We have seen that the basic meaning of the Hebrew word “mach”, the Greek word “pneuma”, and the Latin word “spiritus” (which gives us the English word Spirit) is that of air in motion, such as the human breath or wind. We now give another example where “breath” might well have been used instead of “spirit” : Matt. 26. 41, “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”. Here the “spirit” is not necessarily the intention, but it could be simply the “breath” i.e. verbal assertions. In v. 35 Peter and the apostles said, “Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee”. Brave word l—a willing breath indeed, soon to be denied by the weakness of the “flesh” !
The Spirit Of God (Wind Or Voice)
There are few places where the expression “spirit” (of God) is more closely related to the idea of breath or wind than to the more usually accepted sense of the power of God. Its very first occurrence (Gen. 1. 2, 3), makes good sense if translated (rather freely) : “And the breath (or voice) of God moved upon the face of the waters, and by it God uttered these words : ‘Let there be light.’ “
In Gen. 8. 1, instead of saying, “And God made his spirit to pass over the earth,” the translators tell us, “God made a wind to pass . .
Isaiah 40. 7 : “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it,” becomes much more realistic in our country (especially in summer), if we read “wind” instead of “spirit” ; in this case the R.S.V. has “breath”.
The doubts of translators are seen by comparing Isa. 59. 19 in the Authorized with the Revised Standard Version :
A.V. “When the enemy shall come in like a flood the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.”R.S.V. “For he will come like a rushing stream which the wind of the Lord drives.”
Another example is Ezek. 1. 4, where the word “whirlwind” is used for two Hebrew words, “whirling wind”, or “whirling spirit” ; perhaps the same wind which is translated spirit in verses 20 and 21.
Ezek. 37 is an interesting example of how the translators influence us. The word “mach” occurs 9 times in the chapter, also once in the plural. It is translated “spirit” in verses 1 and 14 ; and “breath” in verses 5, 6, 8 and 10. In verse 9 it is translated “wind” twice, “breath” once ; and the plural is translated “winds” once, although it is the same word in Hebrew.
The Spirit Of God (His Power)
On the other hand, there are very numerous examples where the power of God is described as the spirit of God—the same word so often translated wind or breath. This power not only created, the world, and all that is in it, but sustains it. Job 26. 13 : “By his spirit he garnished the heavens”. It is identical with the breath of life—Gen. 6. 17 ; 7, 15, 22—it includes animals and man.
In Job 34. 14 : “If he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath, all flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust”,—”spirit” is “ruach” and “breath” is “neshamah”, a word which in the A.V. is translated breath (11), blast (3), spirit (2), soul (1), inspiration (1)—not very different in meaning.
We see, therefore, that possession of the spirit of God is not necessarily something to boast about : all have it, the good and the wicked, man and beast.
However, there are many instances where the Spirit of God influences men in a special way. Moses and the 70 elders of Israel had a “measure” of God’s spirit (Num. 11. 16, 17) , as also did many of the prophets.
However, as we have previously pointed out, the basic meaning of spirit is wind or breath, and a person who speaks the same or similar words as another can be said to have his breath (voice, spirit).
Thus in Isa. 61. 1 : “The breath of the Lord is upon me”-because he was going to preach ; John Baptist had the breath (or voice) of Elijah.
In Joel 2. 28, it is foretold that the breath of God will be poured out, as a result of which they will prophesy : the voice or breath of men becomes the vehicle of the voice or words of God. The same close relation is seen also in Isa. 59. 21, “My spirit (breath) that is upon thee and my words which I put in thy mouth”.
Thus we must face up to the possibility that sometimes we may be said to have the spirit of God, and all that it means is that we speak the truth of God, which we might have learned from a study of the Scriptures. So also, if we live (and speak) in the same way as Christ did, we maybe said to have the spirit of Christ. So Gal. 4. 6 : “God hath sent forth the spirit (breath) of his Son into your hearts, crying ‘Abba, Father’ : Godlike thoughts move us to speak to Him. In 2 Kings 2. 15 the spirit of Elijah rested on Elisha, that is, Elisha continued the preaching of Elijah.
Inspiration, literally, is a breathing-in. When the prophets spoke or breathed God’s words, they were said to be in-breathed by God. We use this word commonly today to mean that the actions or words of somebody else move us to follow his example in some way. In Job 32. 8 the word is “neshamah”, which also means breath ; in 2 Tim. 3. 16, the only place in the New Testament, it is a compound of “pneuma” and “God”, and means “God-breathed”.
When we say that the life Jesus led inspires us to consecrate our lives in God’s service, we do not mean that some thing called the spirit or soul of Christ (or God) actually enters our body, but simply that our brains, having thought about the example of Christ, decide that we shall copy him.
“Spiritual”
In the New Testament (except 1 Cor. 14. 12), the word translated ‘spiritual” is “pneumatikos” from which we get the modern English word “pneumatic”. Literally it means related in some way to (such as being operated by) breath, air or wind—such as a pneumatic tyre on a car. In the New Testament, it is usually related to the spirit of God. Here again we have to distinguish between literally operated by the spirit—such as angelic nature—and the figurative use as in spiritual songs and the spiritual understanding, (Col. 1. 9). Obviously “spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6. 12) does not mean that the spirit of God moving through the bodies or minds of people causes them to be wicked. We could perhaps be right if we think of the word “spiritual” as usually meaning nothing more than “religious”.
The notable exception is in 1 Cor. 15, where Paul contrasts the body operated by the human mind, such as we have now, with the immortal bodies operated by the spirit of God. For here (as Dr. Thomas has so well explained in “Eureka”) the words translated “natural body” are related to the “psyche”, or mind—the same word which gives us psychology—the study of the mind, or psychiatrist—a specialist in illnesses of the mind ; whereas the spiritual body—literally the “breathly” body—is moved by the breath of God, which we are used to calling His “spirit”. This body, Paul explains, is immortal.
The “Holy” Spirit
The expression Holy Spirit is comparatively rare in the Old Testament : it occurs only in Ps. 51. 11 and Isa. 63. 10, 11. The fact is that what is referred to as the ‘Holy Spirit” or “Holy Ghost” in the New Testament is simply called the “Spirit” or the “Spirit of God” in the Old Testament.
The Creek word “hagios” (Holy), according to Young means separate or set apart. According to Liddell and Scott, who do not confine themselves to Biblical usage, it means in classic Greek, “devoted to the gods, sacred, holy”, especially of temples.
The Gifts Of The Spirit
We do not know why in the New Testament the expression “Holy Spirit” (or Holy Ghost is used instead of simply the “Spirit”, but we do notice that it appears to be used to denote the Spirit of God when used for a special purpose, generally miraculous or nearly so. Unfortunately, some brethren fail to notice this distinction, and claim to “have” the Holy Spirit, when all they “have” is a mind which thinks on Godly lines and they are therefore figuratively said to have the “mind of Christ” or the “mind of God”, or, as we have already seen, the “breath” of Christ and of God.
It is unfortunate that the translators, having adopted the un-English word “spirit” to signify that which for lack of a better word is in Greek called the Breath of God, reverted to the old English word “ghost”, which means exactly the same (breath) when it is associated with the word “holy”. We would also remind our readers that neither early Hebrew or Greek made any distinction between capital and small letters. When we read, “Spirit” instead of “spirit”, or “Ghost” for “ghost”, in our Bibles, let us remember that it is the translator, not God, who is making the distinction, and let us not be unduly influenced by it. Sometimes the scriptures, being the word of God, and therefore expressed by His Breath, are referred to as the Holy Spirit, as in Heb. 3. 7, or Heb. 9. 8.
After we have clarified our thinking on the use and meaning of the “Holy Spirit”, it will be necessary to look at some cases where the “Spirit” is not described as “Holy”, although used in a special way, as distinct from the “free spirit” by which we live and have our being.
Summary
The power which emanates from Godlike breath from a human—is called God’s Breath or Spirit, and sustains everything in creation, good and bad alike. Sometimes the expression “Spirit of God” simply means a godly moment of thought (or action), but when used for a specific or special purpose, such as the miraculous, God’s power is called the Holy Spirit. The term Holy Ghost, although perfectly correct when first used, is now misleading and we will always use the expression Holy Spirit instead. •
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One