Introduction
Ask several
Christians their view of the Holy Spirit and you’ll likely get an array of
different answers. Most aren’t very confident in what they know and believe
about this subject. Some say that it’s a force or a power while others maintain
that it’s a personal being. The primary cause for the confusion is the
Trinitarian teaching that the Holy Spirit is a person and the mistranslation of
the Hebrew word ruwach and Greek word
pneuma as “spirit” implying that it’s
a person.
I was a
Trinitarian the first 25 years of my Christian life, believing that the one God
exists in three co-equal Persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I didn’t
reach this view of God through my own study of the Scriptures. Rather, it was
imposed upon me by the teaching of my local church and theological books.
Although it’s illogical that one God could exist as three Persons, I learned to
just swallow that bitter pill and move on.
Eventually, I
began studying the Scriptures concerning the Holy Spirit and concluded that it
isn’t a person but God’s breath. The Hebrew “ruwach of God” in the Old Testament and Greek “pneuma of God” in the New Testament is the breath of God. It isn’t
a personal being—a living, self-conscious, rational, and moral agent. It’s
simply the breath of God or God’s breath from His mouth.
Concluding
that the Holy Spirit isn’t a person is where my journey of learning the truth
about God began. Once I came to that knowledge, then the entire doctrine of the
Trinity was suspect. If Trinitarian teachers—scholars, theologians, and
pastors—are wrong about one of the “persons” of the Trinity, then everything
else they teach about God is on the table. In fact, everything else they teach
about anything else is open for discussion. The doctrine of God is the most
important subject of all. If highly intelligent and educated Trinitarian
teachers are wrong about what’s most important, how can they be trusted to be
right about anything else?
Introducing God’s breath
The first
mention of God’s breath in the Scriptures is within the very first words, “In
the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without
form, and void; and darkness was upon
the face of the deep. And the Spirit [ruwach] of God moved upon the face
of the waters.” (Gen 1:1-2). In its initial introduction through God’s
revelation, the ruwach of God is
identified as something belonging to Him as His possession. It’s “the breath of
God” or His breath. In the beginning, there wasn’t a person flying over the
water like superman! God was blowing from His mouth, His breath across the
surface of the water.
The next
occurrence of ruwach in Scripture,
it’s the wind, “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden
in the cool [ruwach] of the day” (Gen 3:8). Other Bible versions render it, “When
the cool evening breezes were blowing” (NLT), “at the time of the evening
breeze” (CSB), “at the breezy time of the day” (NET), “at the breeze of the
day” (YLT). There’s no mistaking from the context that ruwach is simply air, wind, or breath.
The third time
ruwach appears, God Himself is speaking
about His breath, “And the LORD said, My
spirit [ruwach] shall not always
strive with man” (Gen 6:3). In its introduction it was “the breath of God” and
now it’s Himself calling it “My breath.” Therefore, ruwach is of Himself, not an entirely separate being from Himself.
The fourth,
fifth, and sixth occurrences of ruwach
are about the breath of life from God in the nostrils of all living beings,
“wherein is the breath [ruwach] of life”
(Gen 6:17, 7:15), “All in whose nostrils
was the breath [ruwach] of life” (Gen 7:22). This is referring back to the
creation of man to life by God breathing into his nostrils, “And the LORD God
formed man of the dust of the ground,
and breathed into his nostrils
the breath [neshamah] of life;
and man became a living soul” (Gen 2:7). This is how God imparted life to man. We’re
even told later in Scripture that the ruwach
into man’s nostrils is simply God’s breath from His mouth, “By the word of the
LORD were the heavens made; and all
the host of them by the breath [ruwach]
of his mouth” (Psa 33:6). It’s not a Person. It’s His breath from His
mouth!
The
ruwach and pneuma of God
In the Old Testament,
the translators rendered ruwach as
“breath,” “blast,” or “wind” when the immediate context forced it upon them: “And
with the blast [ruwach] of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together” (Exo
15:8); “at the rebuking of the LORD, at the blast of the breath [ruwach] of his nostrils”
(2Sa 22:16); “By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath [ruwach] of his
nostrils are they consumed” (Job 4:9); “by the breath [ruwach] of his
mouth shall he go away” (Job 15:30); “all the host of them by the breath [ruwach]
of his mouth” (Psa 33:6); “he causeth his wind
[ruwach] to blow” (Psa 147:18); “with
the breath [ruwach] of his lips shall he slay the wicked” (Isa 11:4).
However, when various contexts allowed the translators a degree of freedom to render
ruwach as “spirit” to imply a person,
they always took that liberty. It’s simply translator bias—rendering statements
to comport with their beliefs and what they wanted communicated.
In the New
Testament, the Greek pneuma translated
consistently as “spirit” is the noun form of the verb pneo which means “to blow.” The contexts of all seven occurrences
of this word agree: “And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds
blew [pneo] … And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the
winds blew [pneo]” (Mat 7:25, 27); “And when ye see the south wind blow [pneo]” (Luk 12:55); “The wind bloweth [pneo] where it listeth” (Jhn 3:8); “And the sea arose by reason
of a great wind that blew [pneo]” (Jhn 6:18); “and hoised up
the mainsail to the wind [pneo]” (Act 27:40); “that the wind
should not blow [pneo] on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree” (Rev 7:1).
There’s nothing inherent in the word pneuma
that implies a conscious personal being. It’s simply breath or wind as its verb
counterpart attests. Also, pneuma is
neuter in gender, not masculine or feminine which would be required if referring
to a person.
Furthermore, the
Greek pneuma is where the English
word “pneumonia”—a respiratory infection in the air sacs of the lungs that
causes difficulty in breathing and can be life-threatening—is derived. Also,
“pneumology” which is the medical study of the lungs and respiratory organs. And
“pneumatics” which is a branch of engineering using systems of compressed air.
Lastly, Jesus
Christ Himself is the highest authority with the final word and He defined pneuma as breath by literally blowing
from His mouth onto His disciples, “And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost [pneuma]”
(Jhn 20:22). He also likened the new birth, “that which is born of the Spirit [pneuma]
is spirit [pneuma]” (Jhn 3:6), to
the wind blowing, “The wind [pneuma] bloweth [pneo] where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but
canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit [pneuma]” (Jhn 3:8). Jesus Christ
Himself said that pneuma is like the
wind blowing.
God’s
Breath is our life
Man isn’t an
autonomous immortal spirit being that can live outside the body. That’s simply Roman
Catholic Church doctrine rooted in Greek philosophy and appropriated by the
Protestant reformation. Man is simply a physical being formed from the earth
and brought to life by God breathing into his nostrils, “And the LORD God
formed man of the dust of the ground,
and breathed [naphach] into his nostrils the breath [neshamah] of life; and man became a living soul” (Gen 2:7).
The Hebrew
verb naphach simply means “to
breathe” or “to blow” as it’s used in all eleven of its other occurrences in
Scripture: “a fire not blown [naphach] shall consume him” (Job
20:26); “I have caused to breathe out [naphach]” (Job 31:39 YLT); “Out of
his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a
seething [naphach] pot or caldron” (Job 41:20); “Behold, I have created
the smith that bloweth [naphach] the coals in the fire” (Isa
54:16); “I see a seething [naphach] pot” (Jer 1:13); “She hath breathed out [naphach] her spirit” (Jer 15:9 YLT); “to blow [naphach] the
fire upon it … I will gather you, and blow
[naphach] upon you in the fire of
my wrath” (Eze 22:20-21); “O breath, and breathe
[naphach] upon these slain, that
they may live” (Eze 37:9); “I did blow [naphach] upon it” (Hag 1:9); “ye
have snuffed [naphach] at it” (Mal 1:13).
The Hebrew
noun neshamah in “the breath [neshamah] of life” is used synonymously
with ruwach in several other places of
Scripture: “All in whose nostrils was
the breath [neshamah] [ruwach] of
life, of all that was in the dry land, died” (Gen 7:22); “at the rebuking
of the LORD, at the blast [neshamah] of the breath [ruwach] of his nostrils” (2Sa
22:16); “By the blast [neshamah] of God they perish, and by
the breath [ruwach] of his nostrils are they consumed” (Job 4:9); “All the
while my breath [neshamah] is in me,
and the spirit [ruwach] of God is in my
nostrils” (Job 27:3); “But there is
a spirit [ruwach] in man: and the
inspiration [neshamah] of the
Almighty giveth them understanding” (Job 32:8); “The Spirit [ruwach] of God
hath made me, and the breath [neshamah] of the Almighty hath given
me life” (Job 33:4); “If he set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his
spirit [ruwach] and his breath [neshamah]” (Job 34:14); “O LORD, at the blast [neshamah] of the breath [ruwach]
of thy nostrils” (Psa 18:15); “he that giveth
breath [neshamah] unto the people
upon it, and spirit [ruwach] to them that walk therein”
(Isa 42:5); “for the spirit [ruwach] should fail before me, and the souls [neshamah] which I have
made” (Isa 57:16).
Since man is from
the earth and brought to life by God’s breath in his nostrils, then death is
the departing of the breath and the returning of the body to the earth: “If he
set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his spirit [breath] and his breath; All flesh
shall perish together, and man shall
turn again unto dust” (Job 34:14-15); “Thou hidest thy face, they are
troubled: thou takest away their breath,
they die, and return to their dust” (Psa 104:29); “His breath goeth forth, he
returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish” (Psa 146:4);
“Then shall the dust return to the earth
as it was: and the spirit [breath] shall return unto God who
gave it” (Ecc 12:7).
Taking this
further, since life and death consists of the imparting and departing
of God’s breath in man’s nostrils, then resurrection from the dead to eternal
life is consistent with this. God raises the dead by breathing life back into
the body: “It is the spirit [breath]
that quickeneth” (Jhn 6:63); “the Spirit [breath]
of life in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:2); “the Spirit [breath] of him that raised up Jesus from the dead” (Rom 8:11); “a
quickening spirit [breath]” (1Co
15:45); “quickened by the Spirit [breath]”
(1Pe 3:18); “the Spirit [breath] of
life from God entered into them” (Rev 11:11).
The Son of
God became fully human just as we are—a physical being with God’s breath in His
nostrils. He isn’t a dual-being but a human being. The breath in His nostrils
returned to God when He died, “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he
said, Father, into thy hands I commend
my spirit [pneuma]: and having
said thus, he gave up the ghost [exhaled]” (Luk 23:46). And God’s
breath returned to Him when He was raised, “the Spirit [breath] of him that raised up Jesus from the dead” (Rom 8:11),
“quickened by the Spirit [breath]”
(1Pe 3:18).
Our
hope is eternal life
The hope of God’s
people has always been bodily resurrection to eternal life: “Ye shall therefore
keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I
am the LORD” (Lev 18:5); “And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God” (Job 19:26); “my flesh also
shall rest in hope” (Psa 16:9); “As for me, I will behold thy face in
righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness” (Psa
17:15); “The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath
hope in his death” (Pro 14:32); “Thy dead men
shall live, together with my dead
body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth
shall cast out the dead.” (Isa 26:19); “And I gave them my statutes, and shewed
them my judgments, which if a man do,
he shall even live in them” (Eze 20:11); “And many of them that sleep in the
dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Dan 12:2); “Behold,
his soul which is lifted up is not
upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith” (Hab 2:4); “And shall
come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they
that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (Jhn 5:29); “of the
hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question” (Act 23:6); “And
have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a
resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust” (Act 24:15); “the hope
of the promise made of God unto our fathers” (Act 26:6); “for the hope of Israel
I am bound with this chain” (Act 28:20); “For if by one man’s offence death
reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift
of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:17); “For
since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1Co
15:21-22); “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto
his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue
all things unto himself” (Phl 3:21); “But
I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are
asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope” (1Th 4:13); “In
hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world
began” (Tit 1:2); “That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs
according to the hope of eternal life” (Tit 3:7); “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection: on such the second death hath no power” (Rev 20:6).
The
consequences of God’s breath as a person
God’s breath
as a person isn’t the truth and isn’t reality. By making His breath into
something it’s not, it encroaches upon His glory—that His breath is not only a person
but even a person that is co-equal with Himself! Trinitarianism is somewhat analogous
to the people of the United States affirming that the President’s son is
co-equal with him and even the President’s breath from his mouth and nose is
another person that’s also co-equal with him.
The primary
ramification of misrepresenting God’s breath as a person is that it not only allows but also requires a different message of salvation. Because if ruwach and pneuma isn’t God’s breath, then it isn’t God’s breath in our
nostrils that makes us alive—we’re inherently immortal spirit beings living
inside a body. And if we’re inherently immortal spirit beings, then death isn’t
the cessation of life and perishing isn’t annihilation. And if we’re inherently
immortal spirit beings, then eternal life isn’t resurrection by God’s breath in
our nostrils to never die again but an internal change of the immortal spirit
being from spiritual death to spiritual life. Therefore, Christianity isn’t a
life of faithful service to the Lord Jesus Christ in hope of eternal life at
His return but a one-time faith confession to go to heaven after death. The
consequence of a wrong view of God and a wrong view of man is a wrong message
of salvation which is no salvation.
The
Greater Light ruling the Day
A favorite
saying of many is, “If it’s new, it’s not true!” Well, it doesn’t get any older
than “In the beginning”! The gospel message of salvation was shown in a mystery
from the very beginning to leave us without excuse.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the
face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And
God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided [badal] the light from the darkness. And God
called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.
(Genesis 1:1-5)
The Hebrew
verb badal means “to divide,” “to
separate,” or “to sever.” These very first words of God in the beginning were
figurative and prophetic of what He would later perform by dividing,
separating, or severing His people from all other people, “I am the LORD your God, which have separated [badal] you from other people
… have severed [badal] you from other people, that ye should be mine” (Lev 20:24, 26). God’s
people are light which He called “Day,” and all other people are darkness which
He called “Night.” Then God proceeded to distinguish them both by a ruler over
them.
And God said, Let there be lights in
the firmament of the heaven to divide [badal] the day from the night;
and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let
them be for lights in the firmament of the
heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great
lights; the greater light to rule
the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them
in the firmament of the heaven to
give light upon the earth, And to rule
over the day and over the night, and to divide [badal] the light from
the darkness: and God saw that it was
good. (Genesis 1:14-18)
This is what
Paul meant by “in heavenly” at the beginning of Ephesians: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly [epouranios] places in Christ: According as he
hath chosen us in him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in
love” (Eph 1:3-4). God’s chosen people were shown by the Greater Light in
heaven ruling over them while all other people are ruled by the lesser light, “For
we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the
darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [epouranios] places” (Eph 6:12), “For ye were
sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light” (Eph 5:8).
The Greater
Light shown in the beginning is now sitting at the right hand of God, greater
and far above all principalities and powers, “Which he wrought in Christ, when
he raised him from the dead, and set him
at his own right hand in the heavenly [epouranios] places, Far above all principality, and power, and
might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but
also in that which is to come” (Eph 1:20-21). Paul earnestly wanted us to
understand these things, “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened”
(Eph 1:18), but those ruled by the lesser light don’t want these things to be
understood.
God’s people
are saved by God’s favor, “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us
together with Christ, (by grace [favor] ye are saved;) And hath
raised us up together, and made us sit
together in heavenly [epouranios] places in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:5-6).
God divided His people from all other people, and extends favor to them by His
Son Jesus Christ advocating for them at His right hand. Christ’s advocacy as
our Mediator and Interceder is as if we’re sitting there ourselves! But the
Greater Light only advocates for us when we’re being ruled by Him—we must obey
His commandments.
John chapters 14-16 is Jesus Christ speaking figuratively of
Himself in His future role as our Advocate at God’s right hand over all principality
and power, “Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more”
(Jhn 16:10). Yet it’s being taught that this is an entirely different Person
than Jesus Christ—another Person that doesn’t even exist! Is this just an
honest mistake? Well, it doesn’t agree with the message from the beginning. If it’s new, it’s not true!
The
separated people of God
The Hebrew
adjective qadowsh translated
primarily as “holy” or sometimes as “saint” in the Old Testament means
“separated,” “divided,” or “set apart.” God chose His people Israel and
separated them from all other people: “For thou art an holy [qadowsh] people unto the LORD thy
God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth” (Deu
7:6); “For thou art an holy [qadowsh] people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen
thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above
all the nations that are upon the
earth” (Deu 14:2); “Ye shall not eat of
any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or
thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art
an holy [qadowsh] people unto the LORD thy God” (Deu 14:21); “And to
make thee high above all nations
which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; and that thou mayest
be an holy [qadowsh] people unto the LORD thy God, as he hath spoken” (Deu
26:19); “The LORD shall establish thee an holy
[qadowsh] people unto himself, as
he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy
God, and walk in his ways” (Deu 28:9).
Throughout the New Testament, the Greek adjective hagios is translated as either “holy” or
“saints” but means “separated” or “set apart.” The Hebrew qadowsh for “holy” is simply the adjective form of the verb qadash for “sanctify,” “For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore
sanctify [qadash] yourselves, and ye shall be holy [qadowsh]; for I am holy [qadowsh]” (Lev 11:44). God’s people were to be divided and
separated from the sinful people around them because God is separate—He was not
their God and He was not among them. Peter quoted this statement with its Greek
counterpart hagios, “But as he which
hath called you is holy [hagios], so be ye holy [hagios]
in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy [hagios];
for I am holy [hagios]” (1Pe 1:15-16).
When used for
God’s people in the New Testament, the translators rendered the adjective hagios as “saints” rather than
“separated” which obscures the identity of the subjects. The “saints” are
simply God’s people, separated or set apart from all other people in the world:
“And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints [hagios] which
slept arose” (Mat 27:52); “thy saints [hagios] at Jerusalem” (Act 9:13); “the saints [hagios] which dwelt at Lydda” (Act 9:32); “Which thing I also
did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints
[hagios] did I shut up in prison”
(Act 26:10); “To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints [hagios]” (Rom 1:7);
“Distributing to the necessity of saints
[hagios]” (Rom 12:13); “But now I
go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints
[hagios]” (Rom 15:25); “Unto the
church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus,
called to be saints [hagios]” (1Co
1:2); “For God is not the author of
confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints [hagios]” (1Co
14:33); “Now concerning the collection for the saints [hagios]” (1Co
16:1); “unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints [hagios]
which are in all Achaia” (2Co 1:1); “and take
upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints [hagios]” (2Co
8:4); “For as touching the ministering to the saints [hagios], it is
superfluous for me to write to you” (2Co 9:1); “All the saints [hagios] salute
you” (2Co 13:13); “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints [hagios]
which are at Ephesus” (Eph 1:1); “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and
foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints
[hagios], and of the household of
God” (Eph 2:19); “But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it
not be once named among you, as becometh saints
[hagios]” (Eph 5:3); “Paul and
Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints [hagios] in Christ
Jesus which are at Philippi” (Phl 1:1); “All the saints [hagios] salute
you” (Phl 4:22); “To the saints [hagios] and faithful brethren in
Christ which are at Colosse” (Col 1:2); “Giving thanks unto the Father, which
hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints [hagios]
in light” (Col 1:12); “Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward
the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints [hagios]” (Phm 1:5); “in that ye have
ministered to the saints [hagios], and do minister” (Heb 6:10);
“Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints [hagios]” (Heb
13:24); “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints [hagios]”
(Jde 1:3); “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints [hagios], and to
overcome them” (Rev 13:7); “For they have shed the blood of saints [hagios]
and prophets” (Rev 16:6).
Since hagios means “separated,” then hagios pneuma translated consistently as
“Holy Spirit” should be “separated breath.” It’s not a holy spirit being or a
reverent person. It’s God’s breath in the hearts of His people that separates
or sets them apart from all other people.
The people of God have God’s breath dwelling in their
hearts: “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit [breath], if
so be that the Spirit [breath] of God dwell in you” (Rom
8:9); “But if the Spirit [breath] of him that raised up Jesus
from the dead dwell in you, he that
raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit [breath] that dwelleth in you” (Rom 8:11); “For ye have not
received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit [breath]
of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (Rom 8:15); “What? know ye not
that your body is the temple of the Holy
Ghost [breath] which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?”
(1Co 6:19); “Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit [breath]
in our hearts” (2Co 1:22); “God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit [breath]” (2Co 5:5); “And because ye
are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit
[breath] of his Son into your hearts,
crying, Abba, Father” (Gal 4:6); “ye were sealed with that holy Spirit [breath] of
promise” (Eph 1:13); “In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit [breath]” (Eph 2:22); “That good
thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost [breath] which
dwelleth in us” (2Ti 1:14); “And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit [breath]
which he hath given us” (1Jo 3:24).
Jude urged
God’s people in his days to “earnestly contend for the faith [faithfulness] which was once delivered
unto the saints [separated]” (Jde 1:3).
They were to continue being faithful to God and distinct from all other people
“having not the Spirit [breath]” (Jde
1:19). They were separated unto faithfulness by God’s breath, “But ye, beloved,
building up yourselves on your most holy [separated]
faith [faithfulness], praying in the
Holy Ghost [separated breath]” (Jde
1:20).
The
anointed one
Israel’s
political structure became a Monarchy at the time that Samuel anointed Saul as
their first King or Messiah by pouring oil upon his head, “Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed [mashach]
thee to be captain over his
inheritance?” (1Sa 10:1). Saul’s anointing was also the point when the breath
of God came upon him, “And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a
company of prophets met him; and the
Spirit [ruwach] of God came upon him,
and he prophesied among them” (1Sa 10:10). Saul was later rejected as King and
David was anointed in his place with the breath of the Lord coming upon him, “Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed
[mashach] him in the midst of his
brethren: and the Spirit [ruwach] of the LORD came upon David
from that day forward” (1Sa 16:13).
The Hebrew
word mashach is the verb form of the
noun mashiyach which is
transliterated into English as messiah. Messiah is the man that was anointed as
king as David was called, “Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth
mercy to his anointed [mashiyach], to David, and to his
seed for evermore” (Psa 18:50), “For thy servant David's sake turn not away the face of thine anointed [mashiyach]”
(Psa 132:10)
Both the verb
and noun forms were used by Daniel when prophesying of Jesus the Messiah:
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy
people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end
of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting
righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint [mashach] the most
Holy. Know therefore and understand, that
from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah [mashiyach] the Prince shall
be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built
again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two
weeks shall Messiah [mashiyach] be cut off, but not for
himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city
and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall
be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
(Daniel 9:24-26)
The Son of
God was anointed by God as the King or Messiah at His baptism when the breath
of God came upon Him: “And Jesus, when
he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens
were opened unto him, and he saw the
Spirit [pneuma] of God descending
like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is
my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mat 3:16-17); “And straightway
coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit [pneuma] like
a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom
I am well pleased” (Mar 1:10-11); Now when all the people were baptized, it
came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was
opened, And the Holy Ghost [pneuma] descended in a bodily shape
like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my
beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased” (Luk 3:21-22).
Isaiah had
prophesied that the breath of God would be upon Him: “And the spirit [ruwach] of
the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the
spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the
LORD” (Isa 11:2); “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit [ruwach] upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the
Gentiles” (Isa 42:1); “The Spirit [ruwach] of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed
[mashach] me to preach good
tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to
proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound” (Isa 61:1).
“The Spirit [pneuma] of the Lord is
upon me, because he hath anointed [chrio]
me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the
brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight
to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luk 4:18), “How God anointed [chrio] Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost [pneuma] and with power: who went about doing good, and healing
all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him” (Act 10:38).
Jesus
Christ is our Advocate at the Father’s right hand
The Father
has given all things to His Son: “All things are delivered unto me of my
Father” (Mat 11:27), “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Mat
28:18); “All things are delivered to me of my Father” (Luk 10:22); “The Father
loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand” (Jhn 3:35); “For the
Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son” (Jhn
5:22); “Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands” (Jhn
13:3); “As thou hast given him power over all flesh” (Jhn 17:2); “For he hath
put all things under his feet” (1Co 15:27); “And hath put all things under his feet” (Eph 1:22); “That
at the name of Jesus every knee should bow” (Phl 2:10); “Thou hast put all
things in subjection under his feet” (Heb 2:8); “angels and authorities and powers
being made subject unto him” (1Pe 3:22).
Since all
things have been given to the Son, the Son has been given full agency and proxy
over God the Father’s breath. The Father will breathe life into whoever the Son
confesses before Him: “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him
will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven” (Mat 10:32); “no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me” (Jhn 14:6); “I will confess his name before
my Father” (Rev 3:5). Therefore, the Son makes the final decision of who will
be raised to eternal life.
It’s because
Jesus Christ has full agency and proxy over God’s breath that it’s
His prerogative for God’s Breath to dwell in our hearts. Therefore, the presence of God’s Breath in our
hearts is the equivalency of Jesus Christ Himself: “Now
if any man have not the Spirit [breath]
of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be
in you” (Rom 8:9-10); “the Spirit [breath]
itself maketh intercession for us ... It
is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the
right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (Rom 8:26, 34); “Now
the Lord is that Spirit [breath]: and
where the Spirit [breath] of the Lord
is, there is liberty” (2Co 3:17); “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I
live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Gal 2:20); “And because ye are sons,
God hath sent forth the Spirit [breath]
of his Son into your hearts” (Gal 4:6); “to be strengthened with might by his
Spirit [breath] in the inner man;
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith” (Eph 3:17); “Christ in you, the
hope of glory” (Col 1:27).
An advocate
is one that intercedes and pleads on behalf of another. Jesus Christ is our
Advocate, Interceder, or Mediator at the right hand of the Father:
“Sit thou at my right hand” (Psa 110:1); “Hereafter
shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God” (Luk 22:69);
“being by the right hand of God exalted” (Act 2:33); “the Spirit [breath] itself maketh intercession for
us ... who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for
us” (Rom 8:26, 34); “set him at his
own right hand” (Eph 1:20); “For there is
one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1Ti 2:5);
“Christ sitteth on the right hand of God” (Col 3:1); “sat down on the right
hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb 1:3); “he ever liveth to make intercession
for them” (Heb 7:25); “who is set on the right hand of the throne of the
Majesty in the heavens” (Heb 8:1); “he is the mediator of a better covenant”
(Heb 8:6); “he is the mediator of the new testament” (Heb 9:15); “sat down on
the right hand of God” (Heb 10:12); “is set down at the right hand of the
throne of God” (Heb 12:2); “And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant” (Heb
12:24); “is on the right hand of God” (1Pe 3:22); “am set down with my Father
in his throne” (Rev 3:21); “the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Rev 22:3).
Prior to His
death, Jesus spoke of His advocacy at the Father’s right hand, but figuratively
of Himself as the breath: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you
another advocate [parakletos] to help you and be with
you forever ... But the Advocate
[parakletos], the Holy Spirit [breath], whom the Father will send
in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have
said to you” (Jhn 14:16, 26 NIV); “When the Advocate [parakletos]
comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit [breath] of
truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me” (Jhn 15:26 NIV);
“But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I
go away, the Advocate [parakletos] will not come to you;
but if I go, I will send him to you.” (Jhn 16:7 NIV); “Though I have been
speaking figuratively” (Jhn 16:25 NIV). That He was speaking of Himself as our
Advocate before the Father, “no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (Jhn
14:6), “Of righteousness, because I go
to my Father, and ye see me no more” (Jhn 16:10), Paul and John would later
write, “For through him we both have
access by one Spirit [breath] unto the Father” (Eph 2:18),
“And if any man sin, we have an advocate
[parakletos] with the Father, Jesus
Christ the righteous” (1Jo 2:1).
After His seating at the right hand of God, Jesus gave seven
messages to seven churches concluding each message with, “He that hath an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit [breath] saith unto the churches”
(Rev 2:7, 11, 17, 29, 3:6, 13, 22). He was calling Himself “the breath.” Of
course He was speaking metaphorically because He also called Himself the Son of
God literally, “These things saith the Son of God” (Rev 2:18). His agency over
the Father’s breath is likened to Him having “the keys of hell [the grave] and of death” (Rev 1:18).
Therefore, His salutation at the end of each letter, “hear what the breath
saith unto the churches,” was as if to say, “Hear what I’m telling you to do
because I’m the one that makes the final decision whether or not the Father
will raise you to eternal life by His breath!”
Conclusion
The very
first words in Scripture attest to God’s breath, “In the beginning God created
the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and
darkness was upon the face of the
deep. And the Spirit [ruwach] of God moved upon the face
of the waters.” (Gen 1:1-2). And Scripture is consistent in teaching this view throughout.
The only passage where a “person” can be construed is John chapters 14, 15 and
16 where Jesus spoke figuratively of Himself as God’s breath. However, He later
defined it literally by blowing from His mouth onto His disciples, “And when he
had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive
ye the Holy Ghost [pneuma]” (Jhn 20:22).
God’s breath
gave us life and will give us eternal life. Man isn’t an autonomous immortal
spirit being that can live outside the body. He’s simply a physical being
formed from the earth and brought to life by God breathing into his nostrils, “And
the LORD God formed man of the dust
of the ground, and breathed [naphach] into his nostrils the breath [neshamah] of life; and man became a
living soul” (Gen 2:7). And God raises the dead by breathing life back into the
body: “It is the spirit [breath] that
quickeneth” (Jhn 6:63); “the Spirit [breath]
of life in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:2); “the Spirit [breath] of him that raised up Jesus from the dead” (Rom 8:11); “a
quickening spirit [breath]” (1Co
15:45); “quickened by the Spirit [breath]”
(1Pe 3:18); “the Spirit [breath] of
life from God entered into them” (Rev 11:11).
The
consequence of teaching that God’s breath is a person is that it compels a
false view of man and the message of man’s salvation. Because if ruwach and pneuma isn’t God’s breath, then man isn’t alive by God’s breath in his
nostrils but is an inherently immortal spirit being living inside a body. Therefore,
death isn’t the cessation of life and perishing isn’t annihilation. And eternal
life isn’t resurrection by God’s breath in the nostrils to never die again but
an internal change of the immortal spirit being from spiritual death to
spiritual life. It becomes something we already have now rather than what we’re
hoping for at the return of the Lord.
The message from the beginning is that God would have a people to Himself, separated from all other people by His breath in their hearts and submission to the Lordship of His Son. The hagios pneuma isn’t “Holy Spirit” but “separated breath.” It’s not a holy or reverent person. It’s God’s breath in the hearts of His people that separates or sets them apart from all other people.