Wednesday, July 22, 2020

John 4:24 - God is a Spirit

{John 4:24} God is a spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.
{John 4:25} The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah comes," (he who is called Christ). "When he has come, he will declare all to us."
{John 4:26} Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who speaks to you." -- RLIV

The words of John 4:24 are the words of Jesus. Jesus refers to God, not as being Himself as many claim, but rather he refers to God as being someone who is not himself. Jesus is referring to his God and Father. -- Ephesians 1:3.

By saying that his God is a spirit, Jesus refers to God's invisible spiritual body or substance. Paul delineates the two kinds of resurrection bodies. That which consists of spiritual substance, celestial, heavenly is not that which is physical, fleshly, earthly, of dust substance. -- 1 Corinthians 15:39-41.

The God and Father of Jesus, being the Most High, has the sole distinction of having the highest glory in the universe. -- Luke 1:32.

Jesus is nowhere depicted in the Bible as being the Most High God (Genesis 14:22; Psalm 7:17; 83:18; 92:1; Luke 1:32; John 13:16); even the demons recognized Jesus to be, not Jehovah the Most High, but the Son of the Most High. -- Luke 8:28

Nevertheless, Jesus said that those who worship his God must worship "in spirit and truth." The true worshiper is not to worship along material lines, but with that which is not seen with our physical eyes, which is invisible.

2 Corinthians 4:18 - We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. -- American Standard Version.

The Samaritan woman told Jesus that she knew that the Messiah was to come. The words "Messiah" as well as "Christ" mean "anointed," or "anointed one." Who anoints the Messiah? Isaiah quotes the Messiah as saying:

The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah hath anointed me. -- Isaiah 61:1. American Standard Version.

It was the one whom Lord Jehovah had anointed that Jesus was claiming to be. He never claimed to be Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. "Jehovah" in Isaiah 61:1 anoints someone who is not Himself. The one anointed is not Jehovah. Thus Jesus is not Jehovah who anointed him. Nor is the "spirit" in Isaiah 61:1 the Messiah, Jesus. Jesus is not Jehovah's spirit, but rather Jesus speaks of Jehovah's spirit as being upon himself. -- See also Isaiah 11:1-3.

Jehovah's God’s spirit is likened to God’s finger (as the special power of God). (Matthew 12:28; Luke 11:20) As the instrument of the revealing of truth, the holy spirit is likened to God’s “mouth”. (Deuteronomy 8:3; 1 Kings 8:24; 2 Chronicles 6:4; 36:12,21; Ezra 1:1; Isaiah 1:20; 40:5; 45:23; 48:3; 58:14; 62:2; Jeremiah 9:12,20; Ezekiel 33:7; Micah 4:4; Matthew 4:4; Mark 12:36; Acts 1:17; 28:25; Hebrews 3:7; 9:8; 10:15,16; 2 Peter 1:21) Would you look at your finger and say that your finger is you? Would one consider his own mouth TO BE himself? Nevertheless, whatever your finger does is what you yourself do; what your mouth speaks is what you yourself speak. Likewise, whatever God's spirit does or says is what God Himself does or says.