In this series of messages, we are still on the general subject of the Christian life. In order for us to experience the Christian life, we surely need to know God, the Lord, Christ, as the Spirit. Also, we have to know that for us to enjoy this Spirit, we have a spirit within us.
From my youth I have loved the Bible, and I have studied it for years. I have found that we can study the Bible in two ways. One way is to study it according to the letter and another way is to study it in the Spirit. Paul said, "The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Cor. 3:6). We want to know the Lord's word, not just by the letter but by the Spirit. The unique writer of the Bible is the Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21; 2 Sam. 23:2). Throughout the years we have released many messages on the Spirit as the consummation of the Triune God. But we have the burden once again to see the Christian life from its very foundation, and the foundation of the Christian life is the Spirit with our spirit.
The general subject of this series of messages is not "The Spirit and Our Spirit" but "The Spirit with Our Spirit." We do not use the conjunction and but the preposition with. Romans 8:16 says, "The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit." With is a preposition, and it is instrumental. If we say the Spirit and our spirit, this is a compound subject. Our spirit is not the subject and should not be the subject. Our spirit is the helper. If I do things with you, you are not the subject but the instrument. You are my helper. Our spirit is not the subject. The subject must be the Spirit.
In Ezekiel 37 the Hebrew word ruach is used to refer to the Spirit (v. 1), breath (v. 5), and wind (v. 9). The way in which ruach is translated depends on the context of the sentence or paragraph.
In the New Testament, the Greek word pneuma may be translated also as Spirit (John 3:5-6), breath (Rev. 11:11), or wind (John 3:8). We know that pneuma is the wind in John 3:8 because "the wind blows." Revelation 11:11 also uses pneuma when speaking of the resurrection of the two martyred witnesses. It says "the breath [pneuma] of life out of God entered into them." Some translate this as "the Spirit of life." Second Thessalonians 2:8 says that the Lord will slay Antichrist, the lawless one, "by the breath of His mouth." The word breath here is also the Greek word pneuma.