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Thy Free Spirit
Q: In Psalm 51:12, what does 'free' Spirit mean?
A: Psalm 51 is a wonderful Psalm of repentance and faith, composed by David after his fall into sin with Bathsheba and his restoration under the care of the prophet Nathan [see 2 Kings 11:1-12:15].
Three times in three verses [51:10-12] David refers to the Lord's Spirit:
... renew a right Spirit within me...
... take not Thy holy Spirit from me...
... uphold me with Thy free Spirit...
These are three different ways of describing the person and work of the Holy Spirit. He is the Right or Steadfast Spirit who gives us steadfast faith; He is the Holy Spirit who makes us holy, and He is the Free Spirit who frees us from fear and the compulsion of the law.
This month's “Ask the Pastor” question has to do with that last reference: what does 'free' spirit mean? The Hebrew word King David used is Navib, which means “inclined, generous, noble.” Some different English versions capture these meanings:
“...a willing spirit...” [New International and English Standard Version]
“...Your generous spirit...” [New King James Version]
“... a princely spirit...” [Luther's German translated]
Luther explains what the word means as follows:
The term navib means “prince.” Therefore our translator rendered this as “a princely spirit.” But undoubtedly nebibah comes from the verb nadab and means “willing, spontaneous, also wishing and willing and courageously undertaking something.” Such a spirit is a gift of God, by which the mind is filled so that we are not frightened by Satan and the world, a spirit that undertakes something not by the compulsion of some law but by a voluntary desire to do good.
Martin Luther, Commentary on Psalm 51
Luther's Works, 12.384
And so, when we pray “uphold me with Thy free Spirit,” we are asking God to give us the freedom that comes from the forgiveness of sins, that we would serve God and love our neighbor freely, not under threats or by compulsion, but with a free and merry heart.
How fitting it is, then, that we use this Psalm in the offertory in our Sunday service [we sing Psalm 51:10-12]. After hearing God in the sermon speak to us in law and Gospel, we take upon our lips David's prayer that God would give us His Holy Spirit with His gifts that come from His cross: forgiveness, a holy life, and the freedom that comes from sins forgiven. So we “might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our life.” [St Luke 1:74-75, the Benedictus]
You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another through love. [Galatians 5:13]
For further study concerning the freedom of a Christian:
St John 8:31-38; Galatians 4:24-5:1; 1 Peter 2:15-16