The Holy Spirit, referred to as the Comforter, is the power of God that goes alongside us and leads us into all truth. It is not a mediator between us and the Father, for the Son alone holds that role. Were the Spirit a personality like the Father and the Son, its exclusion from an intermediary role would be a significant oversight, especially since even human beings are given intercessory roles through prayer. Instead, the Comforter dwells within us, imparting wisdom and understanding, teaching His way of life, and aiding us in prayer when we cannot express ourselves. It binds believers together in fellowship and unity, producing the fruit of the Spirit, yet it does not constitute a distinct personality within the God Family.

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The Trinity and the Holy Spirit (Part Two)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

The Holy Spirit is the power of God, not a third personality in the God family. Luke 1:35 equates the Holy Spirit with "the power of the Highest," and Acts 1 calls it the power of the Father. It is described as falling, being poured out, and filling a house like a rushing mighty wind, which cannot be said of a person. It emanates from the mind of the Father and Son, and through it God acts anywhere in creation at any time. By it He calls, convicts, and leads us to baptism, and it joins believers in communion with God and each other. It is the divine nature given to begin creating us into the God kind. The apostles never include it in their greetings, in the chain of command, in the Kingdom, or in the work of intercession, because Christ, not the Spirit, is Mediator and Intercessor. Where Scripture calls the Helper "He" and credits it with testifying, convicting, guiding, and glorifying, the Bible simply gives human characteristics to something inanimate, as it does with the ear, the foot, and the hills. The Greek word pneuma is always neuter, and it is the true subject of John 14:26; 15:26; and 16:13-14. Parakletos, a masculine noun, only describes it. Correctly translated, these verses read "it shall teach," "it shall bear witness," and "it shall glorify Me."

Misconceptions and Malarkey About the Holy Spirit (Part One)

'Ready Answer' by David F. Maas

The Holy Spirit is a power and an essence, not a third divine Person. The Comforter (parakletos, the Helper of John 16:7) is masculine in Greek grammar, but that does not make it a personality, any more than a German pen is a girl because its article is feminine. Grammatical gender is not personal gender. The Greek word for spirit, pneuma, is neuter, so Romans 8:16 rightly reads "the Spirit itself bears witness." Hebrew ruach is feminine, which shows gender in the language does not determine personhood. In passages such as Luke 1:15, Luke 4:1, and Acts 2:4, pneuma hagion appears without the article, which points to an essence rather than an entity. People are filled with it as with a power. Matthew 28:19 does not make the Spirit a Person; the Spirit is the means by which people are baptized into the name of the Father and the Son. The Spirit is also the spirit and mind of Christ. It is the instrument of regeneration and a pledge or down payment on the life to come (Ephesians 1:13-14). Without Christ's spirit displacing the carnal mind (Romans 8:9; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1:27; 1 Corinthians 2:16), a person is not being converted and is not a candidate for the God Family. If the Spirit were the third Person of a closed Trinity, believers could never be glorified or deified.

The Holy Spirit

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The Holy Spirit, referred to as the Comforter, is described as a guide that leads us into all truth, with the term "Comforter" meaning one who goes alongside. However, it is not positioned as a mediator between us and the Father, unlike the Son, who is clearly identified as the sole mediator. If the Holy Spirit were a personality akin to the Father and the Son, its exclusion from an intermediary role would be a significant oversight, especially when even human beings are assigned intercessory roles through prayer. Instead, the Holy Spirit is understood as the power of God, the means through which He accomplishes His will, emanating from His mind to enable His presence and influence everywhere. This power binds believers together, fostering fellowship and unity as expressed in the communion of the Holy Spirit, yet it does not indicate a distinct personality within the God Family.

The Holy Spirit

Bible Study by Martin G. Collins

The Holy Spirit is the power of God, not a personage, entity, or part of a trinity, and one of its functions is to comfort and help those God has called. Drawing on John 14:26 and Romans 8:26-27, the Spirit imparts wisdom and understanding, teaches God's way of life, and comforts and aids believers. Even when a person cannot put his needs into words in prayer, the Spirit helps him bring his requests before God. This comfort comes from the Spirit's being the mind and essence of the divine nature, through which God carries out His will. It emanates from God and is poured out on His children, strengthening them with power, love, and a sound mind. It empowers the mind to grasp spiritual matters, produces conversion, and gives the strength, will, and faith to overcome sin. God gives it to those who repent, are baptized, and obey His commandments. Those who receive it are delivered from death and led toward the gift of eternal life, and the fruit they bear shows that the Spirit is at work in them.

The Holy Spirit and the Trinity (Part One)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The Holy Spirit, as revealed to those whom God has enabled to understand, is not a third person in a trinity but the essence of the mind of the Father and the Son. It is the invisible, immaterial element of God's mind, directly interfacing with the mind of man to transfer His thoughts, attitudes, and character. This Spirit is holy, distinct, and pure, set apart from the spirit of man, yet capable of joining with it to bring about spiritual procreation and transformation. The Holy Spirit emanates as power from the Father and the Son, influencing us personally with fruits such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, meekness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It is through this direct and personal relationship that God stirs and excites our minds, creating us spiritually for His Kingdom, revealing Himself, His ways, and His purpose.

What Does It Mean to 'Walk in the Spirit'?

Sermonette by David C. Grabbe

If fleshly things become more important, we are on a trajectory toward death. We must exercise control, drawing on the power of God's Spirit.

Why We Observe Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

We keep Unleavened Bread because of what God did to bring us out of sin (typified by Egypt). While God compels us to make choices, He is with us all the way.

Strategies for Interfacing with Babylon without Becoming Assimilated (Part Five)

Sermon by David F. Maas

God is not a closed triangular Trinity, but a family consisting of God the Father and God the Son, and will include billions of resurrected, glorified saints.

The Father-Son Relationship (Part Seven)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The Holy Spirit is never venerated as a separate being. Our hope is the indwelling of Christ, used interchangeably with 'Spirit of God' and 'Spirit of Truth.'

The Five Paraklete Sayings

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The five parakletos sayings of Christ prove that the Holy Spirit is the essence, mind, and power of God and Christ in us, providing us assistance and counsel.

Acts (Part Three)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

Adherents to the Pentecostal movement try to mimic some of the superficial surface manifestations of Acts 2 rather than follow the teaching given on that day.

Stewardship of God's Temple (Part Seven)

Sermon by David F. Maas

The antidote to double-mindedness and distractions is single-minded focus on God's law through meditating God's word, thus guarding our hearts.