Introduction
Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that the Holy Spirit is not a divine Person, but merely Jehovah’s “active force”—his power in action, used to influence and affect creation. According to their official website:
“The holy spirit is God’s power in action, his active force. (Micah 3:8; Luke 1:35) God sends out his spirit by projecting his energy to any place to accomplish his will.—Psalm 104:30; 139:7…
By referring to God’s spirit as his ‘hands,’ ‘fingers,’ or ‘breath,’ the Bible shows that the holy spirit is not a person. (Exodus 15:8, 10)… These comparisons all point to the impersonal nature of the holy spirit.” — What is the Holy Spirit?
Yet this claim stands in stark contrast to the testimony of their own Bible translation, the New World Translation (NWT). This article will demonstrate, using the NWT itself, that the Holy Spirit is not only identified as Jehovah God but is also described as a divine Person possessing all the essential attributes of personhood.
1. The Holy Spirit Is Eternal and Omniscient
Hebrews 9:14: “How much more will the blood of the Christ, who through an everlasting spirit offered himself without blemish to God…”
Isaiah 40:13–14: “Who has taken the measurements of the spirit of Jehovah… Who teaches him knowledge…?”
2. The Holy Spirit Is the Creator and Sustainer of Life
Job 33:4: “God’s own spirit made me, and the Almighty’s own breath brought me to life.”
Psalm 104:29–30: “If you take away their spirit, they die… If you send out your spirit, they are created…”
John 6:63: “It is the spirit that is life-giving…”
2 Corinthians 3:6: “The spirit makes alive.”
Galatians 6:8: “The one sowing… will reap everlasting life from the spirit.”
3. The Holy Spirit Has a Will and Speaks with Authority
1 Corinthians 12:11: “The same spirit… distributing to each one respectively just as it wills.”
Ezekiel 3:24: “Then spirit entered into me… and he spoke to me…”
Ezekiel 11:5: “The spirit of Jehovah came upon me, and he said…”
4. The Holy Spirit Teaches, Guides, and Glorifies Christ
John 14:26: “The holy spirit… will teach you all things…”
John 16:13–15: “He will guide you into all the truth… He will declare to you the things to come.”
5. The Holy Spirit Commands and Appoints
Acts 13:2: “The spirit said: ‘Set aside for me Barnabas and Saul…’”
Acts 13:4: “Sent out by the holy spirit…”
Acts 20:28: “The holy spirit has appointed you overseers…”
6. The Holy Spirit Bears the Divine Name
Matthew 28:19: “Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit.”
This verse affirms that the Holy Spirit shares the divine name with the Father and the Son. If the Father’s name is Jehovah, then the Spirit must also bear that name. Why would an impersonal force be named at all?
7. The Holy Spirit Speaks Prophetic Revelation
Acts 1:16: “The holy spirit spoke prophetically through David…”
Acts 11:28: “Agabus… foretold through the spirit…”
Acts 20:23: “The holy spirit repeatedly bears witness to me…”
Acts 21:11: “Thus says the holy spirit…”
1 Peter 1:11: “The spirit within them… testified beforehand…”
8. The Holy Spirit Exhibits Emotion and Can Be Tested
Isaiah 63:10: “They rebelled and grieved his holy spirit…”
Ephesians 4:30: “Do not be grieving God’s holy spirit…”
Hebrews 10:29: “Who has outraged the spirit… with contempt?”
Micah 2:7: “Has the spirit of Jehovah become impatient?”
Acts 5:9: “Why… make a test of the spirit of Jehovah?”
9. The Holy Spirit Bears Witness and Can Be Lied To
John 15:26–27: “The spirit of the truth… will bear witness about me.”
Acts 5:32: “So is the holy spirit, which God has given…”
Acts 5:3–4: “You have lied… to the holy spirit… You have lied… to God.”
10. The Holy Spirit Exercises Discernment
Acts 15:28: “The holy spirit and we ourselves have favored…”
The Spirit makes decisions alongside apostles and elders—individuals whom Jehovah’s Witnesses affirm as persons. This cannot be dismissed as mere personification.
Conclusion
The evidence from the New World Translation is overwhelming: the Holy Spirit is portrayed as a divine Person, not an impersonal force. He possesses the attributes of deity and personhood, speaks with authority, acts with intention, and interacts with believers and prophets alike. He bears the name of God, reveals the will of God, and executes the work of God.
Jehovah’s Witnesses cannot dismiss these passages as mere metaphors without undermining the integrity of Scripture itself. The Spirit is not depicted in isolation, but in communion with other persons—apostles, prophets, and Jehovah himself.
Therefore, we must conclude that the Holy Spirit is Jehovah God—distinct from the Father and the Son, yet fully divine and eternally personal.
Lord Jesus willing, I intend to address further and refute the common objections raised by Jehovah’s Witnesses against the personhood of the Holy Spirit in future posts. Until then, may this study serve as a clear and faithful witness to the truth of God’s Word.
Discover more from Lord Jesus Christ Reigns
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.