What is Spirit?

 

Moments after my father died, it was obvious he was no longer in that body lying on the bed. His life had gone from there even though my sense of it remained. A dictionary might say that his SPIRIT had left. Some would call it his life force or whatever it is that makes a person alive.

I miss my dad, yet apart from dictionaries I know that his spirit lives on and someday will be reunited with a new body — because Jesus said so:

John 5:28–29. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

Scripture tells me that human life comes from the Spirit of God. In Genesis 6:3 He said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” Yet reading through, it is clear that there is a difference between a human spirit and its origin. Pharaoh noticed it when he said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?” God also spoke many times about filling His people with His Spirit even though they were already alive. Some were “filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship.”

Other examples include the Lord telling Moses that the Spirit was in Joshua, and “the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon” and “the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon (Sampson), and although he had nothing in his hand” and “the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul” then later “the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him.”

Job knew that his life was due to the Spirit of God who “has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life” and David knew that same Spirit could be taken from him even though he could not flee from Him. The prophets also knew that their words came from God as did their power.

The NT gives clearer descriptions of what the Spirit of God does. Foremost is that Jesus was conceived by His power: Matthew 1:18. “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.”

That same Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Jesus also said the Spirit would give words to His followers when they were on trial, but first explained the role of the Spirit in their redemption:

John 3:6; 63 and 16:13: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit . . . . It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life . . . . When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

After Jesus rose from the dead, He told them the Spirit would make them witnesses for Him “in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 2:38. And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Paul also defined being a Christian in Romans 8:9: “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” He later explained that “the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” In other words, a distinction exists between the human spirit given by God and the Holy Spirit also given by God!

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. Jesus died for me and the “law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death” giving me His Spirit so I can set my mind on the things of the Spirit rather than the things of the flesh. For that reason, I focus on Him in gratitude for the Spirit who helps me do just that.

 

He could not be closer . . .

 

Those who study Scripture with a knowledge of the original languages find many rich truths. For instance, I picked the word DWELL today thinking of how God speaks in the OT of dwelling with His people. Since God is omnipresent, that seems obvious, but there is a special sense of His presence. His people know that He is near them. This shows up in the words they used. One word for dwell is generally about human habitations and generally about God being in Jerusalem and in His heavenly dwelling. It suggests His regal majesty.

The other word is also translated ‘dwell’ yet the context is about Him being near, close to them. It is more personal and used in verses like these:

May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.” (Genesis 9:27)

And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. (Exodus 25:8)

I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God. (Exodus 29:45–46)

From God’s promises and our relationship with Him, Christians know that He dwells in our hearts. Jesus declared it first. After saying the Father dwells in Him, He said to the disciples that “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him” that they “know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:10; 17)

In this promise, dwell means to continue a certain state, condition, or activity. Jesus told us that His Spirit would stick around. Another NT word translated ‘dwell’ means to exist or co-exist, to be situated within, speaking of the same residing place of God the Spirit.

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16)

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. (Romans 8:9)

The Bible is clear that the Spirit of God is with His people yet this does not make us the same as Jesus:

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell . . .  (Colossians 1:19)

For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily . . .  (Colossians 2:9)

In Jesus, this was about His identity. He is fully God and fully man. For us, His indwelling is about God’s power to save us from sin including idolatry, and to give us His transferable attributes including love:

What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (2 Corinthians 6:16)

In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit . . . . so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 2:22; 3:17–19)

This wonder comes full circle. God made the promise and it is fulfilled at the end of time and for all eternity:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. (Revelation 21:3)

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. The Bible says that looking at Jesus is part of becoming like Him. I can spend a lot of time looking at my work, projects, out the window, books, etc. but the most precious and valuable thing to do is read, study, meditate about Jesus Christ, the One who dwells in my heart.