10. It is appropriate to note that lightning is speaking here. Lightning is a powerful impersonal force which God can send out to accomplish his will in certain ways: warning, light, motivation, destruction, and even death.
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Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Note (11.) to HS - "Is the Holy Spirit a Person, God or an Impersonal Force From God?"
11. The lady oceanographer featured on the television program "Sunday Morning" (CBS), 19 November 1995, referred to her use of an underwater robot as sending her SPIRIT when she couldn't go down herself. Whether she was aware of it or not, this is a reasonable comparison for Holy Spirit when using examples puny mankind is familiar with. This 'spirit' (robot) served as her eyes ranging throughout the depths of the ocean. A comparable example from the Bible may be seen at 2 Chron. 16:9: "For the eyes of [Jehovah] range throughout the entire earth...." - NRSV.
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Note (12.) to HS - "Is the Holy Spirit a Person, God or an Impersonal Force From God?"
12. Rev. 14:1 in KJV and NKJV omits "his name and" and reads, instead, "having His Father's name written on their foreheads."
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Note (13.) to HS - "Is the Holy Spirit a Person, God or an Impersonal Force From God?"
13. 2 Cor. 13:14 is rendered in such a way as to imply personality for the Holy Spirit (HS) in some trinitarian Bibles. This is done, as in the NASB, for example, by rendering the NT Greek word koinonia as "fellowship of": "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship [koinonia] of the Holy Spirit, be with you all." - NASB.
However, the word koinonia is well known to be applied to things as well as persons.
KOINONIA ... , a having in common (koinos), ... denotes (a) the share one has in anything, ... thus it is used ... of participation in what is derived from the Holy Spirit, 2 Cor. 13:14 (R.V., "communion"); Phil. 2:1; of participation in the sufferings of Christ, Phil. 3:10" - p. 207, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, W. E. Vine (extremely trinitarian), Thomas Nelson Publ.,1983.
[Koinonia], ... fellowship, association, community, communion, joint participation, .... 1. the share which one has in anything, participation; w. gen. of the thing in which he shares: ... 2 Co. xiii. 13 (14) - # 2842, Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, Baker Book House, 1977.
koinonia means "participation," "impartation," or "fellowship." It is used with the objective genitive (what is shared), .... e. Believers also share in the Spirit (2 Cor. 13:13).... - pp. 448, 449, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Abridged In One Volume), Kittel and Friedrich (transl. G.W. Bromiley), Eerdmans Publ. (trinitarian), 1985.
This is why Phil. 2:1 is translated in the following manner by trinitarian Bibles:
If our life in Christ means anything to you, if love can persuade at all, or the Spirit that we have in common [koinonia] or any tenderness and sympathy, ... - Jerusalem Bible.
If then there is ... any sharing in [koinonia] the Spirit ... - New Revised Standard Version.
... any sharing of [koinonia] the Spirit ... - New English Bible.
...if we have any common share in [koinonia] the Spirit, ... C. B. Williams
... if we and you have the same [koinonia] Spirit, ... - William F. Beck
... any participation in [koinonia] the Spirit, ... - Revised Standard Version
... any participation in [koinonia] the Spirit, ... - Revised English Bible
... sharing the same [koinonia] Spirit - Living Bible
... sharing [koinonia] the Holy Spirit - New Life Version
Now please examine the following trinitarian translations of 2 Cor. 13:14 (or 13:13 in some Bibles) itself:
The blessing of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the participation in [koinonia] the Holy Spirit be with you all. - An American Translation (Smith-Goodspeed)
May you have loving-favor from our Lord Jesus .... May you be joined together [koinonia] by the Holy Spirit. - New Life Version.
The grace (kindness) of the Lord Jesus ... and the fellowship (sharing) [koinonia] of the Holy Spirit be with you all. - Easy-to-Read Version. [The Preface of the ETRV explains that italicized words in parentheses are synonyms for the words they follow.]
The spiritual blessing of the Lord Jesus ... and the common sharing [koinonia] of the Holy Spirit be with you all. - The New Testament in the Language of the People (C. B. Williams).
The grace of the Lord Jesus ... and participation in [koinonia] the Holy Spirit be with you all." - RSV (using alternate reading from footnote).
The grace of the Lord Jesus ... and the sharing in [koinonia] the Holy Spirit be with all of you. - NRSV (using alternate reading from footnote).
I pray that the Lord Jesus Christ will bless you and be kind to you! May God bless you with his love, and may the Holy Spirit join all your hearts together. - CEV.
May the grace shown by the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love that God has given us, and the sharing of life brought about by the Holy Spirit be with you all. - New International Reader's Version.
If even such a large number of trinitarian scholars and translators believe the above concerning koinonia and the translation of 2 Cor. 13:14 itself, we simply cannot consider it as acceptable evidence for the personality of the Holy Spirit!
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However, the word koinonia is well known to be applied to things as well as persons.
KOINONIA ... , a having in common (koinos), ... denotes (a) the share one has in anything, ... thus it is used ... of participation in what is derived from the Holy Spirit, 2 Cor. 13:14 (R.V., "communion"); Phil. 2:1; of participation in the sufferings of Christ, Phil. 3:10" - p. 207, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, W. E. Vine (extremely trinitarian), Thomas Nelson Publ.,1983.
[Koinonia], ... fellowship, association, community, communion, joint participation, .... 1. the share which one has in anything, participation; w. gen. of the thing in which he shares: ... 2 Co. xiii. 13 (14) - # 2842, Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, Baker Book House, 1977.
koinonia means "participation," "impartation," or "fellowship." It is used with the objective genitive (what is shared), .... e. Believers also share in the Spirit (2 Cor. 13:13).... - pp. 448, 449, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Abridged In One Volume), Kittel and Friedrich (transl. G.W. Bromiley), Eerdmans Publ. (trinitarian), 1985.
This is why Phil. 2:1 is translated in the following manner by trinitarian Bibles:
If our life in Christ means anything to you, if love can persuade at all, or the Spirit that we have in common [koinonia] or any tenderness and sympathy, ... - Jerusalem Bible.
If then there is ... any sharing in [koinonia] the Spirit ... - New Revised Standard Version.
... any sharing of [koinonia] the Spirit ... - New English Bible.
...if we have any common share in [koinonia] the Spirit, ... C. B. Williams
... if we and you have the same [koinonia] Spirit, ... - William F. Beck
... any participation in [koinonia] the Spirit, ... - Revised Standard Version
... any participation in [koinonia] the Spirit, ... - Revised English Bible
... sharing the same [koinonia] Spirit - Living Bible
... sharing [koinonia] the Holy Spirit - New Life Version
Now please examine the following trinitarian translations of 2 Cor. 13:14 (or 13:13 in some Bibles) itself:
The blessing of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the participation in [koinonia] the Holy Spirit be with you all. - An American Translation (Smith-Goodspeed)
May you have loving-favor from our Lord Jesus .... May you be joined together [koinonia] by the Holy Spirit. - New Life Version.
The grace (kindness) of the Lord Jesus ... and the fellowship (sharing) [koinonia] of the Holy Spirit be with you all. - Easy-to-Read Version. [The Preface of the ETRV explains that italicized words in parentheses are synonyms for the words they follow.]
The spiritual blessing of the Lord Jesus ... and the common sharing [koinonia] of the Holy Spirit be with you all. - The New Testament in the Language of the People (C. B. Williams).
The grace of the Lord Jesus ... and participation in [koinonia] the Holy Spirit be with you all." - RSV (using alternate reading from footnote).
The grace of the Lord Jesus ... and the sharing in [koinonia] the Holy Spirit be with all of you. - NRSV (using alternate reading from footnote).
I pray that the Lord Jesus Christ will bless you and be kind to you! May God bless you with his love, and may the Holy Spirit join all your hearts together. - CEV.
May the grace shown by the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love that God has given us, and the sharing of life brought about by the Holy Spirit be with you all. - New International Reader's Version.
If even such a large number of trinitarian scholars and translators believe the above concerning koinonia and the translation of 2 Cor. 13:14 itself, we simply cannot consider it as acceptable evidence for the personality of the Holy Spirit!
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Note (14.) to HS - "Is the Holy Spirit a Person, God or an Impersonal Force From God?"
14. Also analyze 1 Chron. 29:20 (worship God and the king [David] - see THRONE-2) and Acts 6:11 (blasphemy against Moses and God - see Interlinear). And if we still think the relationship of the three in Matt. 28:19 must be one of equality as God, why not examine other scriptures which mention Father, Jesus and spirit? Notice Ephesians 1: 17, 20, for example.
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Note (15.) to HS - "Is the Holy Spirit a Person, God or an Impersonal Force From God?"
15. There are "very few traces of 'three' in the cultus and the religious conceptions of the Israelites .... This relative rarity of a connexion between 'three' and religious notions, which prevails in the OT, should not be [supplied] from other sources. The thunder call, 'Hear, O Israel, Jahweh is our God, Jahweh (the?) one' (Dt 64, cf. Is 414 446 4812), drowns the voice of those who refer us to the triads of gods that were adored by the Babylonians, Assyrians (Anu, Bel, and Ea, etc. ...), and other nations of antiquity. .... But the original meaning of the OT text must not be modified to suit either heathen parallels or later stages in its own development." - pp. 565, 566, A Dictionary of the Bible, Hastings, ed., Hendrickson Publ.
If there were even HINTS of a trinity to be found in Scripture, the one word we would see with religious significance would be "three." The fact that it is very insignificant in Scripture is enough in itself to refute any idea of a trinity! - see IMAGE (f.n. #8).
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If there were even HINTS of a trinity to be found in Scripture, the one word we would see with religious significance would be "three." The fact that it is very insignificant in Scripture is enough in itself to refute any idea of a trinity! - see IMAGE (f.n. #8).
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Note (16.) to HS - "Is the Holy Spirit a Person, God or an Impersonal Force From God?"
16. "It is almost certain that [the term 'Son of Man'] does not denote Christ's humanity but rather is a title with far-reaching messianic implications." - Today's Dictionary of the Bible, p. 591, Bethany House, 1982. (Emphasis mine.)
Jesus used the term "Son of Man" to describe "his future glory" and to "convey the whole scope of his messianic vocation as he conceived it." - p. 771, New Bible Dictionary, 2nd ed., Tyndale House, 1984. (Emphasis mine.)
The trinitarian publication by Zondervan, The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, wants to restrict the meaning of the "Son of Man" at Matt. 12:32 and Luke 12:10 to the human condition of the Christ, but admits the extreme difficulty of such an interpretation. "The saying about blasphemy and the Son of man (Matt. 12:31 f.; Lk 12:10) is particularly difficult to understand [for trinitarians, that is]." It then proposes that "Son of Man" means the "human" status of the Christ in these two scriptures, but then admits that even this unlikely interpretation is still very difficult since it denies the very context of Luke 12:8 f., "where the Son of man is a glorious figure who could hardly be blasphemed with impunity [if the trinity doctrine were really true]." - p. 628, Vol. 3, 1986 ed. (Emphasis mine.)
NIV Study Bible (1995 ed.), f.n. for Mark 8:31: "Son of Man. Jesus' most common title for himself, used 81 times in the Gospels and never used by anyone but Jesus. In Dan. 7:13-14 the Son of Man is pictured as a heavenly figure who in the end times is entrusted by God with authority, glory, and sovereign power. That Jesus used 'Son of Man' as a Messianic title is evident by his use of it (Mark 8:31) in justaposition to Peter's use of 'Christ' (v. 29). See note on Dan. 7:13." (Emphasis mine.)
"Son of man: A title ascribed to Jesus in the gospels and signifying his destined role in the conduct of the Final Judgment.... The use of the phrase as the designation of the coming final judge is probably due to Dan. 7:13.... The popular notion that 'son of man' indicates Jesus' humanity as 'son of God'* does his divinity is quite indefensible. The term, when used as a title [as in Matt. 12:32], as already indicated, properly means a supernatural figure charged with the superlatively great task of destroying evil and acting as a truly cosmic figure." - pp. 726, 727, An Encyclopedia of Religion, 1945 ed. (Article by trinitarian Bible expert Dr. Morton S. Enslin, Professor of New Testament Literature and Exegesis in Crozer Theological Seminary.) - (Emphasis mine.)
So we see that when Jesus used the title of "Son of Man" for himself he was including the understanding of his heavenly glorified self. If he is ever to be considered God himself, it certainly would be in his role of "Son of Man"! Therefore, his statement of Matt. 12:32 shows his inferiority to God even in his glorified heavenly state when trinitarians would have to say he is absolutely equal to God!
We should also examine Rev. 14:14-16 where we actually see the "Son of Man" in his heavenly glory carrying out his role in the "Final Judgment."
"There before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one 'like a son of man' [footnotes in NIV; NAB (1970), St. Joseph ed.; and GNB refer this to Daniel 7:13 - also compare Rev. 4:2-5; 5:1-7 with Dan. 7:9, 10, 13, 14] with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, 'Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.' So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested." - NIV.
Most trinitarian scholars admit that this "son of man" seated on the cloud is Jesus Christ in his heavenly glory and that John is clearly referring to the "son of man" found at Daniel 7:13, 14 [who as context shows is certainly not God]. (Robertson, Word Pictures, Vol. VI., p. 414; Barclay, The Revelation of John, Vol. 2, p. 116.)
But notice that the "son of man" seated on the cloud and wearing the Gold Crown is taking orders from "another angel" who is relaying God's commands. The heavenly, glorified, kingly "Son of Man" would not (if he were really God) be taking orders from anyone! Certainly God's commands would not have to be relayed to him by another angel! Some (even some trinitarian authorities) have interpreted the term "another angel" at Rev. 14:15 to indicate that the Son of Man is also an angel!
"The linguistic usage of Revelation 1:13 and 14:14 reveals affinities to Dan. 7:13. Both passages speak of 'one like a son of man' as walking ('amidst the lampstands') or 'sitting' on the clouds of heaven. Note too how Rev. differs from the Gospels in leaving out the article ["the"]; this is apparently an imitation of the text of Dan. 7:13: the apocalyptic 'Son of man' is the figure found already in Dan. 7:13, but now as a glorified ruler and judge. He is in all respects like an angel (Dan. 10:5; cf. Rev. 1:13; 14:15 - 'another angel' besides that of 14:14 [the Son of Man])." - p. 633, The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Vol. 3, Zondervan, 1986.
At any rate there is never any indication that the heavenly, glorified "Son of Man" is, in any way, equal to God Himself! And there is plenty of evidence that he is not! (Cf. Act 7:55-56.)
_________________
* "Son of God: Hebrew religion was strictly monotheistic, and the term 'Son of God', as found in the O.T., must not be understood in any literal sense. It has its origin in the Semitic idiom which expresses any intimate relation as one of sonship. As royal ministers are sons of the king, so the angels are sons of God, and this name is likewise given to judges and sovereigns, ruling in God's name.... Christ is perfectly at one with the WILL of God and is thereby his Son." - p. 726, An Encyclopedia of Religion, 1945 ed. (Article by trinitarian Bible expert Dr. E. F. Scott, Emeritus Professor of New Testament Criticism, Union Theological Seminary.)
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Jesus used the term "Son of Man" to describe "his future glory" and to "convey the whole scope of his messianic vocation as he conceived it." - p. 771, New Bible Dictionary, 2nd ed., Tyndale House, 1984. (Emphasis mine.)
The trinitarian publication by Zondervan, The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, wants to restrict the meaning of the "Son of Man" at Matt. 12:32 and Luke 12:10 to the human condition of the Christ, but admits the extreme difficulty of such an interpretation. "The saying about blasphemy and the Son of man (Matt. 12:31 f.; Lk 12:10) is particularly difficult to understand [for trinitarians, that is]." It then proposes that "Son of Man" means the "human" status of the Christ in these two scriptures, but then admits that even this unlikely interpretation is still very difficult since it denies the very context of Luke 12:8 f., "where the Son of man is a glorious figure who could hardly be blasphemed with impunity [if the trinity doctrine were really true]." - p. 628, Vol. 3, 1986 ed. (Emphasis mine.)
NIV Study Bible (1995 ed.), f.n. for Mark 8:31: "Son of Man. Jesus' most common title for himself, used 81 times in the Gospels and never used by anyone but Jesus. In Dan. 7:13-14 the Son of Man is pictured as a heavenly figure who in the end times is entrusted by God with authority, glory, and sovereign power. That Jesus used 'Son of Man' as a Messianic title is evident by his use of it (Mark 8:31) in justaposition to Peter's use of 'Christ' (v. 29). See note on Dan. 7:13." (Emphasis mine.)
"Son of man: A title ascribed to Jesus in the gospels and signifying his destined role in the conduct of the Final Judgment.... The use of the phrase as the designation of the coming final judge is probably due to Dan. 7:13.... The popular notion that 'son of man' indicates Jesus' humanity as 'son of God'* does his divinity is quite indefensible. The term, when used as a title [as in Matt. 12:32], as already indicated, properly means a supernatural figure charged with the superlatively great task of destroying evil and acting as a truly cosmic figure." - pp. 726, 727, An Encyclopedia of Religion, 1945 ed. (Article by trinitarian Bible expert Dr. Morton S. Enslin, Professor of New Testament Literature and Exegesis in Crozer Theological Seminary.) - (Emphasis mine.)
So we see that when Jesus used the title of "Son of Man" for himself he was including the understanding of his heavenly glorified self. If he is ever to be considered God himself, it certainly would be in his role of "Son of Man"! Therefore, his statement of Matt. 12:32 shows his inferiority to God even in his glorified heavenly state when trinitarians would have to say he is absolutely equal to God!
We should also examine Rev. 14:14-16 where we actually see the "Son of Man" in his heavenly glory carrying out his role in the "Final Judgment."
"There before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one 'like a son of man' [footnotes in NIV; NAB (1970), St. Joseph ed.; and GNB refer this to Daniel 7:13 - also compare Rev. 4:2-5; 5:1-7 with Dan. 7:9, 10, 13, 14] with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, 'Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.' So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested." - NIV.
Most trinitarian scholars admit that this "son of man" seated on the cloud is Jesus Christ in his heavenly glory and that John is clearly referring to the "son of man" found at Daniel 7:13, 14 [who as context shows is certainly not God]. (Robertson, Word Pictures, Vol. VI., p. 414; Barclay, The Revelation of John, Vol. 2, p. 116.)
But notice that the "son of man" seated on the cloud and wearing the Gold Crown is taking orders from "another angel" who is relaying God's commands. The heavenly, glorified, kingly "Son of Man" would not (if he were really God) be taking orders from anyone! Certainly God's commands would not have to be relayed to him by another angel! Some (even some trinitarian authorities) have interpreted the term "another angel" at Rev. 14:15 to indicate that the Son of Man is also an angel!
"The linguistic usage of Revelation 1:13 and 14:14 reveals affinities to Dan. 7:13. Both passages speak of 'one like a son of man' as walking ('amidst the lampstands') or 'sitting' on the clouds of heaven. Note too how Rev. differs from the Gospels in leaving out the article ["the"]; this is apparently an imitation of the text of Dan. 7:13: the apocalyptic 'Son of man' is the figure found already in Dan. 7:13, but now as a glorified ruler and judge. He is in all respects like an angel (Dan. 10:5; cf. Rev. 1:13; 14:15 - 'another angel' besides that of 14:14 [the Son of Man])." - p. 633, The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Vol. 3, Zondervan, 1986.
At any rate there is never any indication that the heavenly, glorified "Son of Man" is, in any way, equal to God Himself! And there is plenty of evidence that he is not! (Cf. Act 7:55-56.)
_________________
* "Son of God: Hebrew religion was strictly monotheistic, and the term 'Son of God', as found in the O.T., must not be understood in any literal sense. It has its origin in the Semitic idiom which expresses any intimate relation as one of sonship. As royal ministers are sons of the king, so the angels are sons of God, and this name is likewise given to judges and sovereigns, ruling in God's name.... Christ is perfectly at one with the WILL of God and is thereby his Son." - p. 726, An Encyclopedia of Religion, 1945 ed. (Article by trinitarian Bible expert Dr. E. F. Scott, Emeritus Professor of New Testament Criticism, Union Theological Seminary.)
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