The Holy Spirit: God’s Active Power, not a Third Person
As a Unitarian fellowship, we proclaim that Yahweh alone is the one true God, with His Son, Yeshua, serving as the firstborn of all creation and the divine agent through whom Yahweh’s will is enacted (Colossians 1:15; John 1:1-3). In this same vein, we understand the Holy Spirit not as a third person within a triune Godhead, but as Yahweh’s personal force and power, dynamically active in the world and among His people. This belief, grounded in Scripture, upholds God’s unity and rejects the Trinitarian doctrine as a later human construct read into, rather than derived from, the biblical text.
Scripture consistently presents the Holy Spirit as Yahweh’s operative power, not a separate entity. In Genesis 1:2, “the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters,” where the Hebrew ruach—meaning “breath,” “wind,” or “spirit”—denotes God’s life-giving force shaping creation. Psalm 104:30 reinforces this: “When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.” The Spirit is Yahweh’s breath, not a distinct being. Likewise, Isaiah 59:21 declares, “My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart,” linking the Spirit inseparably to Yahweh’s presence and will. In the New Testament, Acts 2:17-18 cites Joel 2:28—“I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh”—where “my Spirit” is unmistakably Yahweh’s own power, enabling prophecy and renewal.
Yeshua’s life further illustrates this. At his baptism, the Spirit descends as a dove (Matthew 3:16), symbolizing divine empowerment from the Father, not a separate person’s arrival. In Luke 4:18, Yeshua quotes Isaiah 61:1—“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me”—to affirm his anointing by Yahweh’s force. John 20:22 captures a striking image: Yeshua “breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit,’” echoing Genesis 2:7, where God breathes life into Adam. The Spirit is God’s breath, shared through His Son, not an independent entity.
Historically, the Trinity emerged not from Scripture but from post-biblical debates. The New Testament never explicitly teaches a triune God; terms like “Trinity” or “three persons” are absent. The doctrine crystallized in the 4th century at councils like Nicaea (325 CE) and Constantinople (381 CE), influenced by Greek philosophy and efforts to reconcile Christ’s divinity with monotheism. Yet, this required reading Trinitarian assumptions into texts, as the Bible lacks any clear statement of three co-equal persons. Our view aligns with the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4)—“Yahweh our God, Yahweh is one”—preserving the oneness early Christians affirmed.
Trinitarians often cite counterarguments. John 16:13 says the Spirit “will guide you into all truth” and “will not speak on his own,” suggesting personhood. We see this as metaphorical, like Wisdom in Proverbs 8, reflecting Yahweh’s authority, not a distinct will. Matthew 28:19’s baptismal formula—“in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”—is another point raised. Yet, this aligns Father, Son, and Spirit in purpose, not personhood, emphasizing Yahweh’s authority, Yeshua’s agency, and the Spirit’s power—all from one God. A third argument comes from Acts 5:3-4, where lying to the Holy Spirit is equated with lying to God. This confirms the Spirit’s divine nature as Yahweh’s presence, not a separate entity. Finally, some point to Romans 8:26—“the Spirit intercedes for us with groanings”—as evidence of personality. However, this depicts the Spirit as God’s active compassion within us, not an autonomous being.
These interpretations avoid eisegesis—reading later theology into Scripture—and honor the text’s plain sense. The Spirit lacks the distinct relational identity of the Father and Son; it does not speak independently or receive worship apart from Yahweh. Trinitarianism, while widespread, imposes a framework foreign to the Bible’s monotheistic roots.
Understanding the Holy Spirit as Yahweh’s personal force magnifies His sovereignty and intimacy. It is His breath animating creation, His power transforming lives, and His presence renewing the earth. This belief invites us to experience Yahweh directly, unencumbered by later doctrines, and to marvel at the unity of His purpose through Yeshua and His Spirit.
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