The Torah Network

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THE SPIRIT

The spirit is the part of existence that is not physical or material. The noun [spiritus] signifies breath and life. YHVH, the Source of all Life, is Himself Spirit -- John 4:24. He put a spirit within all human beings so that they could connect with Him. A believer’s faith experience is made real when that person experiences the Spirit of Yeshua Moshiach in his or her spirit.

Spirit of Man

The term [spirit of man] describes the innermost being of the human person. This spirit corresponds with the nature of YHVH, which is Spirit. Some scholars think the spirit is the same as the soul; others see a distinction. As such, some believe in the tripartite [threefold] nature of a human -- see 1 Thessalonians 5:23, spirit, soul and body, as against a bipartite [twofold] nature, material and immaterial. -- 1 Thessalonians 5:23 clearly speaks of a tripartite design for mankind. Other Scriptures see soul and spirit as the same. A clear case of the parallel [synonymous] use of soul and spirit -- as in Job 7:11; Isaiah 26:9, etc. is in Mary’s [Magnificat.] She says, [My soul magnifies Adonai, and my spirit has rejoiced in YHVH my Saviour] -- Luke 1:47. Rather than divide the two as [parts,] some have suggested that a human has a spirit and is a soul. Usually spirit indicates a vitalizing, energizing, empowering agent. It is that essence of the human being that corresponds with YHVH’s Nature and can commune with YHVH, Who is Spirit. Those who are united to Yeshua Moshiach experience spiritual union with Him; His Spirit with their spirit. This is what Paul meant when he said, [He who joins himself to Adonai is one spirit] -- 1 Corinthians 6:17. Note that Paul does not say, [He who joins himself to the Spirit is one spirit]. He uses the word [Adonai] as synonymous with [the Spirit.] Union with our Adonai is a union of the human spirit with His Spirit. Since the day of regeneration, a believer’s human spirit is united to Moshiach’s Spirit. Look at -- John 3:6 [that which is born of the Spirit is spirit] and -- Romans 8:16 [His Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of YHVH.] These Scriptures show that our union with Moshiach is based upon the regeneration of our spirit by the divine Spirit.

Spirit of Yeshua Moshiach

This Name is used by several New Testament writers, probably to point to the fact that we now experience Yeshua Moshiach as Spirit [and not, for example, as an embodied person, as the disciples knew Him]. In discussions of the Trinity, we say that Ruach HaKodesh and Yeshua are two different persons in the Trinity; the writers of the New Testament uphold this distinction, while also pointing out that in human experience, we never encounter Moshiach except through the Spirit of YHVH [Holy Spirit]. Though Ruach HaKodesh and Yeshua are two distinct persons of the Trinity and though Yeshua was resurrected with a physical [resurrection body]; not just His spirit but His body rose again; we do not, in life, experience Yeshua, except through the Spirit. The New Testament writers developed this idea early in the history of the believers in Yeshua -- Acts 16:7;Romans 8:9; Galatians 4:6;Philippians 1:19;1 Peter 1:11; see also John 7:38;15:26;16:7;19:30;Revelation 3:1;5:6. They write for example, that the Spirit bears witness to Yeshua -- John 15:26;16:13-15;Acts 5:32;1 Corinthians 12:3;1 John 4:2;5:7-8;Revelation 19:10, and the Spirit inspired and empowered Yeshua Himself. This Spirit became available to believers after Moshiach was resurrected. The apostles John and Paul deal with Yeshua’s Spirit relationship most often -- John 6:63; 7:37-39; 14:16-18; 20:22; and 1 John 3:24; 4:13; the critical passages written by Paul are -- Romans 8:9-10; 1 Corinthians 15:45; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18; and 1 Corinthians 6:17); in other words, Yeshua could not give them the Bread of Life while He was in the flesh, but when the Spirit became available by His resurrection, humans could have life. Again, Yeshua offered [water of life] to the Jews assembled at the Feast of Tabernacles, but [this He spoke concerning the Spirit, for the Spirit was not yet because Yeshua was not yet glorified] -- 7:39. After Yeshua had been glorified through the Resurrection, the Spirit of the glorified Yeshua would be available for people to drink. In -- John 6, Yeshua offered Himself as the Bread of Life to be eaten by people; and in -- John 7, He offered Himself as the Water of Life to refresh men. But no one could eat Him or drink Him until He became spirit, as was suggested in -- 6:63 and then stated plainly in -- 7:39. In -- 14:16-18, Yeshua told the disciples that He would give them a Comforter and that they should know who this Comforter was because He was, then and there, living with them. Then after telling the disciples that the Comforter would come to them, He said, [I am coming to you.] Yeshua clearly equates Himself with the Comforter in this passage: the coming of the Comforter to the disciples is the same thing as the coming of Yeshua to the disciples. The Comforter who was dwelling with the disciples that night was the Spirit in Moshiach; the Comforter who would be in the disciples [after the Resurrection] would be Moshiach, in the Spirit. On the evening of the Resurrection, Adonai Yeshua appeared to the disciples and then breathed Ruach HaKodesh into them. Through this breath, the disciples were reborn; just as Adam was born through YHVH’s breath -- Genesis 2:7 and the Spirit of Yeshua Moshiach began to live within them. Because of this John could later write, [And hereby we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He gave to us] -- 1 John 3:24 and again, [Hereby we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit] -- 4:13.

The apostles had quite an adjustment to make after Moshiach’s resurrection. They had been so used to His physical presence that it was difficult for them to learn how to live by His spiritual presence. Moshiach taught them how to make this adjustment during the forty days after His resurrection. During this time, He lived on earth intermittently; He would physically appear and then disappear, spending more and more time physically away from the disciples, teaching them to live by faith and not by sight. This is why He criticized Thomas for His unbelief, then pronounced the blessing, [Blessed are those who do not see Me and yet believe] -- John 20:29. The apostle Paul was one of these [blessed] ones. He never met Moshiach while Moshiach walked the earth; he knew only the risen Moshiach -- 2 Corinthians 5:15-16. This may be one reason why Paul often speaks of the Spirit and Moshiach synonymously, for example in -- Romans 8:9-10, where he uses the terms [Spirit of YHVH,] [Spirit of Moshiach,] and [Moshiach] interchangeably. The Spirit of YHVH is the Spirit of Moshiach and the Spirit of Moshiach is Moshiach. There is no such thing as an experience of Moshiach apart from the Spirit. In the theology of the Trinity, these two are separated and for very good reasons but the separation is nearly nonexistent in actual human experience. In -- 1 Corinthians 15:45, Paul says that the risen Yeshua became Life-giving Spirit. This does not mean that the Son became Ruach HaKodesh. What it does mean is probably beyond human powers of explanation. In -- 2 Corinthians 3, Paul explains that his ministry is carried out by the Spirit of the Living YHVH -- 2 Corinthians 3:3, the Spirit that gives Life -- 3:6. At the same time, Paul emphasizes that the function of New Testament ministry is to bring YHVH’s people to see and experience the glorious Moshiach -- 3:3, 14, 16-18; 4:4-6. In this context Paul boldly declares, [The Adonai is the Spirit] -- 3:17. Those who turn their hearts to Adonai are in effect, turning their hearts to the Spirit. If Adonai were not the Spirit abiding in the believers, how could they turn their hearts to Him? And how could they be transformed into the same image? -- 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, [But we all, with unveiled face mirroring the glory of Adonai, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from Adonai-Spirit.] According to the Greek, the last phrase of this verse could be translated [Adonai, the Spirit] -- see ASV or [Adonai, Who is the Spirit] -- see RSV, NIV because the expression [the Spirit] is a description of Adonai. Thus, our Adonai is the Spirit. Moshiach is not Ruach HaKodesh. Moshiach and the Spirit are distinct persons of the Trinity, as is affirmed by the overall teaching of the Bible. But the Scriptures do tell us that, in the context of believer’s experience, Moshiach and the Spirit are one. It would be accurate to say that believer’s experience Moshiach through His Spirit, the Spirit of Moshiach. One cannot know Yeshua apart from the Spirit or other than through the Spirit.

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