Grotheer's Teaching on the Holy Spirit
Recently,
I published a report on Bill Stringfellow's teaching that there is no
Holy Spirit, and that Christ was essentially a created being. In one
sentence, I mentioned that William Grotheer also did not believe the Holy
Spirit was a Being. Following
that, Grotheer wrote and told me to retract the statement. But I could not
do that, because I had been told for fifteen years by individuals who
receive his papers and attend his meetings, that William Grotheer teaches
a strange truth about the Holy Spirit, which boils down to a negation that
He is a definite Being. So
I wrote Grotheer a letter asking that he please send a statement that he,
indeed, did believe that the Holy Spirit was the definite Third Person of
the Godhead, and always had been and always would be. Then
I telephoned several individuals who were acquainted with Grotheer's
papers and had attended his lectures. I was assured that he did, indeed,
not believe in the Holy Spirit in the Bible-Spirit of Prophecy way.
Grotheer, they said, thought the Holy Spirit was something quite different
than what others believed. After
a delay, Grotheer wrote back. The statement I requested was included, but,
instead, a brief, rambling note, ending with the statement that I was not
intelligent enough to understand his teaching if I saw it. That
is a strange reply to a request for a simple sentence or two statement of
belief in the Third Person of the Godhead. This
is because one of those I spoke with by phone, sent me copies of two of
Grotheer's papers, in which he did state his position. 1
- The Holy Spirit throughout eternity past and in the Old Testament The
first fabulous concept: We are not directly told about this in the
article, but several hints, which we will note below, indicate that
Grotheer's view is that there were Two divine entities who existed
prior to the Incarnation. One was God and the other was the
Spirit. Christ did not exist, but the Spirit, which preceded and
produced Him did. 2
- The Holy Spirit at the Incarnation and during the earthly life of
Christ The second
fabulous concept: Grotheer teaches that, at the moment of Incarnation, the
Holy Spirit entered into a man—and the result was Jesus Christ. At that
moment, there was no more Holy Spirit, as such. Instead, there was
only the divine Jesus! There was no Spirit, which was separate from
Christ. For the first time, the divine Jesus Christ existed! 3
- From the Resurrection to the 144,000 The
third fabulous concept: At the Resurrection of Christ, according to
Grotheer, Jesus retained His divinity, but now separate from the Holy
Spirit, and ascended to heaven as a divinity. Christ had never been in
heaven before! The
fourth fabulous concept: As for the Spirit, He was now a separate Divine
Being, and was the sole Decider and Director as to the affairs on earth. 4
- During the time the 144,000 are on earth The
fifth fabulous concept: The Holy Spirit, who earlier produced Christa
new God,—does it the second time: The Spirit enters into the 144,000 and
makes them Gods! 5
- After the Second Advent The
sixth fabulous concept: The 144,000 remain Gods in heaven, while the other
redeemed are merely given eternal life. Now,
let us run through those five points again, noting Grotheer's supporting
statements, and some of those in Scripture which oppose his position: Grotheer:
The form of God in which Jesus existed prior to Bethlehem was
Spirit for God is Spirit. Why [is] so little perceived as to whom
Jesus was until after the coming of the Holy Spirit? The New
Testament closely identifies the Holy Spirit—the Lord the Spirit—with
Michael the Lord of the Old Testament. Again Two, as revealed
in the Old Testament. Scripture: 2
- The Holy Spirit at the Incarnation and during the earthly life of
Christ The
second fabulous concept: Grotheer teaches that, at the moment of
Incarnation, the Holy Spirit entered into a man, and the result was Jesus
Christ. At that moment, there was no more Holy Spirit, as such!
Instead, there was only the divine Jesus. There was no Spirit, which
was separate from Christ. Contrawise, there was no Jesus apart from
the Spirit. Grotheer:
Therefore that holy [spirit] which shall be born of thee shall be
called God. That divine spirit dwelling in a temple of flesh
was called the Son of God. When the Lamb as the
sacrifice appeared, the Spirit of God was so closely identified with the
Lamb so as to be even the horns and eyes are to an animal. The
Holy Spirit consumated the Incarnation so that He might be one flesh with
us. It was the Holy Spirit who overshadowed Mary. The result: Jesus,
a new distinct Being, the God-man. 3
- From the Resurrection to the 144,000 The
third fabulous concept: At the Resurrection of Christ, according to
Grotheer, Jesus retained His divinity, but now separate from the Holy
Spirit, and ascended to heaven as a divinity. Christ had never been in
heaven before! The
fourth fabulous concept: As for the Spirit, He was now a separate Divine
Being from Christ, and was the sole Decider and Director as to the affairs
of the church on earth. [Who directed what occurred while the Spirit was
united with Jesus?] Although the Man Christ is the high priest, He is not
the mediator. The Spirit is the mediator between man and God. The Spirit
is not a go-between between Christ and the world, but acts as an
independent, sovereign decider as to what is to be done, without
consulting any God or Christ. Only the Holy Spirit spoke to John in the
Revelation. Grotheer:
The great high priest, Jesus Christ. It is the Spirit that is to make
intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Until the
redemption of the body at the second coming of Jesus Christ, the saints
can know they will have an intercessor at the Throne of God the Lord the
Spirit. While the Man Christ Jesus steps aside, the Holy Spirit continues
His ministry until the living saints are translated. [The Spirit is]
functioning in His own right, as a Person directing the Church of the
Living God. 4
- During the time the 144,000 are on earth The
fifth fabulous concept: The Holy Spirit, who earlier produced Christa
new God, does it the second time: The Spirit enters into the 144,000 and
makes them Gods! They open their mouths, but He speaks. The
third in the picture as a result of the Incarnation, and the wonder
of the Plan of Redemption. 5
- After the Second Advent The
sixth fabulous concept: The Holy Spirit, who earlier produced Christa
new God, does it the second time: The Spirit enters into the 144,000 and
makes them Gods! The 144,000 remain Gods in heaven, while the other
redeemed are merely given eternal life. Grotheer:
Even as the Holy Spirit consumated the Incarnation so that He might be
one flesh with us, so also the same Spirit effects the bride of
Christ so that she might be one spirit with Him. In
the following statement, Grotheer explains that there were Two Divine
Beings in the Old Testament, and there will not be Three until the
bride (the 144,000) join the Godhead at Christ's Second Advent: In
the final hour ........... wonder of the Plan of Redemption? Then
Grotheer twists a Greek word to help prove the future divinity of the
144,000: When Christ returns ....... of
Christ: the 144,000. Over
the years, we had been repeatedly told that William Grotheer had an
unusual view on the Holy Spirit. Recently a friend sent us a study
Grotheer prepared in 1987. It is a written transcript of a sermon series,
entitled Another Comforter, which he delivered that year at
his Annual Fellowship Meetings. The previous year, he gave
essentially the same material in a similar study entitled, The
Doctrine of God. He has probably continued to give it since that
time, for it is a major theoretical analysis. In
the study, Grotheer stated some of his beliefs regarding the Holy Spirit,
Christ, and the 144,000. Because his doctrinal positions are extremely
unusual, some people have come away from his meetings thinking that
Grotheer does not believe in the Holy Spirit. But Grotheer does believe a
Divine Spirit exists, but one which transforms itself into other beings
for years, and later changes back into itself. His view of the Godhead is
strange and out of harmony with the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy. The
1987 study, entitled, Another Comforter, was printed as a
two-part series in his monthly publication, Watchman, What of the
Night. Those issues were coded XX-9 and XX-10, and although undated
we know (because of the inclusion of a dated ad) that they were released
in 1987. It
seems best not to categorically present his confusing beliefs (which
involve aspects quite unlike anything you will find in Gods Word), but
rather to briefly emphasize again certain grand truths of the Bible and
Spirit of Prophecy. Keep
reading the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy, then when you encounter error
you will be able to recognize it! That is your safety!
1 - Christ has existed as a distinct, Divine, Being from all
eternity. There never was a time when He did not exist. That includes Old
Testament times.
2 - His existence was not derived from anyone
else, and from all eternity He has been Gods Son.
3 - Throughout all eternity, and in Old
Testament times, Christ was a distinct Person. He was not the Holy Spirit
before the Incarnation, for the Spirit was, and remains, a different
Person of the Godhead.
4 - Christ existed in Old Testament times and
appeared to people; it was not the Holy Spirit who made those appearances.
5 - Michael is not the Holy Spirit. 6
- All communication between heaven and earth, in Old Testament times, was
by the Father through Christ, working with the Holy Spirit and the angels;
not by the Holy Spirit alone. 7
- Prior to the Incarnation, there were three members of the Godhead, each
one a fully divine Person. 8
- At the Incarnation, Christ came to earth into a human body. Jesus was
not the Holy Spirit incarnated by taking a human body. 9
- While Christ was on earth,
the Holy Spirit continued to work on minds and hearts throughout the
world. 10
- From the Apostolic Age on down to the present time, the Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit have worked to save mankind. It has not been solely the work
of the Holy Spirit. 11
- The messages given to John the Revelator came from Jesus, not solely
from the Holy Spirit. 12
- Christ is the mediator between God and man, not the Holy Spirit
(although the Holy Spirit assists Him in drawing out our hearts in
repentance, etc.). 13
- The Holy Spirit is not an independent divine sovereign in carrying on
the work of the Spirit in and for this world; in everything He does, the
Spirit closely cooperates with the Father and Son in heaven. 14
- The faithful, who give the Loud Cry message, will not have their mouths
overpowered by God. They will, indeed, be guided by heaven in their words,
but it will continue to be them speaking on behalf of God. 15
- The bride is the entire redeemed church, not just the 144,000. 16
- The 144,000 will not become Gods (members of the Godhead) in heaven.
Their arrival will not increase the size of the Godhead by one. In
addition, they will not receive a special immortality and physical
capacity, which the rest of the redeemed do not have. 17
- Although the papal teaching of a three-in-one Person Trinity is
erroneous, the principle of three distinct, divine, eternal Persons in the
Godhead is correct. For
much, much more information on the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, see our
two-part study, The Godhead [DH201-202], which is composed of
many quotations on this subject. But especially read widely in the
Bible and Spirit of Prophecy. THE
GODHEAD The
Godhead was stirred with pity for the race, and the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit gave Themselves to the working out of the plan of
redemption. In order fully to carry out this plan, it was decided that
Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, should give Himself an offering for
sin. Counsels on Health, 222. The
eternal heavenly dignitaries, God, and Christ, and the Holy
Spirit, arming them [the disciples] with more than mortal energy, . .
would advance with them to the work and convince the world of sin. 6
Bible Commentary, 1074. The
Comforter that Christ promised to send after He ascended to heaven, is the
Spirit in all the fullness of the Godhead, making manifest the power of
divine grace to all who receive and believe in Christ as a personal
Saviour. There are three living persons of the heavenly trio; in the name
of these three great powers, the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spiritthose who receive Christ by living faith are baptized, and these
powers will cooperate with the obedient subjects of heaven in their
efforts to live the new life in Christ. Evangelism,
615. JESUS
CHRIST Christ
is the pre-existent, self-existent Son of God
. . In speaking of His pre-existence, Christ carries the mind back
through dateless ages. He assures us that there never was a time when He
was not in close fellowship with the eternal God. He to whose voice the
Jews were then listening had been with God as one brought up with
Him. Evangelism, 615. Jesus
declared, I am the resurrection, and the life. In Christ is life,
original, unborrowed, underived. He that hath the Son hath life. 1
John 5:12. The divinity of Christ is the believers assurance of eternal
life. Desire of Ages, 530. Before
the entrance of evil there was peace and joy throughout the universe. All
was in perfect harmony with the Creators will. Love for God was
supreme, love for one another impartial. Christ the Word, the
only-begotten of God, was one with the eternal Father, one in nature, in
character, and in purpose. Great Controversy, 493. In
the beginning, the Father and the Son had rested upon the Sabbath after
Their work of creation. Desire of Ages, 769. Christ
had not exchanged His divinity for humanity; but He had clothed His
divinity in humanity. 5 Bible Commentary, 1128. The
unity that exists between Christ and His disciples does not destroy the
personality of either. They are one in purpose, in mind, in character, but
not in person. It is thus that God and Christ are one. Ministry of
Healing, 421-422. Again
and again we shall be called to meet the influence of men who are studying
sciences of satanic origin, through which Satan is working to make a
nonentity of God and of Christ. 9 Testimonies, 68. THE
HOLY SPIRIT The
nature of the Holy Spirit is a mystery. Men cannot explain it, because the
Lord has not revealed it to them. Men having fanciful views may bring
together passages of Scripture and put a human construction on them, but
the acceptance of these views will not stengthen the church. Regarding
such mysteries, which are too deep for human understanding, silence is
golden. Acts of the Apostles, 52. The
Lord Jesus acts through the Holy Spirit; for it is His
representative. Messages to young People, 55. The
Lord Jesus, represented by the Holy Spirit, was in the presence of that
assembly, but they did not discern Him. Testimonies
to Ministers, 73. THE
INCARNATION The
Incarnation is a mystery (1SM 249), a great and profound mystery of
godliness (1SM 246; 7BC 915), that no man can explain (5BC
1129). In the Incarnation, Christ was made flesh (4SGa 119). By
it, Christ was mysteriously allied to fallen humanity (CT 259). In
a new sense, Christ became the Son of God by it (1SM 226-227; 5BC
1114). THE
MEDIATOR They
[the angels] are sent forth to minster for them who shall be heirs of
salvation, but Christ, as Mediator, is the great Minister in the work
of redemption. The Holy Spirit is His representative in our world, to
execute the divine purpose of bringing to fallen man power from above,
that he may be an overcomer. 7 Bible Commentary, 922. MICHAEL Christ
is Michael (PK 572; DA 99, 421; EW 36; GC 613; LS 117). REVELATION Christ
appeared to John on Patmos (AA 582; 4BC 1173; 7BC 953-954, 955; CW 175;
ED 191; MM 37; PP 129; 7T 288; SL 49-50; AA 570-571), and gave him a
vision (AA 582-583). Christ personally presented truth to John on
Patmos (Ed 191; CW 29; FE 424), and gave him prophecies
(TM 115). THE
BRIDE The
church is Christ's bride (Ed 268; GC 381; MH
356; 7BC 985-986; 1SM 305). THE
144,000 We are warned against strange theories
regard the 144,000 (7BC 978). They will, in number, be the living
saints when Jesus returns (EW 15; LS 65; 1T 59), and go through the
plagues and be translated (GC 649). In heaven, they will sing a new
song (PK 591; GC 649; 5T 476), which is a song of deliverance (GC
648-649).
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