Holy Spirit: Is the Spirit of God a ghost?
What do you think of when you hear the word ghost? It probably isn’t God the Holy SPIRIT. But that’s how the King James Version of the Bible and some others translate this word. Is this a good translation of what’s in the original Greek text? Some people question the need to go to such for a better and sometimes even a correct understanding of what is said. If you have questions about doing this, please read my articles about it. Here are the links to two—
KJV: Which verses demand the Greek text to be understood?
Actually, the only place you’ll find any “ghosts” mentioned in the Bible is when the disciples saw Jesus walking on water in the midst of a storm. It is an incident that provides many important lessons for us all. Let’s look at the record of it.
Matthew 14:22-33
22 And straightway Jesus constrained [ANANKAZO = compelled] his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
25 And in the fourth watch [3 to 6 AM] of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a SPIRIT [PHANTISMA = phantom or ghost]; and they cried out for fear.
Question: Which was easier for them to believe? That it was Jesus walking on water or that it was a ghost? This just provides a great illustration of how easy it is for people to believe crazy things rather than the truth. This is why I’m never surprised at what some people come to believe.
27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer [THARSEO = be courageous]; it is I; be not afraid.
28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if [EI = since or inasmuch as] it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
What a great lesson this is about doing as we’re told by Him regardless of the circumstances!
29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
By his example Peter teaches us all some wonderful lessons here and made for himself a wonderful memory. Disobeying God always results in missed opportunities for God’s blessings.
30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
“Little faith” means he was short on doctrine and a willingness to apply even what he knew.
32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
All the “tests” God gives us will eventually come to an end.
33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God. [Emphasis added]
By how others see us handle our “tests,” we have opportunities to influence them. When we pass those tests, we can help build faith in God for us and for others. When we fail such tests, we can all learn by that, too, as we all get to see the consequences of such. Either way, people get to learn from us.
How are you going to handle what I’m saying about “correcting” the KJV text? The term Holy Ghost is mentioned ninety times there. Some people won’t even get this far in their reading of this article. Their thinking has been corrupted by people who claim the KJV translation is “perfect” and doesn’t need correcting. Again, please read my other articles I’ve mentioned where I address this subject specifically.
The “bottom line” to this is that every time you read “Holy Ghost” in your Bible, just know that the text is talking about the third person of The Trinity, God the Holy Spirit. In such cases the Greek text has the word PNEUMA which means spirit, not PHANTISMA which means ghost. But there, too, we have some conflict in Christendom. Some people refuse to believe God is a trinity. If you have questions about this, please see my article about it. Here’s the link to it—
If you still have questions about all this, please keep studying your Bible. You will eventually get to the truth about this and much more. Your Bible, among other things, is a book of correct answers to many questions about a multitude of subjects. There you’ll even discover answers to questions you weren’t even asking. But such is the road to spiritual maturity! You want to become a person who comes to know many wonderful things that will give you even more reasons to see why our God deserves our worship.
