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First Things First –
was the title of a new workshop based upon The Beatitudes
conducted by CrossTies at Zion Lutheran Church, Tomball. The
following article on the term “spiritual” as it is used and
abused in our day, was part of the day’s teachings. All of our
seminars and workshops will soon be available to registered
members for download. Keep an eye on our
website for these and
other expanding resources for the parish ministry.
Spiritual and Spirituality
- The Church around the world will soon celebrate the
great festival of the Holy Spirit, Pentecost. There is vast
confusion about the term ‘spiritual’ in our day. A search of the
Internet using the Google Search Engine will reveal over
871,000 websites. One website called
All Things Spiritual – Your Gateway to Spirituality on the
Internet lists links to
Angels, Astrology, New Age, Shamanism, Shintoism, Taoism, Islam
and much, much more. It also has links to native American and
European societies, near death and out of body experiences, as
well as scientology, universalism and women’s spirituality. The
emphasis seems to be that there are many paths that all lead to
discovery and enlightenment. One is as good as another. Whatever
works for you.
Because of this dangerous confusion
it is extremely important that we Christians learn to define
spiritual and spirituality from the writings of Holy Scripture,
our only source for doctrine and teaching.
Old Testament (Ruach)
Ruach is the primary Hebrew
word for spirit in the O.T.(264 times). Two other words are used
4 times (Neshamah and Ohb). The equivalent
Greek term in the the Septuagint (Greek O.T.) and in the N.T. is
Pneuma. We will focus on the uses of those terms that
refer to God, even though they are also used to describe the
breath of men and animals as well as the wind. Examples follow.
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Genesis 1:2 – The Spirit
of God hovered over the waters.
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Job 32:8 – the breath of
the Almighty gives a man understanding.
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Psalm 33:5,6 - By the breath
of His mouth, His Word, the LORD made the heavens
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Isaiah 31:3 – The Egyptians are
men and flesh who perish versus God who is Spirit
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Isaiah 42:5 – the LORD gives
breath to the people of the earth.
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Isaiah 63:11,14 – He set His
Holy Spirit among the Exodus people.
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Ezekiel 11:19 – the LORD gives
an undivided heart and a new a spirit.
New Testament (Pneuma)
In so far as Christ is regarded in
His significance for the Christian community, in His powerful
action upon it, He can be identified with the Pneuma. In
so far as He is also Lord over His power, He must be
differentiated from the Spirit, just as the I can be
distinguished from the power that goes out from it. The Holy
Spirit, however, is not simply power. He is the third Person of
the Trinity. Examples follow.
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Matthew 1:18-20 – Jesus’ supernatural conception by the
Spirit
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Matthew 12:18, 28 – He is the one in whom God has placed
His Spirit.
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Luke 4:14-18 – Jesus taught in the power of the
Spirit
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Luke 4:23-27 – Jesus is the prophet empowered to speak
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John 3:1-21 – No one can enter
the Kingdom unless born from above by the Spirit
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Luke 24:49 – Jesus will, in
turn, empower His disciples
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Mark 13:11 – The Holy Spirit
will speak through Jesus’ disciples
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Romans 1:1-5 – Jesus, true man
and through the Spirit declared with power to be Son
of God.
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2 Corinthians 3:17 – Now the
Lord is the Spirit. In Him believers enter the realm
of power.
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1 Corinthians 15:45 – The
second Adam is a lifegiving Spirit.
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Romans 8:23 – Believers have
the firstfruits of the Spirit and thus await
the reality to come
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2 Corinthians 5:5 – The
Spirit is a deposit of what is to come.
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2 Corinthians 1:22 – The
Spirit is the Lord’s seal of ownership
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1 Corinthians 2:4 – The prophet
is spiritually gifted
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1 Corinthians 12:1-3 - Only
those endowed with the Spirit can acknowledge Jesus
as the Lord (Yahweh or Lord
of the OT).
In the light of these passages we
must acknowledge that only they in whom the Spirit of the
resurrected Christ dwells are spiritual. In dealing with
the thousands upon thousands of claims by various groups and
their gods who claim to be spiritual, it is important that we
hear again the counsel of the Apostle John (1 John 4:1-6), for
we are truly in spiritual warfare:
Test the Spirits
1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test
the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false
prophets have gone out into the world. 2This is how
you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that
acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from
God, 3but every spirit that does not acknowledge
Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist,
which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the
world.
4You, dear children, are from God and have overcome
them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who
is in the world. 5They are from the world and
therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world
listens to them. 6We are from God, and whoever knows
God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen
to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the
spirit of falsehood. |
