The Use of “He”:
Most certainly, by this point, the reader is asking, “What about the Biblical reference to the Holy Spirit as ‘he?’” The Apostle John uses the personal pronoun ‘he’ when referring to the Holy Spirit in chapters 14 through 16 of his gospel. What is more is, that many have assumed that the Holy Spirit is a person because of the usage of the pronoun “he” in these verses.The Greek language, as well as, many other languages routinely assigns gender to nouns. Greek pronouns have the same gender as the noun they refer to. For instance, Spanish, French and Italian assign gender to every noun; that is, it is either masculine, feminine or neuter. Even such an inanimate object as a chair—being completely devoid of any real life—has feminine gender in French. The English word glass has masculine gender in Spanish (El vaso). The “el” prefix and the “o” ending of “vaso” give the word a masculine gender. Yet, by no stretch of the imagination could a chair or a glass be considered a female or male person in a human sense.
Mr. John Ogwyn expressed it this way as he wrote, “The gender of a noun is fixed and has little or nothing to do with either sex or personhood. For instance, the Greek noun for ‘little girl’ is neuter while the word for ‘hand’ is feminine—whether or not it refers to part of a woman’s body. The pronoun used—he, she, or it—must always agree with the noun to which it refers” (see The Language of the New Testament by Eugene Van Ness Goetchius, 1965 ed., pp. 33-34). In the Greek Language the gender of a particular word has nothing to do with masculine or feminine in a human sense. In fact, gender in languages is basically nothing more than a convenient grammatical tool. It is important to note that the pronoun “he” as used in the gospel of John is certainly used in connection with the word “Comforter or Helper,” but not for the sake of spiritual or theological concerns. To be grammatically correct, all pronouns in the Greek language must agree in gender with the word in which they refer to or take the place of, like the Romance languages (French, Italian, Spanish and others).
Now lets notice John 14:16-18, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter), that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” The Greek word translated in English as “spirit” is pneuma, which is neuter. Following the proper rules of grammar, pneuma always takes a neuter pronoun such as “it.” The word rendered “Helper or Comforter” in English is from the Greek word paracletos, which is masculine and demands a masculine pronoun. For this reason the translators used the personal pronoun “he.” However, the pronoun used has nothing to do with proving personhood. Therefore, a better rendering would have been “it.”
Why is there this discrepancy? By this time the false Trinity doctrine had been wide spread. Due to their preconceived ideas, the translators were swayed by this doctrine and unfortunately allowed themselves to interpret rather than translate. In the Greek, pneumais always grammatically neuter, not masculine, and when properly understood should be rendered “it.” This is demonstrated by what Paul wrote in Romans 8:16, “The Spirit (pneuma) itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (KJV). Later, in the NKJV this was incorrectly changed to “himself.” However, point withstanding, Trinitarians cannot point to the use of personal pronouns to prove this false doctrine from the Bible.
Although quite oblique and vague, here's an article that claims to prove that God was a trinity even in the OT: "When King Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed that the fourth man walking about in the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego was "like the Son of God" (Daniel 3:25), it may be an overstatement to say that he recognized Jesus. Yet even though he worshiped other gods, Nebuchadnezzar somehow knew that this mysterious fourth figure was divine (3:28). "Although the doctrine of the “triune” God was not fully revealed until Jesus' time, we find clues that God was preparing humanity for this truth. In the Old Testament, such foreshadowings of God or the preincarnate Christ in a visible form are called theophanies, meaning "appearances of God." These theophanies include the Angel who comforted Hagar (see Gen. 16:7-13), the visitor who revealed to Abraham and Sarah that they would have a son (see Gen. 18:1-15), the Lord's appearance to Moses in the burning bush (see Ex. 3), the pillars of cloud and fire that led the Israelites from Egypt (see Ex. 14:19, 20), and Moses' glimpse of God on Sinai (see Ex. 33:11). Some people would also include as a theophany the appearance of Melchizedek, the priest-king of Salem, who gave wine and bread to Abram (see Gen. 14:18-20). The Old Testament contains nearly 80 references to the Spirit of God and anticipates the arrival of God's Son, the Messiah, who would deliver His people. Daniel also calls Christ the Son of Man (see Dan 7:13). These theophanies were temporary, however. They were hints of the incarnation of Christ, fully human and fully divine, who would live among and redeem His people" (From Nelson's NKJV Study Bible, copyright 1997 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.").
However, in his booklet “Is God a Trinity,” George L. Johnson again asserts: “John’s use of the paracletos is no proof the Spirit is a person. For if the simple gender of a noun were the basis for the personality of the Spirit, then the Spirit changed gender from the Old to the New Testament, the Hebrew word for “spirit” in the Old Testament being the feminine gender in a majority of cases and in a masculine sense less often.” He continues: “The fact that the word “spirit” is feminine in the Hebrew did lead some to believe that the Spirit was a feminine being of the Godhead. They believed in a Trinity of the Father, the Mother and the Son. Interestingly enough, their belief was condemned by the Trinitarians who used the same kind of ploy to prove that the Spirit was a masculine being” (p. 37-38).
The Apostle John also stated, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak and He will tell you things to come” (John 16:13). The Holy Spirit is not a separate person of the Godhead. However, this is a classic use of personification.
What is personification? Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary states, “Attribution of personal qualities; representation of a thing or abstraction as a person or by the human form; a divinity or imaginary being representing a thing or abstraction.” It also states to personify means, “To conceive of or represent as a person or as having human qualities or powers.” For example, perhaps you have or you’ve heard of someone else having given a name to a car—such as “Bertha” or similar. Does the Bible give us further example of personification? Let’s notice a few plain scriptures along this line. For instance, Proverbs 1:20, Wisdom calls aloud outside; She raises her voice in the open squares,” and 7:4, “Say to wisdom, ‘You are my sister,’ and call understanding your nearest kin” (see also Proverbs 8:1, 9:1). Here we see wisdom and understanding personified. Yet, no one thinks of wisdom and understanding as persons.
What is the Holy Spirit—is it a “Person”? What is the plain, clear testimony about the Holy Spirit in the Bible? First, to repeat, it is the power of God! “‘Not by might nor by power [of humans], but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). “But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of justice and might…” declared the prophet Micah (Micah 3:8). Second, it is the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and reverence toward God (Isaiah 11:2). Third, after baptism and the “laying on of hands” it is a gift that is poured out (Acts 2:17, 38; 10:45). Fourth, if you don’t use it you will loose it—quenched (1 Thessalonians 5:19)—the Holy Spirit must be stirred up (2 Timothy 1:7)—and renewed (Titus 3:5-6). Fifth, it is what makes us Christians—it is the begetting power of God (Matthew 1:18; Romans 8:9). Sixth, it is God’s guarantee to us that we will have everlasting life (Ephesians 1:14). Seventh, it sheds abroad God’s love of outgoing concern abroad in our hearts (Romans 5:5). Obviously, a person does not do any of these things. A person is not “poured,” “quenched” or “renewed!” And certainly we don’t live inside of other people or in their hearts.
No, the Holy Spirit is not a separate person. Yet, Jesus said that He would not leave us as “orphans.” Through the power of the Holy Spirit both He and the Father dwell in true Christians imparting knowledge, understanding, wisdom and strength! This is the means by which God writes His laws on our hearts and on our minds (Jeremiah 31:31-33; Hebrews 8:10).
Conclusion:
From the Catholic Encyclopedia, in its article “The Blessed Trinity, “they write:
The Trinity is the term employed to signify the central doctrine of the Christian religion -- the truth that in the unity of the Godhead there are Three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, these Three Persons being truly distinct one from another. Thus, in the words of the Athanasian Creed: "the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods but one God." Yet, they also admit, “In scripture there is as yet no single term by which the Three Divine Persons are together…”
Perhaps, the most profound truth about the nature of God, which is understood by very few, is that God is a Family! Yet, this Biblical truth can be understood with those who have eyes to see and “ears to hear” (Matthew 11:15). Trinity is not in the Bible!
In the Old Testament the English word "God" comes from the Hebrew word Elohim, meaning "mighty ones." It is a plural word declaring that there are numerous Members in the one divine Family. What is the name of this divine Family? Again, in Ephesians 3:14-15 we read: "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.” In truth, Jesus is the Father's Son!
Jesus stated in John 5:43, "I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not." What was Jesus' family name? Notice the astonishing answer in John 10:36: "... say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? Jesus acknowledged being "God’s Son." We, too, have the opportunity of being called God’s Sons (I John 3:1). The God Family will be the supreme, divine and all-ruling Family—it is the governing Family over the Kingdom of God! The thrust of Christ’s entire message was about the Kingdom or Family of God and how one may be born into it!
The whole message, which Jesus spoke by the authority of the Lord (Boss)—was to explain that the name "God"—the Hebrew Elohim—is a family name! His message of good news is that we may also carry that name God—that we may be dubbed the sons of God and be "born again" as spirit beings. In John 10:30, Jesus here reveals that there is one Godhead—one God Family, and that its members work together with one mind and purpose. As we begin to comprehend that God is reproducing Himself through mankind—we are no longer confronted with the instability inherent in the Trinity doctrine, nor are we faced with the problem of worshipping a false god.
God is building a family and that family takes His name (Ephesians 3:14-15). Listen to this proclamation from the Apostle John as explained by J.B. Phillips in his New Testament in modern English: “Consider the incredible love that the Father has shown us in allowing us to be called "children of God" - and that is not just what we are called, but what we are. Our heredity on the Godward side is no mere figure of speech - which explains why the world will no more recognize us than it recognized Jesus Christ” (1 John 3:1).
Wouldn’t you like to be a part of that family? There is good news—you can! This is no mystery. God is knowable because He has chosen to be knowable. And you can know Him. How? Paul was inspired to write, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14). Peter clearly defines the way to receive this Spirit, which imparts God’s mind, character, power and strength, “Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). The time is now! The power of the Holy Spirit can dwell in you and enable you to keep the commandments, to unlock the vast blessings God has in store for you and ultimately impart to you immortal life in the Kingdom of God (2 Peter 1:4-11). God wants you to know Him and to build a close personal relationship with Him that will lead you to being a part of His family forever (Hebrews 2:10)! This is only possible when we become the begotten sons of God through the impregnation of the Holy Spirit. Upon the receiving of the Holy Spirit, we are already, though yet unborn, the begotten children of God. By direct comparison the impregnated embryo or fetus in a mother-to-be's womb is already the begotten child of its parents; although, not yet born. Therefore, as a side-note, the Living Church of God teaches, from the Bible, abortion is murder (Romans 9:11)!
God inspired our late church leader, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, to see and understand how human reproduction pictures spiritual salivation: All human life comes from a tiny egg, called an ovum. It is produced inside the human mother. This ovum is about the size of a pin point. Inside it, when highly magnified, can be seen a small nucleus. But this ovum has a very limited life, of itself! Some doctors and scientists believe it has a life of only some 24 hours, unless fertilized by a sperm from a male. But human life may be imparted to it by a sperm cell, produced in the body of the human father. The sperm cell is the smallest cell in the human body—about one fiftieth the size of the ovum. The sperm technically named a spermatozoon (plural, spermatozoa)—on entering an ovum, finds its way to and joins with the nucleus. This imparts life -- physical human life -- to the ovum. But it is not yet a born human being. Human life has merely been begotten. For the first four months it is called an embryo. After that, until birth it is called a fetus. This human life starts very small -- the size of a tiny pin point -- and the sperm that generates it is the smallest cell in a human body! Once begotten, it must be fed and nourished by physical food from the ground, through the mother. From this physical nourishment it must grow, and grow and GROW—until physically large enough to be born—after nine months.
A human must be begotten by his human father. In order to be “born again” as a spirit being by God’s Holy Spirit—one must first be begotten by his spiritual Father. This is explained in 1 John 3:9, “Whosoever is born [begotten] of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born [begotten] of God.” The English word “seed” is translated from the Greek “sperma” (Strong’s 4690) and means something sown, i.e. seed (including the male "sperm"); by implication, offspring; specially, a remnant (figuratively, as if kept over for planting):--issue, seed.
Mr. Armstrong continues: IN OTHER WORDS, GOD IS NOW A FAMILY of Persons, composed so far of only the TWO -- God the Father and Christ the Son. But IF the Holy Spirit of God dwells in someone, and he is being led by God's Spirit, then (Rom. 8:14) he is a begotten son of God. But, at the time of Christ's return to earth in supreme power and glory to set up the KINGDOM OF GOD, restoring the GOVERNMENT OF GOD abolished by Lucifer, then all being filled and led by God's Spirit shall become BORN [spirit beings]sons of God [John 3:3]. The GOD FAMILY will then RULE ALL NATIONS with the GOVERNMENT OF GOD RESTORED!
The Trinity is certainly a large concept that developed after Christ was crucified and all the original apostles died. Satan has led a worldwide deception and wants you to believe that God is limited to the Trinity—a closed concept or entity. There are many scriptures in your Bible that indicate that the Holy Spirit is not a third person in a mysterious Trinity. God is not limited to a Trinity! God’s Family will not be limited to an obstinately closed circle of three. You are not limited to a Trinity! This is one group you don’t have to be excluded from! You can be put into the greatest group of all. God’s family and kingdom is open and completely available to you, your family and all mankind. You truly can be as God is (1 John 3:2). Thank God for the truth!
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