That the Spirit is not a Personal God distinct from the Father, but the radiant invisible power or energy of the Father, filling universal space and forming the medium of His omniscient perceptions, and the instrument of His omnipotent behests, whether in creation or inspiration; the distinction between the Father and the Spirit being, not that they are two persons, but that the Father is Spirit in focus, so intense as to be glowing substance inconceivable; and the Spirit, the Father's power, in space-filling diffusion, forming with the Father, a unity in the stupendous scheme of creation, which is a revolution around the Supreme Source of all power.

The Spirit of God 1 moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2).

Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell ( sheol the grave) behold, thou art there... The darkness and the light are both alike to thee. (Psalm 139:2-12).

The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life. (Job 33:4).

By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens (Job 26:13).

Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth. (Psalm 104:30).

The Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him (the loin) as he would have rent a kid (Judges 14:6).

The LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him; (Numbers 27:18).

Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets (Nehemiah 9:30).

For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.2 (2 Peter 1:21).

1 "Spirit" - ruach in Hebrew, and pneuma in Greek - is one of those plastic words which depend for their significance upon the context. It cannot be kept in the groove of a precise definition. This may appear a little confounding at first sight, but in reality it is the inevitable state of the case with regard to a word of such primitive origin. All its meanings are cognate. Both original words translated "Spirit" have the same radical significance. Ruach (Heb.) is from the verb ruach, to breathe or blow; pneuma (Greek) from pneo, to breathe or blow. Every use of the word "Spirit" must therefore be traceable in some way to this primitive idea of breathing or blowing. And we find this is so. It is used for breath in such passages as "All flesh wherein is the breath (ruach) of life" (Genesis 6:17). "In whose hand is every living thing and the breath (ruach) of all mankind" (Job 12:10); "Thou takest away their breath (ruacham) (Psalm 104:29). Pneuma is translated "life" in Revelation 13:15. But of course the most common translation of the word is "Spirit." In considering the meaning of this form of the word it is well observed that "Spirit" itself comes from a Latin verb of precisely the same derivation as ruach and pneo, viz., spiro, to breathe: "Spirit" is therefore etymologically the correct equivalent of pneuma. But theology has spoiled the etymology of the word by fixing upon it a meaning not etymologically derived. This has created all the difficulty. The only certain way to determine the significance of "Spirit" is to collate its applications. When we read that the Israelites "hearkened not to Moses for anguish of spirit" (Exodus 6:9), we naturally understand the word differently from what we do in 1 Samuel 30:12; And when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him." In the one case it refers to a state of mind, and in another to the life energy of the body. In Daniel was found an excellent "spirit" (Daniel 5:12). This refers to intelligence and disposition, but when we read "No man hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit...in the day of death" (Ecclesiastes 8:8) we naturally understand it as in Ecclesiastes 12:7 "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was; but the spirit (that is, the life) return to God who gave it;: in both of which the word has a very different meaning from what it has in Joshua 5:1 "It came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites... heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel... their heart melted, neither was there any spirit (i.e. courage or heart) in them any more."

Further Comment. It is peculiarity of the Greek language that inanimate objects are sometimes found in the masculine or feminine gender. This is the case with "Spirit," but not invariably so, for it is also rendered in the neuter gender as in Romans 8:19, The Spirit itself beareth witness..." In the Greek, as in the English, this is found in the neuter gender which would not be the case if the Spirit were a person; for though, in that language, inanimate objects can be personified as male or female, persons are inevitably supplied with their proper gender. - Editor.

2 "Ghost" ought in every case, to be substituted by the word spirit. "Ghost" is no translation of the original word. It is a mere paraphrase, and mystifies the idea expressed. It may not do so to critical minds, but it certainly has that effect with the common run of English readers who recognise in :ghost" the third person of the trinity, when no such idea is contained in the original word. Pneuma, the original word, is spirit, breath or wind, and when affirmed of God, relates to that universal effluence of Deity which is the basis of all organic law, and the means of that unity which pervades the universe - the medium through which the will and consciousness of corporealised Deity centrally located in the "heaven," are made coextensive with infinite space. "Ghost" is an obsolete Saxon term, flavouring of exploded superstitions. As the antique form of "guest," it may have been adopted as the representative of pneuma, to denote the idea of the spirit's indwelling; but it must be admitted that such a method of translation is both dangerous and unscholarly.