{"id":88015,"date":"2025-06-22T16:11:55","date_gmt":"2025-06-22T21:11:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=88015"},"modified":"2025-06-22T16:11:55","modified_gmt":"2025-06-22T21:11:55","slug":"is-the-holy-spirit-just-the-force-of-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-the-holy-spirit-just-the-force-of-god\/","title":{"rendered":"Is the Holy Spirit Just the Force of God?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

by Terry Wane Benton<\/p>\n

I was told that there is an argument circulating that the Holy Spirit is not a person but a force. To get around there being Three Persons in the Godhead, it is argued that the Holy Spirit is not a personal being but merely the force<\/em> of God. Let’s think and test this by the scriptures (Acts 17:11).<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The Holy Spirit can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30). Can we grieve a mere force<\/em>?<\/li>\n
  2. Jesus said “When He the Spirit of truth has come<\/em>” (calling Him a “He” not an “it”) that “He will guide you into all truth<\/em>” (John 16:13). Jesus said “He will not speak on His own authority, but what he hears <\/b>He will speak<\/strong><\/em>.” Thus, Jesus did not believe that the Holy Spirit is merely a force, but a personal being that both hears and speaks.<\/li>\n
  3. Jesus said the Father will send <\/b>the Holy Spirit (John 14:26) in Jesus’ name. You don’t send a mere force in the name of another. You always send a messenger in the name of another. This messenger will teach <\/b>you all things. Thus, again, a personal teacher, not an inanimate force. The Holy Spirit would testify <\/b>of Jesus (John 15:26). A mere force does not testify.<\/li>\n
  4. The Holy Spirit is never spoken of as a mere force and is always spoken of as a person. Some things are indeed personified, though they are not possessors of real personality. For example, wisdom is personified as a companion in the book of Proverbs. So, wisdom is personified. So, how do we know that the Holy Spirit is not just the force of God personified? All of the above points combined show that the Holy Spirit is not just a force personified. Wisdom is personified but never grieves, is never sent to testify, is never sent to bring things to remembrance. Wisdom is personified because it is handed down from the wise to the student who listens to parents and teachers who are persons with a higher measure of wisdom to share. So, collectively, the voice of wisdom is all around, calling out in churches and various places of learning. The Holy Spirit was sent <\/b>and is Himself a teacher and helper.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The Holy Spirit is not the Father but is sent from the Father. He teaches, reminds, and guides. The Holy Spirit is not Jesus, nor a force from Jesus, but a personal being sent in Jesus’ name (on behalf of Jesus by His approval). When we are baptized “in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit<\/em>” (Matthew 28:19), this is with the full authority and approval of all three persons of the Godhead. We do not baptize in the name of a mere force.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    by Terry Wane Benton I was told that there is an argument circulating that the Holy Spirit is not a person but a force. To get around there being Three Persons in the Godhead, it is argued that the Holy Spirit is not a personal being but merely the force of God. Let’s think and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[86],"class_list":["post-88015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-holy-spirit"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2760,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-the-holy-spirit-jesus\/","url_meta":{"origin":88015,"position":0},"title":"Is the Holy Spirit Jesus?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 19, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Answer: \"Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7819,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/was-the-spirit-of-christ-the-holy-spirit\/","url_meta":{"origin":88015,"position":1},"title":"Was the spirit of Christ the Holy Spirit?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 17, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Was the spirit of Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit? We say the Jesus is God. Jesus said that God is Spirit. This implies that the Spirit also has a sub-spirit. The spirit of Jesus was certainly not the Holy Spirit because while dying on the cross he uttered: \"Father\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1387,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-are-the-jehovahs-witnesses-beliefs-about-the-godhead\/","url_meta":{"origin":88015,"position":2},"title":"What are the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ beliefs about the Godhead?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 24, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: What are the Jehovah's Witnesses' beliefs concerning the Godhead Answer: According to The Truth that Leads to Eternal Life\u00a0published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society in 1968: \"God's personal name is made known to us through his Word, the Bible, and that name is JEHOVAH\" (page 17).\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":53437,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-words-in-red\/","url_meta":{"origin":88015,"position":3},"title":"The Words in Red","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 9, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wayne Benton Some have the impression that if we believe the words in red (in red letter editions of the Bible) are more sacred and binding than the other words delivered by the other apostles of Jesus. This reasoning is terribly wrong. First, Matthew wrote over a decade\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Red-Letter-Bible-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":28811,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/who-is-the-holy-spirit\/","url_meta":{"origin":88015,"position":4},"title":"Who is the Holy Spirit? (Hamilton)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 21, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Many people have vague notions about the being we know as the Holy Spirit \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Part of this comes from the descriptions of God. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jesus has a name, but Spirit is more generic term. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0God, the Father, and God, the Son, give us relationships that we are familiar with, but how\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":40854,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-does-the-holy-spirit-lead\/","url_meta":{"origin":88015,"position":5},"title":"How Does the Holy Spirit Lead?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 17, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"by Herschel E. Patton via\u00a0Guardian of Truth\u00a0XXXV: 8, pp. 237, 239, April 14, 1991 Obviously, the Holy Spirit does lead certain ones. \"Sons of God\" are thus led. \"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God\" (Romans 8:14). 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