Additional “Spirit” Verses from Isaiah – Malachi
(This is Appendix “C” from Essay #2)
Several verses from Isaiah – Malachi, which deserve some comment, were not included in the main body of Essay #2. These verses were excluded from the primary text because there exists in them some ambiguity about whether the “spirit” in the verse is actually the Holy Spirit, the Spirit’s function in the text may not involve man, or some similar consideration.
Text | “Spirit” Reference | Comments |
Isaiah 30:1 | “not of my Spirit” | This reference speaks not so much of the Spirit’s actions, but Israel’s. Israel was acting on their desires. They had crafted a plan of action that God says was not His and that had not come from His Spirit. The implication is that if God had revealed His plan to Israel that revelation would have come through the work of His Spirit. In other words, His Spirit would have provided some prophetic means of making His plan known to His people. |
Isaiah 34:16 | “his Spirit has gathered them” | This passage indicates that God’s Spirit is involved in the care of the creation. His Spirit has gathered together all of the life of the world and provided for it (vs. 11-17). This stands in contrast to the judgment God had prepared for Edom (v. 5). Even though this text makes no direct statement of the Spirit’s work with man, it is interesting to note, even in this text, the Spirit’s connection to the “book of the Lord” and His “commands.” |
Isaiah 38:16 | “the life of my spirit” | This statement is found in Hezekiah’s praise of God after his recovery from illness. It attributes to God the life found in his soul. |
Isaiah 40:7 | “the breath of the Lord blows on it” | Older translations use the word “spirit” for breath in this text. Breath appears to be the better rendering. It is the breath or wind of God that blows upon the grasses to dry them up. |
Isaiah 40:13 | “measure the Spirit of the Lord” | Notice the second half of the verse: “what man shows him his counsel?” The Spirit of God is the place where “counsel” is found. It is the place of God’s knowledge and revelation (see 1 Corinthians 2:7-16). When that Spirit speaks to man prophecy is the result. |
Isaiah 42:5 | “gives. . . spirit to those who walk” | Again, “spirit” is tied to “breath” here. God’s giving of “spirit” and “breath” is synonymous to his giving life to them. |
Isaiah 59:19 | “the wind of the Lord drives” | Older translations use the word “spirit” here as well. New translations’ use of “wind” better fits the context. It is the “wind” caused by God that is driving the waters of His judgment upon His enemies. |
Ezekiel 11:19 | “a new spirit within them” | Perhaps it could be argued that this verse deserves to be in the main body of Essay 2. However, the reference appears to be more likely a discussion of Israel’s restoration from exile than to the giving of the Spirit in the gospel. The “new spirit” here is attached to the “new heart” in God’s people, not to the Holy Spirit. |
Ezekiel 13:3 | “follow their own spirit” | Here is another text which shows the relation of prophets to spirits. While it is not a reference to the Holy Spirit, it shows that prophets “see” their visions from “spirits.” These false prophets had seen “nothing” from the Holy Spirit and so only had their own spirits to follow. This important truth suggested from this text is that the visions from the Holy Spirit are “seen” – they are distinct and discernible from the “visions” of a man’s own spirit. Many today would do well to respect that truth. |
Ezekiel 18:31 | “new heart and new spirit” | This is similar to Ezekiel 11:19 above. The “new spirit” is connected to the “new heart” needed in man. |
Micah 2:7 | “the spirit of the Lord straitened” (KJV) | Most newer translations remove the “spirit” reference entirely from this text. The ESV replaces it in this manner: “Has the Lord grown impatient? Are these his deeds?” There is no clear statement about the Holy Spirit found in this text. |
Zechariah 6:8 | “set my Spirit at rest” | The NASB95 renders this passage: “See those who are going to the land of the north have appeased my wrath in the land of the north.” In Zechariah’s vision (vs. 1-7) the chariots travelling to the north executed God’s judgment on those places and so satisfied His wrath. If the “Spirit” rendering is correct, it would be in the sense that the Holy Spirit made known to the chariots (i.e. the drivers of the chariots) God’s will regarding the places of the north and so commissioned them to execute the wrath of God against them. |
Jonathan Jenkins
The Resistible Grace of the Holy Spirit
Within their theology, Calvinists have a perfectly consistent mechanism to address the problem of people who cannot receive the things of the Spirit. They simply assert that the Spirit overrides the depravity of the human condition and forces salvation upon them. Centuries ago, John Calvin “solved” this problem the only way possible. In time, our preachers will also come to the same conclusion. From where they stand now, without turning back, Calvin’s conclusion is inescapable.
The Purpose of Prophecy and Miracles in the Church
The Holy Spirit is the one who is credited with revealing the truth of the mystery to man (1 Corinthians 2:8ff). So it is in this sense that through the Holy Spirit the unification of all man in one body is called the “unity of the Spirit” (Ephesians 4:3).
How the Spirit was Given (Acts – Part 3)
The objection might be raised that Acts 2:38 states that the Holy Spirit is given in baptism. Since proponents of a non-prophetic indwelling believe almost universally that the gift of the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit’s indwelling of a Christian, that statement would appear justified. However, their insistence that Acts 5:32 unilaterally excludes the prophetic powers of the Holy Spirit places them in a bind in trying to apply the Bible’s language consistently.
