Holy Spirit is not spirituality

In their introduction to Presence, Power, and Promise, Firth and Wegner call the Spirit in the OT “the energizing force in the lives of people to accomplish God’s mission on earth.”2 Thus the OT often uses such phrases as “the Spirit of the Lord rushed on him” (Judg. 14:6); “the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David” (1 Sam. 16:13); “the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him” (Isa. 11:2); and “the Spirit (NRSV, a spirit) entered me” (Ezek. 2:2). To repeat: the Spirit of God comes upon human beings from without; the Spirit is not a latent inner human capacity.

The practical consequences of this attribute can readily be seen in the popular and sometimes careless way in which people often speak today of “spirituality.” 

In popular usage, the term can mean the religious aspect of human aspiration, as if this naturally flows from the capacities of humankind. In previous years, people often described the work of the Spirit on humanity as empowerment or godliness; today they often use the less precise, and potentially misleading, term “spirituality.”

On the contrary, the Spirit of God in the OT is precisely God in action.

In this sense, the Spirit of God stands in contrast to all that is merely human, finite, or of this world. As Gordon Fee has shown,

"The Spirit is the presence and power of God himself, not some impersonal force." 

Often in the OT, the presence of God occurs in synonymous parallelism with the Spirit of God. For example, the Psalmist asks, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence?” (Ps. 139:7).

Similarly, “Do not cast me from your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me” (Ps. 51:11). Haggai exclaims, “I am with you.… My Spirit abides among you” (Hag. 2:4–5).

One possible danger is that of seeking the Spirit as if to do this were somehow different from seeking God.

The Spirit of God means more than heightened human capacities or even superhuman forces; again the Spirit contrasts with all that is merely human. One classic passage implies this:

“The Egyptians are human, and not God; their horses are flesh, not spirit” (Isa. 31:3). 

In this context, flesh denotes all that is merely creaturely, fallible, and weak, in contrast to God. Another clear example of this principle occurs in Ezek. 37:7–14, in which God declares,

“I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live.” 

The community of Israel was as dead and withered as “dry bones” (v. 11); they had no prospect of deriving any life from their own capacities. Dead people can contribute nothing at all to life. Hence God promises to put his Spirit within them, as if from “outside.” God alone can raise the community to restored life as restored people.

Ezekiel also reveals the vision of the transcendent God on his sovereign throne. The Spirit, who animates the “living creatures” around the throne, is active, living, and dynamic (Ezek. 1:12, 20).

Writers have likened Ezekiel’s picture of the enthroned God to the imagery of apocalyptic “throne-visions” that portray the transcendence of God. God is awesomely “from Beyond,” and this is true of God’s Spirit. The Spirit of God also lifts up the prophet and carries him away (Ezek. 3:14; 8:3; 11:1).

Various other OT passages corroborate this emphasis of the Spirit and creation of life and order. Job declares,

“The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4). 

The Psalmist asserts,

“By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath (Heb. rûaḥ) of his mouth” (Ps. 33:6).

The Holy Spirit is more.


Thiselton, A. C. (2016). A Shorter Guide to the Holy Spirit: Bible, Doctrine, Experience (pp. 3–5). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.