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What is the difference between the Holy Ghost and the Holy Spirit?

The Holy "Ghost" is an old English word used by the KJV to refer to one’s spirit or soul. The NKJV uses the expression, "to breathe one’s last" or more simply, "to die." The other major use of "ghost" in the KJV is in referring to the Holy Ghost (John 7:39). The NKJV rightly renders this "Holy Spirit."

Except for the term "Holy Ghost," the word "ghost" appears in KJ only in the phrases "give up the ghost" (16 times) and "yield up the ghost" (3 times). There is no difference in meaning between these phrases, which in most of the cases simply represent a single Hebrew or Greek word, a verb meaning "die." For example, in Acts 5:5, it is said that Ananias "gave up the ghost" and in verse 10 of the same chapter that his wife "yielded up the ghost." The difference in wording was Tyndale’s, and was retained by the authorized versions including KJ. Yet there is no word here for "ghost"; and the Greek verb, which is exactly the same in the two verses, means "died."

In 1611 the expression "Holy Ghost" meant what "Holy Spirit" means now. Then the word "ghost" meant the spirit, or immaterial part of a person, as distinct from the body; and "ghostly" meant spiritual. Romeo called Friar Laurence "a ghostly confessor" (Romeo and Juliet, III, 3, 49), and the literature of the period abounds in references to priests as ghostly father, ghostly adviser, ghostly director, or ghostly instructor. Ghostly counsel was spiritual counsel, and a ghostly day was a day set apart for worship. Hobbes�?Leviathan refers to "a Ghostly Authority" set up "against the Civill." These meanings of "ghost" and "ghostly" are now obsolete and by most people forgotten. The American revisers in 1901 used "Holy Spirit" instead of "Holy Ghost," and this more meaningful translation has gained wide acceptance.

It should be added that the Greek word pneuma is by KJ itself translated as the "spirit" of man 151 times and as the "Spirit" of God 137 times, while it has retained the expression "Holy Ghost" 89 times.

The Greek word phantasma, which means apparition or phantom, is used in Matthew 14:26 and Mark 6:49 to express the fear of the disciples when they saw Jesus walking on the sea. Following Tyndale, KJ has them say "It is a spirit." The Rhemish Version of 1582 used "ghost," as do the revised versions of 1881�?901 and nearly all modern translations.

The "Holy Spirit" is spoken of under various titles in the NT ("Spirit" and "Ghost" are renderings of the same word, pneuma; the advantage of the rendering "Spirit" is that it can always be used, whereas "Ghost" always requires the word "Holy" prefixed.) In the following list the omission of the definite article marks its omission in the original (concerning this see below): "Spirit, Matt. 22:43; Eternal Spirit, Heb. 9:14; the Spirit, Matt. 4:1; Holy Spirit, Matt. 1:18; the Holy Spirit, Matt. 28:19; the Spirit, the Holy, Matt. 12:32; the Spirit of promise, the Holy, Eph. 1:13; Spirit of God, Rom. 8:9; Spirit of (the) living God, 2 Cor. 3:3; the Spirit of God, 1 Cor. 2:11; the Spirit of our God, 1 Cor. 6:11; the Spirit of God, the Holy, Eph. 4:30; the Spirit of glory and of God, 1 Pet. 4:14; the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead (i.e., God), Rom. 8:11; the Spirit of your Father, Matt. 10:20; the Spirit of His Son, Gal. 4:6; Spirit of (the) Lord, Acts 8:39; the Spirit of (the) Lord, Acts 5:9; (the) Lord, (the) Spirit, 2 Cor. 3:18; the Spirit of Jesus, Acts 16:7; Spirit of Christ, Rom. 8:9; the Spirit of Jesus Christ, Phil. 1:19; Spirit of adoption, Rom. 8:15; the Spirit of truth, John 14:17; the Spirit of life, Rom. 8:2; the Spirit of grace, Heb. 10:29."

The use or absence of the article in the original where the "Holy Spirit" is spoken of cannot always be decided by grammatical rules, nor can the presence or absence of the article alone determine whether the reference is to the "Holy Spirit." Examples where the Person is meant when the article is absent are Matt. 22:43 (the article is used in Mark 12:36); Acts 4:25, rv (absent in some texts); 19:2, 6; Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 2:4; Gal. 5:25 (twice); 1 Pet. 1:2. Sometimes the absence is to be accounted for by the fact that Pneuma (like Theos) is substantially a proper name, e.g., in John 7:39. As a general rule the article is present where the subject of the teaching is the Personality of the Holy Spirit, e.g., John 14:26, where He is spoken of in distinction from the Father and the Son. See also 15:26 and cf. Luke 3:22.

In Gal. 3:3, in the phrase "having begun in the Spirit," it is difficult to say whether the reference is to the "Holy Spirit" or to the quickened spirit of the believer; that it possibly refers to the latter is not to be determined by the absence of the article, but by the contrast with "the flesh"; on the other hand, the contrast may be between the "Holy Spirit" who in the believer sets His seal on the perfect work of Christ, and the flesh which seeks to better itself by works of its own. There is no preposition before either noun, and if the reference is to the quickened spirit it cannot be dissociated from the operation of the "Holy Spirit." In Gal. 4:29 the phrase "after the Spirit" signifies "by supernatural power," in contrast to "after the flesh," i.e., "by natural power," and the reference must be to the "Holy Spirit"; so in 5:17.

The full title with the article before both pneuma and hagios (the "resumptive" use of the article), lit., "the Spirit the Holy," stresses the character of the Person, e.g., Matt. 12:32; Mark 3:29; 12:36; 13:11; Luke 2:26; 10:21 (rv); John 14:26; Acts 1:16; 5:3; 7:51; 10:44, 47; 13:2; 15:28; 19:6; 20:23, 28; 21:11; 28:25; Eph. 4:30; Heb. 3:7; 9:8; 10:15.

The Personality of the Spirit is emphasized at the expense of strict grammatical procedure in John 14:26; 15:26; 16:8, 13, 14, where the emphatic pronoun ekeinos, "He," is used of Him in the masculine, whereas the noun pneuma is neuter in Greek, while the corresponding word in Aramaic, the language in which our Lord probably spoke, is feminine (rucha, cf. Heb. ruach). The rendering "itself" in Rom. 8:16, 26, due to the Greek gender, is corrected to "Himself" in the rv.

The subject of the "Holy Spirit" in the NT may be considered as to His divine attributes; His distinct Personality in the Godhead; His operation in connection with the Lord Jesus in His birth, His life, His baptism, His death; His operations in the world; in the church; His having been sent at Pentecost by the Father and by Christ; His operations in the individual believer; in local churches; His operations in the production of Holy Scripture; His work in the world, etc.

Therefore, the Holy Spirit and Holy Ghost are one and the same person.

GraveRobber, this is just carnal reasonings. it is not spiritual revelation at all. It is most definitly not true. You are just seeking out some carnal mumbojumbo.

I am quite sure no one could gleam one bit of understanding from this stuff you wrote. When you go outside the Word of God seeking answers, you will never find TRUTH. The WORD is truth and the only source of truth.

Now in the first place, Ghost and Spirit are NOT PERSONS. there is no such thing written in the word of God as a 'PERSONALITY IN THE GODHEAD.'

Now if you think there is, please quote that verse here for me. I want to read that.

Now if you had done a search, you would see that Holy Ghost is NOT ONE TIME MENTIONED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.

Do you have any idea why? Of course you do not. You think it has something to do with old English words, or some different greek words. It has nothing to do with either. Apparently you are like most others, you have swallowed down the vomit that the KJV is not quite right; not quite to be trusted; full of errors, etc. Then you flat deny that it is God's Holy word, for God does NOT MAKE MISTAKES OR ERROR.

So as I have said to many others who try this stuff you say here to prove their false ideas, if it is full of error, it is not God's word at all, so why bother to read it. And if it is false, how much more are all the others false. Then you find yourself without one solid thing to stand on.

Holy Ghost and Holy Spirit are NOT THE SAME THING, AND NEITHER ONE IS A PERSONALITY.

In the OT, the only times ghost is mentioned [and I say if the word has something to do with a difference in usage in Hebrew or Greek or English, then why is it even rendered as ghost 11 times? Surely they knew the difference in the words, ghost and spirit?] Holy Spirit is used only 3 times in the Old Testament.

God is a SPIRIT. It does not say God is a ghost, now does it? Do you think God is a ghost?

SPIRIT.....means a supernatural being or essence. It also means to give life to the physical organism.

But what about GHOST? Have any idea at the difference? No you do not. You have not sought God's Word and Spirit for this truth. You jumped all around in man's tales and junk for answers. Carnality! The carnal mind is DEATH.

Now. GHOST means the disembodied soul. : the seat of life or intelligence:.. the soul of a dead person believed to be an inhabitant of the unseen world or to appear to the living in bodily likeness.

Now that is from the Webster's Collegiate.

It fits what the word of God teaches.

Spirit, or Holy Spirit is God. it is the Father. He can send or place His Holy Spirit on certain people. But since it was only mentioned three times in the OT, it is something he did not do many times.

Now on the other hand, Ghost....is the disembodied soul, or the life or intelligence, of a dead person believed to be inhabiting the unseen world or to appear to the LIVING in bodily likeness. SOUND FAMILAR? It should if you ever read Acts 2.

The HOLY GHOST DECENDED IN FORM OF A DOVE!!!!! what was it? The disembodied soul of JESUS CHRIST.

True. and wonderful in its meaning. It is the POWER from on high to empower those disciples who stood true to Jesus. Jesus had told them, the things that I do SHALL YOU DO ALSO, because I go to my Father.

Why? Because then, AFTER GOD GAVE JESUS THE SAME POWER AND AUTHORITY AS GOD HIMSELF POSSESSES, TO GIVE LIFE TO WHOM HE WILL, AS DOES GOD, THEN JESUS HAD THE SAME ABILITY TO SEND HIS OWN..........GET THIS.....GR.....AND ALL OF YOU......GET THIS.....LISTEN AND LEARN TRUTH FROM GOD...NOT SOME LITERATURE OR TV BOOKS OR PROGRAM..........FROM GOD'S WORD.

TO SEND HIS OWN GHOST BACK INTO HIS DISCIPLES......CAN YOU UNDERSTAND THE ENORMITY OF THIS? JESUS CHRIST SENT THE GHOST [DISEMBODIED SOUL] JESUS' OWN SOUL OR HIS OWN SEAT OF LIFE AND INTELLIGENCE.......BACK INTO HIS DISCIPLES!!!

GLORY TO MY GOD....... ! WHEW! THIS IS WHY PETER COULD NOW RAISE THE DEAD,,,,,,,AS JESUS HAD.....HE NOW HAD THE SOUL OF JESUS INSIDE HIMSELF!!!!

WOW. NOW PETER COULD HEAL PEOPLE JUST BY PASSING BY THEMMMMM.........POWER!!!!!! PAUL COULD ALSO RAISE THE DEAD....FOR NOW JESUS LIVED INSIDE HIM.... whew this is just about too much.

They could turn the world upside down, for Now Jesus lived inside them. It was unseen to this world. they saw the works but understood not how these natural men could accomplish these mighty deeds.......they knew Jesus had done these things.....but now these fishermen were healing everyone who asked for healing.....they were raising dead folks....they were doing might works and miracles...just as Jesus had done.

People you have no idea what you are doing when you mock this Holy Ghost. It is the very soul of JESUS CHRIST. It is not God the Father. It is not the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Ghost. the disembodied soul of a DEAD PERSON.

That is what the dictionary says. This dead person was JESUS. Yes, folks, he had to die before He could send this Holy ghost back onto us. We have received this ghose of Jesus because he had to first die, before he could send his disembodied intelligence back into us. It is the power from on high to annoint the Apostles and us to be His Witnesses.

Unless you can perform the supernatural, you do not have any Holy Ghost. It is certain that you do not have any Holy Spirit. God the Father does not send that to us. He gave us to His Son, Jesus.

Jesus sends us His soul, his intelligence. This is why he said the things which I do shall you do and more, because I go to my Father. After he went to his Father, he could then send his Ghost upon us.......for God gave Jesus the power God has.

Jesus is our God. It is his soul in us. Jesus lives inside me. It is the HOLY GHOST.

I will never deny this HOLY GHOST......FOR JESUS DIED TO GIVE IT TO ME.

People wake up! quit listening to carnal minds taking away your glory, your truth from you. Listen! If you have the Holy Ghost in you, It is Jesus Christ living inside you, in ghost form.

He had to die so it would be his ghost. the disembodied soul of a dead person. It did not come from the Father, for the Father never died.....indeed cannot die. So he is never said to have a Holy Ghost. His is the Holy Spirit.

Of course all of you who believe they are one and same person, or a trinity, of equal beings, you have no chance of seeing this great and wonderful truth.

Paul said it is CHRIST .......IN....YOU.......THE OR YOUR HOPE OF GLORY.

thank you Lord Jesus for giving me your Ghost to teach me your thoughts!

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