Ask this question and we are very likely to get many answers, perhaps hundreds? Many of which will be true, but how many will truly enlighten those who are without The Gospel?
Let’s go deep into this subject and, by The Spirit of God, define what exactly His Spirit is. This is likely to help us understand why we not only need His Spirit to be saved, but how it works in our lives, working out our salvation in His Presence.
To start, let’s define what a spirit is. This word, “spirit”, has many definitions, but many are very similar. Here are a few that were found online:
Definition of “Spirit” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spirit
: a special attitude or frame of mind
: a lively or brisk quality in a person or a person's actions
: a person having a character or disposition of a specified nature
: a mental disposition characterized by firmness or assertiveness
: prevailing tone or tendency
: general intent or real meaning
How about some scriptural references to this word “spirit”?
Ephesians 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind
2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
1 Corinthians 2:12-16 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but The Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known The Mind of The Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have The Mind of Christ.
Isaiah 11:1-3 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And The Spirit 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; And shall make Him of quick understanding in The Fear of The LORD: and He shall not judge after the sight of His eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of His ears
Ecclesiastes 7:8-9Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
From the definitions (and the understanding of the way the word “spirit” is used in the context of the Holy Bible, we can glean that “a spirit” is “a mind” or “way of thinking” that drives a person’s character and therefore, their intentions and actions.
Ever hear the saying, “I am going to speak my mind”? -In other words, they could just as well say, “I am going to tell them what I think about this.” Why did the child not eat their lima beans? – Because of the spirit in them - they did not like them! If they didn’t ‘mind’, then they would think nothing of it, they would eat them.
A spirit, can therefore also ‘rub off’ or be taught to people!
To further prove and ‘test’ this point…
Definition of “mind” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mind
: the element or complex of elements in an individual that feels, perceives, thinks, wills, and especially reasons: the organized conscious and unconscious adaptive mental activity of an organism
: a person or group embodying mental qualities
: to become aware of : notice
: to give heed to attentively in order to obey
: to follow the orders or instructions of
So where did we learn this? What originally led us to this conclusion?
1 Corinthians 2:10-11 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
So, let’s ask the title question again: What is The Spirit of God? This is simple, if you will accept it and believe… We could say that The Spirit of God is the understanding of The Word of God – The Truth of The Word of God! And, how can you have the understanding of God’s Word if you do not know what God’s Word has to say? -You simply cannot!
Job 32:8 But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
Proverbs 17:27 He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit.
1 Corinthians 14:12-15 Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church. Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with The Spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with The Spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
Psalms 25:5 Lead me in Thy Truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on Thee do I wait all the day.
John 16:12-14 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when He, The Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall he speak: and He will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for He shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
How else might we define The Spirit of God? The Spirit of God is God himself! He is also The Word of God. You see God is all of these things. He is what we need, when we need it – to His Glory!
John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.
John 6:63-64 It is The Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: The Words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit, and they are Life. But there are some of you that believe not.
1 Corinthians 15:27-28 For He hath put all things under His feet. But when He saith all things are put under Him, it is manifest that He is excepted, which did put all things under Him. And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.
No surprise here? Jesus is The Word of God. He was made flesh. He walked the earth and spoke His mind (preached) what God (He) wanted man to hear…
Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Now, when Christ walked the earth God’s Spirit was not yet given to dwell within man continuously:
John 7:38-39 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake He of The Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
Luke 24:44-49 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
Acts 1:1-8 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which He was taken up, after that He through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom He had chosen: To whom also He shewed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith He, ye have heard of Me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And He said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.
John 14:23-26 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode (a place where one lives) with him. He that loveth Me not keepeth not My sayings: and The Word which ye hear is not Mine, but The Father's which sent Me. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 15:26But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of Me
Luke 12:12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.
So, we can see by all of this that The Spirit of God is definitely essential to God’s work of salvation in us. God’s Spirit is not in the wisdom of man, nor in the wisdom of the devil, but it dwells within His divine wisdom. It imparts divine knowledge and divine understanding of God’s Word.
Hebrews 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
2 Peter 1:2-4 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
What about other spirits? There are many! What do we call a spirit that is directly contrary to The Truth? – we call these the spirit of error…
Proverbs 16:2 All the ways of a man are clean in His own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.
Mark 6:7 And he called unto Him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits
1 John 4:1-6 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than He that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we The Spirit of Truth, and the spirit of error.
1 Timothy 4:1-2 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron
If we have truly been gifted with God’s Spirit, it teaches us to see His Words as He does. However, if we have a spirit of error, we will see his word in error. It’s like the difference between wearing clear and clean glasses (having God’s Spirit), versus wearing a pair of rose-colored glasses (spirit of error.) Through the eyes of man, rose-colored glasses may make the world look better than it really does. When you take those glasses off though, reality weighs into perspective.
A similar thing happens when a person has another type of spirit, other than The Spirit of God. If someone were to have the spirit of jealousy, they see everything that happens through the eyes of jealousy. If someone says that they like what this person is wearing, this jealous spirit within them is likely to turn around the innocence of this compliment and make it into something that it was not meant to be – like “they only said that to belittle me again.”
If a person has a lying spirit, they tell lies for no apparent reason at all because it is difficult for them to ever see the truth. They tell lies and believe the lies themselves, effectively “deceiving themselves”.
We are all born into sin, being blindfolded from reality, our vision skewed by the deceitfulness of the sin within us. When we encounter God’s Word, the blindfold comes off. We are now faced with a choice to put the blindfold back on, or to choose a pair of glasses. The simple will usually choose the first pair of glasses offered to them – these usually are not the glasses of God’s Holy Spirit, so beware!
Proverbs 14:15-16 The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going. A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.
Luke 6:39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?
2 Corinthians 3:14-17 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
Romans 8:14-15 For as many as are led by The Spirit of God, they are The Sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received The Spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
2 Peter 2:18-19 For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
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Ephesians 6:23-24 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
