RUACH

John 20:19-29

The Hebrew term, ruach means wind, breath, mind or spirit. The corresponding Greek word is pneuma. The Greek word for “Comforter,” is parakletos. Both the terms ruach and pneuma are commonly used in passages referring to the Holy Spirit but also refer to the essence of God’s life sustaining Spirit in all creation.

John 20 :19-2219 So when it was evening on that same day, the first day of the week, though the disciples were [meeting] behind barred doors for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.” 20 After He said this, He showed them His hands and His side. When the disciples saw the Lord, they were filled with great joy. 21 Then Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you [as My representatives].” 22 And when He said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

The Holy Spirit was known to men in times past, but limited in scope of operation, limited in revelation of personality and limited in vessels to grant access. Now the resurrection gives us full measure of the Spirit.

Genesis 1:1-2 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” The ruach of God hovered the waters, but the uncertainty of water created a situation where the Spirit could not rest on the planet. God’s first words “let the be light” allowed the word to penetrate darkness and start to rearrange and bring chaos into order. The breath released worked with the word and formation begun. All creation contains and is sustained by the ruach. Through creation, man became the repository of the ruach here on earth to be God and function as divinity.

The ruach of God gave life to man. (Genesis 2:7-8) Jesus was conceived and born in the Spirit. It was the Spirit dimension that brought the elevation into sonship. (Isaiah 9:6-7) It is the Spirit of God that made us, thus everything containing the ruach of God, must testify to His greatness (Psalm 150:6; Job 33:4) We must live in the Spirit, for living in the Spirit confers sonship. (Romans 8:9-17)

The Holy Spirit is the seal of your salvation. To be led by the Spirit means allowing the Spirit to direct and control you. It requires that you surrender your will and desire Him. Bearing fruits is indicative of abiding in Christ. (Galatians 5:16-26) The indwelling of Christ grants limitless possibilities to our limited flesh. (Ps. 18:28-29; Philippians 4:13)

God has placed His life sustaining breath in all creation. God’s ruach is the source of life. The ruach of God is the One who gives life to all creation. We could say that God’s ruach has created every other (non-divine) ruach that exists. All living creatures owe the breath of life to the Creative Spirit of God. Moses states this truth explicitly: “God . . . gives breath [ruach] to all living things” (Numbers 27:16). Job understood this truth as well: “As long as I have life within me, the breath [ruach] of God in my nostrils” (Job 27:3). Later, Elihu tells Job, “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4).

As we are infilled with the Spirit, we also must impart the ruach. (Ezekiel 37:1-12) Let us not limit or grieve the Holy Spirit; rather may we allow Him to lead us onto great works.

Shalom.