Keith Sharp | Answering The Watchtower Society
The Watchtower denies the Holy Spirit is a rational being. “With this viewpoint, it is logical to conclude that the holy spirit is the active force of God. It is not a person but is a powerful force that God causes to emanate from himself to accomplish his holy will” (Reasoning from the Scriptures. 381). The Holy Spirit is a divine person. He is a person. This doesn’t mean that He possesses a physical body (Luke 24:36-40) but that He is “a being characterized by conscious apprehension, rationality, and a moral sense” (Webster’s Third New International Dictionary [unabridged]. 2:1686). Christ referred to Him as a person ten times in thee verses (John 16:13-15). He possesses the characteristics of a person: knowledge and will (1 Corinthians 2:11). He does the work of a person. He forbids (Acts 16:6-7), searches (1 Corinthians 2:10), teaches (1 Corinthians 2:13), and speaks (1 Timothy 4:1). He also suffers the slights and injuries of a person. He can be lied to (Acts 5:3), grieved (Ephesians 4:30), and insulted (Hebrews 10:29). The Holy Spirit is divine, i.e., deity. Peter called Him God (Acts 5:1-4). He possesses the attributes of deity. He is all-present (Psalm 139:7-10), all-knowing (1 Corinthians 2:10-11), and eternal (Hebrews 9:14). He also does the work of deity: creation (Genesis 1:1-2), providence of nature (Psalm 104:30), and miracles (Matthew 12:28; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11). Truly, the Holy Spirit is a divine person.
