God is a Spirit

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24 KJV)

Jesus spoke the glorious words above to the Samaritan woman at the well as He taught her about true worship. He taught the woman that God is spirit and therefore those who worship must do so in a way that corresponds to His nature. What does it mean that “God is spirit”?

First, let me quickly point out a few things in the translation above. The King James Version(KJV) translation says “God is a Spirit”. There are two things wrong in this translation. First, the article “a” was added to the original. The verse should read “God is spirit”, not “God is a Spirit”. Secondly, did you notice the “s” in “Spirit” is in upper case(capital letter)? That is often used in the scriptures when the Person of the Holy Spirit is in view. This scripture was not saying God is the Holy Spirit. Why am I pointing these out? If you are like me, the KJV is my favorite translation from birth, and I cannot change now! However, it is important to note that there are a few subtle errors in the translation.

“God is spirit” describes the nature of God as spirit, not His personality, especially as opposed to us often described as flesh. Spirit is a nature that is not limited by space and time like the flesh. Interestingly, man is not only flesh but also spirit! So remember, as you relate with God, know that you have to relate with Him in the dimension called spirit.

MEDITATE

What are the two subtle problems with the KJV of the first part of the verse above “God is a Spirit?”.

APPLY THE WORD

Be conscious God is spirit and not flesh. Train your mind to relate with Him in spirit. That does not mean out of the flesh, but in the flesh but operating in the realm of spirit! We are amazing creatures that unite the spirit and flesh in one.