Just as the world does, the Bible has several meanings for SPIRIT. I’ve been most affected by the definition that spirit is the part of me that can communicate with God. However, before Christ came into my life, the Bible says my spirit was dead, meaning separated from Him and His life. The Christian testimony is that God changes that sorry state by giving new life, spiritual life to make alive those who were dead.
The OT word for spirit means “wind” or “breath” which is a sign of life. While this word is used in several ways, the highest spiritual personality is God. The terms related to this are in many verses. Some refer to His will or power but most are about His presence, a distinct personality among those with whom He is pleased to dwell.
God’s Spirit was active in creation, gave wisdom and abilities to His people including craftsmanship in building the tabernacle, and supplies spiritual guidance and enablement to ordinary people to win military battles against formidable foes. He also promises to remove rebellious hearts and replaces them with hearts that respond in true obedience — as pictured in Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones.
Ezekiel 36:26–27. “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”
God’s Spirit gave divine and true revelation to His prophets. Further, they declared that the promised Messiah would accomplish His work of redemption through the power of God’s Spirit, often pictured as a “filling” or as “coming on” a person, or “poured out” on those He endows with His redemptive presence.
Isaiah 44:3. “For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.”
In the NT, the Greek word pneuma can mean “air in movement” yet also that which animates or gives life to the body (Matthew 27:50. “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.”) This spirit is also the avenue for humans to interact with God and with where matters of the spiritual realm are located.
Romans 8:16. “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”
Acts 17:16. “Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.”
God’s Spirit filled Jesus and directed Him and later, the apostles. He is called the “Spirit of prophecy” and the transforming power in conversion, changing Saul to Paul and putting his life on a new course:
Acts 9:17. “So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ ”
The OT pointed forward to what the Spirit would do and when He was poured out at Pentecost. God’s people were empowered with great boldness, spiritual fruit, and spiritual gifts so that we can fight sin and glorify God. This empowerment is the baptism of the Spirit prophesied in the OT and fulfilled in the ministry of Jesus.
GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. My dad used to talk about “Can’t men” who used their inabilities to make excuses to avoid doing difficult or challenging work. His words and my life experiences often remind me how easily I can procrastinate and how much I need to remember Philippians 4:13 where God tells me, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” — the “Him” being the Holy Spirit who grants all that I need to do whatever He wants me to do. This means keeping my focus on this enabling God. I cannot see Him yet I can talk to Him, rely on Him, know and do His will because His Spirit is able to make Him known and reveal that He is available to me.
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