Let The Bible Speak 

 

It’s always refreshing to me, to explore what the bible actually says about a given subject, without all the little “twists” and “variances” that men want to add to it.  When I rely solely on the word of God, I usually find that a lot of the beliefs that people hold, and talk about, are beliefs that are based on conjecture, and not on what the bible actually says.  While it’s true that the bible doesn’t always reveal everything that we wish it would reveal, and while it’s also true that man does have the tendency to speculate on the rest, we should be careful that in our speculations, we don’t begin to think that our speculations are automatically “truths”.  Only what the bible says is the truth.  And of course that applies to my speculations as well as yours.  Only what the bible specifically states, is absolute truth.

Remember what the apostle Paul said about speculations, in  2 Corinthians 10:5;  “We are destroying speculations, and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God..”

So then while it might be just fine to “wonder”, about things which have not been revealed, let’s remember that our “wonderments” are not, “true knowledge”.   With that in mind, let’s see exactly what the bible says about the nature of God, and the nature of man.  

 

Human Nature

 

Human beings are of a “dual nature”.  We are of a physical nature, and we are also of a spiritual nature.  This fact is illustrated in  Genesis 2:7,  when the creation of man is described.  The bible says,  “Then the Lord God formed Adam of the dust from the ground (there’s our physical nature), and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (there’s our spiritual nature), and Adam became a living soul.”  (a living soul, is a living being)

The apostle Paul spoke of those two natures when he said in  2 Corinthians 4:16,  “Therefore we do not lose heart, though the outward man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.”   What he meant was that our physical bodies are wearing out, they are literally dying, and they will come to an end and cease to exist.  But our inner spirit is growing stronger each day, as we pattern it after God’s word;  And our spirit will continue to exist forever.  He said in  V-18,  “..For the things which are seen (the physical nature), are temporal; but the things which are not seen (the spiritual nature), are eternal.” 

 

The Nature Of God

 

So that’s man’s nature, but what is God’s nature?  God only has ONE component to His nature.  God is 100% spiritual.  It’s plainly stated by Jesus, in  John 4:24,  “God is Spirit!”   There is no part of God which is physical in any way.  We know that God’s dwelling place is in heaven, and we’re told in  1 Corinthians 15:50,  “Now I say this brethren; Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.”   Only the spiritual can be in heaven, nothing physical.

Even though God is completely spiritual, God is “personified” in the bible, isn’t He?  For instance, God is spoken of as having “eyes”.  “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous”,   Psalm 34:15.   And God is spoken of as having “hands”.   “The hand of the Lord was upon me..”  Ezekiel 37:1.   “For My hand made all these things..”  Isaiah 66:2.   The “face” of God is spoken of, in  Isaiah 59:2;   “And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that he does not hear.”

But even though God is “personified” like this, God is NOT a person.  God is 100% spirit.  A “person”, by it’s very definition, is a human being.  The bible NEVER refers to a pure spirit being, as a person, even though they may be “personified”.   But then, many things are personified in the bible.

Riches are personified as being your “master”.   Mathew 6, verse 24,   says;  “You cannot serve two masters..   you cannot serve God and mammon.”

All of God’s physical creation is also “personified” in the bible.  It says in  Romans 8, verse 22;  “For we know that the whole creation groans, and suffers the pains of childbirth, together until now.”

 

Satan Is Personified

 

Even the very spirit of evil is personified at least once in the bible, when it’s called  “the prince, of the power of the air”,  in  Ephesians 2, verse 2.

I find it interesting though, that Satan is more often, compared to an animal!   That’s called “zoomorphism”.  “Zoomorphism” is when something is compared to an animal, rather than to a person.

For instance, in  1 Peter 5, verse 8;  “Your adversary the devil, walks around like a roaring lion”. 

In  Revelation 12, verse 9,  Satan is called;  “the great dragon”, and the “serpent of old”.

In  John 10, verse 12,  Jesus depicts satan as  “a wolf” coming after the sheep.

And in  Mathew 13, verse 4,  Satan is compared to birds, who come and steal the seed off the ground.  Of course the “seed” is the word of God.   Jesus said in  verse 19;  “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the EVIL ONE comes and snatches away that which has been sown in his heart..”   Actually, the original text doesn’t say, “the evil one“.  It simply says;  “the EVIL comes and snatches it away.”

It seems like satan is so abased, that God hesitates to even compare it to a person.  Evil has to be compared to an animal!

 

 

 

God Is One

 

James 2:19  says;  “God is One”  The full verse says,  “You believe that God is One, you do well;  The demons also believe and tremble.”  

What exactly does it mean, that “God is One”?  God is one what?  Let me show you a couple other verses where the word “One” is used in this same way.

Mathew 19:17,  Jesus said;   “There is ONE who is good..”  Jesus the man, was referring to God the Spirit.

Mathew 23:8,  Jesus said;   “For ONE is your teacher..”   Again, Jesus refers to God.

Mathew 23:9,  Jesus said;   “..For ONE is your Father, He who is in heaven.”   Once again, He refers to God.   

So the meaning of  “God is ONE”, should be obvious..  There is only ONE “being”, ONE whole “entity”, that is God.  But yet, the bible says that God is the Father, and God is the Son, and God is also the Holy Spirit.  So how are the Father, and the Son, and the Spirit, ALL God, if God is one?  That’s a good question, isn’t it?  That’s why this question has sparked so much interest and controversy

 

 

 

There Is A Plurality In The One God

 

Genesis 1, verse 1,  says;  “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”    The word “God” comes from the Hebrew word “Elohim”, which is pronounced, El-o-heem’.   Elohim is the plural form of the word El-o-ah.  So from the very first sentence in the book of Genesis, we learn that there is some sort of plurality in God.  The word “Elohim”  simply means..  “God”, or  “supreme being”. 

In the new testament, the Greek word “Theos” is translated, God.  Theos is an ancient Greek word, and was being used long before the new testament was even written.   And it means..  “the creator and owner of all things”.

So the words that God uses to describe Himself, mean..  “supreme being” (in the plural sense) in the old testament, and “creator and owner of all things”, in the new testament.

 

Genesis 1:26  says;  “Let US make man in OUR image, according to OUR likeness”   This verse refers to the plurality of God. 

Genesis 1:27  says,  “And God created man in HIS own image.  In the image of God, HE created him.  Male and female, HE created them.”   So you see that this verse goes back to the “singleness” of the ONE God.

And so again, you can see why there’s controversy.  God said that man is created in HIS image, but He also said that man is in OUR image.  It’s obvious from other bible verses, that the Father, and the Son, (the Son is also called “the Word”) and the Holy Spirit, are being referred to, when the scripture says, “in OUR image”.  And it’s equally obvious, that when the phrase “in HIS image” is used, it refers to the fact that “God is One”.  That’s certainly a scriptural conclusion.

So then both of those facts are impressed upon us, in the very first chapter of the bible.  God is One, yet God is plural.

 

Is God a Person ?

 

Is God’s plurality, a plurality of “persons”, or “personalities” as a lot of people suggest?  Well, God never uses the words “person”, or “personalities” to describe Himself.  After all, the scriptures tell us plainly enough, “God is Spirit”.  But many people still believe that God is a “type” of a person.  But even to describe God as a type of a “spiritual person”, is still something that God Himself has never done, in all of the bible.  So then, why do people refer to God as a “person”?

 

Maybe it’s because God personifies Himself so often in the bible.  Or maybe it’s simply easier for us to grasp, the idea of a person, instead of the idea of a Spirit.   But referring to our Almighty God, as a person, sounds like we’re bringing our Almighty God, down to our level, doesn’t it?

Maybe the idea of calling God a “person”, originates from the verse in  Hebrews 1:3,  where the King James Version says;  “Who, being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person..”   However, the word “person” in the KJV is a totally incorrect translation of the original Greek word.  The KJV, and variances of that version, are the only versions that use the word “person”. 

The New American Standard Version translates it this way..  “And He is the radiance of His glory, and the exact representation of His NATURE..”  That’s a better translation, but it still doesn’t perfectly grasp meaning of the original Greek word.

 

Jesus Is The Demonstration Of God

 

I think we can get a much deeper appreciation of what God is saying here, if we delve a little deeper into the exact meaning of the word which the KJ translates “person”, but which is better translated “nature”.

The original word is “hupostasis”, pronounced hoop-os’-tas-is.  The meaning is..  “the assurance, the substance, and the reality”.   It literally means..  “the underlying assurance and confidence and substance of something.  Giving reality to something.  A guaranteeing of something”.

So, right off the bat, you can see that translating the word as “person” is totally inaccurate, and using the word “nature” is only somewhat reflective of the true meaning.  You could say, that the “nature” of something is the “substance” of that thing.  But what the verse is really saying, is that the Son of God, is the very underlying assurance, of the reality of God Himself!  Jesus is the assurance of the very existence of God!

Jesus was, “God in the flesh”,  (John 1:14).     Jesus was the fleshly demonstration of God!   Jesus was the demonstration of God’s love, and of His grace, and of His righteousness, and of His forgiveness. 

Listen to  Romans 3, verses 24 thru 26;  “Being justified as a gift, by His grace, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;  Whom God displayed publicly, as a propitiation in His blood through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness.  Because in the forbearance of God, He passed over the sins previously committed, for the DEMONSTRATION of His righteousness at the present time, that He might BE just, AND be the justifier, of the one who has faith in Jesus.”  

Jesus in the flesh, was the demonstration of God!

Jesus is called Immanuel, in  Isaiah 7, verse 14.   And Immanuel means..  “God with us”.   Jesus was, “God with us”.    The later part of  Hebrews 1, verse 3  goes on to say, that Jesus the Son,  “..upholds all things by the word of His power..”   The word “upholds” is another word that indicates a demonstration!  It means..  “I bring, I bear, I make publically known”.   God was demonstrated, and made publically known, and brought to bear, through Jesus, the Christ.

 

Is Jesus, the image of God’s “person”?   No!  Is Jesus the image of God’s nature?  Yes, somewhat.

But what  Hebrews 1, verse 3  is telling us;  Is that the Son of God, is the “radiance”, or in other words, “the brightness of the glory of God”.  And that He is the “express image”, or in other words, “the exact representation, of the very SUBSTANCE of God”. 

Jesus is;  The underlying assurance, of the reality, that God IS who He claims to be.  And this reality of God is brought to witness through Jesus the Son.  In other words, God has made publically known, the reality of Himself, through Jesus His Son.  God has proved to the world that He indeed exists, by coming to this world in the form of Jesus Christ the Son!

 

Hebrews 1, verse 2  had said..  “In these last days, (God) has spoken to us through His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.”   And then  V-3  tells us that His Son, is the very “assurance”, and the “substance”, and the “reality” of God Himself.  

 

God is a “soul”, but God is not a “person”

 

The old testament translates five different words as “person” or “persons”.  And every single time, it refers to human beings.  The new testament translates four words as “person”, or “persons”.  And actually three of those four are simply different forms of the same word.  But every time, the word “person” is used, it refers to human beings.

The definition of the word “person” is..  “a human being, regarded as an individual”.   Synonyms for the word person are..  “human being, individual, soul, mortal, creature”.   You’ll notice here that the word “soul” is listed as a synonym for “person”.  That’s because a human being IS a soul.  But although every human being is a soul, not ALL souls, are human beings.

All living persons are souls, but not all souls are persons.  In  Mathew 12, verse 18,  the writer quotes an old testament scripture.  He quotes  Isaiah 42, verse 1.  God himself is speaking here, and He says;  “Behold My servant, whom I have chosen.  My beloved, in whom My SOUL, is well pleased.”  

When God speaks of His “soul”, He’s speaking of His entire being.  God is saying..  “My beloved, in whom My entire being is well pleased.”   God is a soul, but God is not a person.  He is a living spiritual being.  God doesn’t HAVE a soul, God IS a soul.  And that’s the same with us, we don’t HAVE a soul, we ARE a soul.  We HAVE a body, and we HAVE a spirit, and we ARE a living soul!

In  Hebrews 10:38,  it says;  “But My righteous one shall live by faith.  And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”  The very “being” of God has no pleasure in one who shrinks back from his faith.

 

The Meaning of the Word Soul

 

Now even though a spirit is a soul, the two words do not mean exactly the same thing.  And although at times, the two words may seem to be used “interchangeably”, they still do not mean exactly the same thing.  All living spirits are living beings, and therefore all spirits are souls.  But all souls are not purely spirits.  Living persons are also souls.  But living persons are made up of both body and spirit.   Again, your soul is your entire being.  Right now, as you live your physical life, your body is a part of your being, and your spirit is a part of your being, but your soul is your ENTIRE being.  There will however come a time when our bodies will die, and our spirits will be separated from our bodies.  And at that time, our being, (our soul) will be comprised of our spirit only.

That was the case with Jesus when He died.  The book of Luke records the last words of Jesus before He died.  It’s written in  Luke 23:46;  “Father, into Thy hands, I commit My Spirit.”  And when the body of Jesus died, His spirit departed, and went back to God.  That’s what we read in  Ecclesiastes 12, verse 7;  “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.”  

When the Spirit of Jesus departed from His body, His soul consisted of His Spirit alone.   Acts 2, verse 27  speaks of the Spirit of Jesus, when it says;  “Thou will not abandon My soul to hades.”  Since the Spirit of Jesus Christ, made up His entire being, after His spirit had left His body, the scripture therefore said that His very soul, was in hades.  But His spirit wasn’t going to remain in hades, because God the Father wasn’t going to allow it to remain there.

Now just a quick word here about hades.  Hades is the condition of the soul (the spirit), between death and the resurrection.  The word “hades” literally means “unseen”.  When your body and spirit are joined together, your soul, (your being) is able to be seen by everyone.  But when your spirit leaves your body, it’s no longer seen by anyone, except by God of course.  And so your soul (your being) remains in the condition of being “unseen” until the resurrection.  And then, at the resurrection, we will be given our new spiritual bodies, and evidently we will once again be “seen”..  spiritually speaking.

That’s what is said in  1 John 3, verse 2.   That verse says;  “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet, what we shall be.  We know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is.”   Now I suppose that I’m assuming a little bit here.  But I’m assuming that if we’re going to “see” Jesus as He is, that we are also going to “see” one another as we are. 

But whatever the case may be, hades is the condition of being “unseen”.  Not unseen by God, because our spirit will be returning to God who gave it, and we will be under His care and keeping, and so God sees us always.  But our spirit, and consequently our soul, will be unseen by human beings.  

 

Jesus, The First to be Resurrected

 

The Spirit of Jesus was the “first fruits” of those who would be resurrected from the dead.  That’s what we’re told in  1 Corinthians 15:20 thru 23;  “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.  (those who have died physically)  For since a man, came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam, all die, so also in Christ, all shall be made alive.  But each in his own order;  Christ, the first fruits, then after that, those who are Christ’s at His coming.  Then comes the end!  When He delivers up the kingdom to the God and Father;  When he has abolished all rule and authority and power.”   

So then, there’s an example of the spirit, after leaving the body, being called a “soul”.  Here’s anther example of the same thing, from  Genesis 35:18.  This verse is talking about Rachel, the wife of Jacob, who died giving birth.  And it says in  verse 18;  “And it came about, that as her soul was departing (for she died) that she named him Benoni, but his father called him Benjamin.”   (“Benoni” means..  “son of my sorrow”).

We know from the scriptures, that it’s our spirit that departs from our body at death.  Once again, We know that, because that’s what it says in  Ecclesiastes 12:7;  “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”  We also have the example of Stephen who was stoned to death in Jerusalem, because he condemned the Jews for crucifying Jesus.  The bible says, in  Acts 7, verse 59;  “And they went on stoning Stephen, as he called upon the Lord, and said;  Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”   Upon the death of our bodies, our spirits return to God who gave them, and our very soul is then in His care and keeping.  

 

The Spirit is The Life

 

When the spirit leaves the body, the “life” leaves the body.  When God created Adam, the first human being, it says in  Genesis 2:7;  “Then the Lord God formed Adam of dust from the ground (that’s why Eccl. says; “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was”).  So, “the Lord God formed Adam of the dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils, the breath of life..” 

God breathed a spirit into the body of Adam, and that spirit caused that body to come to life.  “..and Adam became a living soul.”  And then going back to the example of Rachel, when her spirit departed from her body, her very life departed.  And that’s why the scripture says;  “..her soul (her life) was departing..”   When the spirit departs, the soul departs, because the spirit is the life!  The spirit IS a living soul!  And so when the spirit departs, the life departs, because once again, the spirit is the life.  

 

Now we need an example of the word “soul”, being used to refer to not just a spirit, but to a human being, a body and spirit together.  And there’s lots of examples of that, but we’ll  use  Genesis 46:27  as our example.  That verse says;  “And the SONS of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two SOULS.  (two persons)  All the souls of the house of Jacob, who came out of Egypt, were seventy.”   (Seventy persons total)

It’s obvious that in that verse, the word “soul” is being used to refer to persons, and not just to spirits.  And so that illustrates how the word “soul” refers to our entire being.  Whether our entire being consists of both body and spirit, or if it just consists of spirit, such as after our spirit leaves our body, our entire being is called our soul.

Here’s one more verse that uses the word “soul” to refer to a person..  Lamentations 3:25  says;  “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the SOUL (or in other words, “the person”) who seeks Him.”  

 

Several verses translate the word “soul”, as “life”.   A good example is in  Genesis 9, verses 3 & 4.  God was giving instructions to Noah, concerning what he would be allowed to eat, after he and his family had come out of the ark.

Here’s what it says;  Genesis 9:3 & 4;  “Every moving thing that is alive, shall be food for you.  I give all to you, as I gave the green plant.  Only you shall not eat the flesh with it’s LIFE, (the word translated “life”, is the Hebrew word for soul) that is, it’s blood.”  So the same word that means “soul”, also means “life”.   And of course your soul is your life.  It’s your very existence, it’s your whole being.

Here’s another verse,  Numbers 35:31;  “You shall not take ransom, for the LIFE (for the soul) of a murderer, who is guilty of death.”  (in other words..  you shall not spare his life, he shall die)

Here’s a verse in which the word “soul” is used to refer to our eternal spirit, which is your very being.   James 1:21  says;  “Therefore, having put aside all filthiness, and remaining wickedness, receive in humility, the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”  We know that our bodies will not be saved in any way, therefore the word “souls” must be in reference to that part of us which will exist eternally, which of course is our spirit.   We could even say, that the implanted word is able to save the life which exists within us.  So then once again, the word “soul” refers to our very being, and our very life, which is contained in our eternal spirit.  

 

Now, before I leave the subject of the “soul”, another verse that I want you to consider, is  1 Thessalonians 5:23.  In this verse, the spirit, the soul, and the body are all mentioned.  Here’s what it says;  “Now may the God of peace Himself, sanctify you completely;  And your spirit, and soul, and body, be preserved, entirely blameless, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”   

It’s a common belief among many people, in and out of the church, that a human being is made up of three parts;  Namely.. the body, the spirit, and the soul.  And those who believe that will commonly go to this verse as evidence, to try to prove that belief.  But as we’ve already seen, a human being is made up of two parts, not three.  God created a body, from the dust of the earth, and then He joined a life giving spirit to that body.  And when the spirit was joined to the body. the body BECAME a living being.  Those are the plain words of  Genesis 2:7.  

The spirit was already a living being, but now the body became a living being, because of the living spirit, which was joined to it.  Two parts;  Body and spirit.  It’s just like what Paul said in  2 Corinthians 4:16;  “..but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day..”  The inner man, and the outer man.  The spirit and the body;  Two parts, which make up the whole.  The soul isn’t another PART of you, but rather,  the soul is the WHOLE of you!  You ARE a soul!

So let’s look at  1 Thessalonians 5:23  again.   Paul is simply offering his prayer and wishes for the Thessalonians, that God would keep them completely safe.   The verse says;  “..and your spirit (that which animates and gives life to the body) and soul, (your entire being) and body (your physical body) be preserved, entirely blameless, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”   Paul is saying;  “May your whole being, be guarded over and watched over, (that’s what the word “preserved” means) and may you be found to be entirely blameless when the Lord comes again.  Your spirit, your entire being, and even your body. (if you are one of those who remain alive until the Lord comes)   

So I hope all of this gives you a good understanding of what your soul is.

 

Back To The Nature Of God

 

I’m a firm believer in the old adage, “Let’s call bible things by bible words”.  That avoids confusion.  Therefore, in describing God, we can biblically say, “God is Spirit”.  (John 4:24)   But we can’t biblically say that God is not A person, and God is not THREE persons.  God is ONE spiritual being.  God is a soul.  And God has specific characteristics, and traits.  But since He is not a “person” we couldn’t accurately say that He has a “personality”.  And we certainly can’t say that He has three “personalities”.

There is a plurality, involved with our one God.  There are three “aspects” of God, which are described in the bible as the Father, and the Son (also called the Word), and the Holy Spirit.  God fulfills the “role” of the Father, and He fulfills the “role” of the Son, and He fulfills the “role” of the Holy Spirit.  But all three of these “roles”, are fulfilled by the ONE God.

Now, I want to say a few words about the idea that so many people have, concerning some kind of a “separateness”, to the Father, and the Son (or the Word) and the Holy Spirit.   The ROLES fulfilled by God, are separate roles, and you might even say, distinct, from one another, in some ways.  For example, the “role” of the Father, is different from the “role” of the Son.  And the “role” of the Son, is in some ways, (but not in all ways)  different from the “role” of the Holy Spirit.  However, in some ways, the “role” of the Son, and the “role” of the Spirit, are very similar, and even identical!  But we’ll get into the similarity of their “roles” later.  But we do have three “aspects” of God, three “roles fulfilled”, but ONE eternal spiritual being, one soul, fulfilling all three roles.

 

Let’s examine the characteristics of God  Are the characteristics of the Father, any different from the characteristics of the Son?  Or are they any different from the characteristics of the Holy Spirit?  The answer is, NO.  The characteristics of the Father are identical to the characteristics of the Son, and also of the Spirit.  Just for an example, let’s name some characteristics of God.  And these will all be characteristics, or “traits” that the bible says, belong to God.

1 John 4:8  says;  “For God is love.”  Psalm 25:8  says;  “Good and upright is the Lord.”   Verse 10  says;  “All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth.”   Deuteronomy 6:15  says;  “For the Lord thy God in the midst of you, is a jealous God.”   Ezra 9:15  says;  “O Lord God of Israel, Thou art righteous.”  

Now we could cite a dozen other verses like this, but the point is, these are not characteristics that apply to God the Father, but not to God the Son, and God the Spirit.  The characteristics of the Father, are the very same characteristics of the Son.  And the characteristics of the Son are the very same characteristics of the Spirit.  No separateness, but only oneness.  This is exactly why Jesus could say, in  John 14, verse 9;  “He who has seen Me, has seen the Father.”  The characteristics of Jesus Christ, were identical to the characteristics of the Father in heaven.  That’s why the Hebrew writer could say, in  Hebrews 1, verse 3;  “And He is the radiance of His glory;  The exact representation of His substance”, in other words, Jesus was the exact representation of His very being.  No separateness, only oneness!

 

The Spirit of God

 

But now I want to talk specifically about the Spirit of God.  It is a fact, that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, are all ONE Spirit.   Ephesians 4, verse 4  clearly says;  “there is one Spirit”!  There are not two Spirits, and there are not three Spirits of God, but one Spirit.  Therefore, the Spirit of the Father, is the very same Spirit, as the Spirit of the Son.  The “holy” Spirit, is the spirit of both the Father and the Son.  This cannot be debated without calling the bible a liar, and without calling God a liar.  

Here is an example of the fact that there is one Spirit, of both the Father and the Son;  Jesus told His disciples, in  John 15:26;  “When the Helper comes, (that’s the Holy Spirit) whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness of Me.”  The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father!  That means that the holy Spirit of God, comes from within the Father.  And that’s only natural for the Spirit of God, to emanate from God.  

Now listen to  Galatians 4, verse 6;  “And because you are sons, God has sent forth (again, this emanates from the Father)  the Spirit of His Son, into our hearts, crying Abba! Father!”  The very same Spirit who proceeds FROM the Father, or “out of” the Father, is the Spirit of His Son!   The very same Spirit that Jesus said He would send, FROM the Father, is the same Spirit that GOD sends forth to us, which is the Spirit of His Son.  How can anyone say, in light of these verses, that the Spirit of the Father is any different from the Spirit of the Son.  

Listen to  Romans 8, verse 9;  “However, you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if indeed the Spirit of GOD dwells in you.  But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”  

The Spirit of God, is the Spirit of Christ.  The Spirit which proceeds out of the Father, is the Spirit of His Son.  There is absolutely no way that anyone can claim that the Spirit of the Father is not the very same Spirit, as the Spirit of Christ, without blatantly contradicting what the scriptures plainly state!

So then the nature of God, is ONE Spirit!  And that agrees perfectly with  Ephesians 4:4 & 5,  which says;  “There is one body, and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling.  One Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all, and through all, and in all.”

Jesus Himself said in  John 16:28;  “I came forth from the Father, and have come into the world..”  The Son has proceeded out from the Father.  The Holy Spirit has proceeded out from the Father.  Jesus Christ promised His disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit, and the Father has also sent the Spirit of His Son.  Do you see how it all fits together?   One God!  One Spirit!  One being!  One Soul!

God is one Spirit, and one soul, and one being.  James wrote, in James 2:19;  “You believe that God is ONE, you do well.”  

 

The Power of God

 

Here’s something else to consider.  The Spirit of God, is the power of God.  Jesus told His apostles, in  Acts 1:8;  “But you shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”   In  John 6:63,  Jesus said;  “It is the Spirit who gives life..”   That’s pretty powerful.  The angel Gabriel said to Mary, in  Luke 1:35;  “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the POWER of the Most High will overshadow you.”  Whenever anyone was given a miraculous power in the first century, who was it that gave them that power?  It was the Holy Spirit of God.  The Holy Spirit is the power of God!  

Romans 1:16  says;  “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God..”  Who inspired the words of the gospel?  The Holy Spirit did.  Jesus told His apostles, in  John 16:13;  “But when that One, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth.  For He will not speak from Himself, but whatever He hears, He will speak, and He will disclose to you what is to come.”  Therefore, the Holy Spirit of God inspired the words of the gospel of God, which is God’s power unto salvation.

It says in Genesis 1, verse 2, speaking about the creation of the heavens and the earth;  “..And the Spirit of God, was moving, over the face of the waters.”  Again, it was the Spirit of God, that was the active force, behind creation.  The Spirit of God, was the power of God.  Isn’t it interesting, that although the Spirit was the power behind the creation, God says in  Hebrews 1, verse 2,  that it was God’s Son, “through whom also He made the world.”   I don’t know how anyone can conclude anything other, than the fact the Son of God, is also the Spirit of God, who is also the power of God, who all come forth from the Father!  This is inescapable!  

 

Just another quick thought on the word “personality”.  The word “personality” obviously describes the characteristics, or traits of a “person”.  Those characteristics can also be referred to as our “spirit”.  For example, we can display a spirit of love and peace and compassion.  And we can have a spirit of humility, and generosity, and forgiveness, and faithfulness, and selflessness, and so on.  OR, we can have traits that are the complete opposite of all those things.  But the spirit that we have, whether it manifests itself in love and compassion, or in pride and selfishness, that is spirit makes up our personality.

So then when speaking about God, since God isn’t a person, why would we use the word “personality” to describe God’s characteristics?  What could we BIBLICALLY call, the characteristics and traits of God?  The bible simply calls those characteristics, The SPIRIT of God.  As a matter of fact, when our own lives, exhibit all those good traits which are consistent with the Spirit of God, they’re called the “Fruits of the Spirit”,  Galatians 5:22-23.   But whose Spirit, are all those traits really characteristic of?   Obviously, they’re all characteristics, of GOD’S Spirit.

 

Summary of God’s Nature

 

God’s nature is completely spiritual.  God is a Spirit, and God is a soul.  God is ONE, but yet there is a plurality of “roles” fulfilled by that ONE God.  God is eternal.  God is the epitome of love, but yet God is also the epitome of justice.  God is totally rational, and He has given us a rational mind.  And we can come to a partial understanding of God, through what He has revealed to us in His word.  Without His word, we would know nothing about God.  All we would know, is that something bigger than ourselves exists.   Because even without His word, the wondrous natural creation that surrounds us, would still tell us that there IS a God.  We would know that this creation, demands a creator!

 

But although we can’t FULLY understand God’s nature, we CAN understand everything necessary to be saved BY God’s nature, and to stay saved.   2 Corinthians 9:15  says;  “Thanks be to God, for His indescribable gift !”   The gift of salvation!