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This is actually a mistranslation, which the King james is full of...The Bible says that God is [a] spirit? What does this mean to you? What are the attributes of a spirit? Can God be both spirit and anything else?
Not at all, God the Father and his son Jesus Christ have exalted immortal tangible bodies.In no way does anyone that I know believe that the Father Almighty God has a physical body as you or I do. That almost belittles the Almighty in a way..To say that God Almighty, in His most Perfect State, has a body just as you or I is bringing the Almighty down to our level. God cannot be confined in any way. He is far exalted above our human understanding of Him.
The Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit is an extension of God the Father's love, power and presence.There is a trinity made up of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. All of these are separate, and all are one. Like the parts to a tire (to use a crude example). Together they're called the three Godhead. So God is not necessarily a spirit. He is supernatural, and beyond our comprehension.
A spirit is a force that influences the will of people. A spirit can be an anonymous force responsible for the atmosphere in a meeting of people, or for the mood within a person, it can also be as personal as the spirit of other people who shape our daily actions. It is called a spirit because it relates not to matter but to mind, soul, and feelings. Spirits can be loving, harmless or dangerous, fleeting or powerful, discreet or haunting, helping or hurting. They can inhabitate places, memories, books, or people.
The most important fact about spirits is that they have to obey the commands of Christ. If we feel under the power of a spirit we do not want, we can command the spirit to leave in the name of Christ since we are His people, and the devil's forces have no power over Christians unless they cooperate. It may be simply a matter of a single command spoken in trust of God, or it may be a spiritual battle (Eph. 6:10-17) where we need to draw closer to God in faith and let go of attachments to passing values (1 Tim. 6:6-12).
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t is dangerous to play with the powers of the spirits since, in this way, we give the devil an easy way to irritate us, mislead us, and finally lead us astray. Instead, we should ask God for discernment that we learn to recognize the spirit that is of God and help us to grow and become strong in love and faith. 2 Tim 1:8;
Deadly spirits make it easygoing initially, and take their toll later when resistance has become weak. It is like drugs that promise heaven for free but ruin the life of those who trusted and became dependent. The devil's spirits dress like a spirit of light, but in the long run cause death (Rom. 6:16-23).
God's spirit may be demanding initially, but prepares you for a life of quality and freedom, and develops your personality and your abilities so that life becomes easier and more fruitful as you cooperate with them. God's spirit is like a loving teacher who shows you what is true and what is worth doing (John 14:26), and the results are such that you'll not regret your efforts (Gal. 5:16-26).
Arnold Neumaier
John 4:24 (King James Version)This is actually a mistranslation, which the King james is full of...
Many beliefs about God are based upon this one mistranslated scripture.
John 4: 24 (King James)
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in Truth.
Joseph Smith inspired version of the same verse
For unto such hath God promised his Spirit. And they who worship him, must worship in spirit and in truth.
As you can see this scripture was butchered by man.
"The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as mans" ~Joseph Smith~
if God were to make himself visible, you would see him like a man in formlike yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man
~Joseph Smith~
Could you give me some examples other than John 4:24 in which He is described as a spirit only?When God is described in the Bible it is always as a spirit...
You have missed my point entirely. This is not a debate on whether God has a physical body or not. It's a debate on what a spirit is. Can you tell me what it means to be a spirit?Here is something from Got Questions.org:
Question: "Does God have a physical body?"
Answer: Both the Bible and good philosophy report that God is non-physical - spirit. In John 4:24 it is said that God is spirit (see also Luke 24:39; Romans 1:20; Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17). This is why no material thing was to be used to represent God (Exodus 20:4). But this can also be shown by reflecting on what God is. Philosophically the same truth comes through. All that is created is necessarily finite and limited. But the first cause (God) is uncreated, and therefore must be non-finite, or infinite. That which is beyond the finite must, by definition, be infinite, and the Bible states that God is beyond creation (1 Kings 8:27; Job 11:7-9; Isaiah 66:1-2; Colossians 1:17). That which is physical cannot be infinite - for you cannot add finite parts together until they reach infinity. Therefore God is spirit as opposed to physical/material in His Being. This does not mean He cannot localize a physical appearance. God is not composed of matter nor any other imaginable substance. He also cannot be measured, is not spatial, and has no true location (presence is a different concept).
Knowing this truth can help us understand the metaphorical speech often used to describe God or, more often, God's actions in Scripture. In the case of God, once all finitude is negated from a statement, what is left is what is actually true. If nothing is left, then it is a pure metaphor. Some metaphors use attributes from creation itself (2 Samuel 22:3). Others use mans attributes (anthropomorphism - Deuteronomy 33:27). In this way we can go from what we know by experience to what we know through the metaphors. For example, when Scripture describes God's mighty arm we know that arms are by definition limited - but might is not. So God's mighty arm is actually unlimited power to act (what we call omnipotence). When Scripture describes God's mind, we know that minds are limited, but knowledge is not. God's mind is actually His infinite knowledge (what we call omniscience).
There were times in the Bible when God appeared in a physical body in order to be seen by men in a form which they could perceive without danger to themselves. Because God said, No man can see me and live (Exodus 33:20), He chose at certain times to reveal Himself in human form. These occurrences are called theophanies (Genesis 12:7-9; 18:1-33; 32:22-30). Every theophany wherein God takes on human form foreshadows the incarnation, where God took the form of a man to live among us as Emmanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23).
I'd say awareness. But I'd also say that it's a life force....Awareness. That is all.