The Holy Spirit - God's Spirit
E-book and Audio series
PART 1 - The Being and Nature of the Holy Spirit
Chapter 2 - Definition of the word "Spirit"
Summary: Understanding the way the Scriptures use the term "Spirit" will help us learn something of the Holy Spirit's being and nature.
| |||
In the previous chapter, we commenced by considering something of the unsearchable nature of God and His Spirit. There, a rather generalised but workable definition of the Holy Spirit was given - "the intangible arm of God, interacting with mankind". We then briefly looked at just some of the diverse activities and roles of the Holy Spirit, in the past, present and future.
For this chapter and the next, I’d like to define what is meant by the individual words in the term “Holy Spirit”. These two words - "holy" and "spirit" - are often not understood well enough individually. When these words are joined together, and one speaks of the Holy Spirit, a concept or being may be imagined that has little to do with the meaning of those base words. So, in this chapter, we will consider the word “spirit” in the Scriptures in general, and in the next article, the word “holy”. I believe that by doing so, we will greatly help ourselves when we come to examining some of the more complex issues that lay ahead of us.
Defining “Spirit” - some examples from the OT and NT
It is important for the reader to realise that not every time we read the word “spirit” does it refer to God’s Holy Spirit. In the Scriptures, the word "spirit" may refer to God’s spirit, spiritual beings (both good and evil), breath, wind, life, liveliness (being "spirited"), a person’s demeanour, disposition or attitude, and perhaps some other concepts not mentioned here.
In the OT, the Hebrew word for spirit is ruach ; and in the NT, the Greek word is pneuma.
Depending on the context of the passage concerned, these two words are often translated into the English text as "spirit", but this is certainly not always the case. Whether it refers to the Holy Spirit, the wind, or a state of mind, the common thought behind the word "spirit" in the Scriptures is that of an intangible force - that which cannot be physically handled but is nevertheless present. Things that are "spirit" are usually invisible, also, but not always. Hence, if we keep in mind the idea of intangibility, we will remain closer to the thought behind this word and its associated concepts.
Let’s now look at some examples from the Scriptures to get a feel for the breadth of its meaning.
Ruach in the OT
We will begin by looking at occurrences of the Hebrew word ruach, to see how it has been translated in the Old Testament. The book of Genesis alone presents us with a wide range of meanings, but, despite the diversity, bear in mind the thought of "an intangible force" and you will see a consistent thread:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth ... and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters (Genesis 1:1,2)
They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day [perhaps meaning the cool breeze] (Genesis 3:8)
The LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh" (Genesis 6:8).
In the Bible, the phrase "my spirit" often means “myself”, or “my being”, but emphasises the person’s attitude or demeanour, rather than their physical body. Note also that, in Scripture, a human being (dead or alive) is never said to be a spirit.
All flesh in which is the breath of life (Genesis 6:17, with similar usages in 7:15,22)
God made a wind to pass over the earth (Genesis 8:1)
[Esau's Hittite wives] were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 26:35)
The NIV translates this phrase as “a source of grief”, meaning a source of grief to their minds, not a physical source of grief. This is not dissimilar to Ephesians 4:30 - “grieve not the Holy Spirit of God” – meaning, "don’t bring grief to God with your behaviour".
Now it came to pass in the morning that [Pharaoh's] spirit was troubled (Genesis 41:8)
The NIV has "mind" here. The meaning is that Pharaoh's mind was bothered, his demeanour was unsettled.
The spirit of Jacob their father revived (Genesis 45:26,27)
For years, Jacob had thought that his dearest son, Joseph, was dead. Joseph’s brothers then came back from Egypt and reported to Jacob their father that their brother was actually still alive. Jacob was briefly stunned by this news ("his heart stood still" v.26), but then, “the spirit of their father Jacob revived”. In other words, at first he was motionless, speechless, in a state of shock … but then he became his old self again; he regained his former demeanour. Thus it says that his "spirit" revived.
So, in Genesis alone we have the same one word ruach referring to: “spirit of God”, breath, breeze, wind, attitude, demeanour. Elsewhere (in Leviticus, for example), there is the additional idea of ruach referring to evil spirits:
Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits (Leviticus 19:31)
The NIV calls these familiar spirits "spiritists". These were people who were said to be able to contact the dead, and were believed to be talking to the spirit of a dead person. They were referred to as “familiar”, because the idea behind it was that the spirit was like one of the household or "family", and could be trusted. I believe such instances are really just demons impersonating people. [This aspect is discussed further in the "Life, Death and Resurrection" series, No.15 - "Saul, Samuel and the Medium (The Witch of Endor)".]
Though there are many more ocurrences than those quoted, that set of passages covers most of the usages of the Hebrew word ruach, commonly translated as "spirit" in the OT.
Pneuma in the NT
In the NT, we see a similarly wide range of uses, all with the common thought of "an intangible force" underlying them. This time, "spirit" has been translated from the Greek word pneuma, from which we get such words as "pneumatic" (as in pneumatic tyres, which are those that have been filled with air) and "pneumonia" (an infection of the lungs, the organs used for breathing). Here is a selection of typical verses containing the word pneuma:
The Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say (Luke 12:12)
Whilst most modern versions translate pneuma here as "Spirit", the KJV has “Ghost”. For readers of the KJV, every time you come across this phrase "Holy Ghost", it should really be translated as “Holy Spirit”, as the translators of the KJV themselves saw fit to do in Luke 11:13; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30 and 1 Thessalonians 4:8. The word "ghost" today carries a lot of unscriptural baggage which complicates an already difficult subject, and should be set aside and substituted with the word "Spirit" in these instances.
Certain women who had been healed of evil spirits (Luke 8:2)
There was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years (Luke 13:11)
Again the NIV presents a different viewpoint, instead translating "a spirit of infirmity" as "crippled by a spirit". Perhaps an evil spirit is meant here, but the phrase could also merely be describing her disposition as infirm.
The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit. (John 3:8)
The words "wind" and "spirit" in this verse are translations of the same word: pneuma. This verse alone shows that the word pneuma must be interpreted in light of its context.
They [the disciples] were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. And He said to them ... "Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have". (Luke 24:37-39)
When the Lord Jesus first appeared to the disciples after His resurrection, He emphasises that a spirit is not flesh; not something solid, physical or tangible.
"I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove". (John 1:32 cp. Matthew 3:16 & Luke 3:21,22)
This is one of the very few instances in which a spirit, this time the Holy Spirit, is said to be seen. Visible in this instance, but still intangible.
God is spirit. (John 4:24)
Some translations here read "God is a spirit". The Greek supports both versions, but either way, it is a fundamental and quite profound statement. When we are talking about God's Holy Spirit, we are talking about a nature similar to that which God Himself is in essence.
God is spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:24)
The second occurrence of "spirit" in this verse may alternatively be read as ".. must worship in a true spirit"; i.e. a genuine attitude of worship, not just a ritualistic one that needs to be carried out in a particular location. When seeking to worship God, one’s attitude (or "spirit") must one of truth and honesty before Him.
Conclusion
In this chapter, I’ve tried to present how the word “spirit” appears in Scripture, as translated from the Hebrew word ruach in the OT, and the Greek word pneuma in the NT. A “spirit” refers to an intangible force. Depending on the context, it may refer to the breeze, wind, attitude, demeanour, breath, and even evil spirits; and there may be other intangible aspects as well.
Of course, our focus for this series is on "spirit" when used of God in such terms as “Holy Spirit”, and "the spirit of God”. If we can grasp that basic idea of “spirit” being an intangible force with a variety of meanings depending on the context, it will help us when we consider terms like “My spirit”, when God is speaking.
In the next chapter, we’ll concentrate a bit more on the other word in that divine title: “holy”.
For this chapter and the next, I’d like to define what is meant by the individual words in the term “Holy Spirit”. These two words - "holy" and "spirit" - are often not understood well enough individually. When these words are joined together, and one speaks of the Holy Spirit, a concept or being may be imagined that has little to do with the meaning of those base words. So, in this chapter, we will consider the word “spirit” in the Scriptures in general, and in the next article, the word “holy”. I believe that by doing so, we will greatly help ourselves when we come to examining some of the more complex issues that lay ahead of us.
Defining “Spirit” - some examples from the OT and NT
It is important for the reader to realise that not every time we read the word “spirit” does it refer to God’s Holy Spirit. In the Scriptures, the word "spirit" may refer to God’s spirit, spiritual beings (both good and evil), breath, wind, life, liveliness (being "spirited"), a person’s demeanour, disposition or attitude, and perhaps some other concepts not mentioned here.
In the OT, the Hebrew word for spirit is ruach ; and in the NT, the Greek word is pneuma.
Depending on the context of the passage concerned, these two words are often translated into the English text as "spirit", but this is certainly not always the case. Whether it refers to the Holy Spirit, the wind, or a state of mind, the common thought behind the word "spirit" in the Scriptures is that of an intangible force - that which cannot be physically handled but is nevertheless present. Things that are "spirit" are usually invisible, also, but not always. Hence, if we keep in mind the idea of intangibility, we will remain closer to the thought behind this word and its associated concepts.
Let’s now look at some examples from the Scriptures to get a feel for the breadth of its meaning.
Ruach in the OT
We will begin by looking at occurrences of the Hebrew word ruach, to see how it has been translated in the Old Testament. The book of Genesis alone presents us with a wide range of meanings, but, despite the diversity, bear in mind the thought of "an intangible force" and you will see a consistent thread:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth ... and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters (Genesis 1:1,2)
They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day [perhaps meaning the cool breeze] (Genesis 3:8)
The LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh" (Genesis 6:8).
In the Bible, the phrase "my spirit" often means “myself”, or “my being”, but emphasises the person’s attitude or demeanour, rather than their physical body. Note also that, in Scripture, a human being (dead or alive) is never said to be a spirit.
All flesh in which is the breath of life (Genesis 6:17, with similar usages in 7:15,22)
God made a wind to pass over the earth (Genesis 8:1)
[Esau's Hittite wives] were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 26:35)
The NIV translates this phrase as “a source of grief”, meaning a source of grief to their minds, not a physical source of grief. This is not dissimilar to Ephesians 4:30 - “grieve not the Holy Spirit of God” – meaning, "don’t bring grief to God with your behaviour".
Now it came to pass in the morning that [Pharaoh's] spirit was troubled (Genesis 41:8)
The NIV has "mind" here. The meaning is that Pharaoh's mind was bothered, his demeanour was unsettled.
The spirit of Jacob their father revived (Genesis 45:26,27)
For years, Jacob had thought that his dearest son, Joseph, was dead. Joseph’s brothers then came back from Egypt and reported to Jacob their father that their brother was actually still alive. Jacob was briefly stunned by this news ("his heart stood still" v.26), but then, “the spirit of their father Jacob revived”. In other words, at first he was motionless, speechless, in a state of shock … but then he became his old self again; he regained his former demeanour. Thus it says that his "spirit" revived.
So, in Genesis alone we have the same one word ruach referring to: “spirit of God”, breath, breeze, wind, attitude, demeanour. Elsewhere (in Leviticus, for example), there is the additional idea of ruach referring to evil spirits:
Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits (Leviticus 19:31)
The NIV calls these familiar spirits "spiritists". These were people who were said to be able to contact the dead, and were believed to be talking to the spirit of a dead person. They were referred to as “familiar”, because the idea behind it was that the spirit was like one of the household or "family", and could be trusted. I believe such instances are really just demons impersonating people. [This aspect is discussed further in the "Life, Death and Resurrection" series, No.15 - "Saul, Samuel and the Medium (The Witch of Endor)".]
Though there are many more ocurrences than those quoted, that set of passages covers most of the usages of the Hebrew word ruach, commonly translated as "spirit" in the OT.
Pneuma in the NT
In the NT, we see a similarly wide range of uses, all with the common thought of "an intangible force" underlying them. This time, "spirit" has been translated from the Greek word pneuma, from which we get such words as "pneumatic" (as in pneumatic tyres, which are those that have been filled with air) and "pneumonia" (an infection of the lungs, the organs used for breathing). Here is a selection of typical verses containing the word pneuma:
The Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say (Luke 12:12)
Whilst most modern versions translate pneuma here as "Spirit", the KJV has “Ghost”. For readers of the KJV, every time you come across this phrase "Holy Ghost", it should really be translated as “Holy Spirit”, as the translators of the KJV themselves saw fit to do in Luke 11:13; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30 and 1 Thessalonians 4:8. The word "ghost" today carries a lot of unscriptural baggage which complicates an already difficult subject, and should be set aside and substituted with the word "Spirit" in these instances.
Certain women who had been healed of evil spirits (Luke 8:2)
There was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years (Luke 13:11)
Again the NIV presents a different viewpoint, instead translating "a spirit of infirmity" as "crippled by a spirit". Perhaps an evil spirit is meant here, but the phrase could also merely be describing her disposition as infirm.
The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit. (John 3:8)
The words "wind" and "spirit" in this verse are translations of the same word: pneuma. This verse alone shows that the word pneuma must be interpreted in light of its context.
They [the disciples] were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. And He said to them ... "Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have". (Luke 24:37-39)
When the Lord Jesus first appeared to the disciples after His resurrection, He emphasises that a spirit is not flesh; not something solid, physical or tangible.
"I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove". (John 1:32 cp. Matthew 3:16 & Luke 3:21,22)
This is one of the very few instances in which a spirit, this time the Holy Spirit, is said to be seen. Visible in this instance, but still intangible.
God is spirit. (John 4:24)
Some translations here read "God is a spirit". The Greek supports both versions, but either way, it is a fundamental and quite profound statement. When we are talking about God's Holy Spirit, we are talking about a nature similar to that which God Himself is in essence.
God is spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:24)
The second occurrence of "spirit" in this verse may alternatively be read as ".. must worship in a true spirit"; i.e. a genuine attitude of worship, not just a ritualistic one that needs to be carried out in a particular location. When seeking to worship God, one’s attitude (or "spirit") must one of truth and honesty before Him.
Conclusion
In this chapter, I’ve tried to present how the word “spirit” appears in Scripture, as translated from the Hebrew word ruach in the OT, and the Greek word pneuma in the NT. A “spirit” refers to an intangible force. Depending on the context, it may refer to the breeze, wind, attitude, demeanour, breath, and even evil spirits; and there may be other intangible aspects as well.
Of course, our focus for this series is on "spirit" when used of God in such terms as “Holy Spirit”, and "the spirit of God”. If we can grasp that basic idea of “spirit” being an intangible force with a variety of meanings depending on the context, it will help us when we consider terms like “My spirit”, when God is speaking.
In the next chapter, we’ll concentrate a bit more on the other word in that divine title: “holy”.
