I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you.

Ezekiel 36:25-29

There seems to be some sort of distinction being drawn in the above passage between the spirit given and the Spirit of God, even from the way the editors of the NIV have chosen to change the capitalization between the two. But here’s a question: even if the nature of the spirits is different, does it matter?

The source, in either case, is God. If we have received from him the internal power, the breath, the motivating energy to do what he wants us to do, we should treat that gift with honor and respect.

In the case of Christian believers, we have been told by Jesus and the Apostles that Jesus’ own Holy Spirit does indeed dwell among us! Knowing this, we can’t help but to honor His presence. We know that we are cleansed, we are blessed we have abundance and hope and we have the Holy Spirit with us as a deposit of the future Glory.

Ethan Kirl