The Hebrew and Greek words for “spirit” have the basic meaning of “invisible force.”

The inspired prophet Isaiah said that God’s “spirit” would rest upon the future Servant-Messiah, and that this “spirit” would be a “spirit” of wisdom, understanding, counsel, mightiness, knowledge, and deep respect for God. (Isaiah 11:1-2)

In that context, “spirit” means “attitude,” “disposition,” “deepest thoughts,” or “inclination.” The Apostle Paul used “spirit” in the same way several times in his inspired letters to the early congregations.

For example, Romans 8:15 says “You did not receive a spirit of slavery causing fear again, but you received a spirit of adoption as sons.” 1 Corinthians 4:21 says “Shall I come to you with…mildness of spirit?”

The best example I can think of is 1 Corinthians 2:11-12, where Paul says that God’s “spirit” is just like a human’s “spirit” inside, and that it is by this inner “spirit” that a person examines his own thoughts. This “spirit” is not a separate person but is a part of yourself, your deepest thoughts or attitude.

Paul uses “spirit” in a different way in 1 Corinthians 14:14-16, where he uses that word to mean either his deepest feelings and emotions or the invisible “soul” that resides inside.

James, the brother of the Lord Jesus, said that “the body without the spirit is dead.” (James 2:26) Here, James is using the word “spirit” just like Solomon did in Ecclesiastes 12:7, referring to the invisible inner “breath of life” or “soul” (Genesis 2:7) that God has placed inside living beings which keeps them alive.

Over and over again in the entire Bible, we can see the word “spirit” referring either to (1) the deepest thoughts/attitude of a person, (2) the inner emotions, or (3) the “breath of life” that God uses to keep us alive.

The word “spirit” also can mean the nature of existence or the nature of a body which is different from humans (i.e., invisible, has no flesh and blood, etc.) This is why demons and angels, God, and Jesus are all called “spirit” in the Bible.

Tradition within Christianity causes many Bible translators to overlook or ignore the context of a verse, and render the vast majority of “spirit” references as being “The Holy Spirit,” “the Third Person of the Holy Trinity.” But, as you can clearly see, we should always look closely at the context to get our beliefs correct.