Definition
Πνεῦμα (Greek: πνεῦμα) means literally ‘breath’, ‘wind’, or ‘spirit’ and is the central New Testament term for both the Holy Spirit and the human spirit. The distinction between these two referents — marked in Greek by capitalization — forms a hermeneutical ground principle in the corpus. The Holy Spirit (πνεῦμα ἅγιον) is the third Person of the Trinity; the human spirit is the receptive organ through which the believer receives God’s presence. John 3:6 confirms the distinction: “That which is born of the Spirit is spirit” — two referents in one sentence.
Usage in the Corpus
E.W. Bullinger
Bullinger notes that πνεῦμα occurs exactly fourteen times in the Revelation — a multiple of 7, the number of spiritual perfection: “Spirit, 14 times, Πνεῦμα, 1:10, 2:7,17,29, 3:1,6,13,22, 4:5, 5:6, 11:11, 14:13, 22:17.” This is for him empirical evidence that the Holy Spirit, as active author, determined the word frequencies of Scripture. Spiritually significant words always appear in multiples of 7, and the presence of πνεῦμα in the Apocalypse confirms both the verbal-literal inspiration and the eschatological significance of the Spirit’s ministry. Bullinger anchors this in 2Pet. 1:21: the writers of Scripture were “moved by the Holy Spirit.” [Bullinger, Number in Scripture, Pt. I, Ch. II]
Watchman Nee & Witness Lee
For Nee/Lee, the twofold referent of πνεῦμα is the pneumatological ground axiom. The human spirit is the Holy of Holies of the threefold composition (body–soul–spirit): “We are tripartite: our body corresponds to the outer court, our soul to the holy place, and our human spirit to the Holy of Holies, which is the actual dwelling place of Christ and God’s presence.” The Holy Spirit and the human spirit are then “mingled together as one spirit” (1Cor. 6:17) — a union without identification: “We are one spirit with the Lord, but one that is clearly mingled with the Holy Spirit. Such a mingled spirit makes it difficult for someone to say whether this is the Holy Spirit or the human spirit. The two are mingled as one.” [Nee/Lee, The Economy of God, Ch. 3]
Stephen Jones
Jones emphasizes the transition Pentecost marks in the dwelling of πνεῦμα — from external (fire on Mount Sinai) to internal (fire upon the disciples): “The essential difference is that the fiery presence of God was no longer external on a mountain, but now internal within men. Moreover, God did not accept the Pentecost offering by fire in the temple. Instead, He accepted the disciples themselves and the offering on the altar of their hearts.” The believer is thereby the new temple of πνεῦμα (1Cor. 3:16), marking a structural change in the economy of God’s presence. [Jones, The Laws of the Second Coming, Ch. 1]