Jehovah's Witnesses: A Concise Evaluation by Burgos Jr. Michael R

Author:Burgos Jr., Michael R. [Burgos Jr., Michael R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Church Militant Publications
Published: 2018-09-04T16:00:00+00:00

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are God, co- equal in divine attributes. (John 1:1-3; 1:18; 1 Cor 8:6; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor 3:7)

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are eternally distinct. (Gen 1:3; 1:26; Matt 3:16; 28:19; John 5:17; Rom 8:27; 2 Cor 13:14; Phil 2:6-9)

The WB&TS denies the personhood of the Holy Spirit, claiming that the Spirit is a personified force. [71] The NWT routinely mistranslates the New Testament in an effort to obfuscate the personhood of the Spirit. For example, consider the NWT’s translation of 2 Corinthians 13:14:

The undeserved kindness of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the sharing in the holy spirit be with all of you.

​ Not only is the phrase “the sharing in the holy spirit” terrible English (How can sharing a force be with you?), it is also a complete mistranslation. The Greek states koinōnia tou Hagiou Pneumatos . The noun koinōnia is defined as “Close association involving mutual interests and sharing, association, communion, fellowship, close relationship.” [72] The translation “sharing in the holy spirit” mistranslates koinonia , turning it into a verb (i.e., a participle). The NWT also ignores the fact that the noun refers to a close relationship wherein sharing occurs, and not “sharing” itself. This is why the vast majority of modern translations render koinōnia “fellowship” at 2 Corinthians 13:14. While koinōnia can refer to “sharing” or “participation” as in Romans 15:26 or 1 Corinthians 10:16, [73] it clearly doesn’t at 2 Corinthians 13:14 since this koinōnia belongs to the Holy Spirit (i.e., “the fellowship of the Holy Spirit”). The NWT mistranslates the genitive tou Hagiou Pneumatos , rendering it as if it were dative (i.e., tō Hagiō Pneumati ).

​ It is clear that Paul is referring to three persons, by identifying the Son, Father, and Holy Spirit with a different noun (i.e., grace, love, and fellowship) in conjunction with articular genitival phrases (i.e., “of Lord Jesus Christ…of God…of the Holy Spirit”). [74] That the NWT’s translation is theologically motivated is seen in the other places where koinōnia occurs and is translated correctly as “fellowship” [75] or “associating together.” [76]

​ The biblical evidence for the personhood of the Holy Spirit is overwhelming. The Spirit is characterized in a manner that is only consistent with personhood. Consider this brief summary of the work of the Spirit: The Holy Spirit dwelt over the “face of the waters” at the creation event (Gen 1:2), abides or dwells in mankind (Gen 6:3; Rom 8:9), “came upon” or “rushed upon” men (Num 24:2; Judges 3:10; 14:6; 1 Sam 19:20), “clothed” men (Judges 6:24; 1 Chron 12:18), stirred up men (Judges 13:25), departed from men (1 Sam 16:14), spoke by men (2 Sam 23:2; cf. 2 Peter 1:21), carried or moved men (1 Kings 18:12; Eze 3:12; Acts 8:39), is said to have caught and cast a man upon a mountain (2 Kings 2:16), instructs (Neh 9:20), warns (Neh 9:30), creates (Job 33:4), is omnipresent (Ps 139:7), leads (Ps 143:10; Matt 4:1),

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