GOD AS A PERSON. NOTES
Does scripture ever refer to God as a person. I only remember, “God is love and God is spirit.”
Response:
While the Bible never says “God is a person" in those exact words, it frequently portrays God as a personal being, not merely an impersonal force. We already remembered two important statements:
"God is spirit" (John 4:24)
"God is love" (1 John 4:8, 16) as noted in discussions of those passages.
The Bible also describes God with qualities that belong to a person:
God speaks (Genesis 1:3 and throughout Scripture).
God loves (John 3:16).
God knows and plans (Isaiah 46:9-10).
God hears prayers (Psalm 65:2).
God has a will (Matthew 6:10).
God can be grieved by sin (Ephesians 4:30).
These are personal attributes, not characteristics of an impersonal energy or abstract principle.
There are also verses that distinguish God from human persons:
"God is not a man" (Numbers 23:19).
So, Christians have traditionally understood that:
God is spirit in nature, not a physical human being.
Yet God is personal, possessing intellect, will, emotions, and the ability to relate to people.
hear the distinction: God is not a human person, but God is personal. That captures the balance of the biblical language.
Can I get a dictionary definition of the word, “person?”
RESPONSE:
The standard dictionary definition of person is:
Person (noun): a human being regarded as an individual.
Many dictionaries also include a broader philosophical sense:
Person: a being that has consciousness, self-awareness, reason, will, and the capacity for relationships.
This broader definition is important in theology. When Christians say “God is a person" or “God is personal," they usually do not mean God is a human being. After all, Scripture says "God is spirit" (John 4:24) Rather, they mean God has characteristics associated with personhood: intelligence (He knows), will (He chooses), self-awareness ("I AM"),
communication (He speaks), relationship (He loves). So there are really two different senses of the word: Person = human individual’ In this sense, God is not a person.
Person = a self-aware, rational, relational being, In this sense, many Christians would say God is a person, or more precisely a personal being. This distinction is why theological discussions can become confusing. Often the disagreement is not about God, but about which definition of person is being used.
Sounds like the phrase defines qualities of God, but without the words. God is before the word as in Gid is Spirit, god is love, Tge persinage of Dod appears to more accurately describe qualities. Whe Christ proclaims, The father and I are one, I always think that the following word should be spirit. By Spirit he is sayoin one life form.
Copilot said:
That's an interesting observation, and you're touching on a distinction that theologians and mystics have wrestled with for centuries.
What you're suggesting is that words like person, Father, love, and spirit are all human language trying to point toward a reality that precedes language itself. In that sense, "person" may not define God so much as describe certain aspects of how God relates to us.
When Scripture says:
"God is Spirit" (John 4:24)biblehub
and
"God is love" (1 John 4:8, 16)bibleq
the text is identifying God's nature rather than assigning Him to a category of created beings.
Regarding Jesus' statement:
"I and the Father are one" (John 10:30)
many Christians understand "one" as unity of divine nature or essence rather than simply agreement of purpose. Your thought that "the next word should be spirit" is one way of expressing that unity: Father and Son share the same divine life. Historically, Christian theology would say they are "one in being" or "one in essence."
Your phrase"one life form" reflects an attempt to express that shared divine reality. Traditional Christianity would be careful with the term "life form" because it can sound as though God is one species among others. Instead, it usually speaks of one divine nature, one Spirit, or one being.
I think your intuition is that:
God is not fundamentally a human-like person.
God is Spirit.
The language of personhood points to God's ability to know, love, and relate.
Jesus' unity with the Father is deeper than mere agreement; it is unity of life and being.
That's actually quite close to the way many Christian mystics have spoken. They often emphasized that God is beyond all human categories, yet personal enough to be known and loved.
The tension is that Scripture presents both truths simultaneously:
God transcends human concepts: "God is Spirit."biblehub
God also speaks, loves, wills, and enters relationship, which are the reasons many believers describe Him as personal.gotquestions
So I would say your thought isn't so much contradicting Scripture as emphasizing one side of it: God's essential nature as Spirit, rather than starting with the philosophical term "person."
Sources
You said:
The phrase, One Spirit also presents the Trinity in a more logical and understandable languagwe
Copilot said:
I can see why you'd find that language more intuitive.
In fact, Scripture itself uses the phrase"one Spirit" in reference to the unity of God's people and God's work:
"There is one body and one Spirit..." (Ephesians 4:4)
and
"For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit." (Ephesians 2:18)
From your perspective, saying Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are united by one Spirit may feel more direct than later theological terms such as "three persons in one essence."
The reason traditional Trinitarian theology adopted the language of person was to preserve distinctions that appear in Scripture:
The Father speaks to the Son.
The Son prays to the Father.
The Spirit is sent by the Father and the Son.
If theologians had simply said "God is one Spirit" without qualification, some feared it might sound as though Father, Son, and Spirit were merely different names or appearances of the same subject rather than genuinely distinct.
What's interesting is that your emphasis starts with the biblical statement"God is Spirit" rather than with philosophical terminology. Many believers throughout history, especially contemplative and mystical writers, have preferred to focus on that foundational truth.biblehub
Your thought could be expressed something like:
"The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one divine Spirit, one life, one being, revealed in distinct ways."
Traditional Trinitarians might agree with the "one divine Spirit, one life, one being" part, but would add language about distinction to account for the relationships shown in Scripture.
So I think you're raising less of a contradiction and more of a question about which language best communicates the mystery. "One Spirit" is certainly more biblical in wording, whereas "three persons, one essence" is a later theological attempt to explain the biblical data. The debate is really about whether the explanatory language helps or obscures what Scripture is already saying.
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GOD IS SPIRIT
God Is Spirit: A Scriptural Foundation for Understanding God and the Trinity
When studying God, I believe Scripture must come before theology. Human understanding is limited, while God is beyond complete human comprehension. Therefore, before considering man's explanations of God, I believe we should begin with what God has clearly revealed about Himself in Scripture. One of the clearest statements in the Bible concerning God's nature is found in Jesus' words to the Samaritan woman:
"God is Spirit."
This statement is remarkable for its simplicity and depth. Jesus did not say that God is a spirit, as though He were one spirit among many. He said that God is Spirit.
Likewise, Scripture tells us: "God is love."
Again, the Bible is speaking of what God is, not merely what God does. These statements reveal God's nature and provide a foundation from which understanding should proceed.
For this reason, I find it difficult to begin with theological terms such as person, essence, or substance. Those words are man's attempts to describe God. While they may have value, they are not the starting point. Scripture is the starting point.
The word person itself can be problematic. In ordinary language, a person is understood to be a human individual. God is clearly not a human being. Scripture says: “God is not a man." When theologians use the word person concerning God, they generally mean a self-aware, relational being possessing intellect and will. Yet even this definition does not fully satisfy me, because Scripture itself never says, "God is a person." Scripture says, "God is Spirit." For that reason, I believe the phrase God is Spirit should govern all subsequent understanding of God.
This becomes especially important when considering the doctrine of the Trinity. Traditional theology speaks of one God existing eternally as three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. While this language attempts to explain Scripture, I find that the concept of "one Spirit" appears to unify the Godhead more naturally and more directly. Jesus declared: "I and my Father are one."
My mind naturally asks: “One what?
The answer that seems most consistent with Jesus' declaration that God is Spirit is that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share one divine Spirit, one divine life, and one divine being.
The term person highlights distinction. The term Spirit highlights unity.
The challenge of Trinitarian theology has always been how to preserve both the distinction and the unity revealed in Scripture. To me, the strongest bond holding the Godhead together is not the concept of personhood, but the reality of one Spirit.
This understanding also sheds light on humanity's creation in the image of God.
Genesis records:
"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness."
If God is Spirit, then the image of God cannot primarily refer to physical appearance. Instead, it must refer to the deeper reality of what man is. Paul provides an interesting insight in his prayer:
"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Notice that Paul identifies three aspects of man: Spirit, Soul, & Body. He does not merely refer to the body and soul. He specifically identifies spirit, soul, and body. This threefold description of man has long been understood by many Christians as evidence that humanity possesses a triune nature. Since man was created in God's image, there may be a meaningful correspondence between: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. {The trinitarian existence of God}
Spirit, soul, and body. {The trinitarian existence of man.}
Though Scripture does not explicitly make this comparison, the parallel is difficult to ignore. Significantly, Paul lists spirit first and body last. This ordering suggests that man's deepest identity is not physical but spiritual. If God is Spirit, and man bears God's image, then the spiritual dimension of man must be foundational.
This approach to Scripture seeks to avoid beginning with a predetermined theological system. Rather than starting with doctrines and searching for verses to support them, it begins with what Scripture expressly states and then builds understanding from that foundation. The principle is simple: God is Spirit. The three persons of the trinity are one spirit. God is one. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are revealed in Scripture. Humanity is made in God's image. Man is described as spirit, soul, and body. From these truths, understanding grows.
This does not mean every mystery is solved. God remains greater than human comprehension. In fact, the recognition that God transcends human understanding is one reason Scripture must remain our highest authority. Human explanations may be helpful, but they can never replace divine revelation. Ultimately, I find that every study of God should begin where Jesus began:
God is Spirit.
If that truth remains at the center, then every other doctrine concerning God, the Trinity, and man as God's image bearer can be examined in its light. Scripture comes first. Everything else follows.