“‘God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth’” (
John 4:24
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth.
).
God is a person, but He has no physical characteristics.
As we begin our study of God, we must understand first of all that He is a person, not some unknowable cosmic force. In His Word, God is called Father, Shepherd, Friend, Counselor, and many other personal names. God is always referred to as “He,” not “it.” He also has personal characteristics: He thinks, acts, feels, and speaks.
We will learn three aspects of God’s person in the next several days: God is spirit, God is one, and God is three. First, God has no physical body as we have: “God is spirit” (
John 4:24
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth.
), and “a spirit does not have flesh and bones” (
Luke 24:39
39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye behold me having.
). Paul says He is “invisible” (1 Tim. 1:17). God represented Himself as light, fire, and cloud in the Old Testament and in the human form of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. But such visible revelations did not reveal the totality or fullness of God’s nature.
You may wonder about verses like
Psalms 98:1
Chapter 98 1 Oh sing unto Jehovah a new song; For he hath done marvellous things: His right hand, and his holy arm, hath wrought salvation for him.
, “His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him,” and
Proverbs 15:3
3 The eyes of Jehovah are in every place, Keeping watch upon the evil and the good.
, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place.” These descriptions are called anthropomorphisms, from the Greek words for “man” and “form.” They picture God as though He were a man because God has chosen to describe Himself in a way we can comprehend. If He did not accommodate His revelation to our finite level, we would have no hope of understanding Him. You should not take anthropomorphisms literally, however. Otherwise you will have a false view of God that robs Him of His real nature and His true power. Look at
Psalms 91:4:
4 He will cover thee with his pinions, And under his wings shalt thou take refuge: His truth is a shield and a buckler.
“Under His wings you may seek refuge.” God is certainly not a bird, and “God is not a man” (Num. 23:19). He is spirit.
Suggestions for Prayer
Thank God that He has enabled physical creatures like us to know Him.
For Further Study
Even though God is invisible, “since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made” (Rom. 1:20). Read the response of a godly man to God’s natural revelation in
Psalms 104
Chapter 104 1 Bless Jehovah, O my soul. O Jehovah my God, thou art very great; Thou art clothed with honor and majesty: 2 Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment; Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain; 3 Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters; Who maketh the clouds his chariot; Who walketh upon the wings of the wind; 4 Who maketh winds his messengers; Flames of fire his ministers; 5 Who laid the foundations of the earth, That it should not be moved for ever. 6 Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a vesture; The waters stood above the mountains. 7 At thy rebuke they fled; At the voice of thy thunder they hasted away 8 (The mountains rose, the valleys sank down) Unto the place which thou hadst founded for them. 9 Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; That they turn not again to cover the earth. 10 He sendeth forth springs into the valleys; They run among the mountains; 11 They give drink to every beast of the field; The wild asses quench their thirst. 12 By them the birds of the heavens have their habitation; They sing among the branches. 13 He watereth the mountains from his chambers: The earth is filled with the fruit of thy works. 14 He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, And herb for the service of man; That he may bring forth food out of the earth, 15 And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, `And' oil to make his face to shine, And bread that strengtheneth man's heart. 16 The trees of Jehovah are filled `with moisture', The cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted; 17 Where the birds make their nests: As for the stork, the fir-trees are her house. 18 The high mountains are for the wild goats; The rocks are a refuge for the conies. 19 He appointed the moon for seasons: The sun knoweth his going down. 20 Thou makest darkness, and it is night, Wherein all the beasts of the forest creep forth. 21 The young lions roar after their prey, And seek their food from God. 22 The sun ariseth, they get them away, And lay them down in their dens. 23 Man goeth forth unto his work And to his labor until the evening. 24 O Jehovah, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: The earth is full of thy riches. 25 Yonder is the sea, great and wide, Wherein are things creeping innumerable, Both small and great beasts. 26 There go the ships; There is leviathan, whom thou hast formed to play therein. 27 These wait all for thee, That thou mayest give them their food in due season. 28 Thou givest unto them, they gather; Thou openest thy hand, they are satisfied with good. 29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled; Thou takest away their breath, they die, And return to their dust. 30 Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created; And thou renewest the face of the ground. 31 Let the glory of Jehovah endure for ever; Let Jehovah rejoice in his works: 32 Who looketh on the earth, and it trembleth; He toucheth the mountains, and they smoke. 33 I will sing unto Jehovah as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have any being. 34 Let thy meditation be sweet unto him: I will rejoice in Jehovah. 35 Let sinners be consumed out of the earth. And let the wicked be no more. Bless Jehovah, O my soul. Praise ye Jehovah.
.
From Strength for Today by John MacArthur Copyright © 1997. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.
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