Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit

The Spirit of God lives in you (Romans 8:9).

When I was a kid I learned about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.  But as time passed, one of those names changed.  These days it is more common to speak of the Holy Spirit than the Holy Ghost.  Why has this change come about?

It’s not that the Bible has changed.  In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word ruach refers to an invisible power.  In Genesis chapter one we read that the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters; in this verse the word for spirit is ruach.  In Job chapter 33, the patriarch says the breath of the Almighty has given me life; the word for breath is the same word used for spirit—ruach.  And Ecclesiastes uses ruach in reference to wind: I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. The same is true of the New Testament, which was written in Greek—there, the word used is pneuma, from which we get the words pneumatic and pneumonia.  In Holy Scripture, wind and breath and spirit are all related ideas.

The Bible has not changed, but the English language has.  At one time, the words ghost and spirit could be used interchangeably.  Either way, people understood that you were speaking about an invisible life force that has no physical body.  But popular culture has changed our perception of what a ghost is.  To the modern listener, a ghost is what remains alive after the body has died.  A ghost is often imagined as a frightening monster that haunts the living.  Or a ghost might be what a psychic calls on when a grieving loved one is seeking closure.

The Spirit of God is none of those things.  The Holy Spirit never had a body that died—that is only true of Jesus.  The Spirit of God is not a scary monster that haunts anyone; Jesus referred to Him as the Counselor who brings us wisdom, strength and comfort.  And the Holy Spirit never speaks through seances or ouija boards; He works exclusively through the words of Holy Scripture which He caused to be written for our learning.

Many in the Church have stopped using the term Holy Ghost; calling the third Person of the Trinity the Holy Spirit avoids giving any wrong impressions. The Spirit of God has not changed; although invisible, He is the power of God that touches your heart.