The Hebrew word ruah (usually translated `spirit’) is often found in texts referring to the free and unhindered activity of God, …. There was, however, no explicit belief in a separate divine person in Biblical Judaism; in fact, the New Testament itself is not entirely clear in this regard….
“The definition that the Holy Spirit was a distinct divine Person equal in substance to the Father and the Son and not subordinate to them came at the Council of Constantinople inAD381….
An Encyclopedia of Religion agrees:
“In the New Testament there is no direct suggestion of the Trinity. The Spirit is conceived as an impersonal power by which God effects his will through Christ.” – p. 344, Virgilius Ferm, 1945 ed.
Even the trinitarian New Bible Dictionary tells us: “It is important to realize that for the first Christians the Spirit was thought of in terms of divine power.” – p. 1139, Tyndale House Publishers, 1984.
And the respected (and trinitarian) New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology confirms:
“As in earlier Jewish thought, pneuma [`spirit’] denotes that power which man experiences as relating him to the spiritual realm of reality which lies beyond ordinary observation and human control. Within this broad definition pneuma has a fairly wide range of meaning. But by far the most frequent use of pneuma in the NT (more than 250 times) is as a reference to the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, that power which is most immediately of God as to source and nature.” – p. 693.
“The Spirit in the Pauline Letters. [p. 700] …. It is important to realize that for Paul too the Spirit is a divine power whose impact upon or entrance into a life is discernible by its effects.” – pp. 693-701, Vol. 3, Zondervan, 1986
I’m betting that you didn’t actually read any of those sources you cited from.
You mention that the HS can only do things that a person can do, well then you miss the point altogether, that Yehovah is NOT a physical person and is NOT limited by what he can and cannot do !
Please do not skip over but read carefully:
In the Hebrew Scriptures, the word most frequently used for “spirit” is ru’ach, meaning “breath; wind; spirit.” Having a similar meaning in the Greek Scriptures, the word is pneu’ma.
The way that the Bible uses the term “holy spirit” indicates that it is God’s active force that He uses to accomplish a variety of His purposes. He can use his spirit to create, to pull down, to inspire, to strengthen, to destroy and so he uses HIS holy spirit to communicate. Jehovah does NOT have a physical body like we do, and so when he talks to us he will use HIS holy spirit .
Genesis 1:2 says that “God’s active force [“spirit” (Hebrew, ru’ach)] was moving to and fro over the surface of the waters.” This shows that God’s spirit was his active force working to form the earth.The Holy Spirit is God’s active force. There is no biblical evidence that the impersonal, nameless Holy Spirit is a person.
Note what this Trinitarian publication admits about the Holy Spirit:
“The majority of NT texts reveal God’s spirit as someTHING, not someone” – New Catholic Encyclopedia, p. 575, Vol. 13, 1967
The Holy Spirit is not God. In fact, the biblical evidence supports just the opposite:
1) The holy spirit is an “IT“. (Num. 11:25) Also, Acts 2:33 calls the Holy Spirit “that” (or “this” in other versions) which according to the KJV New Testament Greek lexicon is a thing, not a person……Since when do we ever hear of a person being called an “it” you do not use the pronoun “IT” to refer to a person now do we. ! Have you ever heard Jesus being referred to as an “IT”
Even TRINITARIAN publications admit that the H.S. is NOT a person: “In the OT the Holy Spirit means a divine power …” – p. 269, The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1976.
“On the whole, the New Testament, like the Old, speaks of the Spirit as a divine energy or power.” – A Catholic Dictionary
The fact that the holy spirit is personified does NOT mean it is a person, for example, in the Bible WISDOM is said to cry out in the street, it is spoken of as having children, so does that make wisdom a person ? Death is said to rule over mankind, and to be our master, but no one would say that death is a real person !
Furthermore, the inspired NT Greek writers used a different gender when they mention the holy spirit ! This is enough to prove it is not a person. But even more importantly this different gender for “Holy Spirit” (and its pronouns) is the neuter gender. This proves grammatically, all by itself, that Holy Spirit simply is not a person! Any good NT Greek lexicon that shows the gender of words will show that “Spirit” is neuter. Also see John 14:17 in the trinitarian interlinear New Testament, The Zondervan Parallel New Testament in Greek and English, 1980: “the Spirit of truth which [ o – neut. – p. 173, Machen] the world cannot receive, because it beholds not it [the Spirit] nor knows [it]; ye know it [the Spirit]”!
When Stephen was given a vision of heaven he saw only TWO, he saw Jesus sitting at the right hand of God, no mention of the HS here !Yehovah expects us to be modest when walking with him, and so when he shows you the truth behind what the HS is, he expects us to accept it and so we need to worship God with TRUTH !
It is a shame that so many offshoots of what was the main church have broken free of her and yet still have NOT broken FREE of her influence but still have the baggage ! Rev 18 tells us to have nothing to do with Babylon the great, where this Trinity teaching comes from, and God warns us that we will share with her in her plagues if we continue to support her !
I’m not arguing that “person” means physical. But since you argue all throughout that HS is not a person, can you provide for me a very specific definition of what criteria entails a person?