Since the release of the movie Star Wars in 1977 thousands of men, women and children have wished that they could be real life Jedi. In the movies the Jedi possessed special powers through the use of The Force. The Force is described as an impersonal energy which permeates everything in the universe. With the right ability this energy can be tapped into through training and can be used to do incredible things. Through The Force the Jedi are able to manipulate and levitate objects, fight people, influence people's thoughts and even see the future.
Throughout history many people have viewed the Holy Spirit as somewhat similar to The Force. In their view the Holy Spirit is an impersonal force or energy of God's power through which God works in the universe. According to this view the Holy Spirit is not a person and has no will or emotions, it is only an impersonal force or energy like electricity or gravity. One such modern group that teaches this view are the Jehovah's Witnesses. They speak of the Holy Spirit as 'God's Active Force.' They have even adjusted their translation of the Bible to reflect this belief. This view is in direct contradiction to the words of Jesus and the teaching of Scripture and springs from a denial of the Trinity.
Instead, we find in Scripture that the Holy Spirit is a distinct person within the Trinity with emotions, a will, thoughts and intelligence. As a distinct person in the Trinity the Holy Spirit shares the same essence with God the Father and God the Son making Him equally God.
Consider a few examples from Scripture. In the chilling story in Acts 5 Ananias and Sapphira sell a property that they own. Rather than give everything from the proceeds of the property to the poor they keep some of the proceeds for themselves. This itself is not sinful but, desiring to appear more righteous and receive the approval of others, they decide to deceive the other believers by lying about giving the whole amount. The consequences are dire. Peter rebukes Ananias for the lie and Ananias is struck dead.
Notice especially Peter's words in verse 3: "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?"
Notice that Peter's rebuke is that Ananias has lied to the Holy Spirit. This is his great sin for which he is struck dead. This prompts the question, how can someone lie to a force or energy?
Sapphira is given a similar rebuke with a similar result. Peter asks her how she could agree to test the Spirit of the Lord and she is struck dead also.
This is not the only place in the New Testament where the Holy Spirit is described in these personal terms. In Ephesians 4 Paul commands the believers not to "grieve the Holy Spirit." You cannot grieve a force or an energy. To be grieved is a deeply personal emotion. Only a personal Holy Spirit could experience such an emotion.
Jesus also describes the Holy Spirit in personal terms. When Jesus is telling His disciples about how He will send the Holy Spirit to them after He ascends into heaven He describes the Holy Spirit not as an it but as a He. At least 8 times in this passage Jesus describes the Holy Spirit as He or Him, both personal terms used for a personal being.
We could look at countless other examples of the Holy Spirit being described as a “person” and doing things that only a personal being could do. We can take great comfort in this. The Holy Spirit is not some kind of force, He is a person, a member of the trinity who is loving, kind and gracious to us just as the Father and the Son are. The Holy Spirit is just as interested and involved in the work of redemption and is intimately interested in working in our lives. Praise God!
Word Moment
Having an accurate Bible translation is vital to proper study and growth in God's word. Some translations, like the Jehovah's Witness's New World Translation have been deliberately mistranslated in order to support their own teachings and presuppositions. Be careful of accepting things that they read from their translation of the Bible. Instead, you should always verify what they are teaching against an accurate English translation like the NIV, NASB and ESV amongst others. You can be confident that English translations like this are accurate to the original and more than sufficient for study.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
- Why does it matter that the Holy Spirit is a person and not just a force or energy? What practical implications do you think that this view would have?
- Are there any other passages you can think of that describe the Holy Spirit in personal terms? (Hint: there are a lot) See if you can write a list as a group so that you can be prepared next time you get a knock on the door.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
- Praise God the Holy Spirit that He is not only an impersonal force but is a personal being who is deeply interested in caring for His people. Pray that He would be working powerfully in you so that you might grow in your love for Him and be more like Christ.
- Pray for the many small, country Presbyterian churches throughout Australia. Pray that they might be encouraged as they seek to grow in their faith together. Pray that they would have a passion and heart for those who are lost and that they would be taking advantage of every opportunity to share Him.
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