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There are two ways of knowing and describing God — Affirmatively, which ascribes to Him whatever is excellent; Negatively, which separates from Him whatever is imperfect. The first is like a painting, which adds one colour to another to make a lovely picture; the other like a carving, which cuts away what is superfluous. The latter is the easier. When we say that God is infinite, immense, immutable, they are negatives. Spirit, too, is a negation — not a body. We transfer the term to God because spirit is the highest excellence in our nature. It is signified in the Divine Name (Exodus 3:14), and expressly declared in text and Hebrews 12:9.

I. THE DOCTRINE. God is a pure spiritual being. Other-wise —

1. He could not be the Creator. Every artificer has his model first in his mind.

2. He could not be One. If He had a body He would be capable of division. Where there is the greatest unity there is the greatest simplicity (Deuteronomy 6:4).

3. He could not be invisible (1 Timothy 1:17; John 5:37). Sometimes a representation is made to the inward sense (1 Kings 20:19; Isaiah 6:1), but not of the Essence. Sometimes men are said to see Him face to face (Genesis 32:30; Deuteronomy 34:10), but only in the sense of fuller manifestation.

4. He could not be infinite (2 Chronicles 2:6). The very heavens have their limits.

5. He could not be independent. What is compounded of parts depends on those parts, and is after them; as the parts of a watch are in time before it. But God is not so (Isaiah 44:6).

6. He would not be immutable (Malachi 3:6).

7. He could not be omnipresent (Deuteronomy 4:39; Jeremiah 23:24), since a body can not be in two places at the same time.

8. He could not be the most perfect Being. The most perfect is the most spiritual and simple, as gold among metals is most free from alloy (1 John 1:5).

II. THE OBJECTION. How can God be a spirit when bodily members are ascribed to Him?

1. This is in condescension to our weakness. We arc not able to conceive a spirit but by some physical attribute.

2. These signify the acts of God as they bear some likeness to ours. His wisdom is called His eye; His efficiency, His hand and arm; by His face, we understand the manifestation of His favour; by His mouth, the revelation of His will; by His heart, the sincerity of His affections, etc.

3. Truly those members which are the instruments of the highest actions are thus employed.

4. These may be figuratively understood with respect to the Incarnation.

5. We must conceive of them, therefore, not according to the letter but the intent. When Christ calls Himself a Vine, Bread, Light, who understands Him literally?

III. THE USE. If God be a pure spiritual Being, then —

1. Man is not the image of God according to his external form, but in the spiritual faculties (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10). It is unreasonable to form any image of Him. This was forbidden by , undreamt of by the Romans for 170 years, and deemed wicked by the Germans. God has absolutely prohibited it (Exodus 20:5; Deuteronomy 5:8-9; Isaiah 11:18).

(1) We cannot fashion His image. Can we that of our own souls?

(2) To do so would be unworthy of God (Jeremiah 10:8, 14; Romans 1:23-25: Exodus 32:31).

(3) Yet is natural to man.

2. Our conceptions must be directed towards God as a pure, perfect spirit, than which nothing can be conceived more perfect, pure, and spiritual. Conceive of Him as excellent without any imperfection; a spirit without parts; great without quantity; perfect without quality; everywhere without place; powerful without members; understanding without ignorance; and when you have risen to the highest, consider Him as infinitely beyond.

3. No corporeal thing can defile Him, no more than the quagmire can tame the sunbeam.

4. He is active and communicative. The more anything approaches the nature of spirit, the more diffusive it is — air, e.g. As a spirit God is —

(1) Possessed with all spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3);

(2) Indefatigable in acting. If we be like God, the more spiritual we are, the more active we shall be.

5. He is immortal (1 Timothy 1:17).

6. We see how to communicate with Him; by our spirits. We can only know and embrace a spirit with our spirits (Psalm 11:17; Ephesians 4:23).

7. He only can be the true satisfaction of our spirits.

8. We must take most care of that wherein we are most like God.

9. We must take heed of those sins which are spiritual (2 Corinthians 7:1).

(S. Charnock, B. D.)

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KJV: God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

WEB: God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."