Bible Questions and Answers

A visitor writes,

"If God is a Spirit according to John 4:24, and not a man according to Numbers 23:19, how can He become a man as some believe about Jesus? Is He a spirit or a man? And if God is not a man, why does Genesis 1:26–27 say that man was created in His image? Also, according to Hebrew, the word for ‘spirit’ (ruach) means ‘breath’ or ‘wind’—so how can a breath or wind become a human being?"

The doctrine that God is a Trinity composed of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who have all existed from the beginning, is both nonsense and a false doctrine. It was adopted by the 'Church' as it slid into apostasy in the fourth Century AD.

God is Spirit – that is His nature. 

John 4:24  "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

God is not a man.

Numbers 23:19  "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

God cannot become man. Man is mortal, God is immortal.

That which is immortal by nature cannot become mortal and die. Otherwise, words have no meaning. The concept is nonsense.

God made man in his own image.

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Man was certainly made in God’s image. What this means exactly we cannot tell, because no one has seen God at any time. We know that we have freedom of choice and a capacity to apply reason.

Jesus did not exist before he was born. 

Jesus is not ‘the word’ of John 1:13. ‘The word’ was the word of God by which He promised a saviour following Adam’s disobedience. Jesus is ‘the word made flesh’ – in that he is the fulfilment of the promise made in the word of God ‘in the beginning’

Gabriel told Mary:

Luke 1:30  Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. 31  "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32  "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33  "And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." 34  Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" 35  And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

The Holy Spirit = the power of the Highest (i.e. the power of God)

From this we see that the Holy Spirit is the power of God (and not a person). 

Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary by the power of God acting upon her. Mary was a descendant of David through Nathan – this because Jesus had to be a physical descendant of David. As a descendant of David, Jesus was born mortal.

The Holy Spirit, the power of God, descended upon Jesus at his baptism. This gave him the authority to use the power of God to perform miracles. Similar powers (though a much lesser degree) were given to the apostles at Pentecost (Acts 2).

Matthew 3:16  When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.

John 1:32  And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. 33  "I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34  "And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."

God was Jesus’ Father, Mary was his mother, and he was born mortal.

Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

Jesus became immortal when God raised him from the dead and conferred immortality upon him.

This same immortality is promised to the faithful of all ages by resurrection from the dead in the Kingdom of God on the earth.

Jesus is the firstfruits of this change:

1 Corinthians 15:20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21  For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23  But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.

It was necessary for Jesus to be a man exactly as we are in order for him to be the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the faithful. 

Jesus’ experience as a man also makes him the perfect intercessor between God and man.

1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,

The Spirit or nature/power of God cannot be seen so ‘spirit’ (ruach) ‘breath’ or ‘wind’ is a reasonable description.

By his Spirit God created all things. God didn’t begin with a set of raw materials. All that exists is constituted in some way of and by the Spirit of God.

Acts 17:28  "for in Him we live and move and have our being,

God is everywhere present by His Spirit.

Psalms 139:7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8  If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

Jeremiah 23:24  Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?" says the LORD; "Do I not fill heaven and earth?" says the LORD.

We cannot see wind or breath, but we know they exist. Similarly, we cannot see the Spirit of God, but we know by the things created that the Spirit of God exists.

Hebrews 11:3  Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Jeremiah 51:15  He has made the earth by His power; He has established the world by His wisdom, And stretched out the heaven by His understanding.

I hope this helps.

God bless,

Glenn