The Word Spirit in the Bible

The Hebrew word "rûah" means wind, breath, mind, or spirit in the English language. In a broader sense, it translates into "air in motion." This word in used 387 times in the Old Testament, and it is used in a slightly different way each time (cf. Harris 2131). As used in Job 27:3, rûah is the breath in living things that God has created. There are several connotations to the word rûah when it is used to mean "breath." In different verses of the Bible, the word suggests power, courage, or value. For example, in 1 Kings 10:5 it is stated, "there was no more spirit in [the queen of Sheba]." This use of the word spirit meant that the queen was breathless because of King Solomon's majesty. In Joshua 5:1, "their hearts melted, and there was no longer any spirit left in them" is used to depict the kings of the Ammonites' loss of courage. Finally, in Lamentations 4:20 the Davidic king is called "the breath of life," suggesting great value. However, rûah did not always have good connotations: false prophets were called "wind" to suggest the emptiness of their words. Though there are a multitude of meanings for the word breath, in general it simply implied life to the ancient Hebrews. It states in Genesis 2:7 that after God formed Adam, he came to life after God gave him the breath of life. The Hebrews believed that this breath of life is the same thing as spirit, and that the body and the spirit combine to make a person. The spirit is contained within the body, and when the body dies the spirit returns to God from whom it originally came. It is our inner spirit, not our outward body, which reflects God; this is why the word rûah is also defined as "mind." This idea is reinforced in Daniel 5:20, when Daniel reminds the king of the time when King Nebuchadnezzar's spirit was hardened. This best translates to mean that he became stubborn and proud, and in consequence God stripped him of his kingship. A person's rûah, as shown in other verses in the Bible, can also be sad, patient, wise, jealous, or a multitude of other states of mind. Besides the common meanings of spirit or mind, the word rûah also referred to spiritual beings. In I Samuel 16:23, an evil spirit from God torments Saul. In other places, spirits from God are used for revelations, such as those pronouncing Jesus' birth and telling Joseph to flee to Egypt. God, of course, is the most obvious spiritual being. God's Spirit is often referred to as His breath, such as in Genesis 2:7 and Isaiah 40:7. When Isaiah asks, "Who has directed the spirit of the Lord" in Isaiah 40:13, he is stating that no one can sway God once he has determined to do something. In Isaiah 59:19, His Spirit is called a wind, and elsewhere His rûah acts as a guide. God's Spirit does many different things, including creating, redeeming, guiding, and empowering Jesus (cf. Harris 2132). On the whole, the word rûah in the Old Testament generally refers to a person's spirit or to the Spirit of God, but it can refer to several other things as well.

The meaning of "spirit" in the New Testament is similar to rûah in some ways, but different in others. The Spirit of God residing in man, which was first mentioned in Genesis, is used in the New Testament in a different sense. To Christians, the Spirit of God residing in a person indicates that he or she is a Christian. The inward self of anyone who accepts Christ becomes transformed into a likeness of Christ. This is shown throughout the New Testament, such as in I Corinthians 15:49, where it is stated that believers "will also bear the image of the man of heaven." This verse indicates that Christians are separate from others, because they are not just physical beings but also spiritual ones who bear the stamp of Christ. This idea is reinforced by the fact that in the New Testament, such as in Acts 17:28, only believers are called the sons of God. In the Old Testament, all Hebrew were called the sons of God, but with the coming of Jesus Christians became God's children. This occurs through both adoption, as mentioned in Romans 8:15, and through new birth. Paul shows in Ephesians 2:2 and I Corinthians 2:12 that now that we have received the Spirit of God, we no longer have the spirit of the world. Paul believes that the spirit of the world is sinful, whereas the Spirit of God is holy and perfect. Through this spiritual nature that God has given us, we can know God and understand what He is saying to us. God resides in us because of our faith in Christ, and because of this we can know Him.

Paul refers to the Spirit many times in his letter to the Galatians. When Paul first mentions the Spirit, in Galatians 3:1-5, he shows four things about it: The Spirit comes through faith in the gospel, the Spirit is opposed to the flesh, the Spirit is the source of miracles, and the Spirit comes to everyone who believes (cf. Cousar 66). First of all, Paul reminds the Galatians in his letter of how they received the Spirit- through faith in Christ. The Galatians, however, were now being persuaded that in order to be fully accepted by God, they needed to be circumcised. Paul chastises them, asking them if, having received the Spirit through their faith, they were now trying to be accepted by God through the law. Paul felt that the law was worthless; in fact, he says, the Spirit is in opposition to the flesh. He suggests that the Spirit "is that power which joins Christians to the new age; the flesh belongs to the enslaving but transitory world out of which they had been liberated (cf. Cousar 67)." In verse five Paul also mentions the working of miracles, which is possible only through the Spirit. One interesting aspect of these five verses is that Paul is addressing everyone in the Galatian church, not just church leaders. This emphasizes the fact that Christ died for everyone, and that God can work through anyone, not just "important" people. In 3:14, Paul reminds the Galatians again that believers receive the Spirit through faith. He adds that Christ was cursed so that we can be blessed with the promise of the Spirit made to Abraham centuries ago. In 4:6, Paul reminds the Galatians that God has adopted us, and sent His Spirit into us. In Galatians 4:29 he says that those who desire for the Galatians to circumcise themselves are in opposition to the Christians; they are, in fact, persecuting them. In verses 5:5 and 5:16-26 Paul emphasizes the importance of the Spirit and the wrongness of the flesh, and gives an in-depth explanation on the differences between the two. The level to which Paul disagrees with circumcision is made clear in 5:19-21. Paul associates circumcision with works of the flesh such as envy, drunkenness, and idolatry; the works of the Spirit, on the other hand, include things such as joy, faithfulness, and patience. The differences between them are astronomical, and Paul flatly states that those who do the works of the flesh will not live forever. The Spirit, on the other hand, is the key to freedom, because if we do the works of the Spirit we are following in Christ's footsteps.

In Galatians 6:1-5, Paul asks the Galatians to help each other. If one of them is led astray, the other believers should help them to see what they have done wrong. By doing so, they will be letting themselves be guided by the Spirit of God, and will "fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2)." Paul then reminds the Galatians to not be proud if they bring the straying person back to God, but to look at their own life instead. In verses 6:7-10, Paul impresses upon the Galatians that whatever they sow, they will reap; sowing to the flesh will lead to corruption, but sowing to the Spirit will lead to eternal life. Thus, he stresses, it is very important for us to not give up doing what is right. Paul mentions spirit for the last time in Galatians 6:18, when he hopes that the grace of God will be with their spirit.

Paul refers to Spirit many times in his letter to the Galatians, using a mixture of the Greek and Hebrew mindsets about the word. His emphasis is on the separation between the law and the Spirit, and how matters of the flesh no longer apply to believers, because they have been saved by the grace of God. Paul makes it clear in Galatians that the Spirit is the essence of God, given to those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. The faith of a person, not how well they follow the law, is what matters to God.

Works Cited

Buttrick, George Arthur. The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible (Volume R-Z). Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 1985.

Cousar, Charles. Galatians Interpretation: a Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Atlanta, Georgia: John Knox Press, 1985.

Harris, R. Laird, Gleason L. Archer, and Bruce K. Waltke. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Volume Two. Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1980.