PERSONALITY OF GOD - 2

SUBSTANCE OF GOD IS SPIRIT

 

 

In the necessary analyzation of the meaning of spirit, a number of things come to the attention of the careful student of the Scriptures:

1.     The substantiality of God is expressed by the word spirit (John 4:24). Since the noun, "spirit," is without the definite article, then nature, essence, and substance is under consideration. In the Scriptures the word spirit is the name given to that thing which is the metaphysical source out of which person­ality in God or men comes. The word spirit is not synonymous with personality on the one hand, but it is vitally associated with personality on the other. Since personality is a group of functions, it follows that there can be no functions with­out something to function. And that thing which functions is the substance called spirit.

2.      The spirituality of God centers in the very nature of spirit. The word spirituality is not used in the usual sense of referring to that which belongs to and is governed by the Spirit, but rather in the sense of the substantive spirit. The spirit is substance, differing from material substance on the human and natural level. Matter is a substance manifesting itself directly to the bodily senses. But the substance of spirit manifests itself to men directly in self-consciousness (1 Cor. 2:14), and only inferentially by words and signs and various means of expression.

3.   The immateriality of God that is, not made out of material sub­stance is declared in respect to spirit. When Christ appeared in the upper room following His resurrection, the disciples feared, imagining that they had seen a spirit (Luke 24:37). But Christ hastened to correct them in order to quiet their fears. He said, "For a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have" (Luke 24:39). This means that the substance of spirit is immaterial. Men who are created beings, and are made of material substance such as flesh and bones, are to be differentiated entirely from God who is pure spirit. Since He is not composed of material elements, He is not subjected to the limitations of material existence.

4.   The existence lacking a physical body or existing solely as a spirit of God is also another aspect of spirit. Corpore­ality means extent, shape, and parts like a body. Therefore, Christ further in­formed the disciples in the upper room, "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself" (Luke 24:39). This was His way of saying that a spirit is not made up of bodily parts, such as hands or feet or side. There are no elements, organs, or divisions of spirit. The substance of spirit is characterized by simplicity, purity and unchanging essence.

5.   The state of existence without feeling or consciousness of God is also another aspect of spirit. This means that pure spirit cannot be apprehended or examined by the bodily senses. In proof of this, Christ urged the disciples, "handle me, and see" (Luke 24:39). The word handle is used in the sense of exploring with the fingers to discover through the physical senses the fact that He possessed material and physical elements. The apprehension of the things of the spirit must come through another means (1 Cor. 2:10-12), and not through the eye or ear, or any one of the other bodily senses (1 Cor. 2:9).

6.     The invisibility of God is another clear characteristic of spirit re­lated to sense experience. "No man hath seen God at any time" (John 1:18). The reason for this lies in the fact that God is spirit, and spirit cannot be appre­hended by the senses. The invisible things of God are manifested through cre­ated things (Rom. 1:20). But God Himself continues to remain invisible (1 Tim. 1:17). Christ, as the image of the invisible God, became incarnate in human flesh and thus brought God within the grasp of men (Col. 1:15; John 1:14). But the Father and the Spirit continue to dwell in "light which no man can ap­proach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see..." (1 Tim. 6:16).

7.     The personality of God is the essential and important aspect of spirit. When, in post-exilic days, Zechariah was voicing the message of God to Israel, he sought to encourage them in the face of their problems by reference to the Spirit. "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord" (Zech.4:6). In this statement, material power and impersonal influence are excluded as a way to effect revival. The only way is by "my spirit." Though this has reference to another member of the Godhead as a person, yet by the same token, it empha­sizes divine essence and especially the personality of spirit. Over and over again, both in the Old and the New Testaments, the personality of the spirit is asserted.