K-tan and I have been "examining the scriptures daily" and looking deeper into the book of John when we stumbled on an interesting passage - John 3:8 states:
"The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
Looking deeper into the passage (and yes, at the original Greek!), we discovered that the word for "wind" was in fact πνεῦμα (pneuma), which we retain in English (ie. pneumatics, pneumonia). When translated, pneuma can also mean "breath", or "soul".
But here is the kicker - the word for "Spirit" in the bible is πνεύματος (pneumatos), which is in fact derived from the same word! Whereas our English bibles metaphorically describe the behavior of the Spirit to wind, they have the same etymological roots in the original Greek!
In fact, the study of the Holy Spirit is called "pneumatology", which literally means the study of God's Breath. (I'm sure it's a nice aroma!)
With that insight, we can more greatly appreciate the Holy Spirit that God gives us at baptism - I now see John 3:8 as an peek into the personality of the Holy Spirit. It is like the wind - or - it literally IS the wind! And like the wind, the Holy Spirit is mysterious, powerful, even unpredictable! What an amazing instrument God has chosen to guide our lives.
lybiC/mig.
(And here's a bonus...)
Wind is most simply described as the flow of air - which is in turn a fluid. Fluids have very specific properties that make it unique (hat tip to Wikipedia!):
- Fluids do not resist deformation (or only lightly) - also known as viscosity.
- They have the ability to flow, which is also described as the "ability to take on the shape of the container". Makes you rethink 1 Corinthians 6:19!:
"Don't you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, who you have received from God?"
We are the container, and the Holy Spirit (wind/fluid) is... I'll let you make the connection! :D
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