Progressive Role of the Holy Spirit from The Old Testament to the New Testament

In the Old Testament, the term Holy Spirit occurs only three times in the Hebrew Bible. In Hebrew, it is written ruah haqqodes, and when translated it means the spirit of holiness. It is found in Psalm 51:11, and Isaiah 63:10-11. The word Ruah and the primary meaning of this word in the Old Testament means wind, breath, or in Greek, it is translated as Pneuma also having the same connotation as Ruah.

Genesis 1:2 says “The earth was without form and void and darkness was over the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the water”. The Spirit here is related to the presence of the divine and the divine preparing to get involved in creation. What is evident is that the presence of the Spirit is not only to superintend the work of creation but he brings creation through the word as the presence of God about creation through the spoken word by the Spirit into existence.

In the Old Testament, the biblical phrase the hand of the Lord is synonymous with the Spirit of God. In the OT the Holy Spirit frequently empowered special individuals for special service towards Yahweh and the community of Israel. He empowered Joshua by blessing him with leadership skills as he had the difficult job of taking over Moses and leading the Israelites into the Promised Land.

He also empowered the Judges after Joshua to deliver Israel from the surrounding nations who were her enemies. The Holy Spirit came upon Saul when he was king to help him battle against the enemies of Israel (1 Sam 11:6)  and on David when he became king to equip him in this new role to rule over the people of Israel  ( 1 Sam 16:13).

God gives the Spirit to chosen individuals usually prophets, kings, the judges to perform special tasks only within the community of the Israelites for God’s chosen purpose. Anthony Thiselton says this concerning the role of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament “ It is often said that the Old Testament deposits the Spirit as a temporary gift for chosen individuals only, who are empowered for special tasks whereas the New Testament depicts the Spirit as a permanent gift for the whole community of God’s people” (Thiselton, 2013, p. 9).

It seems that the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament was not common amongst all the people of Israel but it was exclusive to certain special individuals in Israel with the arrival of the Messiah Jesus this seems to change as now all those who belong to him he would give them the gift of the Holy Spirit (John 14:15-31). The Holy Spirit is given to individuals for the benefit and edification of the people of Israel. 

It was also predicted that the Holy Spirit would bring abundant blessings from God. The are several passages in the Old Testament that predicted a time when the Holy Spirit would manifest in greater fullness where God would restore and make a new covenant with his people (Ezek 26:26-27.37:14,39:29, Joel 2:28-29. This time it seems that the Holy Spirit would not be exclusive to a few individuals and for a special task but now the Spirit of God would be upon the people of God and would write the covenant in their hearts, This the of the Spirit ( Ezek. 36:25-27). The Old Testament also predicted a time when the Holy Spirit would anoint a servant messiah where it would come to them in great power (Isaiah 11:1-11).

According to John 1:32-33, Jesus is the anointed one on whom the Spirit rests. In Jesus's Baptism in Mark 1:10, we see the Holy Spirit coming down like a dove and this is this marks the beginning of his ministry here on earth where the Holy Spirit empowers it from the time of his baptism till up the cross. It also tells at the beginning of Matthew 1:18 and Luke 1:35 about the Holy Spirit's role in the miraculous virgin birth.

In John 14:17,15:26,16:13 the Holy Spirit is referred to as the Spirit of truth by Jesus and that he would teach the disciples all things concerning Christ. The Spirit witnesses to Jesus's character and shows Christ to the people.

Paul in his New Testament writing closely connects the idea of new life with the Holy Spirit and he presents the new life as the new creation We see this in Rom 8: 2 and 2 Cor. 3:3-6  and he gives the credit in bringing this life to the Spirit in Rom 7:6.

The Holy Spirit speaks through the proclamation of the gospel to people’s hearts and in the teaching of Scripture and by giving spiritual gifts to equip Christians for ministry. He also sanctifies believers of their sins, To believers, he convicts them of their sins and breaks their sinful pattern. He is also responsible for producing fruit in the faith of believers to be recognized as these fruits are a sign that one belongs to Christ (Gal. 5:5-25).

The Apostles who wrote the New Testament were inspired by the Holy Spirit  (John 16:13). He assures the believers that they are the children of God and he does this by giving evidence of the work of God in the believers e.g. Rom 8:16, 1 John 3:24.

In conclusion, the role of the Holy Spirit in the Bible is a progressive one and what is clear is that in the Old Testament, he has distinct characteristics that identify him as God. He was involved in the history and people of the nation of Israel by coming upon selected individuals e.g. prophets, judges, and kings but in the future, he will dwell in all God’s people who is the church and his presence will be evident as they proclaim the good news about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. He is also involved in the re-creation when he transforms man and gives him life and a new heart when he comes to the Lord Jesus in faith (Rom 8)

Bibliography

Thiselton, A. C. (2013). The Holy Spirit: In Biblical Teaching, through the centuries and today. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.