Part R - Broadening spiritual horizons
Why perish for lack of understanding?
Has anyone explained to you, what exactly is “spirit”? What does it do? Where does it reside? What is it composed of? Is the definition of “man’s spirit” different compared to the meaning of the “spirit of an angel or Spirit of God”? What about the name “spirit” as a non-physical entity? Is God’s Spirit, known as the Holy Spirit, different person (different entity) separate from God? Is God really three different individual beings, but all with the same purpose, as majority of Christian churches teach?
Does Bible give us enough information to make head and tail of this complex and confusing subject? These and many other questions will be investigated in this part. The main objective of the enemy of God is to confuse us, throw us off the right track, and make us doubt (distrust) God and His word. When it comes to things involving the word “SPIRIT” or things concerning spiritual matters these spirits are masters in deception and misrepresentation.
Today we have many churches practicing “getting into the Spirit” (prime example Pentecostal churches). This getting in contact with the Spirit is known to us better as “speaking in tongues”. Many Christian believers are doing it, and are fully convinced, that they are being filled with the Holy Spirit.
What exactly it means to be filled with God’s Spirit and how is it apparent or demonstrable in each and every believer? Is the evidence of the presence of the Spirit in believer displayed in babbling nonsense and artificially created emotionally heightened state of person’s mind? Is that how we get filled with the Holy Spirit?
On the other hand, sometime we are confronted with demon or devil possession. Many evil deeds committed by bad persons are ascribed to people as being possessed by the evil spirit. Many times we hear excuse “devil made me do it,” and sometimes even “God told me to do it”.
To be able to make coherent sense of this subject and gain at least some understanding of all these spirits and spiritual influences or possessions, let us first review what the majority of Christian churches teach on this subject and how is the spirit perceived by them.
1) God and God’s Spirit known as the Holy Spirit:
Vast majority of Christian churches teach that the Holy Spirit is non-physical entity, and that He is the third person of the Godhead - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit exists in the form of a Spirit in spiritual realm (heaven) as well as in physical realm (this world).
2) Spirits known as God’s angels:
Again they are non-physical entities living in spiritual realm called heaven, able to exist in physical realm in the form of a spirit, or when necessary to take on, for a period of time, physical form. They are able to take possession of (take control of) a person or even an animal.
3) Spirits known as fallen angels or demons:
Many churches do not differentiate too much between them. Yet, there is a difference between fallen angel and demon. That would be a subject on a different study. However, not much difference is between their spirits. Many churches teach that they exist in spiritual realm called hell, as well as in physical realm, in this world. They are also able to take possession of (take control of) a person or even an animal. However, they are somehow being prevented (at least up to now) to take on a physical form.
4) Man’s spirit:
Majority of Christian churches teach that each person is composed of body, soul, and the spirit. Body is our physical shell we reside in. There is no discrepancy on this point.
Some teach that the soul is our whole being. Other churches teach, that the soul is our mind. It is our intellectual and emotional faculty of the brain. Sometime we call it “heart”. Example: I wonder what is in his heart? What we are really saying is: I wonder what he thinks and feels? Often we differentiate between intellectual faculty, which we call mind and emotional faculty, which we call heart. Here we are already creating confusion. Then some believe that the soul is like our spirit.
Then some churches teach that further down in our mind reside the spirit. Some view it as God given animating force residing in all living creatures, others consider spirit as our soul residing in the innermost of our being.
In a nutshell, these are the beliefs of most Christian churches. Are they reliable or not? Are they true or false?
God:
What do we know and what can we learn from the Bible about God and His creation?
God is a non-physical entity,
John 4:24: God is spirit, ...
who, to us unknown eons ago, created at least two different realms, to us known as two different dimensions.
Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Notice that the word “heavens” is in plural. It represents our heavens (sky - stars, galaxies, universe) but also heavens where angels abide. These two dimensions are known to us as the spiritual realm (spiritual dimension including heaven and hell) and the physical realm (our existing universe).
God Himself, however, did not originate from any of these two dimensions. Where He resided before creating these two realms, we simply don’t know.
The non-physical dimension, where angels abide, was created first. When God created spiritual universe (spiritual realm), He also created all angels. Angels are non-physical entities composed most likely of some kind of energy visible in spiritual realm. They are discernable or recognizable as beings consisting of light.
Ezek 1:13-14 The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it. The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning.
In our reckoning of time, the age of angels may possibly be measured in billions of years.
Rev.20:2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
However, they are not immortal. As they had their beginning, since they were created by God,
Eze.28:13-15 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.
so can God also end their existence.
Eze.28:19 All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.
Do not be misled into believing that angels cannot die or cannot cease to exist.
1 Tim.6:15-16 ...God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see.
Only God is immortal. Fallen angels, demons, as well as the wicked will eventually perish (will cease to exist) after the white throne judgment, when they are thrown into the lake of fire which is the second death. Expression “for ever and ever” would be more precise “for as long as it takes”.
Rev.20:10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Rev.20:14-15: Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
It seems that in spiritual dimension, concept of time as we know it, as a steady and constant flow from the past to present and future, is somewhat different. Time is there, we could say to some extent elastic. Long segments of our time can be perceived there as a moment and short one as a very long time. Nevertheless, some semblance of time even in spiritual realm exists.
The verse which follows, pertains mainly to the Lord. As we will find very shortly, it has somewhat different meaning than what we are discussing here, but in my opinion, it indicates also at least partly, how the time is perceived in spiritual dimension.
2 Pet.3:8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
All angels are spirits (non-physical beings). However, the spirit which is in these spirits (angels) is their own mind. Their thoughts, aspirations, desires, feelings, the knowledge, the emotional and intellectual faculties (powers of their mind), all this is forming them into a spiritual body visible as some kind of light which in fact is their mind and at the same time it is their spirit. Therefore, they are called spirits (angels).
Heb.1:14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
Fallen spirits and demons are able to posses and influence to a lesser or a greater degree our own minds and can even reside in us (in our minds). When they reside in us, we call it possession. For most part however, the fallen spirits or the demons are only trying to influence our thinking, to achieve on this earth their goals and plans, or they are tempting us to succumb to various desires. This way they are attempting to control us, and with many, they are to a lesser or a greater degree quite successful, without us realizing it. Their influence on our own thoughts allows them to lead us to act according to their own agenda. For the spirits to be able to achieve their goals in physical world, they have to control and influence creatures or people living in this physical dimension. Because they are non-physical beings, they cannot do it themselves. Rather, they have to lead physical beings to do it for them. However, the major objective of these evil spirits is to prevent us from turning and siding with God.
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God Himself is also a non-physical entity, but quite different when compared to angels. He lives in unapproachable light.
1 Tim.6:15-16 ...God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see.
Even so God resides presently in spiritual realm which we call heaven, He did not originate from there. After creating it, He only took residence there. He could not originate from there simply because before creating it, the spiritual dimension was not existing. Time is coming, when God will be residing also among men in physical realm on the New earth.
Rev.21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.
For angels to see Him, and to be able to make Himself known more fully to spiritual beings in the spiritual dimension, before creating it, God took on Himself the appearance (shape, form) of a Spirit.
John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
I have heard some claim, that first God created the Word (Logos). It’s obvious that those who claim it, do not know God as they should. The Word is the only non-created entity in the spiritual and physical realm.
In the beginning, God doesn’t create Himself, rather He becomes the Word (Logos). God is taking appearance (taking form or shape) of a Spirit (a non-physical entity). As I have mentioned above, I am convinced that He became Spirit in the spirit form for the sole benefit of soon to be created spiritual realm filled with spiritual beings (angels), so they could see Him and communicate with Him. Before being Logos (the Word) in the Spirit form , we just don’t know in what kind of form God existed, because our finite minds cannot perceive the realm of nothing or even something other then physical and spiritual dimension. But it is in this Spirit form named “the Word” (Logos), when He creates everything - spiritual realm as well as the physical universe.
John 1:3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
With the material world, it is the same. Due to man’s fall into a sin, and for God to reveal Himself to fallen mankind more fully, God took the physical appearance in the physical realm, in the form of a man known as God’s son - Jesus Christ. Now this is important: God could have become man instantly, but instead, He is choosing to be born into the family of mankind same way as any other of us, with the exception of Adam and Eve.
There are a number of reasons why God choose to be born rather than become man instantly. This would be a subject for a different study.
John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
Notice again that the Bible does not claim that the Word created His son (flesh) as some believers claim. Rather again the Word becomes flesh. Same way as God eons ago became the Word (Logos) in a Spirit form, so the Word (Logos) 2000 years ago became physical being (man) through the process of ordinary birth.
God always existed. In the eternity past, He existed in realm for us unknown and most likely in unknown shape. That was in time, when spiritual and physical universes didn’t exist yet. Therefore there is no point of speculating about it. Before He begun creating these realms He took on the form of the Spirit and became God the Word (Logos).
It is quite possible that when He became the Word (Logos) and took the form of the Spirit, God may have not ended His prior existence in that unknown shape. While He became visible and recognizable in spiritual universe as the Word (Logos), it is my opinion that at the same time, He still remains the same God in that for us unknown realm and in that unknown original form. I am basing it on the fact that when God the Word became Jesus Christ, He didn’t end His prior existence as God the Word (Logos), but continues His being, now as our heavenly Father and also as his son Jesus Christ.
God’s existence in these last two forms or shapes, in physical world as man Jesus Christ (the son of God), and in spiritual world as the Word - Logos (the Spirit), are only and solely for the benefit of His created beings. Without them we would not have awareness of God and our existence would not be possible.
1st ) Before there was anything, we know nothing about God to speculate. Since at that time, there was no spiritual universe (it was not created yet) God could not reside in it and consequently had to reside somewhere else. Same would apply to His appearance. There was no need yet to take on the form of a Spirit (since spiritual universe was nonexistent), therefore His form was different and to us unknown.
2nd ) For the benefit of the spiritual beings God exists now in the spiritual realm and in the spiritual form (in the appearance of a Spirit). He lives in unimaginable and unapproachable light, where no man can approach Him and see Him . In this form He is visible to angels and can be approached by them. He is known to us as God the Word (Logos) and after Jesus’ birth and activity on the earth as our Heavenly Father. In appearance, light many times brighter than sun radiates from Him. For us, sinful human beings, He is in this Spirit form like consuming fire and none of us sinners can approach or see Him and remain alive. (Moses saw only His back).
Exo.33:20 But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live."
Exo.33:23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen."
3rd ) In physical world the same God appeared to us as a man, Jesus Christ. Everyone could approach and see Him. In this physical form, for the sake of salvation of mankind, Jesus voluntarily subjected Himself to the will of God the Word - now called His heavenly Father. In this physical form, the divine nature of Christ was hidden in His Spirit, which He gave up and set aside for our sake, so we may partake of it and share with Him eternal life. That is why Jesus became now and for ever God’s son in human form, subjected to His Father. His divine Spirit which He gave up for us, is known better to us as the Holy Spirit.
John 7:39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
We, and that includes also the angels, can never comprehend God fully.
Job 11:7-8 "Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens--what can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the grave --what can you know?
Isa.55:8-9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD."As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
His attributes and qualities are not measurable. They have no limits and no boundaries. No matter how hard we try, we absolutely cannot comprehend them fully. We call them infinite values. God’s wisdom is unmeasurable. There is no end to His knowledge and understanding.
Prov.3:19 By wisdom the LORD laid the earth's foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place;
Jer.51:15 "He made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
God is all wise, all knowing, and all powerful.
Rev.4:11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."
By using His will (mind), God created everything from nothing, and all exists just because God still wills (wishes) it to exist.
Jer.10:12 But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
God’s infinite wisdom and understanding is giving existence from nothing (only through His will - only through the power of His mind) to everything what is, what we see and what we are. (See “Part Q - God’s creation”). As we are making things by using our hands, tools and machines, God makes things (creates things) by using His mind (by willing it into an existence). Notice that God creates everything by His will or by the power of His mind.
What is God’s mind?
Gen.1:2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
We know that God created the heavens and the earth by the power of His mind (by His will) when He was in the Spirit form (shape, appearance). The Spirit of God that was hovering over the waters, can then mean or signify only two things:
1st ) It is God Himself in the form of the Spirit (the Word, Logos) who is hovering over the waters (His form #2)
2nd ) If it is the Spirit of God the Word ( Logos) who is hovering over the waters (and that is precisely what the Bible states), than it cannot be anything else but only God’s infinitely powerful mind. Since through the power of His mind He creates everything, His all-powerful mind (His Spirit) is hovering over the waters.
Same way in the verse below: “My Spirit” (God’s Spirit) represents “my mind” (God’s mind).
Gen.6:3 Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal ; his days will be a hundred and twenty years."
God’s infinite and all-powerful mind is His Spirit and God’s Spirit is His mind. As man’s spirit is not a person or some individual being, same way God’s Spirit is not some third entity or individual being as well.
1 Cor.2:16: "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.
The word “mind” and the word “Spirit” are here interchangeable. We can read it as: For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the Spirit of Christ.
Same way it is with the last part of verse 11:
1 Cor.2:11: ...In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
It can be read as: In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the mind of God.
Expression “Holy Spirit” is synonymous with the expression “God’s Spirit.”
Expression “God’s Spirit” is synonymous with the expression “Christ’s Spirit.”
Expression “Christ’s Spirit” is synonymous with the expression “Christ’s mind.”
Expression “Christ’s mind” is synonymous with the expression “God’s mind.”
All of them are one and the same!
In short God’s Spirit is in reality power of God’s mind. The sum of all God’s thinking - His thoughts, His will, His plans, intentions, views, knowledge, wisdom, strength, and also all His emotions and feelings (love, peace, joy, anger, wrath), all that together forms God’s infinitely powerful mind,
which is in fact God’s Spirit.
When we understand this, it becomes obvious that the Holy Spirit is not another entity or a third personage of the Godhead, as majority of churches teach. In short:
The Holy Spirit is not another person of God, rather is part of God.
Same way as our spirit belongs to us and is part of us, the Holy Spirit belongs to God and Jesus Christ and is part of them.
Is God then the three different beings each living independently, only with the same purpose as Christian churches teach?
After grasping what was said above, the answer has to be - NO!
1 Cor.8:6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
Why is it, that most of Christian believers do not believe God’s word? Did not Jesus Himself proclaim?:
John 10:30: I and the Father are one."
Only one God exists and one God’s son - Jesus Christ
God is also omnipresent. His mind (His Spirit) is present everywhere at the same time. Not only in this world, but everywhere, wherever His creation stretches, God can be present simultaneously. The same applies for the spiritual dimension as well. However, His presence - presence of His mind (His Spirit), can be withdrawn from any or all parts of His creation any time He chooses. I believe that the spiritual part of the realm where demons are held in prison for judgment, is the place where the presence of God (presence of His Spirit - mind) is withdrawn. In not too distant future, the presence of God’s Spirit (His mind) will be withdrawn for a short time also from this earth.
2 Th.2:7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.
There are some misguided believers, who claim that God is present in everything He created. They believe, that He is present in the plants, in the trees, in all creatures and in all people. There is a big difference between being present everywhere, compared to being present in everything. Just because God made all things by the power of His mind or by His Spirit and they are being sustained by His will, it does not mean, that God is in them.
Let’s say, a person created some computer program for a computer game. This person does not become part of that computer program, just because he created it, nor is he present inside the game, even while playing it. Same way God, His mind or His Spirit is not present in the things He created.
God is also omniscient. He is all-knowing, and there is nothing, He would not be aware of.
1 John 3:20: ...For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
This God’s knowledge of all does not pertains only to the present or the past, but also to the future.
Isa.42:9 See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you."
When God created spiritual and physical universe, He did not create only space - three-dimensional expanse, He created time as well. As a creator of all, including the time, He is not a subject to this God made passage of time. As He exists independently, regardless if the two dimensions (spiritual and physical) exist or not, so He is not subjected to the restriction the flow of time imposes on us or the angels.
2 Pet.3:8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
In the above verse we are basically told, that the passage of time as we know it, for God does not exist. Do not be mislead by some who teach that this explains one day of creation as the thousand years and the thousand years of creating as one day. To form true picture of God’s awesomeness, believers must put many verses of the Scriptures together, and they must form one coherent, cohesive and harmonious whole!
For God, the past, the present and the future is same. To Him everything is as “now”. For this reason, God calls Himself “I AM”. As He lives in different dimensions at the same time, so He exists in the past, present and the future simultaneously also!
Exo.3:14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" ....
John 8:58 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"
For this reason God is able, with the precision incomprehensible to us, foretell things which haven’t happened yet. God informed His prophets about many future events. We have them preserved for us in the Scriptures in the form of various prophecies.
Isa.46:10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.
For this same reason God can proclaim, that He knows every one, who will be saved even before he or she is born. He wrote all their names in a special book of life not just before they were born, but eons ago, even before this world was created.
Rev.17:8: The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast,
Lastly, we have the final end-time prophetic events described for us in the book of Revelation. Even so for us, these events are still laying in the future, for God they are as already accomplished facts. The content of Revelation, which God gave to Jesus is a 100% accurate account of the end-time events to come. However, this written record (the book of Revelation) of events to come, is not written plainly, but rather the book of Revelation is highly encrypted. We have already learned how and why.
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At this point we have gained understanding that the spirit of an angel is angel’s own mind. We have come to a similar understanding concerning God Himself. God’s Spirit is God’s all-powerful, ever-present, all-knowing and ever-loving mind, to us known as the Holy Spirit.
Exactly when man’s spirit (known also as the breath of life) begins its existence in us, I will not discuss, it is not overly important for us here. What however is important, is to realize, that from the moment person is born, the spirit in each and every person is irreversibly connected with his/her own mind. They cannot be separated.
When person is born the mind is empty. The mind of a new born almost immediately starts absorbing like a sponge everything around him with the senses available to him at that moment. Soon all his senses (sight, touch, smell, taste, hearing) are involved in shaping his own mind. From that same moment, when the mind starts absorbing everything around, the spirit which is in every person, is being molded according to how his own mind is being shaped. This process continues throughout the life of each person. The spirit in man becomes inseparable from his mind. We can claim that the spirit given by God to man is life giving force with the capacity for intelligence and emotions.(See Part P). From the moment a person is born
The spirit of man and his mind become one and the same.
When we are very young, we do not have a control over this molding or shaping of our own mind or spirit (parents are responsible to God for that), but from certain age of our growing up, the responsibility becomes our own. We become responsible for our own state of mind or for our own spirit within us - which is the same, just different words. With the spirit we associate our feelings. With the mind we link our intellect. Yet both are the result of our brain activity which forms our mind. Electromagnetic impulses and formation of various chemicals in our brains are responsible for our capacity to think and form various feelings. They both can alter the state of our mind or our spirit. During the life of every person, besides man’s own thoughts, other people around us (their views, actions, thoughts and beliefs) have effect on our own spirit (our own state of mind) and influence our thoughts and to a lesser or a greater degree our behavior and actions.
But that is not all. Around us exist other spiritual influences, (workings of other spirits) that affect our own mind, (our own spirit) as well. We already know them as spirits of demons, or fallen angels (devils), or if on God’s side, than spirits of God’s angels or the Spirit of God Himself. As we permit (knowingly or unknowingly), they all have smaller or larger influence over our thinking and eventually over our actions as well.
Influence of the Holy Spirit (God’s Spirit) on us, before we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, is only external. The Spirt of God is calling us and wooing us to Him.
When we become His people, God’s Spirit comes to us and starts dwelling in us. This is an exception, rather than a rule where God is present in something or rather someone. But God’s Spirit - the Holy Spirit is present (resides) in the hearts (minds) of all, who are truly His.
Notice that the believer has now two spirits residing in him/her.
The first one is the life giving force - the spirit or the breath of life which makes it possible for us to become living and thinking (intelligent) beings. Everyone has one. The first spirit has capacity to give temporal life. (See Part O).
The second one dwells only in believers. It is named the Holy Spirit and beside other things it is God given force or power with capacity to give eternal life.
The first spirit (the breath of life) is temporal, while the second Spirit (Holy Spirit) is eternal.
What does the second Spirit (the Holy Spirit) do in our hearts and minds?
Firstly, the main purpose of the Holy Spirit in us, is to lead us closer to God and teach us things connected with God and spiritual matters. God’s Spirit is transforming our spirit or our mind. (Next study will explain it in more details)
Bible calls it renewing our mind:
Rom.12:2: Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Or, being renewed in the image of the Creator:
Col.3:9-10: Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
It is also called growing into maturity:
Eph.4:13: until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Secondly, the Holy Spirit may empower believers with special gifts or skills if human strength or wisdom is inadequate for the work God assigned them to accomplish. (See next study)
Overall we can conclude the following: The word “spirit” is very confusing, because in the Bible it is used to describe many things. Sometime it means life. Many times it represents attitude of someone’s mind. Another time it refers to angels. When capitalized, it always belongs to God.
1) By His Spirit, God accomplishes everything. By the Spirit, God creates, by the same Spirit, God destroys. In short, God’s Spirit is in reality power of God’s mind. The sum of all God’s thinking - His thoughts, His will, His plans, intentions, views, knowledge, wisdom, strength, and also all His emotions and feelings (love, peace, joy, anger, wrath), all these together form God’s infinitely powerful mind, which is in fact God’s Spirit. Obviously then, God’s Spirit hears, sees, is aware of, rejoices, mourns, become jealous or angry,
but is not another person of God, rather is part of God.
It is like when a person reaches to someone or for something with his stretched hand, God does the same thing with His Spirit (mind). We make things with our hands, God makes things with His Spirit (mind). We use our legs to reach different places, God uses His Spirit to reach any destination.
Expression “Holy Spirit” equals to “God’s Spirit.” Expression “God’s Spirit” equals to “Christ’s Spirit.” Expression “Christ’s Spirit” equals to “Christ’s mind.” Expression “Christ’s mind” equals to “God’s mind.”
The Spirit of God belongs to God and to Jesus Christ same way, as man’s spirit belongs to that particular person.
As man’s spirit is not a separate person, but is a sum and total of everything what is in man’s mind, same way God’s Spirit is sum and total of all that encompasses God’s mind.
God can impart His Spirit to His people. By residing in us, God through the Spirit is teaching us to know Him better and leading us to more holly and fulfilling life. It is somewhat similar as parents imparting of their spirit to their children, not the same way as God by residing in their minds, but by example and education and by being around.
2) If we can claim that animals have a spirit, then the spirit given by God to an animal is life giving force with the capacity for instinct. I do not know if animal’s spirit changes during animal’s life. We are not told if the spirit of an animal returns to God or goes to the grave.
Eccl.3:21: “Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”
3) The spirit in man is life giving force (God given breath of life) with the capacity for intelligence and emotions.
Job 31:8: But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding.
From the moment a person is born and throughout the entire life, his spirit and his mind become inseparable and one and the same. During the life, the spirit in each person is developing and changing by the external and internal influences exactly the same way as is formed his mind.
When a person accepts Jesus and becomes believer, another Spirit (the Holy Spirit) starts dwelling within him and starts renewing our mind so it would become in harmony with God.
I would describe the function of the Holy spirit in us as follows:
Imagine the DVD recorder again as a body. The blank disc again represents the breath of life - the spirit. (See Part P) which acts both ways - as a power giving source (life giving source), as well as a recording disc (capacity to form thoughts, feelings and make memories). Throughout the life of the recorder, it records everything on that disc. Same way the person in his mind forms thoughts, feelings and makes memories, good or bad. But when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in the believer, it starts slowly overwriting the disc - it slowly start changing our mind as we allow the Spirit in us to do it.
Upon death the Holy Spirit which was in us returns to God and remains there as a guarantor of our future eternal life with Christ. Since the Holy Spirit is God’s Spirit, I am very skeptical that it would return back to God with our conscience attached, since even our best efforts are like filthy rags compare to holiness of Christ. Therefore they would not be able to withstand the holiness of God. Our conscience would be burned up. This is another mystery part of salvation which even angels desire to look deeper into and understand how God can make us again holy. (See 1.Peter 1:10-12).
When a person dies, the body and mind dies with that person, his thoughts the same day perish, and this person ceases to exist.
Eccl.12:7: “... and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”
The first spirit which God gave, is not some living entity, but rather only a life giving force which is returning back to God, and this force (spirit which God gave)carries back to God the exact imprint of that persons mind - something like a DVD recording.
For that person to become alive again even in the spiritual realm, God must provide both, body and the spirit again, same way as He provided them in the beginning. Only this time it will be spiritual body (Not subjected to decay) and His Spirit not subjected to death.
Revelation A to Z - Part R
Your friend in Jesus
HH