What is spirit? Spirit is non-material essence. Merriam-Webster Dictionary shows fourteen definitions for “spirit”. The first two are: “An animating or vital principle held to give life to physical organisms; a supernatural being or essence.” Scientific theories regarding aether, vacuum energy, neutrinos, which some relate to “spirit”, won’t be discussed here. This topic mostly discusses supernatural spirit beings.
God is Spirit. Holy. Jesus said in Jn.4:24, “God is (a) spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth”. Father God is Self-Existent spirit. God isn’t physical matter. No physical object or image can adequately depict God. The Godhead or God Family is spirit essence…invisible (1Ti.1:17), ethereal. 2Co.3:17 “The Lord is that Spirit.” The ascended Jesus is spirit at His Father’s right hand in heaven (He.1:3). In Lk.24:39, Jesus said that a spirit being doesn’t have flesh and bones.
God is Light. 1Jn.1:5 “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” Jesus said in Jn.8:12, ”I Am the Light of the world”. cf. Jn.12:46. The Old Testament (OT) prophecy quoted in the New Testament (NT) Mt.4:16 refers to Jesus. “The people who sat in darkness [in Galilee] saw a great light.” 1Ti.6:16 God dwells on His heavenly throne in brilliant light which physical human eyes cannot behold or approach. (Also see the topics “Godhead in Prehistory” and “Jesus Is God…Jesus Has a God”.)
Psalm 104, written by David, is about God’s Creation. Ps.104:1-3 Septúagint/LXX “Bless the Lord. You are very great. Who robes Thyself with Light [Ge.1:3] as with a garment; spreading out the heaven [Ge.1:8] as a curtain.” Compare the Creation account sequence in Ge.1:1-8. After Light was brought forth, lesser spirit beings were then made.
God makes His angels spirits. After Light, continuing with Ps.104:4 LXX, “Who makes His angels spirits”. The angelic order is composed of spirit beings. Cambridge Bible “It is clear that the spiritual nature of angels isn’t in question here.” He.1:7 of the NT quotes the Ps.104:4 LXX “angels”.
God’s heavenly host includes angels. Ne.9:6 “You are the Lord, who has made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host. The host of heaven worships You.” Cambridge Bible Ne.9:6 “Most probably means the created spirits.” Benson Commentary “All the inhabitants of heaven.” Poole Commentary “The angels, who are so called.” Ps.148:2-4 “Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! Praise Him, sun and moon; all stars of light! Praise Him, highest heavens!” Angelic voices on high praise the Lord. At Jesus’ human birth, in Lk.2:13 the heavenly host was seen extolling God. “Suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God.”
Angels serve as messengers, agents, and helpers. They can make themselves visible to man as need be, appearing as humans. The writer to the Hebrews admonished in He.13:2, “Don’t neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for some have entertained angels without knowing it”.
The Hebrew term rendered angel in our OT is maláwk, Strongs h4397. It means messenger. The term malawk occurs over 200 times in the OT. It also refers to human messengers and the Messenger of YHVH. (see “Michael in the Bible”. The only archangel so-named in scripture is Michael, Jude 1:9.)
The Greek term for angel in the LXX and NT is aggelos g32 (pronounced ángelos). It occurs 185 times in the NT. It can also refer to human messengers. (e.g. Ge.32:3 LXX, and John the Baptizer in Mt.11:10.)
The Lord Christ shared in the Creation. Col.1:16 “By Him [Christ the Son] all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions, rulers or authorities.” The Creation includes the heavenly host of beings, normally not visible to human eyes. JFB Commentary “Invisible – the world of spirits.” Barnes Notes “The angels we cannot see. Inhabitants of distant worlds we cannot see.” Gill Exposition “Angels were made by him, Heb.1:7; and, as the Jewish writers say, on the 2nd day of the creation, though some say on the 5th.” Benson Commentary Col.1:16 “The different orders of angels, both those that stood and those that afterward fell.”
According to Jn.1:1-14, Jesus was the primordial Word or Lógos (Greek) of God. Jn.1:3-9 “The Word was God. All things came into being through Him [Christ the Word/Logos]…That Word was the true Light [g5457].” “All things” included lesser spirit beings. Bengel’s Gnomen Jn.1:3 “All things, which are outside of God, were made; and all things which were made, were made by the Logos [Jesus, v.14].” Expositor’s Greek Testament Jn.1:3 “In 1Cor.8:6 Paul distinguishes between the Father as the primal source of all things and the Son as the actual Creator.” Christ the Light was Executive Creator.
He.12:9 God is the “Father of spirits”. Barnes Notes He.12:9 “God is Himself a Spirit [Jn.4:24]. Angels and human souls [or spirits] may be represented as especially His offspring.” JFB Commentary “God is a spirit Himself, and the Creator of spirits like Himself, in contrast to men who are flesh.” Meyer’s NT Commentary “God, who is Father in regard to the higher spiritual domain of life.” Pulpit Commentary “It isn’t human spirits only that are here in view. God is the Father of all ‘the spirits.”
The cherubim (plural) or cherúbs were another class of spirit beings. Telus.net: Cherubim “Cherubim are spiritual beings.” They serve as God’s guardians. The Hebrew term cherub (h3742) occurs 90 times in the OT. Ge.3:24 God cast Adam & Eve from the garden of Eden, and then stationed cherubim on the east side to guard the way to the Tree of Life. Scripture doesn’t depict cherubs as chubby human babies with wings flying around!
Ex.25:16-22 Moses was to construct the mercy-seat of God’s Tabernacle with two winged golden cherubs atop the Ark of the Testimony; there the Lord ‘dwelt’ with ancient Israel. Ellicott Commentary Ge.3:24 “The office of the cherub here is to guard the Paradise [Garden], lest man should try to force an entrance back; and so too the office of the cherubs upon the mercy-seat was to protect it, lest anyone should impiously approach it, except the high-priest on the Day of Atonement.” In 1Ki.6–8, figures of cherubim were later carved & embroidered (2Chr.3:14) in Solomon’s Temple. (This wasn’t idolatry.) In the Greek NT, cheroubim g5502 occurs only in He.9:5.
Ezk.10 is Ezekiel’s vision of cherubs at the Lord’s portable throne. Ezekiel calls them “living beings”. Ezk.10:20 LXX “This is the living being [g2226] that I saw below the God of Israel by the river Chobar, and I knew they were cherubs [g5502].” How did they appear to Ezekiel? Ezk.1:1, 5 “I was by the river Chebár among the exiles. There were figures resembling four living beings.” Ezk.1:10 “The likeness of their faces was the face of a human…the face of a lion…an ox…and an eagle.” Compare the appearance of the four living beings (g2226), but having six wings, that John envisioned at God’s throne in Re.4:6-9…lion, ox, man, flying eagle. The Nature and Purpose of the Cherubim “These cherubic forms combine the excellencies of these four chiefs of God’s terrestrial creation.”
Winged sphinxes resembled cherubs. Wikipedia: Sphinx Both the Egyptian and Greek sphinxes “were thought of as guardians, and often flank the entrances to temples.” An ancient sphinx composite had the head of a human, the paws & tail of a lion, the hind body of an ox, and the wings of an eagle. Dr. Raanan Eichler What Kind of Creatures Are the Cherubim? “The prevailing opinion is that the cherub is a winged sphinx…such as that depicted on the sarcophagus of the late 2nd-millennium BC Phoenician king Ahíram.” William Finck Cherubs Are Sphinxes “A sphinx is a variation on a cherub.”
Fiery seraphim (plural), seráphs h8314, were another class of spirit beings. They’re celestial attendant worshipers of God, having three pairs of wings. In the OT, seraphs only appear in the vision of Is.6:1-7.
They were around the Lord’s throne, praising. “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.” Then with a glowing coal of fire from the altar, a seraph figuratively purged Isaiah’s unclean lips & iniquity. Fire purifies. Ellicott Commentary Is.6:2 “This is the only passage in which the seraphim are mentioned as part of the host of heaven. ‘Burning ones’…with six wings.” cf. Rev.4–6. Gill Exposition Re.4:8 “Cherubim…like the seraphim in Is.6:2.” Nu.21:6-9 Moses made something like a bronze replica of a seraph, and set it on a pole to aid in healing Israelites bitten by serpents.
The watchers (Da.4:13-17, 23) were another group of spirit beings. They are discussed in the two-part topic “Watchers and Gen. 6 ‘Sons of God”.
Also there were “24 elders” at God’s throne in heaven. They are mentioned specifically in Re.4:4, 10; 5:8; 11:16; 19:4. The apostle John envisioned them in Re.4–5. Re.4:4 “Around the throne were 24 thrones. On the thrones were 24 elders sitting, dressed in white garments, with crowns of gold on their heads.” Theologians and Bible commentators have put forth various explanations as to their identity.
The elders wear crowns of gold. Barnes Notes Re.4:4 “These elders…are of a kingly order. They are human beings.” In the Bible, elders refer to men. Gill Exposition “In allusion to the 24 courses of the priests, into which they were divided by David [1Ch.24:4-19].” Re.5:10 Young’s Literal Translation “And [the Lamb] did make us to our God kings and priests.” They were as a royal priesthood (ref 1Pe.2:9).
Compellingtruth.com “Information in scripture most likely identifies these 24 elders as representatives of the church.” Expositor’s Greek Testament Re.4:4 “Heavenly beings, angelic figures corresponding to the ‘thrones’ of Col.1:16. The significance of the doubled 12 has been found in the 12 patriarchs or tribes [of Israel] plus the 12 apostles, or in the 24 classes of the priests.” Cambridge Bible Re.4:4 “They act as priests in Rev.5:8.” Pulpit Commentary Re.4:8 lists possible interpretations, including…“The 24 elders represent the great and minor prophets; higher angels – the celestial priesthood”.
Could the 24 elders be redeemed humans who are spirit beings serving on God’s heavenly council or court? I’ll leave the choice of interpretation to the reader. (see “Heavenly Host Authorities and Powers”.)
[Aside: Hierarchical angelologies (and demonologies) developed over the centuries in the traditions of Judaism, kabbálah, and medieval Christianity. That, and other ‘gods’, isn’t discussed here.]
God has given each of us humans our human spirit, the “breath of life” (Ge.2:7). Is.42:5 God the Lord gives breath to people on earth, “and spirit to those who walk on it”. Job’s countryman Elihú said in Jb.32:8, “There is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding”.
The human spirit is a vital incorporeal component within our body which imparts consciousness and intellect to our brain. We are a spirit, dwelling in a physical body on earth. 1Th.5:23 man is made up of “spirit, soul, and body”.
We communicate with God through our spirit. At conversion, the Holy Spirit (HS) of God joins with our human spirit. 1Co.6:17 “The person who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” Paul wrote to Timothy in 2Ti.4:22, “The Lord be with your spirit”. The HS becomes part of our persona. 1Co.3:16 “The Spirit of God dwells in you.”
At physical death, our human spirit is to “return to God who gave it”, Ec.12:7. The dying Stephen said in Ac.7:59, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit”. (Ja.2:26 “The body without the spirit is dead…our physical body is then a corpse. Also see the topic “Life and Death – for Saints”.) Php.1:23 Paul said it was better to depart our physical body and “be with Christ” in heaven with a spiritual body (1Co.15:44, 50).
Jesus prepares our heavenly abode for us. He said in Jn.14:2-3, “I go to prepare a place for you”. He.12:22-24 dwelling in heaven are the spirits of men (righteous). Lk.16:22 God’s holy angels will escort our spirit too, returning it to God who gave it…for His disposition and use. Lk.16:8-9 as the “sons of light”, we’re welcomed into eternal dwellings. Our spirit returns to the Light. 1Jn.1:5 God is Light [g5457]. Paul/Saul saw it from afar…Ac.9:3 “Suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.”
Jn.3:20-21 those who do truth don’t fear the Light. But the spirits of those who do evil or are unbelieving are afraid to go to the Light at death, to return to God (Ec.12:7). They stumbled in darkness (Jn.11:10), not receiving the HS. These may remain for a time as earthbound spirits (ghosts), stuck.
Those who believe in Jesus and repent of sin won’t abide in darkness (Jn.12:46)! Ps.36:9 “In Thy Light, we shall see light.” After death, we shouldn’t fear to return to God…going to the Light! Trust in His destiny for our human spirit. God is good (Lk.18:19)! Medical personnel confirm numerous Near Death Experience (NDE) cases where patients saw the light.
Ja.1:17 God is the “Father of lights [g5457]”. He made spirit beings, and human spirits (and stars too). Bengel’s Gnomen Ja.1:17 “He is the Father even of the spiritual lights in the kingdom of grace and glory.” Pr.20:27 LXX “The spirit of man is a light [g5457] of the Lord.” Gill Exposition Pr.20:27 “The spirit of man…was a bright and burning light at first, but through sin is become a very feeble one.”
Yet Christians whose human spirit is joined to God’s HS are able to figuratively “shine as luminaries [g5458] in the world” (Php.2:15). Jesus exhorted the disciples with Him in Jn.12:36, “While you have the Light [g5457], believe in the light, in order that you may become sons of light”. It’s our destiny too!
Re.22:5 “The Lord God has given them light, and they shall reign forever.” Col.1:12 Father God “has enabled us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light [g5457].” Prepared by God, it is the future for our spirits on into eternity…in His heavenly Light!
Bible Topic Exposition 