November 2001

The Mormon Church’s First Article of Faith says, “We believe in God the Eternal Father, and in His Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.”

On the basis of this one Article we find an “apparently” orthodox view of the Godhead. But, the Mormons use the vocabulary of orthodox Christianity while assigning meanings of their own.

In this article we will look into what the Mormons teach about the Holy Ghost/Spirit. When I say Holy Ghost/Spirit I do this to indicate these two English words stand for the same Greek word, pneuma. Richard Abanes, in Defending the Faith, p 101 states; “Mormon doctrine fails to recognize that the same Greek word (pneuma) is translated as both Spirit and Ghost in the KJV. The only difference between them is the occurrence of the word holy (hagion) as a prefix to pneuma. In the KJV, the word Ghost is used when holy is present. Translators of the KJV tended to use the term Spirit if holy did not appear before pneuma. Because only one Greek word is used, making a distinction between “Spirit” and “Ghost” is erroneous.” Mormons make an issue out of a difference that isn’t there!

Quotes from Mormon Leaders

 “The Holy Ghost is an individual personage, the third member of the Godhead; the Holy Spirit, in a distinctive sense, is the ‘divine essence’ by means of which the Godhead operates upon man and in nature.” (Talmage, A Study of the Articles of Faith, p 488, sited in “Defending the Faith,” p100, Richard Abanes)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints denies the doctrine that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost, an essential truth of scripture. Brigham Young, the second prophet of the Mormon Church says this, in Journal of Discourses, p 50, 51; “When the Virgin Mary conceived the child Jesus, the Father had begotten him in his own likeness.  He was not begotten by the Holy Ghost.” 

Orson Pratt, an early Apostle of Mormonism said in The Seer, p 159,  “If he were begotten by the Holy Ghost, then He would have called him father; but instead of doing so, the Holy Ghost himself was subject unto Jesus; and he had power to send him as His minister after he returned to His Father.”

Brigham Young again quoted, p 51, “I was in conversation with a certain learned professor upon this subject, when I replied, to this idea—-“if the son was begotten by the Holy Ghost, it would be very dangerous to baptize and confirm females, and give the Holy Ghost to them, lest they should beget children, to be palmed upon the Elders by the people, bringing the Elders into great difficulties.”

Their reasoning centers on their view of “progression” to godhood. Another problem is the fact that their gods are limited.  The father and the son have bodies of flesh and bone and are not omnipresent. The Holy Ghost has a spirit body and is limited in that he cannot be everywhere.  The only way out for the Mormon is the use of Holy Spirit as a force. This means it is the godhead’s impersonal “force” that is with us.

Their scripture states in Doctrine and Covenants 130: 23, “A Man may receive the Holy Ghost, and it may descend upon him and not tarry with him.”  The Holy Ghost can be in only one place at a time according to the Mormons.

We can use Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost without any difference in understanding. But, who is this Holy Spirit?

In Acts 5: 3,4 we read(KJV), “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? While it remained, was it not thine own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.” Therefore the Holy Spirit is God.

God is Everywhere

If He is God He should possess the attributes of God. Let us look at one of them, His Omnipresence. Omni means “all”. He is all present. He fills the total created order in time and space.

I Kings 8:27, “But will God indeed, dwell on the earth? Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee; how much less this house that I have built.”

In Mormonism there are millions of gods throughout the universe, but their gods are limited. In this verse “heaven and the heaven of heavens” cannot contain the one God.

Isaiah 66:1, “Thus saith the Lord, the heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; where is the house that ye build unto me? And where is the place of my rest?” Heaven is my throne and earth is my footstool!  He fills the universe, He transcends it.  He, is also involved in His universe. He is immanent in it!

Psalm 139:7-10; “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there; If I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.”  

There is no place to go that God is not there. That is a great comfort for Christians. No matter where we find ourselves He is present with us.

God the Holy Ghost In Us

 “Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places, that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.”  Even if we wanted to get away from God He knows where we are! (Jeremiah 23:23,24)

Since He is omnipresent He can indwell believers. As a matter of fact, if you don’t have the Holy Ghost, you are not His. “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.”  (Romans 8:9)

If the Holy Ghost is limited, as Mormons imply, then they cannot be Christians based on this doctrine alone. They must have the Holy Spirit in them.

“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30) We are sealed unto the day of redemption according to this verse. He gives us assurance.

“For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.” (Ephesians 2:18) The one Spirit, through Jesus Christ, gives us access to the Father. He, the Spirit makes salvation personal.  It is through the Holy Ghost that we become sons of God.

“And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his son into our hearts crying, Abba, Father.”  (Galatians 4:6) The Holy Spirit is essential to our Christian life and walk. He makes us His, He seals us, He gives us access to the father and we become sons of God through Him.

Jesus Conceived By The Holy Ghost

We believe that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost. (Matthew 1:18,20; Luke 1:35). This is clear biblical truth. We do not have the problem the Mormon Church has because we believe in the Trinity. This is simply the view that there is only one God.

This one God subsists in three distinct Persons.  The Father is called God (Gal 1:3), the Son is called God (John 1:1, 14) and the Holy Ghost or Spirit is called God (Acts 5:3,4). Yet throughout scripture, there is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4; John 17:5; James 2:19).

Conclusion

Mormonism’s First Article of Faith states they believe in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. We’ve seen over the past three articles on this subject that they do not believe in the Father, Son or Holy Ghost of the Bible! They claim to be Christian yet redefine the heart of the Christian message.  They use the same vocabulary but their own dictionary.

Paul, in Second Corinthians 11:4 says, “For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.”  Mormons have another Jesus, and we just saw another spirit.

By David Henke