
The word pneuma bears further examination.

At the time of the first printing of the King James Version of the Bible in 1611, the English words spirit and ghost were understood to have the same meaning. But the Greek word for Ghost is the same as for Spirit- pneuma. What about the term “Holy Ghost”? This antiquated phrase in the King James Version brings to mind Casper the Friendly Ghost or the Ghost of Christmas Past.

But God has revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God” ( I Cor. God uses it to impart spiritual knowledge: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him. The Spirit also enables a person to truly understand the Bible. Put simply, this spiritual power is a game-changer. Human effort is not enough to resist the temptations that plague a Christian. The Holy Spirit empowers people to grow spiritually and overcome sin. Romans 8 adds, “If you live after the flesh, you shall die: but if you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live” ( vs. Galatians 5 begins to show what this power can do within individuals: “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” ( vs.
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Take time to read the full account in Mark 5:24-30. When this happened, Jesus knew immediately that “virtue” ( dynamis) had left Him. On one occasion, a woman with a severe health issue for at least 12 years was instantly healed upon touching His garment. In verse 20, Paul added that God “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”Ĭhrist Himself was imbued with this power during His earthly ministry. The Greek word for might in this verse is the same as power in Acts. The apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:16 that God “would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man.” Many verses speak of this spiritual force and what it can do for those who have it. The rest of Acts shows how the disciples harnessed this power to do mighty works, including dramatic healings. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost” ( vs. Jesus’ promise was fulfilled in Acts 2 on Pentecost when “there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. This word can mean force, miraculous power, ability, strength, mighty, wonderful work. The Greek word translated power is dynamis-from which comes the modern words dynamic and dynamite. Think of the Holy Spirit as spiritual power. Jesus spoke of “power” that would enable them to fulfill the work He had for them to do. Christ did not describe the Holy Spirit as a person with whom the disciples would develop a relationship. We can learn a lot from what this verse is and is not saying. Just before the resurrected Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, He told His disciples, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth’” ( Acts 1:8 New King James Version). It involves the nature of God, and this knowledge will have a real impact on your life! As with any difficult Bible subject, the place to begin is with the clearest and easiest-to-understand verses. It is much more than just an academic exercise. Understanding what the Bible really says about the Holy Spirit is critically important. But you will be surprised by just how simple the subject becomes after we examine the truth. Yet all the competing interpretations and theological ideas make obeying this verse challenging.

Other verses seem to describe it as simply a power or force.Īll of this can be confusing! As a student of the Bible, your goal is to “prove all things” as God commands ( I Thes. Indeed, some verses appear to speak of the Spirit as its own entity. This belief is common in the Christian world.

What is the Holy Spirit? Is it a person? Many think it is the third member of the Trinity. The Spirit is written about in a way that can feel mysterious. The “Holy Ghost”-more correctly translated Holy Spirit-is different. The roles of God and Jesus are relatively easy to grasp. Yet there was nothing about a speaking Holy Ghost until now. By this point, you would have read plenty about Jesus Christ, and He taught about God the Father. If you are reading through the books of the New Testament in order, this statement in Acts 13:2 can seem to come out of left field. “The Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.”
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