Part 6 - A spirit within a Spirit amongst spirits...

Books! One of the greatest sources of knowledge but also one of the greatest sources of misinterpretations.

We create books for everything. A humorist in Quebec, who's scene name is "Louis T", did a small stand up comedy scene talking about religions. He drove the audience to 2 religions in Quebec. The strongest majority which are Christians but also the presence of Jedi. He made a comical side quote about Jedi being based off a movie, he added that the other religions are based off books making it sound that neither is better than the other when comparing sources.

There are many books talking about the Bible, about people giving their insights into what they so-call studies of the Bible. I spoke with a very good man who studied philosophy and theology to be able to speak to those with high vocabulary and high studies, his name is David Haines. We talked about children and how he was a bit concerned about how simple things in life can just be complicated. We talked about children pooping, yes, we did. About how we simply wipe ourselves when done BUT, children have a hard time understanding the concept and it needs to be explained in detail.

Here's the instructions about what to do once you are done pooping: Wipe yourself!

Here's what the child will do: Wipe once, stand up, pull up his/her pants, continue to the daily activities.

PROBLEM: The child starts to smell awkward right after the number 2 bathroom event. WHY? Well, the instruction was NOT clear. Wipe, we said, the instruction should have been to wipe with some new toilet paper chunks UNTIL the toilet paper stays the same color as before you started wiping meaning that you're all clean! Again, other people, more willing would say that I am still not precise enough, but you get the point here.

Mr. Haines, being an intellectual person with his degrees, was kind of bored about those too simple things in life. But he did learn that we all start initially with simple things needing to be taught in details to understand. This man has so much love for his kids, it was a beautiful conversation I had with him and I have have some good time with this guy even if those moments were brief.

So, how does this relate to the Bible? Well, I'll add this for us, adults. We have ANOTHER problem that is the OPOSITE of this example. We have a tendency to stay in that child stage when expressing ourselves or writing about something. AND boy! Are we soo good at that. This is actually part of our protection mechanism and also part of our pride mechanism. We tend to over-explain things with many examples to prove our points and win in whatever idea war is happening during this conversation. The Bible has the exact same process and God has had the exact same problems with humans in a much bigger event, The Creation and management of humanity!

1. God Created everything we know (Creation)
2. Humans disobeyed and wanted wisdom (Eve eats forbidden fruit)
3. Humans killed each other (Cain kills his brother)
4. God repents and floods everything (Noah's Arc)
5. Humans make projects altogether without developing more (Building of the Babel Tower)
6. God changes the languages and spreads humans on earth (end of the Babel Tower)
7. God gives the 10 commandments amongst many other commandments (Moses)
8. Jesus is born (Virgin Mary)
9. Jesus is crucified (Crucifixion)
10. God destroys the whole univers and creates a totally new world (Apocalypse)

That is how the Bible can be resumed. Now, you may ask, WHY did I choose these events to resume the Bible? Well, let's first talk about how God is described in Genesis:

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

In red is highlighted one of the most important things in the entire Bible. It is the foundation of what man should know of himself. And THAT statement has been re-inforced in the new testament by Jesus himself right here:

John 10:34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;

This statement refers to these verses in the old testament:

Psalms 82:6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.

Isaiah 41:23 Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.

NOW, ONE huge interpretation widely preached by pastors and they DO enforce this, it's the fact that gods is used with a LOWERCASE "g" while as God is considered THE name of the Creator making all of what pertains to God have a capitalized initial letter making man as gods NOT God himself.  Also, may I note that Isaiah has a context of man being bad in their ways and that this book is mainly about prophecies but I won't talk about this here, I just wanted to point out where there are references of "ye are gods". But still, this is an important portion to understand about the Bible.

Now, let's focus a bit on this concept of God creating humans in his own image. I never really heard anyone preach about this very crucial detail about God. I mean, this detail brings a whole new view of who God is, the Creator. I always prefer to say Creator for those of other religions. I may be decorticating some Christian Bible stuff, but I still think that many of the things I write here still pertains to other religions as well on different levels. So, the Creator created man in his own image. Well, what is the image of the Creator. That would be a very good thing to know to begin our understanding.

Most Christians will undoubtebly admit without questioning that Jesus is Son of God. That the 3 persons in God are:

God, the Father
God, the Son (Jesus)
God, the Holy Spirit

Most Catholics will actually use those to produce the sign of the cross on their chests and sometimes have an ending sign on their forehead as a form of swearing, honoring or accepting the authority. So, let's get into some Bible references about what God is, or what image shall we have of him. AND, I will start as early as Genesis and the Creation:

Exodus 31:3 And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,

Exodus 35:31 And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship;

Numbers 24:2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him.

Job 27:3 All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;

I brought forth these 4 verses for 1 major reason. These are the 4 places where the word "spirit: is NOT capitalised. Another thing may I also put down in note is in Job, apparently, the spirit of God is in his....NOSTRILS.... The others talks about being "filled by" or the spirit "coming upon". So the spirit of God can dwell in awkward places... That left aside, let's see the capitalised Spirit places and more over, these particular verses:

1 Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

Romans 8:9 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.

There are many places where Spirit of God is mentioned, but these places are the closest to what I could find about being filled by, or in this case having it dwell in you. Did you get the difference? One is being FILLED by, while the other is DWELLING. Let's put some more modern and simple English words here. One is considered a being that can live with you or within you. BUT, one last little detail itches a lot and that is the verse in Job where it states that "the spirit of God came upon him". Making the non capitalised AND the capitalised a form of being.

The reason I bring this detail up is because there are many arguments about differences between the capitalised and non-capitalised words. Making capitalisation a formal name. But here, we are talking about one of the most important figures of the Bible being the Spirit of God and for so-called Christians swearing upon the Bible, stopping on a detail as little as a capitalised word can bring some very big controversies.

So, WHAT is the Spirit of God? What does the Spirit of God do? What is the role of the Spirit of God? Why swear by such a Spirit without understanding it's purpose or WHO that is? Well, here is something very interesting and clear about how that particular spirit operates.

Job 27:3 All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;
4 My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.

2 Chronicles 15:1 And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:
2 And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.

1 Corinthians 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Ezekiel 11:24 Afterwards the spirit took me up, and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up from me.
25 Then I spake unto them of the captivity all the things that the LORD had shewed me.
Ezekiel 12:1 The word of the LORD also came unto me, saying,

Romans 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

I put in red the key things to know about what the Spirit does. Most of what is seen is that the spirit of God is associated with speech. BUT, not any speech, speech that comes FROM God. Another detail is that the Spirit of God is also responsible for doing when looking at the words "went", "be" and "deeds" relating the Spirit of God to actions. And we also see a tiny portion of knowledge. It's logical to think that you cannot speak without a certain degree of knowledge. But the 2 main points are that anyone that has touched or has within the spirit of God will act and speak in a certain way.

There is just one tiny detail to finalise concerning the Spirit of God. That detail is the Holy Ghost. Here is a VERY popular verse that many Christians use to base their belief in the 3 persons in God:

Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

The Holy Ghosts is mentioned ONLY in the new testament. In no place is it written in the old testament about this entity.

Luke 1:41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

Luke 4:1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
...
4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
...
8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
...
12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Acts 9:17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
19 And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.
20 And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.

Acts 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,
9 If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;
10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

We see a strong emphasis on speech here again. A little detail hurts my eyes and that is, this verse:

1 Corinthians 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

Why in the worl did they want to mess us up by adding the Spirit of God and the Holy Ghost in the same verse? And why have a differenciation between Spirit of God and Holy Ghost? Why make things simple? There is though ONE difference between Spirit of God and Holy Ghost which we can see in this verse:

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

This gives a very clear definition of who the Holy Ghost is. The Holy Ghost is a comforter. BUT, another thing has to be denoted and THAT will be the subject of 1 of the 2 next articles.

As stated, "the Father will send in my name". Meaning that the Father speaks in Jesus' name making Jesus an utter most superiority. But again, we have this verse just before:

John 14:24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.

John 14:31 But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.

This makes us believe that the Father's word predominates over Jesus' word and that Jesus is under the Authority of the Father. But again, in verse 26, the Father speaks in Jesus' name. Jesus is the human link to the Father. This is a little insight into the next part of this series.

For now, we must understand who God is. God has a spirit and that spirit is responsible for actions and speech and some knowledge. The Holy Ghost could be considered another word for Spirit of God, but it would not make sens to change the first verse in the Bible like this:

Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Holy Ghost moved upon the face of the waters.

The reason I am writing this is to let you know that words do mean something but any man that says they preach the word of God cannot definitely say that it IS the word of God. All we know from the spiritual world is hidden and unknown. We can attempt to figure out how and what things are, but it still does not remove the fact that our knowledge cannot go further than what we are capable of knowing. So are these words speculations? Is the Bible a fairy tale? A book is written by knowledge and that knowledge is transcripted from what one perceives and understands. You may say that it can also be written from your imagination. But again, imagination and creation comes from a real world desire, reality or truth presented in a form of story to emphasise a human tangible reality.

If God created us at his image, then the image of God has a spirit so we all have a spirit and this spirit of ours has a specific job.

"No inspirational quote today! Well, this non-inspirational quote is an inspirational quote after all!"
David Richard (Qc/Can)