I love talking about the Holy Spirit. Let’s talk more about the Holy Spirit. I know we already talked about him before, but let’s do more of that. Now, the etymology of the word spirit is the Latin spiro, spirare, spiravi, spiratus, which is a first conjugation verb meaning “to breathe into.” What this means is that the spirit is the breath of life that is within us; that which makes us live. Spirit is the first cause of life, of being; of what is. Genesis 2:7 states: “Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” In other words, when God created the body of man from the dust of the earth, man could not live. Man did not possess within himself the first principle of life, the kick-start of existence and being. That life force, the first principle of man’s existence, came from God.
The Spirit, dwelling in our mortal bodies makes us God’s agents. His breath in us is his life in us, and we participate in that life by striving to do his will. In that breath is contained a code, quite like a software, that stipulates what the will of God for our life is. And when we live according to that code, we are positioned for happiness and success. If however we do not live according to the code, we are very likely to end up sad and frustrated. That is why “the spirit lives to set us free.” It is by the spirit that we escape the mortal prison of this life, where “we shall always have trouble” (John 16:33), and instead set our sights on the afterlife, where we will unite once again with the God that gave us life. We shall present to him what we did with the life and the gifts contained in the life that he gave to us. Recall in this regard the parable of the talents as contained in Matthew 25:14-30, and Luke 19:12-28.
In the New Testament, there are 345 references to the Greek word, pneuma, which is an equivalent of the Latin spiro. And all the uses of the word are in reference to “spirit.” In John’s Gospel alone there are 18 references to the Holy Spirit as designated by the word pneuma. In John 1:32-33, John testified saying, "I have seen the Spirit (pneuma) descending as a dove out of heaven, and he remained upon him (Jesus). I did not recognize him, but he (God) who sent me to baptize in water said to me, 'he upon whom you see the Spirit (pneuma) descending and remaining upon him, this is the one who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.'” In John 3:5-6, Jesus says: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit (pneuma) he cannot enter into the kingdom of God; that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit (pneuma) is spirit.” Again, in John 3:8, Jesus says: "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit (pneuma)." John 4:23-24 states: "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be his worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth," and all the words here designated as “spirit,” are the translation of the Greek pneuma.
My favorite of all the references to pneuma in John’s Gospel is in chapter 20, verse 22, where it states: “And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” And of course the word “spirit” is the translation of the Greek pneuma. In Luke’s Gospel, there are 36 references to the Holy Spirit, as designated by the Greek pneuma. A classic example of the use of pneuma in Luke occurs in chapter 1, verse 41. It refers to what happened during the visit of Mary to her cousin, Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit (pneuma). Many uses of the word, pneuma, in Luke attest to individuals being “filled” with it, or operating under its influence. Subtle parallels are drawn in this regard between the spirit (pneuma) and wine or strong drink. In other words, the spirit, pneuma, is seen as something which energizes and invigorates. My favorite reference to the Spirit (pneuma) in Luke’s Gospel is contained in chapter 4, verse 18: “The Spirit (pneuma) of the Lord is upon me for he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor; a message of liberty to prisoners; of sight to the blind, and a proclamation of good tidings from the Lord.” The other gospels (Mark and Matthew) also contain many references to the Holy Spirit (pneuma). In fact, there are 19 such references in Matthew, and 22 in Mark.
In philosophy, we may equate pneuma, or spiro, or spirit, with “substance.” By way of etymology, substance is from the Latin “substare,” which is transliterated as “that which stands under.” Under the construct of flesh, bone, blood and sinew in humans for example, there lies the first principle in which we participate; in other words, there lies the spirit that inebriates us and fills us with the capacity to live beyond the confines of our mortal body. In metaphysics, substance is “what is,” and is devoid of matter, which is the principle of becoming, or of “what is not,” containing all the accidents predicable of composite reality.
For Spinoza, substance is one, and it is God alone. He is possessed of infinite attributes; attributes that cannot be shared. And if this be the case, then there can be no other substance because, for Spinoza, no two substances can have common attributes. For Plato, substances are properly speaking Forms, which are transcendent of material reality, and which give the capacity to material reality to participate in being. For the medieval neo-Platonists, such as Plotinus and Augustine, and even Aquinas, Plato’s Forms reside ultimately in the mind of God. Aquinas sees the mind of God as perfectly adequated to all there is. And humans can grasp reality by sharing in this adequation. Augustine propounds the concept of the inner teacher, who knows all and illumines all. For Descartes, Leibniz and other rationalists, God endows us with innate ideas (substantial being) which lead us to perfect reality.
Evidently then, the Holy Spirit, pneuma, spiro, substance, lives within us, underlies materiality and gives it teleology – look at me use that big word again, teleology; recall I’ve explained it in a previous post as meaning purpose. The life or breath of God, the Spirit given to us to dwell within us, gives us a cause, a purpose for life. And when we live according to its principles and exhortations, we definitely end up happy, even if we endure trials along the way. Our God, the Holy Spirit, positions us to look beyond the mortality and vicissitudes of life and onto the permanence and tranquility of heaven, where he himself dwells in eternal happiness, with the Son, and the Father.
The Spirit, dwelling in our mortal bodies makes us God’s agents. His breath in us is his life in us, and we participate in that life by striving to do his will. In that breath is contained a code, quite like a software, that stipulates what the will of God for our life is. And when we live according to that code, we are positioned for happiness and success. If however we do not live according to the code, we are very likely to end up sad and frustrated. That is why “the spirit lives to set us free.” It is by the spirit that we escape the mortal prison of this life, where “we shall always have trouble” (John 16:33), and instead set our sights on the afterlife, where we will unite once again with the God that gave us life. We shall present to him what we did with the life and the gifts contained in the life that he gave to us. Recall in this regard the parable of the talents as contained in Matthew 25:14-30, and Luke 19:12-28.
In the New Testament, there are 345 references to the Greek word, pneuma, which is an equivalent of the Latin spiro. And all the uses of the word are in reference to “spirit.” In John’s Gospel alone there are 18 references to the Holy Spirit as designated by the word pneuma. In John 1:32-33, John testified saying, "I have seen the Spirit (pneuma) descending as a dove out of heaven, and he remained upon him (Jesus). I did not recognize him, but he (God) who sent me to baptize in water said to me, 'he upon whom you see the Spirit (pneuma) descending and remaining upon him, this is the one who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.'” In John 3:5-6, Jesus says: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit (pneuma) he cannot enter into the kingdom of God; that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit (pneuma) is spirit.” Again, in John 3:8, Jesus says: "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit (pneuma)." John 4:23-24 states: "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be his worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth," and all the words here designated as “spirit,” are the translation of the Greek pneuma.
My favorite of all the references to pneuma in John’s Gospel is in chapter 20, verse 22, where it states: “And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” And of course the word “spirit” is the translation of the Greek pneuma. In Luke’s Gospel, there are 36 references to the Holy Spirit, as designated by the Greek pneuma. A classic example of the use of pneuma in Luke occurs in chapter 1, verse 41. It refers to what happened during the visit of Mary to her cousin, Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit (pneuma). Many uses of the word, pneuma, in Luke attest to individuals being “filled” with it, or operating under its influence. Subtle parallels are drawn in this regard between the spirit (pneuma) and wine or strong drink. In other words, the spirit, pneuma, is seen as something which energizes and invigorates. My favorite reference to the Spirit (pneuma) in Luke’s Gospel is contained in chapter 4, verse 18: “The Spirit (pneuma) of the Lord is upon me for he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor; a message of liberty to prisoners; of sight to the blind, and a proclamation of good tidings from the Lord.” The other gospels (Mark and Matthew) also contain many references to the Holy Spirit (pneuma). In fact, there are 19 such references in Matthew, and 22 in Mark.
In philosophy, we may equate pneuma, or spiro, or spirit, with “substance.” By way of etymology, substance is from the Latin “substare,” which is transliterated as “that which stands under.” Under the construct of flesh, bone, blood and sinew in humans for example, there lies the first principle in which we participate; in other words, there lies the spirit that inebriates us and fills us with the capacity to live beyond the confines of our mortal body. In metaphysics, substance is “what is,” and is devoid of matter, which is the principle of becoming, or of “what is not,” containing all the accidents predicable of composite reality.
For Spinoza, substance is one, and it is God alone. He is possessed of infinite attributes; attributes that cannot be shared. And if this be the case, then there can be no other substance because, for Spinoza, no two substances can have common attributes. For Plato, substances are properly speaking Forms, which are transcendent of material reality, and which give the capacity to material reality to participate in being. For the medieval neo-Platonists, such as Plotinus and Augustine, and even Aquinas, Plato’s Forms reside ultimately in the mind of God. Aquinas sees the mind of God as perfectly adequated to all there is. And humans can grasp reality by sharing in this adequation. Augustine propounds the concept of the inner teacher, who knows all and illumines all. For Descartes, Leibniz and other rationalists, God endows us with innate ideas (substantial being) which lead us to perfect reality.
Evidently then, the Holy Spirit, pneuma, spiro, substance, lives within us, underlies materiality and gives it teleology – look at me use that big word again, teleology; recall I’ve explained it in a previous post as meaning purpose. The life or breath of God, the Spirit given to us to dwell within us, gives us a cause, a purpose for life. And when we live according to its principles and exhortations, we definitely end up happy, even if we endure trials along the way. Our God, the Holy Spirit, positions us to look beyond the mortality and vicissitudes of life and onto the permanence and tranquility of heaven, where he himself dwells in eternal happiness, with the Son, and the Father.
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