"As for Me," says the LORD,
"This is My covenant with them:
My Spirit who is upon you,
and My words which I have
put in your mouth,
shall not depart from
your mouth nor
from the mouth of your
descendants....
Isaiah 59:21a
Translating of foreign words into English is a very difficult endeavor. Often there are no English words matching the foreign words. Often there are several possibilities of words to choose from and it is the translator work to choose the proper and right words in their translating. The above Scripture is one of those times where translating of the Hebrew into English is difficult and can be confusing for those uninitiated in languages. For Instance the word "who" where it is stated; "My Spirit who is upon you," is translated "that" in the King James Version. Also, the Jehovah witnesses use the word "that" instead of "who." Which is right? Jehovah Witnesses will use the word "that" because that pronoun does not indicate personhood, and this fits their belief in regard to the Holy Spirit. The Hebrew word used in this verse that is translated "who" in the New King James Version, and is found to be translated "who" in the NIV; is "asher" (Strong's Concordance #834) and can be translated as: who, which, what, that; when, where, how, because, when, soon, whilst.... Therefore, any of those words could be used in translating the Hebrew in this verse. More so, the word "who" indicates a person, and "that" does not carry that same weight and moreover indicates only that it is a "that" but it does not necessarily mean a "thing." The verb "is" is a transitive verb and requires both a direct subject and one or more objects. The subject in Isaiah 59:21 is the LORD and the object is the covenant, that which by means of His Spirit is placed upon those to whom He places His Spirit. Also contrasted to the animation of placing Himself, that is His Spirit upon them He places His words that are not animated and do not carry the transitive verb but is intransitively given and contrasted with His Spirit that is animate. But, we do not use one verse to single out a Doctrine, it is the whole context of the written word and of the whole Scripture. The Scriptures denote that the Spirit of God has all the qualifications of a Person. Webster's Dictionary gives this definition of personhood: per·son·hood (pûr
s
n-h
d
)n. The state or condition of being a person, especially having those qualities that confer distinct individuality. So what qualities are shown by Scripture that give us the Doctrine of the Trinity which includes the Person of the Holy Spirit to be just that: a Person?
I will not force an interpretation of the Scriptures to meet any presupposition I may have, rather I will allow the Scriptures to speak for themselves; then you make up your own mind to the truth or falseness of the Doctrine of the Trinity. If we cannot find the truth in Scripture that the Holy Spirit is a Person then all we have done is to destroy the Doctrine of the Trinity. Furthermore, the question as to Jesus being our Savior is clouded with doubt as to whether or not we have translated, interpreted, Scripture properly. We must remember that God reveals Himself to us in Scripture. The natural world of material things can reveal that there is a God, but the Scriptures reveal about Him in ways that the natural world cannot. In Scripture God is revealed as to His Holiness, His justice, and His end desire for creating. In His revelation He reveals Himself to be God, one of three persons of the Godhead, that being, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Heretics will divide the truth of the Scripture in such a way as to make Scripture prove their theology. We will not! Scripture gives to us our theology, our understanding of God. Churches speak much about God, about the Son of God, but do very little teaching on the Holy Spirit. It is not that the Holy Spirit is not mentioned, only that He is mentioned very little and less is taught about Him. Christians are quick to say; "The Holy Spirit lives within me" but have only given lip service to a fact that they have come to believe without having any basis for that fact. But, is it a Person, or an active force that is living within a person's heart? Who or what is the Holy Spirit? This will be our subject and I will begin to outline what the Scriptures state by giving for review the Scriptures that speak of the Holy Spirit. This will require some work, some personal study, a study that all Christians should be doing anyway. Take notes; if you do not have a Strong's Concordance you can bookmark it on your computer for free and access it anytime you wish. You have the tools, all you need is direction and provocative insights empowering you with a desire to know God, the Trinity, the Doctrine of the Christian faith.
Be exalted, O LORD,
in Your own strength!
We will sing and praise
Your power.
Psalm 21:13
May God Lead You Today!
Richard L. Crumb
sn-hd)n. The state or condition of being a person, especially having those qualities that confer distinct individuality. So what qualities are shown by Scripture that give us the Doctrine of the Trinity which includes the Person of the Holy Spirit to be just that: a Person? I will not force an interpretation of the Scriptures to meet any presupposition I may have, rather I will allow the Scriptures to speak for themselves; then you make up your own mind to the truth or falseness of the Doctrine of the Trinity. If we cannot find the truth in Scripture that the Holy Spirit is a Person then all we have done is to destroy the Doctrine of the Trinity. Furthermore, the question as to Jesus being our Savior is clouded with doubt as to whether or not we have translated, interpreted, Scripture properly. We must remember that God reveals Himself to us in Scripture. The natural world of material things can reveal that there is a God, but the Scriptures reveal about Him in ways that the natural world cannot. In Scripture God is revealed as to His Holiness, His justice, and His end desire for creating. In His revelation He reveals Himself to be God, one of three persons of the Godhead, that being, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Heretics will divide the truth of the Scripture in such a way as to make Scripture prove their theology. We will not! Scripture gives to us our theology, our understanding of God. Churches speak much about God, about the Son of God, but do very little teaching on the Holy Spirit. It is not that the Holy Spirit is not mentioned, only that He is mentioned very little and less is taught about Him. Christians are quick to say; "The Holy Spirit lives within me" but have only given lip service to a fact that they have come to believe without having any basis for that fact. But, is it a Person, or an active force that is living within a person's heart? Who or what is the Holy Spirit? This will be our subject and I will begin to outline what the Scriptures state by giving for review the Scriptures that speak of the Holy Spirit. This will require some work, some personal study, a study that all Christians should be doing anyway. Take notes; if you do not have a Strong's Concordance you can bookmark it on your computer for free and access it anytime you wish. You have the tools, all you need is direction and provocative insights empowering you with a desire to know God, the Trinity, the Doctrine of the Christian faith.
Be exalted, O LORD,
in Your own strength!
We will sing and praise
Your power.
Psalm 21:13
May God Lead You Today!
Richard L. Crumb
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