A Critical Study of the Jehovah's Witnesses Doctrine of God Robert S

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Western Evangelical Seminary Theses Western Evangelical Seminary

1-1-1953 A Critical Study of the Jehovah's Witnesses Doctrine of God Robert S. Taber

Recommended Citation Taber, Robert S., "A Critical Study of the Jehovah's Witnesses Doctrine of God" (1953). Western Evangelical Seminary Theses. 225. https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/wes_theses/225

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• .. • ...... • • " ...... INTRODUCTION

but

and many

of have

movement Jehovoo•s

the

is not to be

11To the to the if they to

it is it was

to see the

lll'tlSt

claim to s:Lsts of the npastor'

that more to this �rfithm:tt the :Bible than to read the :B:tb1e '.d.�hout re�1.d:i.ne;

that theil• mover.Hmt is ThiS may SOUX1d to some \'l'ho have heard them or :reP.d thEdr for their co.ntalns many Th•?ir Utr�rature is

of of

this is not the

:is it

ion of

the 1>.rill

the movement nm1

it its h.i

this name never ma·terialized and in later years su.ch ne;aes as s, Russellites, :B:tble

in s • .A. and

7tlatchtower :Bible and ·those within

the not a�

title, and.

on t

in the

>J.nto this

the writer in

e-.>J.d contrast tb.e doctrine tho

6 .. I

THE PROBLEM .AND ITS

OF TIDJ

The and are essential. in es

the claims of any the viEn'i'S of

the are correct, ha:

to the doctrine of God. in the of method.

:B., PURPOSE OF T:Wl STUDY

t!as to examine the do>�trine of

God of and. cont:rast their doctri11e

the God held sm. . Th.e of th:t involved first11 forth the doctrine of and on of the s their doctrine

their doctrine of Christ, fourth • their doct::rinlf; of the

c. OF STUDY

The writer has felt such a was valid because of the leled boldness of Pa8tor Russell \vhich r1.u1s his l:i.f�1 and

This has of the

or the cal of Another reason the writer has 6

the of ancl

set

the

to this

for 2

this were c.

of these authors 'lt.ra.rn upon.

the leaders

but none went very

most of the

one has been.

� is

t:s \10l'k \4/BS in tl'.tett

or any wl:llrliS made, he

he secure tion,. among the

menti others their or the to the:l.r 8

Since every could not be di

Christ aud th6 Spirit.,

DEFINITI OF TERMS

that religious upon a akin

to that that there '.lf&S x:.o truth on e&�th until

movement the

n.otorious the over as the

names he:ve to this movemen.t, but

the name

in this

word doctrine is derived. frcm the

both the e..ct of th.. nt is

and this latter sense is now In a

of 4 dootri.ne

4.,

• 866 .. 9

(I 1 6 ; II 1 • 4

the

to the fo:re in :tn

l\!itic do(;t:r:tne

the )

its :root in the man

on 1. tive

the

maintains that the the Thl.s the as well as the

llo�;rever* the term this s to the

po held on of the

Old and Ne\#1 is the Word that it reveal� the

true wa"¥ to !!!alvatiou; th.at every true is to ac-

and receive it the the of God as the

and anc..'i. 9

H. o:r

the doctrine God

s author then devoted time to the pre-

of these same ism; �:;hieh contrast of doctrines and those II

T.HE s

li movement. very

the the

that

the the , lro.t

the of

ul 12

contend

the

an oral law or

that •.:r.ttere.Jleetl! does

claim to or to

the the

!3.0 the very s t:b..t;�.t the

to ona the es-

who the

4.. that the

them \thich

on the

the God

torment ean not be trae reasons: ( l ) because

a. 14

The.t of JehovM' the

they taken from

\i'e t i o!l. upon of C--odt---to even

be clearer to most state that

Sill set out to sq'UBJ:'e with human reason".

fact in this instance is the rati st,

of God s it; but the

s to make the to hu,.. man reason» to the of mant

observation V!f:i.S made that !2l that a. statement of the of ongs to Ol'l.S or is not to be stated one age are not

tr-.;�,e "!'las obr:Served. that

9.. J. Watchtower Bible and

10 ..

11. 1t1hieh do not to a

item of to assert that no

o:r ever to in it every statE�- r11ent of the

the :l.s the seat the

ons, it is because the leaders of the

make no claim to

l'!et o:rth f the

their ve and fill them at the

their

I, 12. the their cult

the

the these which

their s GOD

If one is to underst,am.l mu.st .ha:ve a its doctrine of

in their d.oetrine of

the name

doctrine;

in the New

was a time when

not have been

in and

came the time when to the

------2 time Jehovah came to be God to all

t:tLtlS: 8 I

the reader; thi i

that the name not

st • but that is thE-) dis-

to Je!'.!:"J.S

James

unto Davitt a

and . ..

the

thi :

40,.

4 .. • p .. 41 .. 19

poor tra.nslation. been

Here is an instance of the Jehovah8s a passage

that has no relevance to ·the are at to make.

s Witnesses the.t 110 can be to that are that

the use of the llBlllllli J ehov.ah.. as the

elude

one ever intinu'l.ted that the Son ;-n�re � and deola:t'EHi

on of faith in a ty9 and a

f'aith in and

the the that the tari.aus hold t the and the are of one • as stated the

\vhat do the contendl states that •

<. ..,.. II p ..

6 .. t p ..

(. e p .. 59 .. 20

the very "f/Ol"ds

$ and contradict

A sses ask is. "In vie,�! the fact

is no valict for the

it tha·t this so

fl a:ru:nver it by on.e of the dark

v;hich the clouded the and

ch&:racte:r and 1!10

ive ask

Satan be interested :l.n to the luster of the

Lord st in. this

man's he will succeed se who are

, p. 6o ..

10. ' p .. tllat the have a very the real. basi for the

to notice in thi. tures l't.i::d. ch

and henee God one :per of the un-

in evBry instance, lest the :fact 'lrthich 22

the use of

it to say that it is the po

testantism that all

in the Ue\.;

God in not in thi but also that �n1ich is to come, 1:21) ..

To those in tive sm, no :fact more the the stian view o:f God thE� tlu�t the Trini is God seen as

.t:;;,A�� and doctrine thei.

decle�ation sets the Christian frmn all

The Gocl t'fh.o reveals in the sacred is the God

kno\ru who and

to be Father, and

is a 23

con tenet:

attention to various v1hich state that there is r�d--not two, nor three, call attention the does not occur in r�.or d.oee oc(�ur there of is any statement made be to

there be there be and II as the it is untrue to there is

�ast state here that the

the

their

the ortho-

, can be seen from their c'lltm. wri.

from

v, 54. 24

••••••• 9Cifi!0$90&e>$0··· ··· in one; to wit, and God the Ghost, in power, �ubstanee, and eter-

menta the their as being the

declare that

is a doctrin.e of

• • 9 • • • • .. • • • • • • $ • .. • even that '!rJas God the

e o • t • • • • e • • • ......

to be

that some e not in s-�11 the this in no way the in the doetrin.e of

p .. 100.

26.. 2.5

state the name rend.a:red

it 6

I 12 :4 ). :ls over 5,000

title once rend.ered

its occll:r·s ove:r most but in many instance� are to

others: hence the w;ho is

the

to the

the Testament the n1at- ter the u.se

that

28 .. 26 the the Son in the '!frords rendered ancl

to the by the construction the word (19tos) is

ant'\.

it to tht�

on the of Witnesses� one could

a di

later in the

in the is a

tenet of'

not be the close the

the of d.eliver the

restored and in to the

In with this

thou knO"tl

' p .. 70•

• p .. ?1.

31 .. 27

me: for Savior

to Ju;m1e1nen"'� t'l!ere all so com for it is

we stand- that author of ou.r

$ God1 s

' p .. 28

honor and love ou:r Al-

contetHl in

ent tm.to exalted

for

of the on

indicate

and exalted th£; and m<>�.e him a all hosts of heaven

the

�halt lr:lO). :l.s the clai1n of stendon1 tha.t t.he the

without that he is and that the pre-

that but oeive !Stll :7;

and that he '•!as the chief messenger, the

had. sauctifiacl and sent into the tha:t who·- ever him honored the

not

Here is evidence of

of Jesus

must :f'oll(Hi in to such an Their reason-

have not o:f

for all

Let us notice is then.

the �:-md in the

------... � ··-- ""'" 30

that OlU' .Jesus i not entitled. to

contends:

�:.;:;...;:�=""- o:rJ.eness,. the of

Jehovab.1 to

:stanUate is 11 He that hath seen hath seen the II

as follows: ) t the " ' 1: ) ..

He meant clared to Moses9 hence that if the it

doctri.ne

God has the Atonement, the of our salvation to u�

at the time of

God to s creation.•

the in , nev,:r to our

doctrine is sent�eless aml

because it is

to the

:Bible tween the Father and the the

that the ami Son are one in

the There is in to

st as (elohim) and

used in the Ne"; di rsh the in the

this swn.rnary the wMch reveals their �Staste the idea but states their

The the suited to the dark ag>-Hl! God is a THE OF ST

8 s '1•li t ne of

several dirl which with his person and

lack on th("'t of the

st$ The at P.i more of

\vork of

and

tnesses believe to be the

reaso:o., or the to the

., .t

The contend that t,itle,

iill very to

ou.r Mast e:t·, claim

all divine wi

the sts.:te:

is dress to a SCl'een, an�:l such Vs'het:b.er or not

a:s

I> ixl thh

, P• 84.

2 ..

t p. 86. out as

contend that the in-

and the

God out the e

the second

rea!le� --� 1 'YTord >'lith ( f>io5) (o -fJios)

contend that

the the Fa-

becsuse he is " and never had

is here :made---

the , in their

that our his

was ilrith the in

that this statement that the of the

4.. for this is the statement; of tne u.s th.at our is not �the Head of the

the the �t but also the of all

1'11tnesses turn also to the t>�ord of the as

him, firstborrh

). state also that OLL't' to his O"V:n

) , declarect himself to be fa.i

is intended.

Jehovah's i'fi tn.esst:�s O"V'J'' that

of a.1so

c 9 ;6) » in all

With the OOCO\Ult 1

me :ln the ! "'ar;

8. 37

or ever the earth 'lrtas f ,sea:s) �

vn'l.ter.

the

of the to the sea his decree. that the .,.;aters his he eo. the then was I him; !:tlld I

' befol�e him� ) ..

addition to the

the but otJ:Jer creation� ;,�ere have f o1mct a t not5 I am the first and the last; ! am he t.hat liveth and >�Tas

II 1:17).

Baith the and. is 2

co:uc:l:wle :

no sense t as the e whozu all else

the , the tvri te:r has

�vitnesses to st the

10. r:;f God� 1¥""8.8 not purpos"' of the •trriter to

at thi , ho\vever it is necessary

note level

I a crel:ited the

the instead of the eternal Son

Conservative estants been. to beli man1s s ever One has it beer1. all hh love

<:Aeration? are such but

And

this belief� the 1di tnesses say that ttas a time v1hen Christ

He not the eternal,

He not all v!ere not made that

was made. God maAe

are ancl

statements of well b -for arormd. Christ emd. all the '\vealth of its on.. His aud. His

st is the

ss of the eternal

\vitnesses teach that teach the:t God at is

!>econd of the

to Christ etern�'tl exi the

rob the Rim

st at Hi He

contends:

o:f Protestant :5.:n

in the

II believe be

, aud to that: 40

th�,ll! � \tas still a that he used

The

tn order to their false of the

forced to

insist that t

contend

such

___,, _____ 41

were God incarnate, this the vdlclernes� would. seem

tilllS tatect the:tr the go on to contend

that of the

the matter of the have

evolved

for the of this 11 ion

mind this is vn'*ong, anfl

tion to the truth of the the Word

conten.d that the our

asstuued a of

that he himsslf c

9 :p.

v, made

let no one II

If The that •:Je must

i.n st harmlesst

" 22 � 7 l ). t

man and the w:r

aside !ron1 he lived. in

the the i'tho and

teach the to l:vear and

themstc;lves in the same class to whieh

of' such

of' all its 1'/itnesses most a:re

20.

' J? .. t to reason to

th�J of Protestrurti

The Jev;s stonetl divine, 10:33). the

did. not t·Ho l::t<�'ttures in teaches and ·the church has

in later section the true of

thb

This under their of sal ve.ticm .

has not been treated this

•s person* it \'las necessary to note their po on

a human. st gave himself

it of its not the 44

his his or his character much less redeem anyone else? one t:rttst the of his soul to o:r

before h:is

asks the

clo :not st that themselves as the their

lives

God and the

dead three II

t born of the I!

is born of the and after his and no er a human s is a denial resu:r-

:recUon Christ 1 P:rotestanti sm.,

I, every one that is P.O!ll of the Spirit •' (John 3 :8 ))0

Jehovru11s Witnesses declare that the body of Jesus crucified and buried in Joseph's tomb was never resurrected. Vfnat then became of

Ohrist1s body? Rutherford states:

We know nothing about it, or what became of it, except that it did not decay or corrupt, (Acts 2:27, 31). Whether it dissolved into gases or whether it is still :preserved somewhere as the grand memorial of God1s love, of Ohl·ist's obedience, and of our re demption, �� one kno>•TS ;--nor is such knot?ledge necessary.

The Witnesses scoff at those Ohristie.. ns who have the idea that om· Lord's glorious spiritual body is the very same body that was cru,...

cified and laid a1:ray in Joseph 1 s tomb; and that they expect• when they see the Lord in glory, to identify lum by �he scars he received on

Calvary. The Jehovah's Witnesses state that to hold m1ch an idea is a mistake, especially in the light of the fact tr.at no one knows where the body is. They contend that:

To hold such a view would prove that Christ8s resurrection boc� is not glorious or perfect, but scarred e.nd disfigured. It 'l':ould. also prove that we do not kno1v "'hat a spirit boccy is. It t'lould further prove that our redemption price '\tras taken back, for Jesus said, 'My flesh I will give for the life of the world. 1 It was his flesh, his life A§.§:. man, his humanity, that "'as sacrificed for our redemption. And when he was raised to life again by the po\'ler of the Father, it was not to human ex istence, because that was sacrificed as our purchase price. .And if that :price had been taken back, we would still b under the condemnation of death, and �2 without hope• .,

31. Rutherford, �Tim£ Is & Hand, II, 130.

32. Ibid., P• 129. The chief priests invented the lie that Christ's disciples stole

Eis body to deceive the people. Now Jehovah's Witnesses have come

with the bigger lie that God did it to deceive the disciples. !h!t

did God do \

into gases or he has it in His possession as a "corpse." To all of

Conservative Protestantism. such claims are shocking blasphemy, daring and sacrilegious speculation.

If Jesus tlfas only a spirit and 'ttas no longer human in any sense as the Witnesses maintain, then Re had no right to say to His disciples,

11:Behold my hands and my feet, th<:,.t it is I myself; hand.le me and see; for a spirit hath not flesh a.nd bones as ye see me have," (Luke 24:

36-40)1 for whatever the nature- of His resurrected body, (I Cor. 15:

44). Jegns here denied that Re was nothing but a spirit.

The Witnesses deny the resurrection of the body of Christ, the great fundamental upon which the validity of Christianity as a super- natural system rests; and if Christ be not risen from the dead then

Christian hopes are in vain, and of all men they are most miserable,

(I Cor. 15:19).

Following this, Jehovah's Witnesses must, of course, declexe that the Christ in glory. the ascended and exalted Savior, is only a spirit and that Re has no humanity whatsoever. as Re now sits at the right hand of God. Thus 'Ire come no":T to the fifth and last point under con- side:ration, in the study of the Jehovah's Witnesses doctrine of Christ.

another absurd teaching of this strange and radical perversion of

Scripture. 1As Christ now sits at the right hand of God, Re has no humanity whatsoever.t�33

\'ie must bear in mind that our Lorcl is no longer a human being in a;ny sense or degree. vie must not forget what we have already learned, that natures are separate and distinct. Since He is no longer in any sense or degree a human being, we must not expect him to come again as a human being. as at the first advent.34

To Conservative Protestants. all this which Jehovah's Witnesses maintain is a plain denial of Christ's high-priestly intercession, to say nothing of the fact 1hat the disciples saw Him ascend_ in His humili ty, (Acts 1:9), and that the Scriptures declare that the martyred

Stephen sa:ttr the Son of Man standing by the side of the glory of God, a.nd that Zeche.riah, by the Spirit, reveals to us that itthen He comes again, one shall say to Him, 11What are these wounds in th;)r hands." all of which proves His now existing humanity--to say nothing of all this

Paul e:wpressly declares the.t 11there is one Mediator between God and 5 men,  m.� Chris.i Jesus," (I Tim. 2:5))

And, furthermore, all this a.rbitrF�y subversion of the Lord1s high-priestly function is made in the face of the fact that it was upon His human nature that it was based. But the Wi.tnesses \'Till not have it so.

They teach that Christ lost His spirit being at His Incarnation and became only a man. They teach that Christ lost His human :nature at His :Resurrec tion and became again only a spirit being. They teach that Christ was not divine before His Incarna tion nor during it. They teach that Christ became

)). lb�q., P• 107.

J4. Loc.�.

35. Bieder'l'rolf, Busselli sm Unveiled, p. 18. divine only after or upon His Resurrection. They teach that Christ in glory, no>.;, is only a spirit being.36

SEWm§r�· Perhaps the most outstanding fact of the Witnesses doctrine of Christ was that they contend strongly that Christ was God's first-created being. In other words Christ is not very Godt and there was a time when Christ was not. The pre-human existence of Christ meant only that the L�?f&O§ 'llras \!Tith the Father in the very beginning of creation. (all other creations were by and through the LogQs).

Christ at Hie Incarnation was nothing more them a 11pel'fect human being." There was no part of the divine nature or sp�r�t nature within the man Christ Jesus as He walked upon earth. The Incarnation theory of orthodox Christianity is held to be wholly unscriptural.

And, as the perfect man, it was only Christ 1s humanity that was sacrificed at Calvary. There was no divinity on the cross. Following this, Christ at His resurrection was once more a spirit being, and in no sense partook of the human nature. Finally, it must not be expect- ed that Christ •dll come as a human being as He did at the first advent. Conservative Protestants hold this viei-i to be hereticalJ

36. �., P• 19. TEE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD

In this chapter the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses have again been compared with the teachings of Conservative Protestantism. The doctrine of the Holy Spirit has been treated as completely as possible, using the materials and information of the Witnesses. But again the writer discovered that because of a lack of a systematic presentation of their doctrines, it was quite difficult to discuss each phase of the doctrine in eq'lml proportion.

This chapter has been divided into the following divisions:

Fir�Jb· Who, Where, What is the Holy spirit; Segond, The Meaning of the

Word �irit; Thi�. God is a Spirit; Fourt�, Divine Will, Influence,

Power, Spirit; Fifth. The Holy Spirit as the Char�el of the Atonement;

Sixth, The Parakletos, the Comforter; jieventh, The Holy Spirit and

Pentecost; Ei�the �irit Fightings Within and Without the Saints;

J[il!Bll, The W'itness of the Spirit; :r�ntJ:t, Supposed Objections Consider-

Who - v� �·· - a � � §pirit? Again the \111tnesses go immediately to the testimony of God, the Word of God. They claim to rely wholly upon the Lord for all knowledge concerning the Holy Spirit.

However, again Rutherford contends:

Let us place our reliance wholly upon the Lord. and seek to know the meaning of what he declares respecting the holy Spirit, bringing every truth into ha.rmony, assured that the truth will stand 1 such an investigation.

The Holy Spirit is variously defined in the ScriP tures. and to rightly understand the subject these definitions must be considered together. Notice that the holy Spirit is styled, 1The Spirit of God, ' 1The Spirit of Christ, • 1The Spirit of Holiness, • 1The Spirit of Truth. 1 1'nhe Spirit of Sound I•!ind, ' 1The Spirit of the Father, • 1The Holy Spirit of Promise, • 1The Spirit of Meekness,• 1The Spirit of Grace, • 1The Spirit of Adoption, • 'The Spirit of Prophecy. • 2

Jehovah8 s i'litnesses contend that it is impossib le to harmonize

these various statements with the ordinary idea of a third God; but

that it is entirely consistent with every one of them to understand these various expressions as descriptive of the spirit, disposition, and power of one God, our Father; and also the spirit, di sposition,

and power of our Lord Jesus Christ, becaus e He is at-one �nth the

Father.3 Again, from Rutherford:

The lV"ords translated in our Bible, � Ghgs!,, should be properly be translated holy Spirit. T'.ne holy Spirit is the invisible power and energy of Jehovah. And. the "'rong thoughts respecting the Spirit of God and the Spirit of man has been in tensified and deepened by the fact that the trans lators have used the phrase 1Boly Ghost• without the slightest authority--the original Gr eek word being (pneuma)--spirit. And the word f.ho� to the uneducated, has a very v��e meaning, which, never theless, is very positively identified with the thought of personality.4

1. J. F. Rutherford, fu !t-oae-J!leat Between� and� (Brooklyn, Watchtower Dible and Tract Society, 1916). :P• 167.

3· l.bi� . ' p. 168.

4. �., p. 169. 51

Chapter Three stated that the leaders of Jehovah 1 s Witnesses had.

a proper understanding of Conservative Protestantism's view of the

Trinit;y·, but that they had misrepresented the Trinitarian position to

their own people. Again, Jehovah's Witnesses say that there is abso-

lutely no ground whatever for thinking or speaking of the Holy Spirit

as anothe;t: God, distinct in personal! ty from the Father and the Son.

The Witnesses further state:

Quite to the contrary of this, notice the fact that it was the Father's spirit that was communi cated to our Lord Jesus, as it is ''lll'itten, 1The Spirit of The Lord God is Upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel.' (Luke 4:18). Again, IJmd the Spirit of Jehovah shall rest Ud;)On him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of know ledge and of reverence for Jehovah,' (Isaiah 11: � 2,,3).

It is urged by leaders of Christendom, say the Witnesses, that

our Lord's reference in John 14:26 proves that the Spirit is a person,

becat1se our Co��on Version (King James) reads thus: "But the Comfort-

er, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he

shall teach you all things. and bring all things to your remembrance,

,.,hatsoever I have said unto you. u :But a glance at the Greek text of

this passage shows that the translators were influenced by their :pre-

judices on this subject, for there is no ground for the use o:f the

words J>l'}:lOm and �. The Diaglott renders the verse thus : "J3ut the

helper. the holy Spirit, �h�cja the Father will send in my name, shall

teach you all things and remind you of those things 'I'Ihich I said to

you.116

.5. k.\>_c_. cit.,

6. �.. • P• 170. Jehovah's Witnesses contend that the same criticism is applica-

ble to John 14:17, which in the King James Version reads: UThe Spirit

of truth, \1hom, the world cannot receive, because it seeth � not,

neither knoweth him, but ye know h�, for � dwelleth in you, and shall

be in you. 11 They say-:

Here the ezpresseion, �Piti� � Trut�. is evidently used in contrast \!lith the §n.iri.t. .Q.i Erto;t. The passage has no reference whatever to a person. but to the in :fluence of the tr-ath, and the effect of the same u;pon the Lord's people. The Diaglott translation of this verse is: 'The Spirit of truth, �tqn the world can not receive, because ll beholds 1t not, nor kno\.;s ll; but ye lmo''' ll11 because ll operates in you and \¥'ill be in you. 17

Again, 1When !1!, the Spirit of truth is come. l\!, will guide you into all truth; for � shall not speak of aimsel�; but whatsoever � shall hear that shall b!. speak; and � shall sho\11' you things to come. � �nll glorify me, for � shall receive of mind and shall show it unto you,1� {John 16:13 ,14) .. In this passage the Greek ��lord ( Ea.uTo�.>) is trans lated �mse1�• yet the same word is frequently translated �t�eli.a

The Witnesses are re� with many illustrations to prove their

position, but they most assuredly have not looked into the original

Greek text to see that they are in direct opposition to the exact rend-

ering of the words which they have been discussing. One exau�le has been given by Thayer which follows:

(. In the Greek word (£'\.VTov), this is properly used of the third person, singular and plural, to denote that the agent and the person acted upon are the same. Thus in John 16:3, { E Q. vrov ) is rendered in the masculine, and could not be render ed in the neuter, because of the very fact that the

7.. �• .ill.·

a. Lgs. ,m. ' word ( € Kf2vo.s) (he ) is a masculine demonstrative pronoun, the two persons thus being the same. Thus the statement of the Witnesses, that the l'Tord ( Et

Jehovah 1s Witnesses at t empt to av oid the accepted use of the pronouns by stating that it is not infrequent to attach to a virtue or qual ity the gender of the person or thing to which it belongs. Observe their reasoning :

Therefore, because the heavenly Father is de signated

as mascu.JJ.ne • it would be proper that hi s po'\tl er, his spirit. his every influence and characteristic should be similarly designated in the masculine form. If it \'!ere not for the general misconception vi e••ing the holy spirit as a person. and not merely a divine spirit , influence, or power, there .could be no parti cular crit icism made of the use of the masculine pronouns in re spect to the holy Spirit ; because God is rec ognized as masculine , as the Au thor and source of life and blessing. So then, let us not overlook the fact that the use of the personal pronouns does not prove that the holy Spirit of God to be another nerson fr om the Father and the Son---another God. 10 - ·

In the preceding quotation of the Witnesses, (actually of the leaders themselves), evidenc e is seen of their mien�epresentation to their people of the Chri stian doctrine of the Trinity.

 £f ea.p.in,g; .zi �.lt.e � §J2ir:it• The que stion ar ises at this juncture, "What senses or meanings attach to the words 'Holy· Spirit • as used in Scripture? What qualities of the divine character or power

9. J. H. Th.ver, A il;eek;-Engl�s)l l;J,e.xicQn !2i, the l� �w �.Els.t§Wlent (New York, American Book Company, 1889), P• 163.

10. Rutherford, � At-oAe-ment. Between QZ1 and �. V, 172. 11 ar e represented by the t:1 ord ,Will.? Jehovah 1 s i'litn esses proceed to examine the strict meanine; of the word .13l!iri.�.� and then the different methods of its use in Scripture.

The word �i�it in the Old Testament , is in the translation of the Hebrew word (ruach) , the root meaning o:f which is �. The word � in the New Testament comes from the Gr eek word (pneuma), whose primary significance 1 s liket-!ise l'l'�Ad. Be cause the wind is both invisible and powerful , these words (ruach ) and (pneuma) gradually took on much wider meanings and came to represent any invisible power or influence, good or bad. Since divine power is exercised through channels and by agencies beyond hum an sight , therefore this word .sJ2..irU. caine more and more into common use in con nection 'td th all the Lord' s d.ealings. Natnrally it also CP�e into co1nmon use in connection with such influences as are invisible; for instance, to represent the breath .2! �; the ROWer. by which rnan lives 'l.'l'hich is invi sible, designated the §J?irU or breath of life ; al so for the power of the mind. •,trhich is invisible , called the .�JJ.i;r_i,i sJ.. .tll.� mind. Life itself i s a power and is invisible, and hence was called spirit by ancient authorities.ll

�uach in the Old Testament is translated k!ast four times, breath twenty-eight times, � six time a, .11mell eight times, � and ;w.insl.Y_ ninety- . one times. In every ins�ance the thought behind the word is an invisible power or influence. 12

Samples of the translations of' ruach are found in Exodus 15 :8;

Genesis 6:17; 7:15; Job 12 :10; Exodus 15 :10; Psalm 148 :8; Isaieb 7:2.

Samples of f.neuma in the New Testament (besides ghost, and spirit, life, spiritUR�, ?�d wind) axe found in Revelation 13 :15; I Corinth- ians li.J-:12 ; John 3:8. The Witnesses contend that all these translations were made by �rinitarians, but they themselves do not object to

11. Ibid. , P• 173.

12. �bJi.,p. 174. them. They ma.i ntain they az:e quite proper. The \ll itnesses, hol'tever , call at tent ion to them as proofs that the words �Jl and pne�, rendered sniritt do not signify personality , but do signi fy invisible power or influence.

� !.§. /i .§J:?iri,t . From the Wi tness point of vie\·1 8 this is to sa:y that God is a po>':erful . but invisible being, and like'l'ri se angels are called spirits, because they too in their natural condition are invi s

1 ible to men, except as revealed by mirac�lous power. 3 The Witnesses contend that the Holy Spirit spoken of in II Peter 1:21 , who moved holy men of old to sp eak and write, t-ras the holy influence or po"1er of

God, whi ch made frui tful their minds , causing them to bring forth thoughts such as God ,.,ished to have e�ressed. In this passage , of all passages , to deny the personality of the Holy Sp irit as the Wit nesses do, is certainly out of keeping with true exegesis.

From the point of view of Conservative Protestantism, it is in conceivable that any influence or power could possibly dictate to these holy men of God what they should speak and '"hat they should write.

�via!. }'f.il.\.• lnfJ.u.eAc.e.• Power. S;e iru. The se tt1 ords immediately imply that the steps and operations of the Holy S:pirit will be in harmony with holine ss. Also , God exercises hi s spirit or 'energy in m� Wel¥S, using various agencies in accomplishing various results.

To illustrate, notice the Witne ss conception of Genesis 2:4, 11Jehovah 56

God created the heavens and the earth. 11 They point out that it is not necessary to suppos� that Jehovah personally handled the elements, but that he used various agencies, 11AJ.l things being of the Father.11 by his energy, his wi 11, hi s spi:rit , this energy \lfas e:x:ercised through the Logoa.14 Let us no\>' notice -r1hat the Witnesses understand the Holy

Spirit to mean in the light of their interpretation of the Scriptures.

The holy Spirit is God • s pcn·;er exercised in any manner, but always according to the lines of jus tice and love, and hence alt'fays a holy power.- This pO\'Ier may be an energy of life, a physically creative power, or a power of thought , creating and. inspiring thoughts and words, or a quickening or life-giving power , as it ,.1as manifested in the resurrection of our Lord.- -The holy Spirit is the begetting or transforming power or influence of the kno'l.'fledge of the truth. All \'!ho come under the influence of God1s plan of truth and ri�lteous ness are properly said to be under the influence of the Spirit or di sposition of the truth, and are properly described as begotten of the truth to the newness of life.l5

of the At onement could not be properly understood, if the work of the

Holy Spirit, in connection there\dth, were overlooked.

The holy Spirit has much to do with the presenta tion of the Atonement--making manifest to the be liever the divine forgiveness, a.s \'!fell as gu:i.ding him into full reconciliation of heart to God. It �tra.s under the influence of the holy Spirit, received by our Lord Jesus at his baptism, at the beginning of his ministry, that his consecrat ed heart was en abled to see clearly and di stinctly the Father's will, the proper course, the narrow \'!fay of sacrifice, and to appreciate the exceeding great and precious promi ses. 'l'rhose :fulfillment lay beyond his humiliation

14. �b , P• 18J. and death at Calvary. By the holy Spirit, there fore, our Redeemer was enabled to perform his great \

The Witnesses maintain that thi s subject of the Holy Spirit. its

office and operation, has been grievously misunderstood by many of the

Lord8 s people for centuries, and only in the light of the rising Sun

of Righteousness--in the light of the 12.arousi�. of the Son of �.[an---is

the subject becoming clero1 and t§.a�;nabJ:e, as it was to the early

chu:rch. 17

The doctrine of the l'.t,i.:q.it;z, which we have seen began to rise in the second century, is responsible in a large measure, for much of the darkness which blends '" ith the tru.th on this subject in many Chris tian minds, much to their disadvantage ,-c fusing �� and mystifying all religious convictions.

The \'litnesses contend there is consistency in Scripture teaching

that the Father and the Son are in full""mony ha... and 2ne:ues§_ of purpose

and operation. Equally consistent is the Scripture teaching respect-

ing the Holy Spirit--that it is not another God, but the �irit, the

influence. or power exercised by the one God, our Father. and by hi s

Only Begotten Son;--in ab solute oneness, therefore, with both of these,

�11ho also are at-one or in full accord.19

But h�w different is this u� of the Father. the Son, and the holy Spirit from that held and

taught under the name of Trinity • which in the

16. lb-� II P• 164.

17. · • P• 165.

18 . � cj.Jt.,.

19. Lgc. s,:U.. .58

language of the Catechi sm (questions S and 6) de clares, 'There are three persons in the one God- the Father , the Son, and the Holy Ghost , these Ji.aree are pn,e God, the same itl bs su tance, equ� in po'ltter and gl ory. r Certainly thi s theory is as unscriptural as it is unreasonable. Verily, if it \'1! ere not for the fact that this Trinitarian nonsense t'la s drilled into us from earliest infan cy , and the fact that it is tau�1t in Theological seminaries by gray-haired professors, in many '\'ray s ap parently ti i set no bCJt;\-r ould give it a moment 1 s considerati on. Hot-r the great Adversary ever suc ceeded in foist ing it upon the Lord's people to bewi lder them , and render much of the Word of God

of none effect 11 is the real my stery "'hich will probably not be solved until we know 'even as we are known in gl ory. s ZO

In stu�ing the mat erial of the Witnesses, the t� iter di scovered

that they seemi�have given abundant Scripture testimony to the ef-

feet that there is but one Almighty God--Jehovah ; anct that he has highly exalted his t�;st-begp�ten, hi s only Begotten Son, to his own

nature a.nd to his own throne of the universe; and that next to these

in order of rank vrill be the gl orified Church , the Br ide, the L&'Ub ls

\'life and joint-heir.

� I:ar ¥letos, The Comforter. I:,a;rakletos is rendered C,2lll:{orte;r

in Joh..ll lL� :l6,26, but the thought usu..

(namely to soothe , to paci fy ) is not here the correct . one . The correct

one, according to the Witnesses, is that of help, encouragement , assist- ance , strengthening. Rutherford states:

Thus our Lord' s promise implied that the Holy Spirit which the Father 1'!0uld send in Jesus t name ana as Jesus• representative , would be near hi s followers a present help in every time of need- the holy �gwe� by whi ch he would guide and direct

20. Iq�A· · P• 166. his peonle and enable them to walk by :fa:tth and 21 not by �ight.

The Witnesses claim that this power o:f God is . invi sible to men but

its effects ar e tangible and. visible. They illustrate by the electric

curr ent in the copper \'lire , v1hi ch if connected to a motor o:f a trolley- car, manifests itself in the movement of the car. They conclude that

the Holy Spirit is the spiritual energy or power of God. in that it moves.

enlightens, warms and instruct s all who , havi n-g the proper conditions in themselve s, are brought int o connection, 'Vri th it thr ough its proper chan

.. 22 nels

The Witnesses conclude that nothing connected with the preceding reference to the Holy Spirit as another Comforter or helper implies that another Go d is meant . or another person of a trinity of Go ds.

The connections show on the contrary that the comforting or strengthening holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father and the �J ir it of the Son. It should be remembered too, that the words �� him, !li.m se_11,, used in referring to the !:..,arak:J..!!.9.!, mie;ht with equal right �j translated she , �. h.�.r.sillt or a, �.

The vi e'lf! o:f Conservative Proteste.nti sm 'IIli th rega.,rd to these in- te:rpretations has been given in a later chapter. To accept the preceding paragre;phs and quote.t ions as :final and true l'li thout intensive research into the original Greek texts, one \!! Ould mo st certainly fall into the same channel of error tl1at Jehovah 's Wi tnesses have fallen

21. Ibid. • :p. 203.

23. Ibi.£,. , p. 204. into. Briefly note the follo�nng pexa�raph: And I td ll ask the Father, and another Paraclete >'Till he give you, that he may remain ;.Jith you for

ever••• • but the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whgm the Father >'!ill send in my name, J2&. v1 i1J. teach you all things, and \Ifi ll bring to you.r remembrance all things vrhich I said u.:nto you (John 14:16,26).24' The preceding passage is rendered as found in the original Greek like kind, besides Jesus who becomes our Paraclete, Helper. Advocate idth the Father (I John 2:1; Romans 8:26).. So the Christian has Christ as his Pa.raclete \

� JIQl.z. fuiil:.iJ!.f.nd Pentecost. In this sphere, Jehovah's\ll itnesses again deny anything in connection 1

Quite the contrary: the fact that the holy Spirit was received in them all, of itself implies that the holy Spirit is not a :person, but a:n influence. a po'\IIer exerted by a person--the power or influence of

24. George R. :Berry• � ±P�ter.l,!n,�ar. �;i.j;er�l Tr§l.nP.l.f'l]iQ;g21 � Gre� �e� Test�epj;, (Chicago , Wilcox and Follett Co. , 1897 ). p.. 29 0 .. Archibald T. Robertson, Word Pictures in The New Testament (1\fe'!tl Yorkt Harper and. J3r�r;.-i93i),-!v:-2.52. 61 'God exerted in and_ u:pon his ne1rtly adopted children. 26

Another note of interest vii th regard to the teaching of the 'IJ!itnesses on the Holy Spirit is, that whoever becomes truly united with Christ, and thus truly united with all the members of the body of Christ, needs not pray for present or future Pentecostal blessings, but may look back vdth joy and confidence to the original Pentecostal blessing as evidence of the Father's acceptance of the church as a whole. In other words, the Witnesses contend that only those who are ignorant and misled mll continually pray for baptisms of the Spirit, for even the Ap ostles did not pray for future Pentecosts.27

teresting to notice the plea of Jehovah's Witnesses that the :majority know little about the real spirit battles and victories, because the majority have never made a proper consecration, that they might receive the Holy Sp irit of truth. Their thought here is that some people consecrate to social reform work, and they get only the �irit of social reform and its blessings.28 They say:

All of these consecrations, and the spirits re sulting, have bot£1 good and evil influences. Any of them are far better than a consecration to evil and. its �irit of evil. But none of these compare to the consecration taught in the Scriptures and exemplified in our Lord Jesus Christ. This true

2(. Ibi�. , P• 216.

28. �J>i,d. t P• 183. consecration brings to the heart the holy Spirit , the spirit of truth ,.;hich the l'r orld cannot receive. 29

The wr iter was amu sed at thi s quotation, for if the Holy Spiri t is

not a being posse ssing :personality, what is it then that comes to the

hee.xt whi ch the v-rorld cannot receive , .!an, i;n,fluenc.f;? It w·ould seem that

at thi s :point their ill ogical logic breaks do1rn..

nesses that the reason more people do not have the witness of the Holy

Sp irit is because of the errone ous view they hold concerning the Holy

Spirit.

The difficulty lies largely in the erroneous view that the Sp irit is a :person. and which seeks to apply :persona�ity to its witnessings. When the fact is recognized that the Spirit of God is any :power or influence which God may be :pleased to ex ercise, the subject i s clarified and the 'witness of the Soirit' becomes a mat ter of easy di stingui sh

ment.30 �

SuRR o s�� Ob ject�Q�� Considered. It is the claim of Jehovah1 s

1fl itne sses that many pas sage s of Script1.U' e translated by the Trinitar- ians have been given a bias or t'flist V'.fhich causes an app arent dis- agreement bet1treen some of these 1t1hich we have quoted. and the reas.oll"' able vi e\1 of the subject under di scussion. In this section mat erial has been :presented to show how the Witnesses have en a variety of

Scriptures. tho se they feel are confusing to many·, and have at tempted to remove all objections of these Scriptures in the light of their

29. Ibisi. e P• 194.

30. lJti �. , :P• 228. teachings.

They >�Tere al1 fUled with the Holy Spirit, and. began to speak with tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance, (Acts 2:4).

Thi s te;,.:t according to the Witnesses describes a two-fold. operation of the Holy Spirit. �n ey claim SUP!Jort from Rutherford:

It was the mind, disposition, Spirit of God, operating the di sciples, as the Spirit of adoption, bringing their he£�ts into closeness of sympathy and touch with the Father , and with

the glorified Redeemer ••••God' s holy Spirit or power or influence acted also � them , con ferring special gifts for a testimony to the world. �fuile it would. be �· easonable in the ex treme to think of a God getting personally into one man, there is not the slightest unreasonableness in the thought that the power of the Highest, the power, the influence of Jehovah could be in and up on and in milli ons without , in anytdse interfering with the personal presence of Jehovah upon the throne of the universe.3l

Peter said, 'Ananias, why hath Satan filled thy heart, to lie to the holy Spirit, and to keep back

paxt of the price of the land, 1 (Acts 5:3 ) ••• 1 thou hast not lied unto 1uen, but unto God, 1 (Act s 5: L!- ) .

It will be noticed, say the Witnesses, that the Apostle uses the words �and � §piiit interchangeably in verse three and verse four. The thought is the same. God1 s Holy Spirit, acting throu.gh the apostles, was God's representative ; and consequently, in lying to the apostles >iho represented God and his Holy Spirit, Ananias and Se.pphira were lying to C'YC d, lying to the 'holy S1)iri t of God, 11 \'.'hose agent and representative Peter was. 32

31. Ibid. , p. 269.

)2. �£· ...&.it· Again, The Witnesses claim, thHt nothing in the vm rds of Acts 8:

29 seems to im:PlY the necessity of another Go d, 11Tl:le S:pirit said unto

Phillip , 1Go near , and join thyself to this chariot. •1 �n ey understand that the Lord, by hi s Sp irit . influence , po't'l'er, directed. and in structed Phillip to app roach the chariot of the eu.nuch,.33

In what manner Phillip was directed of the holy Sp irit we are not informed, and it would be unwi se to spe culate. Our r�d has at his disposal unlimit d a means for communicating hi s >-lishes to hi s people. )

In the passage Acts 10:19 11 f1The Sp irit sail! unto Bim, ':Behold three men seek thee•'" the Witnesses maintain that the same answer is applicable to this passage as to the preceding objection ..

It is quite immaterial to us how the power , in fluence, Spirit of God� addressed Peter , giving him this informatio:n. 3�

In Acts 16:6, 11Forbidden of the Holy Gho st to :preach the word in

Asia,11 the Witnesses again deey the personality of the Holy Sp irit.

are no t informed specifically how the a..n.d his conq:>anions were forbidden to :prosecute the :preaching work in Asia, but apparently they were hindered or not :permitted to go into Asia.---the tu:r· favorable circumstances preventing. :But no mat ter h�� they were hindered; God was directing the work ; he used invisible power to direct them as hi s ser 6 vant s.3

In I Corinthians 2: lj, 11 • • • which things al so vte speak:, not in the \'lords ''lhich man• s '"isdom tea.cheth, but which the Holy Gho st

33. Ibiq. , P• 273 .

)4. �b i�. , P• 274.

).5.. �. siJi_,

)6. Ibid. , P• 276 .. 65 teacheth. 11 Does this not prove the personality of the Holy Spirit?

"It does not,11 is the Witness reply! Rutherford states:

This Scripture proves that the holy Spirit or mind of God, '�>Then received by his children, fits or prepares their minds to comprehend his plan. Row clear it is that the spirit is not a person, but the disposition or influence of God in them. 37

§ymrnar.z.. To su.mmarize the presentation of the doctrine o:f the

Holy Spirit. single thoughts from each preceding section have been

taken. The last quoted parl?.gra:ph is from one of the many \lll"iti ngs of

J. F. Rutherford.

The holy Spirit is not another God, but the spirit, influence, or power exercised by the on � God, our Father, and by his 6nly Begotten Son. 3

The holy Spirit is the invisi"o le po>·rer of Jeho vah. The term � g,qost. has been used by the Trinitarian translators without the slightest authority, thus giving the vague impression of 1pe:rsonali t;y1 to some, i·thich is an unscriptural

imp:ressi on •.J 9

The terrns � and J2.n.�1l.lll,a , rendered s;piri.t , do not signify personality, but do signify in visible power or influence.40

The holy Spirit is the begetting or t4ans- forraing power of the knotfled.ge truth. 1

The P&akle,tQJl, the .Q.gm.:{Q;r:tet,, is the holy l!O)Ife.z.: by \'Fhich the Lord would direct and guide his people and enable them to tvalk by faith and

---

37· �- - P• 2?9.

)8 .. lp:J.!!,... P• 165.

39. �.,P • 169.

40. Ibid. , P• 173·

41. Ij:li£!:,. , p. 18.3. 2 not by sight. 4

At Penteco st , the fact that the holy Spirit was received in them all, of it.self implies that the holy Spirit is not a person, but an influence, a power exerted � a person--the po111 er of ftod exerted up on hi s ne,,;ly adopted children. 3

The supposed objections to Scripture ari se fr om a p�as or twi st of the Trini tarian trans lat ors. L14

The Scriptures conclusively prove that the holy Sp irit is not a person, and is therefore not one of the go ds of the Trini ty. The holy Spirit (mistrans.lated Holy Ghost ) is the holy power of Jehovah God conferred up on his beloved Son and u:po� others whom he authorized to rep resent him. 5

42. fpi�•• P• 203.

43 .. !big. , P• 209.

44. �- • p.. 263.

45. J. F. Rutherford. f1.e g,oncilia�;l. on. (:Brooklyn, Watchto1r1er :Bible and Tract Society, 1928 ), PP• 115, 116. CHAPTER VI

COl•D?ARISON AND COJJi'TRAST

The three essential phases of the Jehovah'si'l itnesses doctrine of

God have been presented ip. the preceding (four) chapters. The conclud.- ing pa1•t of this study is a comparison a�d contrast of the Jehovah's

Witnesses doctrine of God and Conservative Protestantism•s doctrine of

God ..

A. COMPARISOU

H.ethgd .2:l :ProcedurE'!,. Two divisi9ns are made in this chapter.

The first division contains the doctrine s of Conservative Protestant- ism as follows : F��. the doctrine of Divine Revelation and Inspira- tion; A§C�q, a glimpse of the Trinitarian doctrine , followed by a discussion of each person in the Godhead, God the Father, Christ the

Son, and the Holy Spirit. The second division contains. in a chart form, a contrast of the views of the Jehovah 's Witnesses and Conser- vative Protestantism.

�Et l).,octriue s .2:l Rev,e],at_ioa, �ii Ins:pirati.2A• Revelation may be defined in a b��ad sense as 11 every manifestation of God to the con- sciousness of man, whether tl�ough natn2•e and the course of human history. or through the higher disclosures of the Incarnate Word and the Holy Scriptures.111

1. H. Orton Wiley , Christian �pftolo&y (Kansas City, Missouri, Beacon Hill Press, 1949), I, 125. Such a definition suggests two divi sions which have been di scussed in thi s section: (1) general revelation which includes nature and a- vents in hi story ; (2) special revelation which include s the �A

The first phase of general revelation is nature. Dy this we mean the disclosure of God through the pl�sical universe considered

states :

Nature is filled with the Divine Spirit and re veals God as the atmo sphere is filled wi th sunli��t and. reveals the sun. But the of nature falls up on darkened intellects and dulled sensibi lities and must be read in the dim light of a viti at ed spiritual nature. However, the more God is otherwi se known, the more thi s \!Th ole infinite, visible creation declares His invi sible glory , and reveals Hi s hidden nat"t.ll'e and will, and t o this the testimony of ever� spiritually renewed soul bear s joyful witne ss.

Turning now to revelat ion,through history. Hi story belongs to human volition. It is a record of what men have done , but --

There is an inner directiug Presence in history and an Authoritative Will above it whi ch directs all to an expressed goal , a fullness of time. Thi s goal is the coming of the Word made flesh. the Incarnate Son of God standing out on the plane of human history as God manifest in the flesh. the light of thi s hi storical fact. we are ab le to look back through the page s of history and recog nize pu.r-pose in event s; and we are ab le to r ead the words of the prophets and see their predictions fulfilled. As the central point of all history has had His impress upon it.:3

It is necessary now· to turn to the second divh: i.ons. that special revelation.

2. !bi�· • P • 128. :By special revelation we to ile redemptive purpose of God manifested in Chri st Jesus, as over against the more general revelation of Hi s power manife sted in His creative works. Gen eral revelation is basic and fundamental, but im plies a revelat ion on a higher and personal plane. Also, the fact that sin entered the world as an event later than the creative fiat , necessitates a special revelation if God' s attitude towards sin is to be understood, and Hi s purpose of redemption effectually made known to men. 4

The :Bible is that m2eci�� revelation and is God's way of disclos-

ing himself and hi s plan of redemption to man. This revelation pro- vides what man could not understand of God through nature and hi story.

Christ :l. s presented in the :Bible as the central figure of this special revelation, for He is the perfect manifestation of God. Hebrews 1:3 points to this fact very clearly. S

Chl•ist i� therefore, the perfect and complete revelat ion of God.

operation of the Holy Spirit upon the \'II'iters of the books o:f' the

:Bible �n such a manner that their productions became the expression of God' s will. !t was by thi s means that the Scriptures bec�ae the

\'lord of God. 6

The term inspiration means literally the 'br eathing of God, • or •the breathing into, • and is therefore the ex:traordin�:try agency of' eth Holy Spir:tt upon the mind in consequence of' 1¥hich the person who partakes of it is enabled to embrace and communi cate the truth of God without error,

�-.. - ,, -

4.. lb}.Q.. t p. 135·

s. Ibid,. , P • 137·

6. Ibid. f P • 16?. or defect.'?

A more genereJ definition would state that actuat ing energy of the Holy by which holy men ch osen of God have officially procla,imed Hi s will as revealed to men in the sacred.

Scriptures.

lihen the Holy �ible was written. the Holy Spirit operated upon the hearts and minds of the writers, preparing their minds for the reception of truth, {II Timothy 3 :16), thus enabling them to communicate thi s truth without error. The character of the

sacred. is stated in II Peter 1:21, 1• • • Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Gho st. a8

Thi s doctrine of Inspiration does not teach that Go d dictated the

Scriptures as a business man would di ctate to a stenographer. l�or does the do ctrine claim that all parts of the l3ible are of equal value as teaching religious truth.

The Holy Sp irit simply sup ervi sed the men who were \Yriti ng, in such a way that vlhile they were left in ful l possession of their olm faculties, and while they used other soua4ces in the collect ing o:f the:i.r oi'm information, hTitin g that infor mation in their O'lftn style and '\l'lith their cn·m choice of vocabulary e� d diction, yet they were prevented from writing \V'hat was � true , gtJ.ided in the selection of jus t the fact s tha.t God '!frant eo. written :for Hispe ople. 9

Conservative Protestantism do es not claim that all parts of the l3ible have eq1tal value in the teaching of religious truth, but all of it is true and just the truth that God wants hi s people to have. Thi s

7. Ibig,. , p. 167.

a. Ibis;\. , p. 169 ..

9. Floyd E. Hamilton, !b� l3aai s of Chri2� Fai th (New Yo rk , Harper and Brothers, 1946 ), p. 282. 71

is the doctrine of Insp iration which Conservative Protestantism be-

lieves the Bible teaches. Furthermore, the Conservative Protestant

doctrine of inspiration may be substantiated by the scripture II Timo

thy 3:16, 11All scr:i.pture is given by inspiration of God and is profit- able for tloetrine , for reproof , for correction, for instruction in righteousness. " Therefore. if the Bible is not true, the doctrine of inspiration may be disproved, but if the Bible is true , it necessarily follo\

The leaders of Jehovah 's Witnesses have claimed unadul terated

Conservative Protest�mtism. 'l'lhere does the error of the l'litn esses

show forth then? �1e writer contends that one must be aware of a very

subtle rationalism on the part of Jehovah's Witnesses. Certain doctrines are unreasonable to Jehovah 1s Witnesses, and they state their case very brazenly. :But if the :Bible is the i'lord of God, '1hich both groups contend1 Conservative Protestantism maintains it is not proper to Bey 'l'hether the ctoctrines taught in it.te irlord of God seem reasonable or not. Hamilton contends :

If God has given them to us , they must be true. and it is our place to study them and accept them as true . \IThether we can reconcile them \'li th our finite minds or not. One of the greatest difficul ties we have with certain of these doctrines is that they are an attempt to e:11plain 1�init$1! truths in fi.Pite la.:nguage. 10

Conservative Protestantism further states that it is to be ex- pected that under such circumstances one might not be able to grasp the full significance of the doctrines, or to reconcile the '72 which God reveals to men with their finite human experiences and f'inite mindse This does no t mean that they are irreconcilable t>Jith reason, but simply that man does not have the facts sufficient to reconcile them. ll Hamilton fur ther states:

If God were to reveal anything to me�ind, cer tainly it would not be truths 1·rhich man could through his unaided reason, but truths which man could not possible learn

No one wh o admits that the �ible is the ·w ord of !Jod, l:;las any J.ogical right to que stion the truth of the doctrines taught therein.

�. If the :Bible is the Word of God, then it is the duty of Christians to accept its teachings and doctrines, no matter how di s- tasteful to the sinful heart they m� be. If God revealed them, then they are ratJoJt:M. regardless of what we may think of thentt or how impossible it ms¥ seem to be to prove their truth or to reconcile them with the rati onal side of man1s nature.l3

Therefore. because Jehovah*s. hold the �ible to be the

Word of God, to be true to this belief, they will necessity have to accept its teoohings and doctrines, no matter how unreasonab le they may seem to their finite n1 inds. Conservative Protestants may draw the conclusion that because of the non-acceptance of the doctrine of the

11.. Lac. cit.,

1.3. Ibid.• , p. 282. 73 Trinity, Jehovah1 s Witnesses actue�ly are denying the very point for

which they contend, that the :Bible is the Inspired vlord. of God.•

Ramilton1s view is as follows:

No matter how irrational a doctrine may be to the mind of a Conservative Protestant, he falls back on faith in a rational God who can and does resolve the se.eminly irrational mysteries, in His infinite knowledge. ' 1Now we see t ough a glas� darkly, but then face to face. t l gr

Ho �ir;�. To present an adequate concept of the Christian doctrine of God, one must begin 'lfrith the Trinity.

The Trinitarian belief immediately sets off the Christian view of God from all others.. It is there fore, unique and has no parallel either in the his tory of religion or philosophy. There have been many religious groups out side the Christian tradi tion that have taught a personal God" but in these groups there has been either one or many. This problem of .many gods has been resolved in the Trinity which teaches a monotheism (one God) and also teaches three divine persons within the Trin ity (which denies the plurality of Gods ).15

Since those v;ho acknowledge the erlstence of a personal God never question hi s Fatherhood, the Witnesses being no exception, it is evident that the question regarding the Trinity resolves itself into the proof of the Deity of the Son and the Holy Spirit.

taken the position that the doctrine of the Trinity, like all other

14. Ibid. , P• 282.

15. J3 "a.ine L. :Bassett, 11A Critical Study of Mormon Doctrine11 J.D. Thesis in thE' it/estern Evangelical Seminary Library, unpublished., 1952 , p. 109. Ne-v1 Testament truths, was conta.ined in germ in the Olcl Testament; but

only "lith the revelation of God in Christ could. it come to full d.eveloP-

ment. Pope, in hi s �q�endi�. Qi Christian Theology states:

The doctrine of the Trinity, like every other doctrine. had the mystery of divine education in the Church, its slow development. Remembering the law, that types of progress of the Old Testa ment doctrine must be traced in the light of the New Testament , we candi scern throughout the an cient records a preintimation of the Three-One , ready to ·· be revealed in the last time. lqo >'l ord of ancient record is to be studied as standing alone; but according to the analogy of faith, which is no other than the one truth that reigns 6 in the organic whole of Scripture. l

H. Orton Wiley contends that it is necessary to remember that in

the light of the Christia:n di spensation, there are many passages in the

Old Testament which are seen to contain implicitly the doctrine of the

Trinity. These intimations are found in references to the plural use

of names of Godt the Angel of Jehovah, the Aaronic :Benediction. the

Trisa,gion, the use of the terms Word and Wisdom, e� d the descriptions

of Messiah. 17

1:!1§. Jl!.tt Qi_Plur&l Names to Desigp§:te De:Uz. Theologians in every age , have asserted that it is impossible to eJ..']Jlain the use of the plural rather than singular nouns, unless there be a plurality of per-

sons in the Godhead. Hence, the allusion to the doctrine of the Trin-

ity, which in the progress of revelation 'lltas afterward. to be clearly

reveal eel .

16. William Burt Pope, ! Comp endi.� IJi.. Christian Theology (New Yorkt Hunt and Eaton, n. d .. ) , I, 260.

17. Wiley, Christian Taeg!ogy, I, 398. 75

This plural use is found in the opening sen tences of Genesis, 'llth ere it is stat ed that In .!J.l.!. belld,m;!ing; God (i.e. Elohim, or the Gods ) cre ated .:lll.!, heavens and 1h!, ear;l.ih.t ( Ge:o. 1:1). Again in verse 26, And God said, 'Let � make man in �image, after 9.'!.!:L lik�ness1 1 .Al so in Genesis 3:22 •••And the Lord8sa1d, l�ehold, the man is become !:.!! � QI. !!!• t l

� .A..tl.Kel SJ.i. Jeggvah. This phrase as use.d from Genesi s to Mala- chi is another expression whi ch contains imPlicitjz the thought of the Trinity.

The is the messenger or manifestation of God, which although separated from God is never theless identified with Him. \fhile the phrase is sometimes used to denote a human messenger and at other times a creat ed , it is with these few exceptions used to design.a,t e the l;I,G..::;:;-.��.#t2:"� Logos.. !t is vary necessary that '1e\ remember that the 'Angel of the Lord' refers directly to the eternal Logos, '.'lho ,,,hile distinct from Jehovah is yet Jehovah himself. l9

It is in the descriptions of the Messiah that the clearest vi sion of the Second person of the Trinity as the Divine Son is given. Note such passages as Isaiah 9:6; 11-ficah 5:2; Psalm 45: 6,7; Hebre'lr!S 1:8,9; and Malachi 3:1.

It is to the New Testa- ment that one must tu:rn for the full revelati on of the Son as the

Second person of the Trinity; and for the personality vn d deity of the

Roly Spirit as the adorable Third person. The writer has chosen only a few out standi ng proof texts, for the wealth of Scripture expressions

19. tpi�. , P • 399. is too to try to cover them all.

The of Christ is sustained by the following classes of Scripture: . (1) Those 't'lfhich refer to His pre-existence, John 1:15 ; 8:58; 6:51, 3:13 ; 17 :5. (2) Divine names and titles are applied to Christ. He is called •Lord, • Isa. 40 :3; Matt.J:3; Romans 10:13; Joel 3:32; John 20:28; Acts 10:36. He is called 1God, 8 John 1:1; Titus 2:13 ; I John 5:20. (J) Divine attributes are ascribed to Christ, such as John 2:19; 10:17,18; .5 :26; ; 17 :,5,24; B:ebre\'rs l :8,1Q-12; I .J ohn 1:2; Matthe>

John 17 :2. !!!. � �=.,.,::::. Ephesians 4:8-13. (.5) Divine "'"'"'"'" is offered to Christ. Matthew 14 :33; Luke 24 :51, 20 52 ; Acts 1:24 ; {:59; Reb. 1:6; Rev • .5:13.

The personality and of the Holy Spirit do not require the same extended d:l..sc11ssion1 as that which has ,just been given to the deity of the Son, inasmuch as many of the principles involved have already been considered, and, too , an extended di scussion has been

in the section which follows on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.

That the Holy Spirit1s is di stinct from that of the Father and the Son i s clearly taught in

the Scriptures.. He is called .:lib&. Snir�l; � �� .... Hol;;L �.ir..i_t ; the 2i �=..1..• spoken of by our Lord as

20. 21 Comforte;r,.

That the Holy Spirit is more than an influence or an attribute is brougc�t out clearly in John 14 :16 and John 14 :26. In these passages

the Holy Sp irit is clearly stated to be the Third Person, as the Fa-

ther is the First and the Son the Second in the Trinity.

The highest evidence of personality in the Third Person of the Trinity is the fact that a personal pronoun with a neuter noun is used in reference to the Holy spirit. 1It is a depar ture from the ordinary rule to use a masculine pronoun with a neuter noun, • says Dr. Hodge. 'unless the masculine is \'larranted by the fact that the person referred to mey be called •He •. Hence the use of the mascu�ine pronoun is strong evidence that the �� ite:rs of Sacred Scripture intended to set forth the personality of the Holy Spirit ..22

The deity of the Holy Spirit may be proved Scripturally, by a collation of text s as in the case of the Divine Sonship , ho,�;�ever , this phase has been discussed in the section on the Holy Spirit. Some

:references are, Acts 5:),4; I Cor. 12 :6-11; II Cor. ):17; Heb. 1:1;

II Peter 1:21; 1:11.

The position maintained by Jehovah 1s Witnesses is that the doctrine of the Trinity is a senseless, God-dishonoring doctrine. They claim such a doctrine is unreasonable from beginning to end, and cannot be understood or explained. Conservat ive Protestantism admits that of all the Cb:ristian doctrines. the most difficult to explain and understand is the doctrine of the Trinity. Conservative Protestantia� does not claim that it is possible to prove its truth by rational argument or by evidences external to the Bible, but they do point out

21. �.. , P • Lj,o4. 22. lb i�. , P• 405. of e:xplanat ion 1;;1hich remove some of the misunderstanding ab out this doctrine.

The definition given of this doctrine in the 'Vle st:minster Shorter

Cateclusm is as good a definition as any : "There are three persons in

Godhead; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one God• the same in sub stance. equal in power and glory. � is meant by this defini tio:n is that the Christian God is s..n� !12,C\_, three Gods. but that in this Godhead. are three sonst God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.23

Conservative Protestants must admit that the human reason has ex- treme difficulty in even understanding h� this can be true , and that the doctrine could never have been di scovered by the unaided reason.

The doctrine must be accepted only God has revealed it to us in the Bible; and though it is difficult to understand, that cannot be used as an argument our accepting it as true, if God has revealed it.. The very difficulty of understanding it lies in the fact

certain limits; this is the meaning of definition. It may be seen. therefore • that the human mind can never define God \tho is unlim:l.te d.,

Only the infinite can comprehend the infinite.

is represented in the Bible as '· ••dw ell ing in the light which no man can approach unto;

whom no man hath seen• nor can see••• 1, (I Timothy 6:16). The nearest approach to a defini t4on of God is found in Exodus 3:14 : • •••I AM THAT I AM. 1 This reference asserts His existence without attempting to prove it and further declares that His essence can only be kno�rn by Himself.24

The writer has discovered that the burden of the Scriptures not to prove the existence of God, but they do boldly asstune and em- phatically declare the existence of God.

!.4.!! .Q;t God. The que stion has been asked, tt lfuat is the value of the use of Divine name s as a revelat ion of the idea of GodTh

The progt·essive revelation of -God to man, as found in the Scriptures has its origin and develop ment in the use of Divine names, through YJthich God has collllll1.lnicated in varying , something of the unsearchable mystery vrhich surrounds Hisbe ing.25

Two n�nes, ohi� and Jeboveg. when taken in their Old Testament unity, declare the being of God as absolute and necessary. There are many other names applied to Deity, but these two are strpreme and run throughout the older period of revelation.

are important also \'dth reference to God. All of these names are continued in the New Testa- ment , and find their culmination in the revelation of God in Him ,

'li'!hose name is above 11 every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come,11 (Ephesians 1:21 ) ..

The central idea of Eloh� indicat es the primary revelation of

Go d' s po\'Jer, through the forces of nature and constitution of man.,

The advanced meaning of Jahweh lifts the concept of God from the plane

24. :Bassett, 11 A Critical Study of Mormon Doctrine , 11 p.. 111. 80 of power to that of personal relationships. The meaning of � Spadda� is given as 11 Go.d Almightytr ; also as flbreasted" ; nourisher or life- giver, (Job 3 :12 ); and as the shedder-forth of blessings temporal and spiritual . The di stinctive meaning of A�onai expresses possession and sovereign dominion. It means Lord or Master in the Greek, a term fre quently applied to Christ.26

The words ElQhi� and Jehovah are frequently united in the Scriptures, and when so used ex press the personal nature of God. Furthermore, there is conne cted in the divine names, a revel ation of the God of creation, a revelation of the God of redemption, and t'fhen the name is used, there is given also the nature of the relation of God to His :redeemed people. 27

In these namE:Hlt therefore, is veiled the fuller revelation of the

Triune name , which we have seen found expression in God the Father ,

C:hri st the Son as the Incarnate "ilord , and the Holy Spirit as the Para- clete or Comforter. Also, with :reference to the divine names, in a previous chapte:r28 Jehovah's Witnesses cont ended that the name .Tehovah is never applied to Jesus Chri st. How·ever, the fact of the matter is that the name Jesus literally means Jehovah-Savi or. 29

The Attributes Q.;( �. The attributes of God are the several qualities and perfections of the divine nature. Our knowledge of the divine essence is very limited, and all man can know of his perfections is what has been revealed to him in uatuxe and his Word (Christ). Even

26. .DilJ�. 9 p., 248.

28. Ab ove • p . 18 . 81

with all this help man can only know God the Father in part, for God

is incomprehensibly great .

Only briefly have the attribu·t es been given here » for in the sec-

tion regarding Christ , the One \vho reveal s to us the Father. the attributes are seen more clearly. We find.: (1) Y,pj,�.. There is but one

God--one self-exi stent being. Deut . 4:35; Isaiah 45:21,22; I Cor. 8:

4; Ephe sians 4:6. (2) Godal one is eternal. God is; God

has ever been; God wi ll ever be. Psalm 102 : 27; 90:2; Isaiah 40 :28;

57:15. (:3) God is spirit, not body, nor mind, nor

znatter.. Since he is spirit -v1 e can understand '"hy all \v orship mu st be

spiritual.

There is one God, the cause of all things, the fountain of all perfection, 'n thout �aLt s or ��en for he is eternal . fi lling the heavens and the earth, 12.e rvadin.g, gover�. a.nd �ho�P..;i.J;t.A

th:l.ngs . for he is an. ,;t.n,finU� ��::c.:::..•

God is infinite in knovrledge .. Hebrews 4- :13; Psalm

147 :5. (5) �ip;t.�sens;

ly present everywhere. One out s tanding reference in Scripture is

Psalm 139 :7-10. (6) Om:Q}.JlQj;��.. Thi s att ribute is essential to the

very nature of God. If he were not almighty. he would not be perfect

and independent. Hi s power is incomparable. 62:11; Job 26 :14.

Malachi 3:6; Psalm 102 :27. Thus trusting in the

immutability of God11 anyone \'Th o comes to God for .,...,.101"'' .., has a strong

consolation.

�------

30. Jonathan , T)l�o;l.o� (Dayt on. Ohio, Unit. ed Brethren PUbli shing House, 1900), p. 24. 82

(8) I!o ld.P.$lJ?£• God is originally holy; he is so of and in himself ;

and the author and promoter of holiness among h:i. s creatures. This is

an essential attribute of the divine essence, and is ;jJ:l:fi;g.;tj;�,J]IDrU,:t�.blp,

The holiness of God is both negative and positive , for it not only impl:i.ea the ab sence of all evil, but the presence of 1a11 possible, :positive, operative goodnes s. t3l

Relative holiness may be found in men, and. man is called upon to be holy. Through the Atonement the vra.y has been made possible, ancl if

it were not pos sible for man to be rela.ti vely holy , God \lfould not re-

quire it. (9) Justice... God is eternal ly just , 11 •••A God of faith.-

fulness and \vitho ut iniquity, j'u. st and right is he. 11 (Deut. 32 :4 ) ..

( 10) Tp;;th. Truth, like holiness, inheres in the very nature of God..

The one cannot exist 1t.i:l. thout the other.. Exodus 34:6;

AU of these inhere in the attribute of goodness. But for the goodness of God, man

should not kn ot

suffering. 32 Psalm 106 :1.

��· There is. and of necessity muet always be, the most complete and perfect harmony in all the at tributes., "''leaver concludes:

God is bound by the immutability of his o"rn perfections , so that he cannot perform a single act by the exercise of any one of his attributes.,33

31.. lbi£.. , :P • 28 ..

32. Lbis• • P· 31. 83 Who can contem1)late all these attributes inhering in one person11

and not be impressed 'IIli th a sense of God's greatness? 11 Gr eat is ·the

Lord and hi ghly to be praised," (Ps. 48:1 ).

Chri st. Is Jesus Christ truly and properly God? Thi s is a que s-

tion of great importance, for the \vho le plan of salvation hinges u:pon

it. The deity of Christ is a matter of revelation and must be settled by a direct appeal to me Scriptures. If Jesus Christ is ver7 God, the

Scriptures must affirm it.

Divine. Titles .Qlve11 iQ. �.. Divine titles are given to Christ

'lfThich belong to no being in the universe but God. 11Thy thro�, 0 God,

is for ever and ever,11 (Reb. 1 :8).

If this be said of the Son of God, Jesus Cl1rist, then Jesus Christ must be God; and it is the purpose of Paul to prove this., The \•;ords here quoted are taken from Psalms 14:6,7. This verse is very cor rectly considered a proof of the deity of Christ, but some late versions of the New Testament have en deavored to avoid the evidence of this proof by translating the words t}ms � � 1.! � jthrn_� t.J;a. !.Yer and �· using (o 6€."5 ) as the nominative case. However , the nominative case is often used for the vocative, and enti.re construction requires it should be used here. The original Hebrew "�>tOrd can not be consistently translat ed in any other '"ay than 'Thy throne, 0 Godt is forever and to eternity. • It is both "l:rorlds, end extends over all time and \!ill not exist through endless cluration.34

The only reference found 'Yrhere the Jehovah's \'fitn esses make use

of this verse is the stat ement that the 11br:tde11 is exhorted to rever-

ence the King's Son as her Lord. The t�4e meaning, however , is

J4. Adam Clarke • � Hol,;y_ :}ll.ble.. Q_ommep.tau. Qi. Both Old W. � �-a ment� (New York, Land and Scott, 1851 ), VI, 690. 84 perfectly clear. God the Father is spe;;;king unto His Son and calling

Him "God.,u 35

Turning to Matthew 1 :23 • 11:Behold, the virgin shall be 'tlith child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel; which is$ being interpreted, God with us. 11 This passage relates to the gospel themes. and is sp oken of concerning Jesus Christ. All Conserva- tive Protestant s agree that Chri st , and Re only. is the Savior of the

\ll' orld. But '"ho and t'l'hat is Re? The Scriptures state, 11He is God .. 11

Other great passages of Scripture such as Romans 9:5; I Timothy

3 :16; Titus 2 :13 ,14. co11ld be di scussed at great length on this mat ter of divine titles. but it is necessary to proceed to the discussion of the attributes of Christ..

�. If Chri st has attributes of deity ascribed to Him, which belong to God alone , how are Conservative

Protestants to account for this if Jesus Christ was not God? �mch is said ab out good men such as Ab raham, Hoses, Samuel, David, andIs aiah, but to none of them are ascribed titles and attributes such as are ascribed to Jesus Christ.

of olo., from everlasting. " (Micah 5:2 ).

In every age , from the beginning of the 't!orld.11 there has been some manifestation of the Messiah.. He was the hope.as was the salvation of the world, from the promise of Adam in paradi se, to His manifestation in the flesh � yeE�s after. From everlasting, from the d�s time;

3.5. P. E. He'l'.r itt, EJJ,sse.l:l isw ExppsJ3isl (G1·and P.. ap ids, Michigan. Zondervan Publishing Rouse, 1951 ), p. 8. from time as it crune out of eternity. That ist there \vas in vrhich Be has not been EJ}.,i fl.& !g:rth--coming in various "'ays to save men. .And Be that � fg;tn the moment time had its birth. was b!l!for.e. tha� t_i;me in l•thich he began to � i2llh to save souls that He had created. He was be;&:ore. all things., As He is the .Qr.ea.toL of all things, so He is the Ej;e�, and !lQ. � of \!That was All be;t};}& but God has been cre:�ated.. Whatever llQ.i been creai� is God., But Jesus is the Crea�o� of al l things ; there fore i God; for He cannot be a pe�t of Hi s �6 ot-rn 'lrtork,. ..-

Again, notice ano ther passage speaking of the pre-existence of

, Christ.. 11The first-born of every creature••• ,11 ( rTf orw Ko S 'ifa.,ans :37 K r{ �E.ws ) ....the first-born of all creation.

As point s to r�yela.t,i oib so ��:r.:· point s to §.�ernal pre-e&is!enQ£• Even the refer ence in Revelation 1:5 is a little ambigaous . for we must avoid � suggestion that Christ \tas the first of �ate� t�ings , which is contradicted by the f'ollo\'.'ing l1o:ril.s : � ill, thin�B. cre ated.. The true sense ht borlA before tb_e. cre<;�-tig;q., This fact of priority implies He is exalted ab ove all thrones, etc. , and all things are ( Hs ) Him e as they are else"Vthere declared to

be 1m to God.. 38

One of the key verses whi ch denotes the pre-existence of Chri st, is also one 'lrfhich the l'litn esses very dogmatically deny as setting forth

Christ's pre-existence, is John 1:1.

Here the of Jor� is the real , personal God, the vlord l(h o � origi:n.ally before the creation with God , and God, one in essence and nature , yet personally distinct; the reveal er and interpreter of' the hidden being of God; the reflection and visible image of God, and the

Adam Clarke, .Tll.� � Bi"Ql� Comment� 91,. both Qls! and �l. �st��eats , IVt 722.

Marvin R. Vincent , Word Studies in the N:ew Testamep,:§ (New York, Charles ScribneTTs Sons, 1908;:-III, 4b8. organ of all Hi s manifestation� to the world.. This Word, the Lo�oAt which Jo�n was

to, w:;;.s the Christ • who was in the 39

The phrase S!rul( nv 1"l(Jos ro v {)€ov ) does not convey the full meaning, but there is no single English v1ord vJhi ch "t+lill it better. The preposition (7T,..o os), \'Thich, wi th the accu.sa tive case, denotes motion towards, or direction, is al so often used in the New Testament in the sen.se of and that not merely as being near or , but as a living uni on and conwunion; implying ac tive motion of 'The eternal life "tthich was l'�' i,tS, �:�.ll.�' ( 1T;:' DS TD Y TTa. -ril'a. ), (I John. 1 :2). Thus .Tohn • s stat ement is that the divine vl ord not only abode t

As Jesus Christ is the revelation

God the Father11 it will be noted that; the att:t•i[)utes of duty in the

preceding seoti on wi ll correspond to Christ , however • the Scrii)tu:re

will be in addition to those

is ascribed to Christ. Hebrews 1 :12 i 13 :8t ar e two well-kllO\\tn passages

denoting imrm2tability. It has ever been the faith of the Church that

immutability belongs to God, and to him only,. Thus , since the sacred wri tera have ascribed this at tribute to Chri st , O\.U' conclusion is,

as an at tribute found in Isaiah 9:6 and Rev.. :16, '\>!h ich is as-

cribed to Chri st, thus agai n He must be very God.. (3)

or almighty pO'Itler , has been ascribed to Christ as 'I!Iell as God.. Note

Mat thew 28:18; Col. l:l6t17; 1:8; Genesis 1:1. If Christ is

omnipotent . then He mu st be God.. (4 ) Omnipresence of Christ, i s

)9. Vincent , W.Qr!Jl .§:!u;I.A!.u in��Te ws.t ru!L�' II. 32. 4o. lbiJl. , P• 34.. 87 aseribed in Hebrews 1 (h 11 • • • upholdeth all things by the \'1ord of Hi s power. " In Colos sians 1:17, mn.nipresence is seen also : 11:By Him all things consist. fl Thus to l!J2:l:lgl4. and !.Bl2:2.!2l:� all things requires a universal presence.

Jesus, Himself, gave two promises setting forth Hi s omnipresence in 1·1atthew 18 :20, 'For \-¥here t\fO or th.ree are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them, • and 1Lo , I am 'd th you ah1a.y , even unto the end of the t..r orld. 1 Dr. Hiley says, 10nly an omnipresent being---mmipresent viith infinite efficiencies of a personal agency---could truthfully assert such fact and give such promises.41

(.5)

If Jesus Chri st knoweth all things, even the thought s of the heart, and if all the treasures of wisdom end knowledge are hid in Him, He must be omniscient, and if omniscient , he must truly be God.,

the history of the world by the sta.tement that , III:n the beginning God created the heaven and the earth,11 (Genesi s 1:1). Conservative Pro- testa:nts in all ages have accepted this statene:nt as true. Thus the

God, H is only necessary to shmlf from the Scriptures that He created and sustains all things.,

The facts set forth in .J ohn 1:1-3 are : (1 ) that the Word {Logos) was in the beginning. (2) This Word w4s God. (3) This Word � (4) The Word was made flesh. (5) This Word was Go d manifest :i.n the flesh. 42

Colossians 1:16,17 is another passage denoting Christ as the

IU ., Weaver, Christian �heo:t,oP.Y. P• 38. 42. Loc .. cit. 88

things that had a R,e,&.i nni.ru-l:,t '\'thether they exist !a�or ill .e.t.�r nit;:t;.

Paul the Ap ostle. states also that whatsoever was created was created for Himself; that He was the sole end of His own work; that He was �rio� to all cr�atio�. to all beings, whether in the vi sible or invisible world; that He is the pre server and �2Ye�n�r of all things; for � � a+l �h ing� consi�t.� Allowing St. Paul to have understood the terms which he used, he must have considered Jesus Christ as being truly a.'Yld properly � Creation is the .work of Him who is ��i�i��tejl, infinite, unlimited, and eternal. Since the Scriptures claim that Jesus Chri st is Creator of all things , t n Jesus Christ must be, truly and properly God. �

Another work ascribed to Chri st, is forgivess Qf sin. No being in the universe can pardon sin but God. Psalms 51:4 and Exodus 34:6, '? point out that the Lord God forgiveth sin. Others in the New Testament are , �.fatthei'l 9:6, Col. 3:13; Acts 5 :31., It may be seen from these passages that the pardoni ng of sin is the work of Christ. If Jesus

Christ were not God He could not forgive sin.

Jeeras Christ is the ob.1ec_t sa;( Wprship. To �torship arry being other than God is idolatry. Such passages as Matthew 4:10; Rev. 19 :

10; Acts 24: 14, sho\'l that one must worship God. \'lith these Scriptures in mind, turn and read Luke 24:51.52; Matt. 14:33 ; ?8 :8,9; Rev. 5:11-

13. In these Scriptures it is seen how Jesus Christ received worship from various persons, and He did not rebuke them for their tv-orship of

4J . Clarke, � H..qh :Bible .Q.Q.mi11e:q.,:t�r_x Q.i � Old � � Testaments, VI , 516.

44.. Loc. cit. The highest order of worship , both in heaven and in earth, belongs to Jesus Christ--not to the ht:unan form of Chri st, but to that divine nature that dwelt in Rim. It is not the 1man Jesus Christ 1 that men and angels 1r1orship , but the di vine Chrht--the Almi:t")lty God, that 'i'Tas manifest in the flesh. 4.5

Chri st clai�ed equality with the Father. No created being ever claimed equality c'l'ith God. John .5:18; Phil. 2 :6; Col. 2:9; 1:19; 1:1.5 are all passages wh.i.ch teach that Chri st is �..9.ual 'i'! ith God.. In no sense can Christ be equal with God unless Be is divine in nature.

The Godhead is translated from the i'T Ord ( -9t.C:r ,s ) which signifies deity. or divine nature. So then, all the of deity or the divine nature ctwelt in Rim. Againt Christ is not only the image , but the express image of the invi sible God, and the bright ness of his glory. It cannot be said that Christ in His h11man form was the image of the invi sible God. The reference .nn.tst be to the divine nature. 46

have established the deit;y of Christ. Vi:i. th John one is able to say ,

11This is the true God, and eternal life. 11

The \�iter and all Conservative Protestant s are in full agr eement

The "tthole plan of hu:man redemption through the mer its of Jesus Christ :rests upon the doctrine of Christ1s supreme divinity, or that He was truly and properly God me�ifest in the flesh. Remove this corner- stone from our holy Christianity and i:mmortality and eternal life di sappear. Allo'lt Jesus Christ to be Godt and \'le 90

ha.ve a solid rock up on 'IIThi ch to build our hope of heaven.47

Deny the preceding quo tation, andhop e vani shes! This is exact- ly \¥hat JehovahIs vlitn esses have done. Because the divinity of Chri st, the div�ne Sonship , the deity of the Holy Spirit, and the Trinity· are more or less 'll�apped up in hidden truths to me finite mindt Jehovah's

Witnesses have sought to denounce belief in such teachings. Bu t as for Conservative Protestant s, happy for them that coming to God they are not required to knovJ \

� [�t� o{ �. The term used to denote the h1Jmanity of

Christ is hypo.�.:� ..� \m;_ip_:n.. This term implies the union of the human

�� d the divine nature in the per�on of Jesus Christ . Not two persons in one nature, but two natu.res in one per son. Jesus Chri st was very

God and very man. is not _req�tred to understand this in order to be saved. He need say only, 11I believe God. 11

Jesus Christ is not only truly and properly God. but He is truly and properly man. C'.arist assumed our v1hole nature except sin. He had a true human body, a true hurilan soul, and a true human spirit; and in thi s perfect man dv1elt 11all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. ulta

It is necessary to note Scripture passa€es denoting Christ1s humanity. ('1 ) He is called man in Hebrews 7:24; 10:12; I Tim. 2:.5;

I:Iebrev1s 3(3. (2) He was born of v1oman, John 2:1; Luke 2:7; Gal. 4 :4;

48. Ibid. , P• 45 . 91

Phi l. 2:7,8. Thus Christ had a true hu�an body. (J) He was the seed of Ab raham and the son of David. Gal. J:l6; Gen. 22 :18; Rev. 22 :16;

Mat t. 22 :42,4J; Romans l:J. (4) Christ's manner of life upontearth proves that He had a true human body. He hun�ereq.,

was �arz, slep�, rested, W�Et • was sorrQWf�.' and .All these things prove His hu.raani ty.

In the plan of human redemption it was necessary that these two natures be uni ted. JJeither "rithout the other could have made an atonement for the sin of the vTOrld. The divine nature could not suffer , and the human na.ture unsanctified by the presence of the divine, could. not have rendered satisfaction to an infinite laA·T .

This, then, is the Savior in 't•rhom vre are to trust for eternal salvation. :Because He was man . perfect and complet e, he can be touched with the feeling of our in firmities. :Because He is God, He can forgive a.nd sus tain us. In the twofold nature of Christ we have all. All we need on the human side i•Je can find in Him; and. all we need on the divine side we can find in Him. *He is able to save to the utt ermost , t for 1He is the true God and eternal life. •�9

� li.Ql:l .f.iJ21.rit. The doctrine of the Holy Spirit is a cardinal doctrine in the theology of Conservative Protestantism. :Because there are mysteries connected with it is no argtunent ags.inst it. l�o finite mind. can comprehend spirit. All "'e know , or can knotv, ab out the deHy of t"he Holy Spirit is what is revealed to us in the Scriptures. The

'ln· i ter has chosen to present first the persone.li ty and deity of the

Holy Spirit; second , the influence and office of the Holy Spirit.

It was not until the Council in ,381 A. D. that the defining of the

------·-·�---- 92 d. octrine of the Holy Spirit took place. It is as follows : 11And lf.re be lieve in the Holy Ghost , the Lord ancl Giver of life, \·Tho proceedeth from the Father,. and '¥li th the Father and the Son, together is -v.rorshipped and glor1fied, who spoke by the prophets. tl However, creeds are subordi nate to the Holy Scriptures and one must seek to find 'l'lhether or not the

Scriptures teach the doctrine of the

Spirit.

:::..::::.:.�•�:;:;;�:.::� sa; ;!Lhff:!. I;rQJ.,x_ �i;r..�;Y. Personality implies that the

Holy Spirit is a real and d1st1nct :person in the Godhead, n.ot separate in essenc e from the Father and the Son, but of one substance and. eter nity \'l:l.th them. The lrriter previously statecl that Conservative Pro testantism contends there are  distinct persons in the Godhee4- the Father , Son, and. Holy Sp irit. These are of one essence, 11personal ly distinct , yet in unity of the Go dhead.11 Furthermore, the na.raes ano. appellations given to the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures are such as be long to God, and to him only.

With to the ==-===.;;:. J2l'OnO'l.l!!t this is applied to the Holy

Spiri t, the same as to the Father. If the Holy Spirit is not a real person, it 't'Tou.ld not be proper to use terms th

Two Scripture passages are :i. llu.str&.tive at this point. 11Bu.t the Com forter, even the Holy Spirit, whom the ]'ather will send in my neme , � shall teach you. a11 things , 11 (John 14:26). 11 Hmvbeit '''hen�� the

Spirit of truth is come , � shall gui de you into all truth ; for shall not speak from h:l.mg].._i; but -v1hat things soever Wt shall hear , these shall rut speak : and shall declare unto you. the things that are to come,11 (John 16:1J,14).. 93

In these used, and these pronouns apply directly to the Holy Spirit.. as some teach, (Jehove�1s

'\>iitnesses), the Holy Spirit is only an influence, how ar e Conservative

Protestte,nts to interpret the Savior's lfmguage'i' Again, from \'I eaver :

There is no stronger appellation of persor..al i ty in any l�'"llage than the masculine pronoun as used in these passages and applied to the Holy Sp irit. i'le should observe further that in these same pas sages there are ten personal acts ascribed to the Holy Gho st whi ch are 'only proper to a being of intelligence and per sonality •. They are: ,tQ. :ru:t sent , � t eac£h .Q.Oll}!3t iQ. � ==�7 12, 12. 12. sho1t1 , 1!;t iQ �:.· the Holy Spirit is nothing more than an ab stract influence, qual ity$ a,tt:d.bute. or energ;;jr , how are we to e� count for the personal acts as cribed to hi:m?50

God. l3u t Peter said, 11Why hath Satan filled thy he art to lie to the

Holy Ghost?. • • thou ha..st rw t lied unto men, but unto God, 11 (J...cts 5 :

J,4). Peter Ananias wi th lying to the Holy Gho st , which he affir.ms is lying to God. Thus the Holy Ghost is God. Ob serve Weaver 's treatment of the foll o\d.ng Scripture passages;

Ob serve the passages in whi ch the new birth is ascribed d.i rectly to God. 1\�hich 't-Jere born t not of blood, nor of the "Ji ll of the flesh, nor of the !:Jill of man, but of God, t (John 1 :13). 'For \'/hat soever is beg� ten of God overcometh the tt!orld, t (I John 5 :4).-- I

In John 3:.5-7 , our I,o:rcl teaches that \'le are born of the Spirit. The srune work is ascrib ed to God and to the Holy Spirit, thus calling the Holy Spirit God. Compare Isaiah 6:5,9,10 with Act s 28 :

50. !lli• t P• 52. 94

25,27, and you 1:1ill see that whom the prophet calla the &9rd..... �- hQ.,P�.�- the apostle calls the � Spir i:fi.)t:.

such as belong to no other being but God. (1) Etern.�1i�· liHol; much

Himself ,,rithout blemi sh unto God, cleanse your conscience from dead

vtorks to serve the living Go d?11 (I:Ieb. 9 Hi+). (2)

"�tlhi ther shal 1 I go from thy m�? Or llhi ther shall I flee from

thy presence?" (Psalm 139 :7 ) . (3) ,Opmi.J2.2.tence. 11:Sy vmrd and deed,

in the pottmr of signs and vmnd.er s, in the uovg�t. of the Holy Sp irit,u

(Romans 15 :18,19 ). (4 ) O!J:Ul:i�ci.!inc,e .. 11 For the Spirit searcheth all

things, yeap the deep things of God. For t-Tho among men kno'V.reth the

things of man , save the spirit of man , \vhi ch is in him? •••even �o the things of God none knowetht save the S:pirit of Goct.11 ( I Cor. 2:

10.11). Thi s is a strong passage . 11The Spirit searcheth. 11 Could the

Spirit �e ar�h if he is not a person? Coul d the Spirit search the

deep things of God., and k. no"�rr them, if he is not omni scient ?

All these attributes do not belong to any created being; nor do

they inhere in any mere i.nflu.ence, energy , or quality ; they belong to

God, and to him only. The passage s discussed app ly directly to the

Holy Sp irit ; therefore. the Holy Sp irit must be God.

officer in the Holy Trini ty. The Holy Spirit could never perform an

------··---

52. Loc. cit. .. official act if he were not a ident:tty.. (1) the spirit of Godmo ved up on the face of the '!!latera.

•Let there be f: and there was ,11 ( Gen. 1:2). Spirit

God hath mad.e me t and the

(Job 33 :4). In this action is to the Holy

Spirit; he and made. All this could. not be said of a mere influence, energy, or ab stract at tribute. (2)

II .men moved the Holy Spirit,11 (U Pete:r

1 :21 ) .

God, of old. time spoken unto the fathers in the by divers portions and in divers manners, 1:1 ). How did God to the says .1 by the prophets•. :But how the st Peter answers this, 1For no nronl,ll!l!i'l!v ever came by the of man : but men moved by the Holy Ghost,• Peter 1:21 ). i�at says did• Peter says the did.; , the Holy Gho st must be

work of the Ho ly Spirit as set forth the not

but

and

In this relation Weaver point s out :

The Holy Spirit is associat ed and the Son in the God associate himself in such lntimate

with a mere • or t Into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,8 28 :19 ). Thi s text can never be Q��··�.�� by those who depy the personality and the Holy Gh o st. 54 With regard to the apostolic benediction, Dr. Miley says :

It is not a mere form of words, but an earnest

prayer. • • for the richest spi:ritual blessings. These blessings can never be conferred only through personal divine agency. This love of God the Fa ther is the :personal bestow.ment of the gifts of his love. Thi s grace of Cl�ist is the :personal gift of the benefits of his redemptive "JiO:rk. Hence this coll".munion of the Spirit � his :personal agency in ou:r s:piritual life. The :pe:rsonali ty of the is as real as that of the Father and of

The gifts of the Sp irit listed in I Co:rinth:i.ans 12 :4-ll , prove

is blasphep!.ed. �in�.h

�hiq�. All these stand as proofs conclusive of the deity and personality of the Holy , for vthich Conservative Protestants contend.

;;;;;&,�.... and Dei,tz. 11Therefora I say unto you, Every sin ancl blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven," (Matt. 12 :)1 ). It matters not what man can s this

Holy Spirit--call it an influence, an energy, a po"t>;er, a manifestation, or an ab stract attribu.te,-he can never make sense out of this fact tt ntil he admits the personality and deity of the Holy Spirit. It is the view of Conservative Protestantism that when it is admitted that the Holy Spirit is a real and di stinct person in the C�dhead, and equal in power and glory wi th the Father and the Sono all these

.55. Joh..'l Miley, §zst.�JpatJ..2, Theo;l.QQ (J�ew York , Eaton and Mains, 1892), I, 27:3. 9'7

Scriptures are phdn, they are without

The

Holy Gho st throughout the Scriptures are such as belong to no b the universe but the Lord of hosts. conclude therefore, that the

Holy Gh ost is God, equal in ·o eing t·Iith the Father and the Son.

A discussion of the

Holy Sp irit. the third person of the Trini ty, t'i ould not be complete

importance of the pers onal presence of the Holy Spirit ca:t'l not be over- est imated.. The church is :powerless for good without this life.

Jesus bade His di sciples to go and teach all nations, but they should wait until they received the Holy Spirit.

The Christian Church :i. s the sphere of the Spiritt s ad.ministration. qui ckens the i'lord as it is pree.ch- ed; convinces of sin, righteousness, and judgement ; renews the heart ; cleanses the soul by the application of the blood of atonement ; adopts into God1 s spiritual family; enlightens the understanding; comforts$ gui des, and strengthens the church. Romans 8:26 ,27 is a passage which every professing Chri stian should stu.d.;y ., 'And in like manner the Spirit al so helpeth .our infirmity: for we kno;1 not how to pray as t'f e ought ; but the Spirit him self maketh intercession for u.s vr ith groanings which caw1ot be ut tered; and he that sea:rcheth the hearts knm'f eth what is the mind of the Soirit, because he maketh 6 intercession for the saints a�c ord:i.ng to the will of God. 6

Jesus Christ is our lt d.vocate v! ith the Father ; the Holy 5-pirit make s in·tercession for us, not by suppli cations to God, but by directing our supplications, whi ch is the pe work and office of the Holy Spirit. i'l e kno'

56. Weaver , Christian �eQ�OGl, p. 60. 98

the individual Christ ian, as well as that of the whole church, is due to the personal �resence and direct influence of the Holy Spirit.57

It is the settled belief of evangelical Protestant ism that the

Holy Spirit moves u;pon the hearts and minds of the people through the rnedhun of hi s Word. The Word alone ;•rould :not be e:ffective if it were

not qui ckened by the Holy Spirit. Note Ephesians 6:17 and Hebrews 4:12, as illustrative of this point.

Ho\\fever, the que stion has arisen, 11Does the Holy Spirit operate

on the mind and heart of a .man separate and apart from the t\!ritten

Word?11 Conservative Protestantism ans\

tu:re for proof. 11Then opened he their mind, that they might under-

stand the Scri:ptures,11 (Lrike 24:4.5). Our Lord did not open their understanding by the Scriptures; but that they mi�1t unde+st� the

Scriptures. Another passa.<:;e, 11\v11o se heart the Lord opened, to give heed unto the things '�>lhich l>�ere spoken by Pau1,11 {Acts 16:14).. .Ag;ai.n.

Jesus told s disciples thht when the Comforter '1.>/as come he would

"convict the �tr orld in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement .11 (John 16:8). The plain meaning is that the Holy Spirit is not confined to one time, place, or people. He will 11c onvict the world. 11

Finally. the direct influence of the Holy �irit may be expect- ed in answer to prayer. 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, hott much more shall YO}U:. heavenly Fa- ther give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?11 (Luke 11 :13).

11Create in me a clean heart, 0 Go d; and renerv1 a right spirit "Iii thin

------·-··------.57. :&oc. s;:i,t. me , 11 (Psalm 51:10 )., Why :pray for the and of the

Sp irit if he can only up on the heart and mind the

ten Word.

§;ummax;l,. of the Holy Spirit is one of the

doctrines of God uses in

is the

one and only He is the execut ive in the No-

thing is, or can be accomplished in or through the church without

J3. CO�:r'RAST

Method The doctrines of Jehovah 's and

Conservat ive Prote stantism have been to contrast these two posit obs erved doc·�trinal studies of a similax• nature , the wr iter has cho sen the of a chart to the contrast. :Br ief stat ement s of doctrinal position be in order as have discussed in this stu,ly. statement s may be by to mat erial in the 100

'------·------

S \'i iTNESSES

Revelation -

The :Bible is a divine rev- The Bible is a elat:i. on vi a':led the tion vie'V'md in the reason. in its (God).

2. �: . Bible is the i that the t·n· i t ten God. ,,n• i tten \'lo :rct

3· the \�ford. of The ltlord. of God is God. in 8. manner i,n su.ch a. manner that to , a.11d ca.n seen as the and rf,ason as V?�. re\relat ion

of God ri!Ust square at times be con wi th reason , and be but never is a1Jle to H;. to reascm,.

5. All ted

6 .. a tion. ment furni sh mourtt of may even t l¥as intencted dential

s, =��""" ax e a bettel' the i'lo r(l of God, than the \'lord of God itself.

8. The Bible9 as a to and an and ice , must first to fai th and prac wi th fini te reason� is 101

CONSERVATIVE PROTESTANTI Sl4

Trini ty - God - Christ Trinity - God - Christ - Spirit Holy Sp irit

------�------·------·-·-·-·--··-·-----+------

1. A doctrine, origi- 1. nating in the min·i of the is

2. Trinitarians claim there is 2. The Father, Son. and � God; but i:o. the same Holy Spirit are one God. God makes declare there Gods. kno\�'ll

J. God is g;ae person he God subsists in cannot be

4., The Trinity is very 4., The Trini. ty is • st:i.an •

1.. As the onet 1. God alone is ; there was a time when Jehovah ever been ; will ever be. God's was alone in the universal space .. e:x:i is declared...

2. The name Jehovah applied to 2,. name Jehovah not only. never to Je sus only to Got'i the but to Crll"ist,

literally =��. ..,-.=.:..:::.;;�·

J. The Bible do es not state that :3. The :Bible sets forth the abso- the Father and Son ar e one in lute between the and per son . e,nd that the;.y are the Son. :tn po1t1er and majesty.

4. C- od and Jesus are � two 4. All the various names names one person. find their culminat ion in the revelation of God Christ, who se name is ab ove every name that is named.

5. .Jehovah God, alone is Savior. 5. Jesus the C--od is the �- -""'_,______...,___ �---

__..,, •. ,.--.------�------,.,_.,

in of hi s in of his vrhich :i. nclude , eter unity, eternity, wisdom, love , and spirituality, omniscience, omni presence, omni:potence, :Lrm:nutabil-

ity, t

7. Jehovah God alone may re Chr:tst and the cei·ve one , therefore Christ may worship ascribed to God.

1. Christ is God's first-creat 1. is co-et ertla.l �¥i th God. ed. being..

2. Christ is properly known as 2.. C.hri st is God, the second per 11 a God. " son in. the

3.. Divine titles may not be as- 3. cribed to being but is God ..

4., The =�:::.. 4. Christ is called. the work Logos {the Word). coming into

5. In the was the (Logos), and Word ) was lrl th God. aud the 'VIord {Logos)

6. was a time when Christ 6 .. . . . did not st; Christ had a be- 11 (Micah .5:2)..

?. Christ at His 7. Chrh .t '"as very God and gave and very me.u. the the while on earth was nothing more hu.man and divine na.tu:res were unit tr...an a human being.. ed in Christ.

8., The ·work of Christ on B. If it were only a mere man who Cross only the work of a mere gave his life on the cross, '''e are man. (no divini ty on the Cross). are in our . _, ______- ---·------

------·-·-·------

JEROV.AE ' S WITNESSES CONSERVATIVE PROTESTANTISM

------�,_,-----·---i'------...... ----

9. Chri st at Hi s resurrection, 9. 11:Behold my he;nds , ancl my feet, a spirit being onlyt not human that it is I myself; hP-ndle me and in any sense of the word. (A see; for a �irit hath not fleSh denial of the resurrection of and bones as ye see me have ,11 the body). (Luke 24- :36-40 ) ..

10., As Christ at the right 10. 11There is one r�rediator between hand of God no\

1., The Holy Spirit is the invis 1. The Holy Sp i:rit is the S:p i:rit ible power and energy of Jehovah. of truth.

2.. The Holy Sp irit is not a per 2. The Holy Sp irit is a Person, son; :not � � 9Pti· the third :person of the C� dhead.

) .. God is a Spirit. ) . God is Spirit.

4. The Comforter promised by 4. 11 The Holy Spirit \'!h om the Fa Jesus was the holy power by ther "T ill send in my name, he i'iill whi ch He would guide and direct teach you all things , and bring to Hi s people. yom· :remerobr&lce all things \'thich I said to you,11 (John 14:16,26).

5. The reference to the Holy 5. Acts 2:4, with reg�.rd to the Spirit in Acts 2:4, means the Holy Spirit, there is a definite mind, d:i. spo sition of God \

6. The term "Holy Ghost11 has 6. The rnG.sculine pronoun is ap been used by Trinitarian trans plied to the Holy Spi rit , the lators without authority, in same as is �p lied to God. the Fa designating �ersgnalilZ to the ther. Ho ly Spirit.,

'?. Deity can in no way be ap 7. The �ttributes ascribed to the plied to the Holy Sp irit. Holy Spirit establi sh his personal ity and deity.

8. The at tributes of God can 8.. Each per son of the Godhead. is in no way be ascribed to the equal in all attributes. Holy Spirit. Gll::IDIRAI,

The t1I' iter of this believes the stic

to the the ca.use of the ent ire

sses. The of the1.. r

ir!h ich as a better to the

than the test of m.o

has confirmed this belief. It is seldom that one \'!ill find a, movemen.t such as thf'tt, of the denounce so many of the doctrines of

seem to on the l3 i ble as the irlord. of

1 s '\'ii tnesses claim to have been t; he group to a.t harmonizat of all

of the found.ation of true of God.---to

, even to the hav e shed thi s in e. me.nner that to hlUJ:lan reason. have made of eternal torment i a of their stic the si s. The

\Ht:nesses teach that such a sible because :l t is t:u:JJ-

to the

The the cha�acter of God's

In this strmd. v!ith almo st

to the uni tnd. te of That

of the as the v; orrl of God. cs.nnot blind. us to thi:;; it condemm� tho se v:rho have stu

thA-t the ver !'lion.s of the in f'Lll mo de rn

are t. rue to the a Bible that has beert fil•st subm itted to the ons of ,,vho hcwe the

The ,J ehovah * s ses doctrine of God "'hich inc1udes the

of God, Chri st , and the Holy out of 1d th the

doctrine of God of stantism. The vrr:l.t!:::r has tried to

be as charitable �... s $ not

on on. the

He has had to of the na.turE.cl mind \•rhich asserts th:;t the :Bible must teach c1octrintH1 that are

in vri th the !i e:haracte:t•

l�o one cB,n cla.im to be a. Cl"1ri stian, -v1l1 o conter�.Cls t�h�1.t Jesus st is not G·od, but God' s first crea.t ect No one cv.n cla.im to be a. Chri st:lan ,,:ho contend s that the Holy bears wi tness to the truth 'lvhi ch is in Jesm:; Chri st, the Son of

It is very evident that t. he Wi t:nesse s in these truth s have had

to avoid. ma.ny sage s of

\fna.t is the of this heresy of the Jehov ah t !:4

.J' eh ( wi th tions ). v!as of the sa1ne 1vHh the Father , thus Chri st was reduc ed the rank of a creature, stent the Y.! O

ansvrer thi s here sta.t e that there can be no middle <3.-ntl creature ; no t line before the vwrl as time is itself a of the of salvation. if Son (

�;till rerna:lns as f from God.

d.e em st 1. s no t the di-

vine Son m":. God ,

n::�tu.re , n.or ca.n he beeome in any rea.l a c:hilCL of

Bec<:;.use of the of thi Ar ian in the

J ehova.h� ;3 their sy stem must of of

error. It m�r roe S.!d.d thbt of

that one of the

the is to stat e that there is no qua s-

tion ,,vhich car.not succes numt, hc-.s been bui.lt up on e:tlthori.tar:tan method:h There has been

one real leader since the d.eath of Charles Thi s leader

the of the lead.er is u.n safe for the to upon the vto:rt:ls and. cl octrines of

Th�: beliefs of Jehovah 1 s iU tnesses are not

lead.er in this movement

he the ranks of Jehovah 9s

Thls man sta.tecl that the best fea.tu.:re of the movement t. o hi mind. 'l

If to under stand the heretical of the

Jehovah•s i•i i tnesses first have a grli.sp of the of it to be the in fai. th a.11d will be e-

to in. wi. door-to 'lo or. Those \�ho :know li ttle of the of

for Jehovah1 r�

The >,; ri tar has di scovered tha·t to meet the average Wi tness effec-

, one m\lst hsve an unc.le:r of their d.octrines and method of :Bible To meet

Pr otestant s need to $ 11 unt o God , wo:r.kmen that needeth not be the

I! of ! 2: ) .

The 'c.rr i ter has made the thi s of the r s \'li tnesses�

a... 's 1tli tnes�:�e� (:ontend that the :Bible is a divin.e :revelation viewed. in the of reason�

that the i.s a in the faith in i

a.. state that the doctrine

r P• 128. b.. Protestant s contend that the doctrine of' revealed in

a,. t s \

Protestant s Chri st the Son of God an

Jl�SUS

claim is but onJ y a kn own as God. 11

staJlts cont Emd that is co-eternal second person in the

be ascribed. to

b., att r:lbutes as cribed to hi s and dei ty.

0., PROl3I..EMS FOR J.i'URTHJilll STUDY

In the cour se of this of the 'i'friter vms mad.e a:wna.re of' ma.ny more areas done in the wri ter would. be table for further be as to inspiration of' the '\!ford is the sa.:ne as what mean., :BIBI,I OGRAPHY BI:SLIOG:RAPHY

A. PR IMARY SOURCES

Jones, Leslie

{Knorr, Nathan H .. 7 ;J , p!o.uippe,d� fP :C.. Ever;y Good (Bz· ooklyn , Watch- tower Bible and Tract Society, 1946 ).

(Brooklyn, w·atchto'trnar :Bible and

Knorr, Nathan H .. , Let g.pp. (Brooklyn , Watchtower :Bible and Tract Society, 1946 ).

cKnorr, Nathan H. T� • � Tract Society, 1942 ).

------, � �.hall. M�e Y.QP: (Brooklyn, Watchtower Bible and Society, 1943 ).

Rutherford. J., F. , (:Brooklyn, Watchto\'fer Bible and Tract Society, 1941

------··- , (Brooklyn, 'Ylatchto'.lrer Bible and Tract Society, 1927) ..

------, n�liyer�ge {Brooklyn, Wat chtower Bible and Tract Society, 1926).

---·-·----- • (Brooklyn, \'Jat cht o'trer :Bible and Tract Society, 1928 ).

-·-.------, !,l}.e Ham Q.( (Br ooklyn, Watchto�JH3r Bible and T:ra.ct Society, 1928 ).

--·-----·-- t Jehovah (:Brooklyn, Watcht 011n3r :Bible and Tt'act Society, 1934).

------, Li (Bt'ooklyn, Watchtower :Bible and Tract Society, 1930)t 2 vols.

------, �ODhec;y (:Brooklyn , Watchtower :Bible and Tract Society, 1929 ).

------t Re��:li.�� (:Brooklyn, Wa.tchtot'fer :Bible and Tract Society, 1928 )., 111

---·4----- , The '&.e (:Brooklyn, vlatchto\'Ter :Bible and Tract SocietY7'"'1�'114)..

------• W{� � (Brooklyn, Watchtower :Bible and Tract Society, 1936 ) ..

B.. SECO�"DARY SOURCES

BOOKS

t�l'l'Y'.o•e R. , Translation of =..:::.::.;:=.:;:..;. (Chicago , \fl:l.l cox and Follett Coe , 1897 ):-

Braden, s. ' The Macmillan Co., 1951).

(New York, Ab ingdon-

Clarke , :J;'h,� � �:.�;t.. (New York, Lane and

Czatt, Milton

(Grand �·""'··'"'"'.""" I>iichigan, 'Vlm. 19.51).

Haley, .John vi. , !.kl.��q ;Q_�reR,aJJ.,,C,iHQf Goodpasture , 1951 ).

Hendriksen, William. �=;;:;;.. q:grve;t (Graml F. apids , lilichigan, Eaker Book House, 1949 ). 112

and ' 1892 ).

Nelson, Wilton, ss, n.. d. ..)

Pope, William B. , and Eat on,

Q;ualben., Lars P .. , li\s,to r;}[ !ll. York , Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1942).

Robert sont Ar chibald T. , York , and

Strou:p , Herbert H.ewitt, ;r� iEW.2Y.�.!..f\1. �=,;.=:� (Ne\'1 York , Columbia University Press, 1945 ).

Turner, George (iUnona Lake , Indiana, Light and

Van J3aalen, J, K. 7 �Iii. Cll§2.s (Grand Rapids, �·!ichigan, '\1/m., B .. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 1952 ).

Weavert Jonathan, Qhristi� �e plogx (Dayt on, Ohio, Uni ted :Brethren Pn.blishing Roltse, 1900 ) ..

Wiley. H. Orton, .Qru:"'sti.;all: ===- (Kansas C::i.ty9 lU ssouri t :Beacon Hill Press, 1949) , 3 vo ls.

ENCYCLOPEDIA ART ICLE

T,. Rees, 11Doetrine 9 11 (Chicago ,

:Biede:r>lfo lf t 1i1m .. EoJ

Brooks, Keith L. , 11Russellism,11 I.� .=-.= 2f tr.�l! (Los Angeles. American League , Inc. ,

Re,·li t t , P. E .. , :lli!§.!..ell,;l� =�=:::; (Grand Rapids . Mi chigan , Zondervan Pub lishing Company , 1951

Spongt F. A. , ( Clevelandt Sunday School and T:t·act Uni on of the Evangelical Church , n. d.. ).

11 Bassett, Dwaine L. • "A Critical Study of !·1ormon Doc trine , :B. D. Thesis in the i'i'e stern Seminary Library . 'U;l':lpublished, 1952.