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“Jehovah’s Spirit Is Upon Me”
The ministry of Jesus gives us a fascinating glimpse of how God’s holy spirit can empower his servants. “Jehovah’s spirit is upon me,” Jesus told the people of Nazareth. (Luke 4:18) What did Jesus accomplish in “the power of the spirit”? (Luke 4:14) He healed every sort of sickness, calmed the waves of a raging sea, fed thousands of people with a few loaves and fish, and even raised the dead. The apostle Peter described Jesus as “a man publicly shown by God . . . through powerful works and portents and signs that God did through him.”—Acts 2:22.
The holy spirit is not currently bringing about such miracles. Nonetheless, it can do remarkable things for us. Jehovah willingly gives his holy spirit to his worshippers, as Jesus assured his disciples. (Luke 11:13) Thus, the apostle Paul could say: “For all things I have the strength by virtue of him who imparts power to me.” (Philippians 4:13) Could the holy spirit play such a role in your life? The following article will address that question.
Why the Holy Spirit Is Not a Person
The Bible compares the holy spirit to water. When promising future blessings for his people, God said: “I shall pour out water upon the thirsty one, and trickling streams upon the dry place. I shall pour out my spirit upon your seed, and my blessing upon your descendants.”—Isaiah 44:3.
When God pours out his spirit upon his servants, they become “full of holy spirit,” or “filled with holy spirit.” Jesus, John the Baptist, Peter, Paul, Barnabas, and the disciples who were gathered together on the day of Pentecost 33 C.E. are all described as being full of, or filled with, holy spirit.—Luke 1:15; 4:1; Acts 4:8; 9:17; 11:22, 24; 13:9.
Consider this: Could a person be ‘poured out’ on many different individuals? Would you say that one person could ‘fill’ a whole group of people? That defies logic. The Bible does refer to people becoming filled with wisdom, understanding, or even accurate knowledge, but it never describes anyone as being filled with another person.—Exodus 28:3; 1 Kings 7:14; Luke 2:40; Colossians 1:9.
The Greek word translated “spirit” is pneuʹma, which also conveys the idea of an invisible power. According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, the word pneuʹma “primarily denotes the wind . . . also breath; then, especially the spirit, which, like the wind, is invisible, immaterial and powerful.”
Clearly, then, the holy spirit is not a person. *