The Nature Of The Holy Spirit

 

What is the nature of the Spirit of Truth?

There is not universal agreement on this among those who call themselves believers in the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD).

The Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) is most commonly believed to be masculine like the Father of Truth and the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ).  Yet, there are others who believe that the Spirit of Truth is feminine or gender-neutral.

The Spirit of Truth is also believed by most to be as much a part of the Godhead as the Father of Truth and the Man of Truth.  These three beings united as one is commonly called the Trinity (Tri (three) + unity).

Yet, among those who believe this, there is still disagreement.  Some say that they are three persons that share a common substance.  Some say that they are different in substance as well.  Yet others, say that they are all different manifestations of the same being.

Then there are others who believe that the Spirit of Truth is not a separate entity from the Father of Truth or Man of Truth. 

However, among those who believe this, there is also disagreement.  Some believe that the Spirit of Truth is part of the Father of Truth, but not different or separate in any way.  Others believe that the Spirit of Truth is the same as the Father of Truth.

There are even though who believe that the Spirit of Truth is not a living entity at all but is only symbolic or metaphorical.

Finally, there are those who believe that the Spirit of Truth is not even in the Original Covenant (Tanakh aka The Old Testament) or the Law of Truth (B'rit Chadashah aka The New Testament) but was added to the Renewed Covenant by the False Church of Rome.

So, what does the Book of Truth (The Bible) say about the nature of the Spirit of Truth?

The best way to answer this is by answering some other questions about the Spirit of Truth.

Is the Spirit of Truth found in the Original Covenant?

King David asked the Father of Truth to not take the Spirit of Truth from him (Psalm 51:11).

Isaiah (Yeshayahu) said that the people of Israel rebelled and vexed the Spirit of Truth (Isaiah 63:10).  He also said that the Father of Truth had put the Spirit of Truth in Moses (Moishe) (Isaiah 63:11).

So, we can see that the Spirit of Truth was in both the Prophets and the Writings of Wisdom, which is the part of the Original Covenant that was written after the Torah.

It is also worth noting that the phrase “His holy spirit” is used in these three passages.

The Spirit of Truth fell upon King Saul and caused him to act (1 Samuel 11:6-7).

So, we can see that Spirit of Truth was in the Writings of History as well.

In this passage, the Spirit of Truth is called “the spirit of God” meaning the same thing as “his holy spirit”.

Is the Spirit of Truth found in the Law of Truth?

The Father of Truth said that the Spirit of Truth would not always strive with each person (Genesis 6:3).  Moses also said that he wished that the Father of Truth would put the Spirit of Truth upon all of the people of Israel (Numbers 11:29).

It is worth noting that “my spirit” is used by the Father of Truth for the Spirit of Truth, while Moses used “His spirit” for the Spirit of Truth.

This has led some to believe that this proves that the Spirit of Truth is part of the Father of Truth or even the Father of Truth Himself.  However, this really tells us nothing about the relationship between the Spirit of Truth and the Father of Truth - except that there is one.

If I say, “my eye” then I am talking about a part of my body and not another person with their own body.  Yet if I say, “my wife”, then I am talking about another person with their own body.

Therefore using a possessive like “my” only tells us that there is a relationship between the two things.  The nature of that relationship can only be understood in the context of the nature of each thing.

So, we can be only certain from these passages that the Spirit of Truth was in the Original Covenant, starting with the Law of Truth, and not an invention of the False Church of Rome that was added to the Renewed Covenant.

Is “God” singular or plural in the Law of Truth?

The word “God” appears in the first verse of the Book of Truth (Genesis 1:1).  The Hebrew word translated as “God” in this verse is “Elohim” (ֱלֹהִים).

The word “Elohim” is plural of “Eloha” (אֱלוֹהּ).  The Hebrew word “Eloha” means “god”.

So this verse literally says, “In the beginning Gods created…”.  For this reason, “us” and “our” are correctly inferred from the subject as the pronouns in “let us make man in our image”. (Genesis 1:26).

Since “Elohim” is plural it seems strange to translate it as “God” instead of “Gods”.  However, this is not necessarily incorrect.

A compound unity is singular in English, for example “couple”.  A couple consists of two people, but it is treated as a singular word in English.

The first couple were said to have been one flesh (Genesis 2:24).  This does not mean that they shared a single body with both male and female parts like in Greek mythology.

The Hebrew word translated as “one” in this verse is “Echad” (אֶחָֽד).  This Hebrew word literally means “united”.

So the two bodies of the first couple formed a united body.  If they had only one body then the Hebrew word “Yachid” (יָחִיד) would have been used.

So, the nature of something that is translated as “one” in English can only be understood in the context of the Hebrew word that is translated as “one”. This is made clear in the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4).

“Echad”- not “Yachid” - is used in the Shema: “שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָֽד”.  So, the Shema would be literally translated as “Pay attention Israel: YHVH our Gods YHVH are united.”

So when “Elohim” refers to YHVH then it is a compound singular like a couple.  Therefore, when “Elohim” refers to YHVH, then “God” is correct because it refers to a compound unity and not a singular entity.

In cases where “Elohim” refers to multiple beings, then translating it as a plural word is correct.  For example, the gods of the nations.

Therefore, we can be certain that YHVH is composed of multiple beings that are God.  It is stated right there in plain Hebrew.

Is the Spirit of Truth distinct from the Father of Truth and Man of Truth?

The Spirit of Truth (Ruach) is specified individually as hovering over the face of the deep until the compound unity “God” (Elohim) speaks to create light (Genesis 1:2-3).  In the same way, the individual Spirit of Truth is said to have sent Isaiah (Yeshayahu) as well as the compound unity “God” (YHVH) (Isaiah 48:16).

Ezekiel (Yechetzqel) experienced the Spirit of Truth as a separate entity from two other separate entities that were also referred to as “God” (Elohim) (Ezekiel 8:1-4).  One entity grabbed him by the hair, while the Spirit of Truth lifted him off the Earth and showed him visions from a third entity (Elohim).

In like manner, the Spirit of Truth came upon the Man of Truth while the Father of Truth spoke from Heaven (Matthew 3:16-17).  After the Father of Truth confirmed that the Man of Truth was His Son, then the Spirit of Truth drove the Man of Truth into the wilderness (Mark 1:9-12).

The Man of Truth said that the Father of Truth was a spirit, so people had to worship him in spirit (John 4:23-24).  We are to worship the Father of Truth through the Spirit of Truth (Philippians 3:3).

John the Baptist (Yochanon the Mikveh Man) was told by the Father of Truth that the Man of Truth would baptize people in the Spirit of Truth (John 1:33).  After the Man of Truth went up to the Father of Truth, then people were baptized in the Spirit of Truth by him (Acts 2:32-33).

The Spirit of Truth is the spirit of the Father of Truth as well as the spirit of the Man of Truth (Romans 8:9).  The Spirit of Truth cannot be part of the Father of Truth and also be part of the Man of Truth (Galatians 4:6).

So, there is no doubt that that Spirit of God is distinct from the Father of Truth and the Man of Truth.

Is the Spirit of Truth also God?

No other god is be worshipped other than God (Exodus 34:14).  As already shown God (YHVH) is a compound unity composed of Gods (Elohim) worshipped by Israel that is not a singular entity like each “god” (El) that is worshipped by the Gentiles.

So, we are to only worship and serve God (Deuteronomy 6:13).  However, God (YHVH) is a compound unity of Gods (Elohim).

For this reason, the Man of Truth told the Father of Lies (HaShatan aka Satan Aka The Devil) that God alone was to be worshipped (Matthew 4:10).  When the Man of Truth quoted this is in Greek,  the Hebrew “Elohim” (plural) was translated as the Greek “Theos” (singular) because a compound unity is considered to treated as singular instead of plural.

The Man of Truth said to worship the Father of Truth (John 4:21).  We are to glorify the Father of Truth (Romans 15:6).

However, the Wise Men worshipped the Man of Truth as a child but were warned by the Father of Truth to not return to King Herod in a dream (Matthew 2:11-12).  When the Man of Truth was grown, Peter the Jew (Sh’mon aka Simon aka Cephas) and the other fishermen worshipped the Man of Truth (Matthew 14:28-33).

After the Man of Truth rose again, he was worshipped by his disciples (Matthew 28:16-17).  They continued to worship the Man of Truth after he returned to the Father of Truth (Luke 24:51-52).

So, the Man of Truth was worshipped as God just like the Father of Truth.

The Man of Truth forgave sins – which his enemies knew that only God could do (Mark 2:5-7).  His enemies understood that the Man of Truth claimed to be God like the Father of Truth (John 10:33-36).

So, the Man of Truth claimed to be God along with the Father of Truth.

The unbelieving Jews caused the Father of Truth to be blasphemed among the Gentiles (Romans 2:24).  We are told to treat those with authority over us with honor so that the Father of Truth is not blasphemed (1 Timothy 6:1).

People spoke blaspheme against God when they mocked the Man of Truth (Luke 22:63-65).  Paul the Jew (Shaul aka Saul aka The Apostle Paul) blaspheme God when he spoke against the name of the Man of Truth (1 Timothy 1:12-14).

The Man of Truth warned that people could blaspheme the Spirit of Truth just like they could blaspheme him or the Father of Truth (Matthew 12:31-32).  He warned that blaspheming the Spirit of Truth was worse than blaspheming him (Luke 12:10).

So, the Man of Truth and the Spirit of Truth can be blasphemed as God just like the Father of Truth.

The believers are bound to each other by the work of the Father of Truth, the Man of Truth, and the Spirit of Truth (2 Corinthians 13:14).  People are saved by the work of the Father of Truth, the Spirit of Truth, and the Man of Truth (1 Peter 1:2).

People are to be baptized in the name of the Father of Truth, the Man of Truth, and the Spirit of Truth – indicating that they all share the same name: YHVH (Matthew 28:18-19).  The Father of Truth, the Man of Truth, and the Spirit of Truth are united as one (1 John 5:6-7).

So, the Spirit of Truth is recognized as being equal to the Man of Truth and the Father of Truth.

Peter the Jew said that the Spirit of Truth was God as well (Acts 5:3-4).

So there can be no doubt that the Spirit of Truth is just as much God as the Man of Truth and the Father of Truth.

Is the Spirit of Truth masculine, feminine, or gender-neutral?

On first glance, this would seem to be easy to answer.  After all, most translations use masculine pronouns like “he” when referring to the Spirit of Truth.

However, it would make more sense to think of the Spirit of Truth as feminine based on these comparisons that the Man of Truth made:

The Man of Truth said that people are born of the Spirit of Truth in a spiritual sense in the same way that they are born of a woman in a physical sense (John 3:3-6).  He referred to the Spirit of Truth was a comforter – usually the role of the mother in a family (John 14:16-18).

There is an apparent contradiction in using masculine pronouns for something with feminine characteristics.  The problem is not with the original language texts.

We must remember that translators can make mistakes and be influenced by their own understanding of what they are translating.  So, it is worth looking into the original language texts that were translated to see if these translations are correct in using masculine pronouns for something that the Man of Truth compared as having the attributes of women.

First, consider the use of the term “Holy Spirit” like in Psalm 51:11.

The Hebrew/Aramaic word for spirit, “Ruach”, is feminine in Hebrew, but there is no gender-neutral words in Hebrew/Aramaic.  However, the accompanying word for holy, “Qodesh”, is masculine.

This unusual paring of a feminine noun with a masculine noun would indicate that the “Holy Spirit” (“Ruach Qodesh”) as being gender-neutral.

In Hebrew/Aramaic there are only masculine and feminine pronouns.  However, they are rarely used, but instead inferred from the verb used.  There are no case of a pronoun being used for the Spirit of Truth.

All verbs in Hebrew/Aramaic are gender specific.  The gender of a verb usually matches the gender of the subject in these languages.  However, there is frequently a mismatch in gender between “Ruach” and the verb used with it in the text of the Original Covenant.  This also indicates gender-neutrality in languages that usually describe everything in gender-specific terms.

The Greek word for spirit, “Pneuma”, is gender-neutral as well.  It is always used for the Spirit of Truth in the Septuagint – the Greek translation of the Original Covenant quoted in the Renewed Covenant (B'rit Chadashah aka The New Testament).

In these following verses, “he” is used to refer to the Spirit of Truth.

“It sees him not neither knows him but ye know him” (John 14:17).

However, the Greek word “auto” (αυτό) is used to refer to the Spirit of Truth, which is gender-neutral singular and should be translated as “it”.  If “he” was the correct translation, then the Greek word “autos” (αυτός), which is the masculine singular, would have been used instead.  So, this verse should be translated as this instead:

It sees it not neither knows it but ye know it (John 14:17).

So, only gender-neutral pronouns are used to refer to the Spirit of Truth in the Greek writings of the New Testament.

In other cases, a noun like “ekeinos” - instead of a pronoun - has been translated as “he” like in these verses:

“He shall teach” (John 14:26).  “He shall testify of me” (John 15:26).

However, the noun “ekeinos” is actually gender neutral and means “that one”, so these verses should have been translated as:

“That one shall teach” (John 14:26).  “That one shall testify of me” (John 15:26).

The word “he” has been applied to various verbs lacking a pronoun in the Greek text for the following verse as well as “himself” being translated for the Greek reflexive pronoun:

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” (John 16:13).

In Greek, verbs are gender-neutral.  So, the pronoun added for clarity when translating should reflect that of the subject, not that of the verb.  Since the subject (“pneuma”) was gender-neutral, then the correct pronoun should have been “it” instead of “he” or “itself” instead of “himself”.

In like manner, the same reflexive pronoun “eantou” is used for the masculine and gender-neutral cases with the correct translation determined by the subject it is reflecting.  Since the subject (“pneuma”) is gender-neutral then “itself” would be correct and this verse should have been translated as this:

“Howbeit when that one, the Spirit of truth, is come, it will guide you into all truth: for it shall not speak of itself; but whatsoever it shall hear, that shall it speak: and it will shew you things to come.” (John 16:13).

Also, the gender-neutral pronouns are correctly used to refer to the Spirit of Truth in most translations of these two verses:

The Spirit itself bears witness to our spirit (Romans 8:16).  The Sprit itself intercedes for us (Romans 8:26).

Therefore, we can be certain that the Spirit of Truth is gender-neutral.  It is written right there in plain Greek.

Does the Spirit of Truth have a body like a person?

Man was made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27).  In the same way, the children are born in the image of their parents (Genesis 5:3).

The Man of Truth was born in the image of his mother (Matthew 1:20-21).  His body was placed in a tomb (John 19:38-40).

The Man of Truth commended his spirit into the hands of the Father of Truth when he died (Luke 23:46).  His body was made in the image of the Father of Truth (Colossians 1:13-15).

However, a spirit by itself does not have a body like a man (Luke 24:39-40).  The Spirit of Truth lives in the body of each Child of Truth (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Therefore, it certain while the Father of Truth and the Man of Truth have a body, the Spirit of Truth does not have a body.

So, the nature of the Spirit of Truth could be summarized as follows:

The Spirit of Truth first appeared in the Torah and is found throughout the rest of the Original Covenant.

God (YHVH) is a compound unity composed of the Father of Truth, the Man of Truth, and the Spirit of Truth. The Spirit of Truth is not the same entity as the Father of Truth and the Man of Truth.  The Spirit of Truth is God as much as the Father of Truth and the Man of Truth.

The Spirit of Truth is not worshiped like the Father of Truth and the Man of Truth.  Instead, the Spirit of Truth helps the Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) worship the Father of Truth and live like the Man of Truth.

The Spirit of Truth has no gender because it has no body - unlike the Father of Truth and the Man of Truth.

So, idea of the Trinity is flawed in that it is composed of three male entities that are united as one.  YHVH is composed of two male entities plus one gender-neutral entity united as one.

Why then has the Spirit of Truth been portrayed as a male?

The reason for presenting the Spirit of Truth as a male was to transfer those feminine attributes of the Spirit of Truth to a female idol.  The False Church of Rome claims that Mary the Jew - who they worship as the Queen of Heaven – does much of the work of the Spirit of Truth.

The Children of Truth are born into the family of the Man of Truth by the Spirit of Truth - not the Queen of Heaven (John 3:6-8).  The Spirit of Truth tells them that they are children of the Father of Truth – not the Queen of Heaven (Romans 8:15-16).

The Spirit of Truth comforts and teaches the Children of Truth – not the Queen of Heaven (John 14:26).  The Spirit of Truth intercedes with the Father of Truth for the Children of Truth – not the Queen of Heaven (Romans 8:26-27).

The Spirit of Truth guides the Children of Truth - not the Queen of Heaven (John 16:13-15).  The Spirit of Truth speaks to the Children of Truth in dreams and visions - not the Queen of Heaven (Acts 2:17-18).

Supernatural power comes from the Spirit of Truth – not the Queen of Heaven (1 Corinthians 12:7-11).  Supernatural character comes from the Spirit of Truth – not the Queen of Heaven (Galatians 5:22-23).

So, people need to let the Spirit of Truth do this work in their lives - instead of praying to the Queen of Heaven to do these things.  They need to come into the House of Truth.

The Children of Truth must be born again through the work of the Spirit of Truth (John 3:3-6).  The Spirit of Truth will lead them into living a life that is pleasing to the Father of Truth and will witness to them that they are part of His family (Romans 8:14-16).

So come into the House of Truth by making the Man of Truth ruler over every area of your life (Romans 10:9-10).  Then you will be able to overcome the world because you believed the witness of the Spirit of Truth (1 John 5:4-6).

Come into the House of Truth!