Do early Church doctrine and the Bible together declare the deity and personality of the Holy Spirit?
Religious groups who deny the Trinity characteristically deny not only the person and work of Jesus Christ, but also the personality and deity of the Holy Spirit. For example, Jehovahs Witnesses teach that “the holy spirit is the active force of God. It is not a person but is a powerful force that God causes to emanate from himself to accomplish his holy will.”1 Victor Paul Wierwille, founder of The Way International, declared, “One of the most misunderstood fields among Christians today is that of the Holy Spirit.”2 Wierwille believed that the Holy Spirit is merely a synonym for the one person of the Godhead, that is, the Father who alone is God. Thus, whenever Wierwille uses the term “Holy Spirit,” in his writings (with capital letters), he is merely using a synonym for God. But whenever Wierwille uses “holy spirit” (with small letters), he means the spiritual gifts given by God the Father. In Wierwilles theology, therefore, the biblical Holy Spirit does not even exist.3 Wierwille, J
