The sixth main aspect of God is Spirit. We know that God is Spirit but what does that mean? Spirit is that which cannot be destroyed or damaged. It is the opposite of matter. Matter wears out, but Spirit does not because Spirit is substance. Herbert Spencer defines substance as that which is not subject to discord or decay. Webster says, “that which underlies all outward manifestation…real, unchanging essence or nature…that in which qualities inhere…that which constitutes anything that is.” All this can only apply to spiritual things.
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth
(John 4:24).
You are Spirit. Spirit cannot die and was never born. Your true self was never born and will never die. You are eternal, divine, unchanging Spirit, in your true nature. The whole universe is a spiritual creation but we see it in a limited way. You have sometimes seen a window made of fluted glass, and you know that if you look at the street through this window everything will be distorted. Nevertheless, you know that the distortion arises from your seeing wrongly. Our false vision causes us to know ourselves only from a seeming birth to a seeming death; but this is illusion too. This distorted vision of Spirit is really what we know as “matter.” Eucken says, “Reality is an independent spiritual world, unconditioned by the apparent world of sense” – and this is substance.
It seems so hard to accept that true reality is spirit and the material reality we perceive is only a small part of existence. Yet, the Bible affirms this truth time and again. Acceptance of this truth, however difficult, is the key to understanding our relationship with God and our universe. Once understood and believed, this truth reveals the true way of life that is in harmony with God and all creation. When put into practice, this truth gives us dominion over God’s creation and allows us to shape our reality. Once grasped, this radical truth will “set us free”.
It seems so hard to accept that true reality is spirit and the material reality we perceive is only a small part of existence. Yet, the Bible affirms this truth time and again. Acceptance of this truth, however difficult, is the key to understanding our relationship with God and our universe. Once understood and believed, this truth reveals the true way of life that is in harmony with God and all creation. When put into practice, this truth gives us dominion over God’s creation and allows us to shape our reality. Once grasped, this radical truth will “set us free”.
Seeing clearly,
Z gardener
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