What is the difference between the Holy Spirit and Holy Ghost?
Answered from the commentary of A. J. Pollock, C. E. Stuart, The Bible Treasury and 2 others
There is no difference between the Holy Spirit and the Holy Ghost: both names refer to the same divine Person. “Holy Ghost” is an older English rendering of the word translated “Spirit”; in ordinary language “ghost” may suggest a disembodied spirit, but here it names the Holy Spirit.
Verses: John 14:16, John 14:17, John 14:26, John 15:26, John 16:13, Acts 2:4, 1 Corinthians 12:4, 1 Corinthians 12:5, 1 Corinthians 12:6, 1 Corinthians 12:7, 1 Corinthians 12:8, 1 Corinthians 12:9, 1 Corinthians 12:10, 1 Corinthians 12:11, 2 Corinthians 3:17
The above is AI generated summary based on the writers below.
What the commentators say
The passages the answer is drawn from, the most direct first, with the words that bear on the question marked.
The description of the Holy Spirit as the Holy Ghost is only found in the New Testament. A ghost in ordinary language is understood to be a disembodied spirit, a disembodied personality. Probably that was the reason which induced the translators of the Bible from the original Scriptures to adopt the expression, Holy Ghost, as the equivalent of pneuma (word, spirit).
In our two quotations above the word translated ‘ghost' is pneuma, which means ‘spirit'.
πνεῦμα, 'spirit' Matt. 27:50; John 19:30. The word 'ghost' is used in the A.V. only in reference to the Holy Spirit (see HOLY GHOST), and to death, by the 'ghost' being given up, or the spirit or life being breathed out.
A. ― The Holy Ghost is God ― a Divine person. When God, as such, without reference to the persons of the Godhead is addressed in prayer, it includes the Spirit, with the Father, and the Son. In the New Testament prayer is spoken of, not as "to," but "in" the Holy Ghost. (See such passages as Eph. 6:18, Jude 20, Rom. 8:26-27.)
The Holy Spirit is God, as the Father is God, and the Son is God, in the Unity of the Godhead, of One Substance, One in knowledge, counsel, will, purpose. We are obliged in speaking of them together to put their names in a certain order. Scripture gives the order in baptism, that those baptised are baptised in the name (not names) of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. (Matt. 28:19). But we must be careful not to make any distinction in the Persons of the Godhead in the way of One being more prominent than the Other.
On the contrary, Scripture repeatedly refers to the Holy Ghost as a Person.
When God chose to reveal Himself to mankind, He inspired men to commit His communications to writing. There is always a difficulty, in using the vehicle of human language, of giving full expression to Divine thoughts. Human language is designed to meet the needs and thoughts of men, and is bounded by time and sense. Divine thoughts, on the other hand, take a range far beyond the spheres of time and sense. To meet this difficulty the Spirit of God has often stamped words, familiar to man in his ordinary speech, with a new and higher meaning. This was so with the words ruach (wind, spirit) and pneuma (wind, spirit). Quite plainly these words are often used in Scripture to designate a Person—the Holy Spirit of God. There is no difficulty in recognizing this in the Scriptures.
It is admitted that “it” referring to the Holy Ghost, is used in certain cases, for throughout Scripture He takes the place of Servant; hence by Him believers worship the Father and the Son, but Scripture never speaks of the Holy Ghost being worshipped or invoked in prayer, though nonetheless a Divine Person, co-equal with the Father and the Son—yet ONE GOD. By Him all true worship and prayer are addressed to the Father and the Son.
The Spirit, to pneuma, the Holy Spirit, to pneuma to Hagion, seldom to Hagion pneuma, but very frequently, pneuma Hagion, is the Person in the Godhead mentioned last in order wherever the three are named (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14).
1876 75 etc. The Spirit, to pneuma, the Holy Spirit, to pneuma to hagion, seldom to Hagion pneuma, but very frequently, pneuma Hagion, is the Person in the Godhead mentioned last in order wherever the three are named (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14).
Verses
- John 14:16–1716And I will beg the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, that he may be with you for ever, 17the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see him nor know him; but ye know him, for he abides with you, and shall be in you.
- John 14:26but the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and will bring to your remembrance all the things which I have said to you.
- John 15:26But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes forth from with the Father, he shall bear witness concerning me;
- John 16:13But when he is come, the Spirit of truth, he shall guide you into all the truth for he shall not speak from himself; but whatsoever he shall hear he shall speak; and he will announce to you what is coming.
- Acts 2:4And they were all filled with [the] Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave to them to speak forth.
- 1 Corinthians 12:4–114But there are distinctions of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5and there are distinctions of services, and the same Lord; 6and there are distinctions of operations, but the same God who operates all things in all. 7But to each the manifestation of the Spirit is given for profit. 8For to one, by the Spirit, is given [the] word of wisdom; and to another [the] word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit; 9and to a different one faith, in [the power of] the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healing in [the power of] the same Spirit; 10and to another operations of miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another discerning of spirits; and to a different one kinds of tongues; and to another interpretation of tongues. 11But all these things operates the one and the same Spirit, dividing to each in particular according as he pleases.