The Spirit

[James_Lai]

Hello.
In my years of talking with Christians, the question of the Spirit of God is probably the question for me. It’s difficult. Here many people wrote to me about different subjects, that it’s spiritual. It’s spiritual. You want to understand the Bible? It’s spiritual. You want to meet Jesus Christ? It’s spiritual. You want to experience the power of God in your life? It’s spiritual. You want to obtain eternal life? It’s spiritual.

Confusion. As soon as you require a little more explanation beyond this mantra, it seems there’s nothing much. Smoke and mirrors.

In my mind, it’s like a black box without a key. Whenever people face something challenging or complex, they chose to immediately place it in this box and tell you, this is what it is, deal with it. They hand the box to you.

Then you have to hold this mystery box and wander what’s in it. Nobody seems to have the key and be willing to open it for you. They will dance around it, repeating the mantra, it’s in the box, it’s in the box, but never try to do anything to actually open it and show you the contents.

Perhaps none of the Christians really have it? Or are too scared to admit what it is? No honesty? No courage? No maturity? No understanding? No actual experience?

Empty?

What’s going on?

 

[jesuslover811]

Its spiritual

just kidding making a joke but sorry I cant help someone could write something much better than me about this. good luck

 

[public hermit]

Empty?

I think you hit on it exactly. Empty. Deny yourself, take up your cross and die. It's empty. If you seek to save your life, you'll lose it. Empty. That's spiritual, a renewing of the mind which is a reasonable sacrifice. Like the Tao, be water. Jesus said if we obey his command, he reveals himself to us. You want to know the Spirit, die to self. Love as he loved; kenosis-self emptying. That's not so hard is it?

 

[chevyontheriver]

Hello.
In my years of talking with Christians, the question of the Spirit of God is probably the question for me. It’s difficult. Here many people wrote to me about different subjects, that it’s spiritual. It’s spiritual. You want to understand the Bible? It’s spiritual. You want to meet Jesus Christ? It’s spiritual. You want to experience the power of God in your life? It’s spiritual. You want to obtain eternal life? It’s spiritual.

Confusion. As soon as you require a little more explanation beyond this mantra, it seems there’s nothing much. Smoke and mirrors.

In my mind, it’s like a black box without a key. Whenever people face something challenging or complex, they chose to immediately place it in this box and tell you, this is what it is, deal with it. They hand the box to you.

Then you have to hold this mystery box and wander what’s in it. Nobody seems to have the key and be willing to open it for you. They will dance around it, repeating the mantra, it’s in the box, it’s in the box, but never try to do anything to actually open it and show you the contents.

Perhaps none of the Christians really have it? Or are too scared to admit what it is? No honesty? No courage? No maturity? No understanding? No actual experience?

Empty?

What’s going on?

Catholics and the Orthodox will say it's a mystery. The Orthodox might leave it at that but the Catholics will typically then try to explain the mystery in great detail.

 

[sandman]

Hello.
In my years of talking with Christians, the question of the Spirit of God is probably the question for me. It’s difficult. Here many people wrote to me about different subjects, that it’s spiritual. It’s spiritual. You want to understand the Bible? It’s spiritual. You want to meet Jesus Christ? It’s spiritual. You want to experience the power of God in your life? It’s spiritual. You want to obtain eternal life? It’s spiritual.

Confusion. As soon as you require a little more explanation beyond this mantra, it seems there’s nothing much. Smoke and mirrors.

In my mind, it’s like a black box without a key. Whenever people face something challenging or complex, they chose to immediately place it in this box and tell you, this is what it is, deal with it. They hand the box to you.

Then you have to hold this mystery box and wander what’s in it. Nobody seems to have the key and be willing to open it for you. They will dance around it, repeating the mantra, it’s in the box, it’s in the box, but never try to do anything to actually open it and show you the contents.

Perhaps none of the Christians really have it? Or are too scared to admit what it is? No honesty? No courage? No maturity? No understanding? No actual experience?

Empty?

What’s going on?

It’s not difficult to understand …..many times people are confused, because religion (and people) many times embellish it with their own attached belief, which makes the biblical meaning difficult to see when it comes loaded with crustaceans.

I would be happy to answer your question to the best of my ability…. biblically. If those (as you listed) are the ones you have ….or if your questions are more specific…let me know

 

[SavedByGrace3]

I discovered some years ago that God and spiritual things are 100% logical. There is nothing about God or the spiritual that is illogical or contradictory. We may not know everything there is to know on certain subjects, but everything we do know makes sense. And when we discover those missing gaps in our knowledge, they will also make complete logical sense.
I know there are many who say that "God is too big" for us to understand. I disagree completely. They try to dismiss contradictions and illogical ideas with this excuse. Theology is bad about this. But, again, I disagree. There is nothing about the truth of God, or about the nature of that truth, that renders it beyond the ability of our minds to perceive, comprehend, and understand.
As a systems analyst it was my job to break down large, complicated systems into their composite parts and create computer algorithms that would duplicate their functions. There is no system or area of knowledge that cannot be broken down into smaller parts and understood. This is true about God and the spiritual realm and spiritual laws. There are missing elements that prevent us from building a complete understanding. The scripture calls these mysteries.
Most importantly we, as believers, know that Jesus came to show us the Father. He came to show us the Father to the extent that we can know Him. I believe Jesus succeeded.
It is not complicated and there are no contradictions. There are only gaps. In this life we will never fill in all those gaps. The hidden things belong to God. But when we do, we will be able to see the perfect logic of it all.

 

[topher694]

Hello.
In my years of talking with Christians, the question of the Spirit of God is probably the question for me. It’s difficult. Here many people wrote to me about different subjects, that it’s spiritual. It’s spiritual. You want to understand the Bible? It’s spiritual. You want to meet Jesus Christ? It’s spiritual. You want to experience the power of God in your life? It’s spiritual. You want to obtain eternal life? It’s spiritual.

Confusion. As soon as you require a little more explanation beyond this mantra, it seems there’s nothing much. Smoke and mirrors.

In my mind, it’s like a black box without a key. Whenever people face something challenging or complex, they chose to immediately place it in this box and tell you, this is what it is, deal with it. They hand the box to you.

Then you have to hold this mystery box and wander what’s in it. Nobody seems to have the key and be willing to open it for you. They will dance around it, repeating the mantra, it’s in the box, it’s in the box, but never try to do anything to actually open it and show you the contents.

Perhaps none of the Christians really have it? Or are too scared to admit what it is? No honesty? No courage? No maturity? No understanding? No actual experience?

Empty?

What’s going on?

You keep asking these types of questions and from what I can tell you don't really listen to the answers, you just keep focusing on any and every perceived negative aspect of Christianity and dismissing or ignoring anything positive. That's your call, but if your not going to listen, I fail to see the point behind asking these questions in the first place.

 

[Sketcher]

Explaining a supernatural being or occurrence in natural terms and doing it justice isn't the easiest thing to do. Sorry.

 

[Kettriken]

In my years of talking with Christians, the question of the Spirit of God is probably the question for me. It’s difficult. Here many people wrote to me about different subjects, that it’s spiritual. It’s spiritual. You want to understand the Bible? It’s spiritual. You want to meet Jesus Christ? It’s spiritual. You want to experience the power of God in your life? It’s spiritual. You want to obtain eternal life? It’s spiritual.

Perhaps none of the Christians really have it? Or are too scared to admit what it is? No honesty? No courage? No maturity? No understanding? No actual experience?

The spirit of God is the question. It is difficult. Perhaps some shunt the question off as solely spiritual, but many have experienced tangible times in their live, myself included, when the spirit of God brought them peace when they were disquieted, joy when they previously felt like weeping, miraculous healing of longstanding hurts and bitterness.

This is all spiritual, but it is also very substantial. It is enough to keep many of us going in our faith and coming back to Christ, even when the spirit of God seems fleeting. Feeling is a fickle master. Faith is a commitment, but it is not blind. It is based on substantial, long term gain, and hope in a God who has the best interest of humanity at heart. And a desire to be a part of bringing that best interest to being.

 

[disciple Clint]

Hello.
In my years of talking with Christians, the question of the Spirit of God is probably the question for me. It’s difficult. Here many people wrote to me about different subjects, that it’s spiritual. It’s spiritual. You want to understand the Bible? It’s spiritual. You want to meet Jesus Christ? It’s spiritual. You want to experience the power of God in your life? It’s spiritual. You want to obtain eternal life? It’s spiritual.

Confusion. As soon as you require a little more explanation beyond this mantra, it seems there’s nothing much. Smoke and mirrors.

In my mind, it’s like a black box without a key. Whenever people face something challenging or complex, they chose to immediately place it in this box and tell you, this is what it is, deal with it. They hand the box to you.

Then you have to hold this mystery box and wander what’s in it. Nobody seems to have the key and be willing to open it for you. They will dance around it, repeating the mantra, it’s in the box, it’s in the box, but never try to do anything to actually open it and show you the contents.

Perhaps none of the Christians really have it? Or are too scared to admit what it is? No honesty? No courage? No maturity? No understanding? No actual experience?

Empty?

What’s going on?

Perhaps the problem is that you are attempting to understand God, man cannot understand God, we do not have a mind that can think in the way that God thinks or that can understand the things that God understands, but the good news is that we do not have to, we simply need to trust God and believe what He as told us, much like a child has to trust their parent, God even tells us to be like children, in short we call that faith.

 

[IntriKate]

The only way to understand the spirit is to walk with him. Relationship and communication with God through chatting to him and reading the bible .
There's also seasons where God will want us to grow and to experience faith without always feeling his presence, but he is always there and those reasons are at Gods own discretion as he alone knows our paths .
It is something felt and understood internally in your own spirit as you get closer and seek him more.
It cant really be explained in detail as its a very personalised bond.

 

[timf]

Perhaps none of the Christians really have it? Or are too scared to admit what it is? No honesty? No courage? No maturity? No understanding? No actual experience?

Charismatic Christians often assert that the powerful miracles and signs of the Spirit recorded about the early church are still available today. I do not agree with this view as I see those acts as being only temporary and indicative of the kingdom age to come (Hebrews 6:5).

In this age, I see the work of the Holy Spirit as defined in Galatians;

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

These verses follow a comparison between the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. What would be discernible to another person might simply seem qualities of character.

Considering that we have the option to ignore (quench) the Spirit, it should not be surprising that the work of the Spirit in the lives of Christians would be difficult to detect.

 

[angelsaroundme]

This sounds more like an attack on Christians than a genuine question.

 

[Martinius]

I think the OP may be confusing the Holy Spirit, or the Spirt of God, with the idea of spirituality. The latter is something found within us, and it can be triggered and guided by the Holy Spirit. Spirituality can be found in speech, in the written word, in deeds and action.

One could say that the Holy Spirit is like electricity in your house. It is just there, doing nothing until you flip the switch, until you let it flow. Then all kinds of things can happen. And just like you see the results of turning on a light, you can feel the results of inviting the Holy Spirit into your life. That is one type of spirituality.

Is the Holy Spirit in the printed words of a prayer? No, but a prayer can be and should be a way to connect with the Spirit, and in doing so enhance one's own spirituality. Many people have said that they have been greatly moved, sometimes in a life changing way, in time of doubt or trouble, by a particular passage from scripture. That is the Spirit acting and the person receiving and responding to that contact.

This sounds more like an attack on Christians than a genuine question.

No, this person (The OP) is quite sincere, and has asked many good but difficult to answer questions in his quest for understanding. His frustration comes, I think, from asking these questions and not getting clear answers, or getting confusing ones. That could be because most of us don't know the answers, or don't agree on the answers. Many people have never really thought about some of the things the OP asks about.

 

[eleos1954]

Hello.
In my years of talking with Christians, the question of the Spirit of God is probably the question for me. It’s difficult. Here many people wrote to me about different subjects, that it’s spiritual. It’s spiritual. You want to understand the Bible? It’s spiritual. You want to meet Jesus Christ? It’s spiritual. You want to experience the power of God in your life? It’s spiritual. You want to obtain eternal life? It’s spiritual.

Confusion. As soon as you require a little more explanation beyond this mantra, it seems there’s nothing much. Smoke and mirrors.

In my mind, it’s like a black box without a key. Whenever people face something challenging or complex, they chose to immediately place it in this box and tell you, this is what it is, deal with it. They hand the box to you.

Then you have to hold this mystery box and wander what’s in it. Nobody seems to have the key and be willing to open it for you. They will dance around it, repeating the mantra, it’s in the box, it’s in the box, but never try to do anything to actually open it and show you the contents.

Perhaps none of the Christians really have it? Or are too scared to admit what it is? No honesty? No courage? No maturity? No understanding? No actual experience?

Empty?

What’s going on?

God is focused on relationship ... between one another ... and our relationship with Him. Relationships are formed and maintained (or not) according to our thinking.

It's our thinking .... what we think ... turns into action. When we study His Word ... our thinking changes (should anyways). What I think now is much different than I used to think in regard to how I interact with people and God.

also Gods Holy Spirit (His thinking) is at work in us

He works in believers by renewing our minds to be like the mind of Christ. He does this by convicting us of sin and leading us to repentance through His Holy Spirit.

Our thinking is nonphysical ... so yeah kind of difficult to attach a physical word (noun) to it and understand it ... but do ... and describe it as spirit (intangible)

psyche? In psychology, the psyche /ˈsa?ki/ is the totality of the human mind (the non-physical)

Perhaps could be describe as kindred to a type of telepathy
the communication of thoughts or ideas by means other than the known senses.

Thinking is outside of our known senses ... we don't fully understand it ... but know it exists because we all do it .... our brain is the "box" (physical) and in that box is our thinking (non physical-content) and we describe non-physical part of our brain as spirit.

The New Testament. Pneuma [pneu'ma] is the New Testament counterpart to the Old Testament ruah. While it sometimes it means wind ( John 3:8 ) and breath ( Matt 27:50 ; 2 Thess 2:8 ), "spirit" is also translated as an incorporeal, feeling, and intelligent being.

The basic meaning of the Greek word ψυχή (psyche) was "life", although unsupported, some have claimed it is derived from the verb ψύχω (psycho, "to blow").Derived meanings included "spirit", "soul", "ghost", and ultimately "self" in the sense of "conscious personality" or "psyche".

same greek word in the bible is translated using several different english words.

For simplicity sake .... I just look at it as our thinking .... and yeah God accesses our thinking.

My 2 cents worth ;o)

 

[ViaCrucis]

Hello.
In my years of talking with Christians, the question of the Spirit of God is probably the question for me. It’s difficult. Here many people wrote to me about different subjects, that it’s spiritual. It’s spiritual. You want to understand the Bible? It’s spiritual. You want to meet Jesus Christ? It’s spiritual. You want to experience the power of God in your life? It’s spiritual. You want to obtain eternal life? It’s spiritual.

Confusion. As soon as you require a little more explanation beyond this mantra, it seems there’s nothing much. Smoke and mirrors.

In my mind, it’s like a black box without a key. Whenever people face something challenging or complex, they chose to immediately place it in this box and tell you, this is what it is, deal with it. They hand the box to you.

Then you have to hold this mystery box and wander what’s in it. Nobody seems to have the key and be willing to open it for you. They will dance around it, repeating the mantra, it’s in the box, it’s in the box, but never try to do anything to actually open it and show you the contents.

Perhaps none of the Christians really have it? Or are too scared to admit what it is? No honesty? No courage? No maturity? No understanding? No actual experience?

Empty?

What’s going on?

It's based on some confusion over what St. Paul says in one place in his epistles,

"The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." - 1 Corinthians 2:14

This needs to be understood within the actual context of what the Apostle is writing,

"And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,

'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him'--

these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit Who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given to us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 'For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct Him?' But we have the mind of Christ." 1 Corinthians Ch. 2

There is further context to be understood, beginning in 1 Corinthians Ch. 1,

"For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.'

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'" - 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

In other words, Paul is saying that the truth and power of the Gospel is not comprehended by its outward and obvious appearance. A Jewish man being crucified by the Roman occupiers of Judea certainly doesn't look like God saving the world from sin and death. It looks like just another dead and broken victim of the power of this world with all its hatred and violence and glory-seeking. But we confess Christ risen from the dead, and thus by His resurrection His death is the triumph over death, His death is the end of hostility between man and God. Etc.

The revelation of God in Christ, in the Gospel, is not something which can be apprehended by the use of reason or empirical observation. It can only be apprehended by faith, the power of God the Holy Spirit working in and upon us through faith to give us eyes of faith. To behold the wisdom of God in foolishness, and the power of God in weakness.

God is not found in the books of the philosophers or in the might of kings and emperors.
God is found in the crucified Jewish carpenter from Nazareth.

The term "natural person" (more accurately "soulish human") speaks of us operating through our old, broken, sinful humanity (sometimes called "the old man" in reference to Adam)--its reason, its appetites, etc. Rather than the "spiritual person" (more accurately, "spiritual human") which refers to what Paul elsewhere calls the "new man", the new humanity of Jesus of which we share as grace through the power of the Spirit, received in faith. The old man, who without faith cannot accept what the Gospel proclaims because it is unreasonable, absurd, and even offensive--scandalous.

Thus the Gospel can only be accepted--believed--through faith.

What Paul doesn't mean is that it is impossible to discuss matters of theology, or biblical exegesis with an unbeliever. Because that's just plain silly.

But it does mean that, without faith, one isn't going to believe this very strange stuff that we preach.

In the historical teaching of the Christian Church faith is considered a gift from God, on the basis of Ephesians 2:8. For Lutherans this is such and important part of our theology that nothing in Lutheranism makes sense except by understanding that faith is "extra nos"--from outside of ourselves. The work of our salvation, God's power, happens from outside of us--not from within.

-CryptoLutheran