Question: Is the Holy Spirit the same as the breath of life that God breathed into man?

Answer: No. The Hebrew word, Ruach is used to designate God’s Spirit in the Old Testament, and sometimes is also used to designate man’s spirit. However, when God breathed life into the first man Adam, a different word is used, which is nashamah. This word is used in association with giving life to a human soul.

When God created the first Adam, He breathed into him the “breath of life” and Adam became a living soul (Genesis 2:7).

And so it is written, the first Adam was made a living soul. The last Adam was made a quickening - (Greek, zoopoieo- life giving-) Spirit - I Corinthians 15:45.
For as the Father has life in Himself: so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself - John 5:26.

Here the Scriptures make a specific distinction between the spirit that animated the first Adam’s soul “The breath (nashamah) of life” from the Father and the “quickening” life giving Holy Spirit (Ruach) of the Father that animated His Son’s soul.

Jesus was given life as a human by the Holy Spirit, therefore His life force as a man is God’s Spirit. The Breath of Life – (Nashamah) that we inherit from our parents was never intended to give eternal life. The longevity that was imparted to Adam and Eve was through their diet, the Tree of Life (Genesis 3:22), which was denied to them after their fall. When we receive the salvation that can only be given by Jesus, (for only He has the life, the Spirit of the Father in His blood to impart to us), we receive the Holy Spirit which enables our souls to have the same life as Jesus, which is eternal - for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life - John 3:16.

Copyright 2017 by H.D. Shively

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