Tuesday, March 6, 2018

(03/06/2018) What Is A Spirit?


A depiction of the fullness of divinity revealed through Jesus Christ



Today, focus is on defining “spirit” as an aspect of human and divine makeup.  Divine spirit is spoken of as authority, dominion, and power.  Many of the devices used to depict spirit (e.g., clouds, flame, fog, mist, smoke), in fact, are material substances made of fine particles.  All spirit is made up only of spirit; and the origin and source of all divine spirit is exclusively GOD.  Faith is made up only of faith; holiness consists only of holiness; righteousness contains only righteousness, and so on.  While emotions, mind, sensations, and thoughts also are immaterial and intangible, they are more the product and response of flesh to its outside setting and surroundings than a presentation of the exchanges and interactions among the elements in place as ones inner makeup.  Divine spirit substance can become defiled and profaned; and may be destroyed using the same holy fire that separates the acceptable portion of offerings and sacrifices transmitted to GOD from the matter that must be eliminated and removed.  The holy writings describe angels as spirit messengers and living creatures who are neither mortal nor immortal, and who exist and serve at the discretion of GOD.  Angels  have appeared to mankind using the likeness of men as well as forms that are strange and frightening (e.g., having four faces; moving by wheels; having multiple pairs of wings).  In addition to those accounted as holy and consecrated, there are others accounted as devils, “fallen” through the operations of sin, rebellious, and “unclean”.  The Lake of Fire that will be used to complete annihilation (the second death) and the judgments against sin has been prepared for the devil, his angels, and those who chose to be his followers.  A fighter in the “Yahoo! Answers” forum who uses the ID “Nightwolf” (Level 7 with 26,791 points, a member since December 08, 2015) posted the following:


What exactly is a spirit?

Is it like a energy being?


THE GOLDEN ARROW:  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God:  Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them:  because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.  They are of the world:  therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.  We are of God:  he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.  (1st John 4:  1-6, King James Version, KJV)


THE DOUBLE DAGGER:  Flesh As Divine Vessels? (01/14/2018); Having Personhood Without Gender? (12/13/2017); An Incarnation of Divinity? (10/12/2017); Lower Than The Angels? (09/12/2017); The Servitude of Angels (08/28/2017); Divine Presence and Spirit (01/18/2017); Destruction of the Adversary? (01/06/2017); Discernment and Common Sense (05/17/2016)


“Nightwolf”, here is a way we may speak together of these things:
Among Christian believers, spirit is not an ordinary object or thing having fixed and measurable features.  Being and personhood are specific appearances, material forms, and tools used to make what is unseen known; and both are used to describe qualities and traits of living creatures that have been fashioned by GOD, and given existence and life separate from the Creator.  By contrast, divinity is understood as a cause, the origin of all things, an active presence, and the eternal purpose for all existing without dimension (i.e., measurable form, or limits), and is the aggregate or sum of all sacred spirit substance.  Thus, Christians speak of Deity as an appearance of divine fullness (we also say, the GODhead; the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit), who is immortal, incorruptible, and invisible.

Mankind was formed using material from the earth, and had physical existence before receiving awareness, life, and self-will.   Life essence (we say, breath; spirit; Word) from the makeup of GOD was imparted to a insensible figure; and man became a “living soul.”  Where we are told, mankind is made in the image of GOD, we take it to mean, the spirit content of men, rather than the facade and outer shell, is like that of GOD.  Divinity has used many embodiments and forms to become knowable, known, accessible and approachable to the living (e.g., fire, ice, judges, kings, nations, patriarchs, priests, prophets, water, winds).  Christians trust that—after using thousands of events, and thousands of lives, over the course of thousands of years to prepare mankind for the sacred events of his birth, life, death, and resurrection—GOD also appeared in flesh and human form as Jesus Christ (we say, Incarnation).

All spirit material is not divine in its authority, character, makeup, and response to godly truth.  Thus we speak of the “anti-christ spirit.”  Sin is no thing created by GOD, and is not a spirit, yet, sin may dominate awareness and self-will in the living; and the operations of sin show direction, effect, and presence.  Thus, Christians are cautioned to use discernment (i.e., apply their own imparted spirit from the makeup of GOD as a standard to recognize and respond to spirit substance from GOD within other persons, events, messages, motives, teachings, etc.)  Sinners may receive a fresh endowment of spirit content from GOD by becoming “born again.”  Their inborn spirit must die, be buried, and be raised from the dead, so to speak; and they are to become vessels of divine seed/DNA.  Imparted from GOD are inseparable aspects of the divine nature such as faith, forbearance, holiness, longsuffering, lovingkindness, restraint, righteousness, wisdom, and wrath against sin.  Consider again the following that uses language from the Bible:

(1.)  Isaiah 11:  1-5, King James Version (KJV):  1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:  2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;  3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD:  and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:  4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth:  and he shall smite the earth:  with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.  5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

(2.)  John 3:  4-6, KJV:  4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?  5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

(3.)  John 1:  10-14, KJV:  10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.  11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.  12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:  13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

There is far more to be said, correctly examined, and spiritually apprehended.  (For example, (4.)  Romans 8:  3-9, KJV:  3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:  4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God:  for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.  9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.)  Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful.  Be it unto you according to your faith.



THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC

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