What about the spirit, doesn’t the Bible teach that this is a living entity independent of the body?
Dear Reader,
The word spirit is used about 261 times in the English New Testament. This word spirit is called in the Greek, pneuma (pneu’ma) and means, wind, breath, to blow. It is the same word that gives us pneumatic tyres or pneumonia. In the Old Testament the word is ruah and also means wind, breath, mind, life, emotions, etc. In the English Old Testament spirit is used about 244 times (In the Hebrew the word ruah is used 302 times; but others words are also used in the Hebrew to mean spirit for which the English Bible uses the words soul or spirit).
A careful study of each of these usages will reveal that the word spirit is used to mean, 1) a supernatural being such as an angel; e.g., 1Sam. 28:7; 2) God’s Spirit; e.g., Gen. 1:2; and 3) a living human being or his or her feelings or emotons. In one occasion it is used for animal life, (Ecc.3:21). In Numbers 5:30 we read, Or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him, and he be jealous over his wife…Here the spirit (ruah) of jealousy is not referring to a living entity called jealousy, but to the emotions of jealousy in an individual. We also use the expression jealous spirit when referring to a jealous person.
Let’s look at another text, (Acts 17:16 KJV) Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. This text is telling us that Paul felt strongly concerned for that idolatrous city. It is not telling us of something living in Paul that stirred him up. So the word spirit can refer to an individual himself or to any of his emotions including his will. See for instance, Matthew 26:41, it says, Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. This text is not saying that there are two living entities in one’s body; one being strong, which is the spirit and the other being weak, which is the flesh. In this text spirit is here referring to the desire of the will as against the desire of the flesh.
Notice again (Acts 19:21 KJV) After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem. This text is telling us that Paul determined in himself to journey to a particular place. A careful study will show that will show that spirit and person mean the same thing, and does not refer to an entity living outside the body. The answer to the question, then, would be, no, the Bible does not teach that there is a spirit that lives inside of man that is independent of the body. If one does a study on every word written ‘spirit’ one will soon realize that ‘spirit’ does not refer to a being that lives alongside or within a person’s body. This is actually a pagan view which taught that after death the spirit was liberated and returned to God or some place of paradise, maybe the ‘happy hunting grounds.’
The idea of an entity called “the spirit” which is independent of the body came first into Jewish belief and then into the Christian church much later on. The same applies to the concept of the “soul,” as we saw in previous articles. It is very important that we all understand this biblical truth; failure to understand this teaching can lead to great deception and misunderstanding of biblical passages. May God grant us time and patience to study this vital truth for ourselves. God bless.
Pastor Ron is a retired Adventist pastor. Reach him at ron.hende@gmail.com. with your comments.