What is a Spirit?

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Mayflower

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a creation of God. Our true selves. Our heart/conscience that is lead by our mind and flesh. It is why we have to renew our mind to lead our Spirits in an intimate relationship with God. Because those who worship must do so in Spirit and in Truth.
 
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brakelite

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I ask the question because some seem to think the spirit is just some floating around aparatus ,when in fact the spirit is our true selves.

In other words our spirit which is who we are will exist outside this flesh
So the obvious conclusion is that before the flesh came, our "true self" must have pre-existed in some form, somewhere.
 
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Stan B

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Like for example,do they have mass?

Our spirit is energy, much like electricity, which has no mass.

Our spirit is the eternal essence of who we are, given by God at birth, when He breathes into us the breath/spirit of life.

“The Spirit of God has made me,
And the breath of the Almighty gives me life." Job 33

And then when we die, the spirit returns to God who gave it. Ecclesiastes 12:7

Our spirit is in some way designed for uniting with the Spirit of God, as Jesus prayer: "The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity" John 17:21-23

That's the easy part, but what is the soul?
 

Heart2Soul

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Like for example,do they have mass?
Well scripture teaches us that what is seen was created by that which is not seen. So the physical is a creation of the spiritual. Now spiritual uses physical to manifest itself in the physical realm. But physical cannot comprehend the spiritual without having a spiritual mind towards it. Which is why God says we must worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Spirit is our life source...God breathed the spirit of life into his physical creation. But the physical body is dead and unable to survive without their spirit in them.
Does it have mass...mass is physical. So I would have to say no. Because mass is a collective of matter.
Editing....it does seem that the spiritual can appear as physical ..such as angels appearing to Mary and so forth...
This is a good question.
 
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Stan B

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Well scripture teaches us that what is seen was created by that which is not seen. So the physical is a creation of the spiritual. Now spiritual uses physical to manifest itself in the physical realm. But physical cannot comprehend the spiritual without having a spiritual mind towards it. Which is why God says we must worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Spirit is our life source...God breathed the spirit of life into his physical creation. But the physical body is dead and unable to survive without their spirit in them.
Does it have mass...mass is physical. So I would have to say no. Because mass is a collective of matter.
Editing....it does seem that the spiritual can appear as physical ..such as angels appearing to Mary and so forth...
This is a good question.

I don't believe that angels are spirits. They have the ability to materialize or dematerialize at will much like Jesus was able to do with His resurrection body.

Humans are different, because they need a physical body to function. The human body seems to be sort of a vehicle for conveying our spirit during our lifetime.
 
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Stan B

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Mass doesn't even have mass. Mass, like time, is an illusion. It's light and energy.

So then... Does spirit have light and energy? Not all spirits. Some are darkness.

I don't agree that mass does not have mass. But we do know that mass contains energy, and can store energy, sort of like my car battery.
 
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Enoch111

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Any thoughts
A spirit is a created being without a physical body. All angels are spirit beings (who can also take on bodies at will or at God's command) but are essentially spirit beings (invisible but very powerful). Satan (the devil) is the most powerful and evil spirit being, the Adversary of God and man. Almost since the beginning of creation there have been good spirit beings (angels) and bad spirit beings (angels and demons). *Ghosts* are in fact evil spirits, not people coming back to earth after death.

God the Father Himself is a Spirit (invisible to mortal man), and so is the Holy Spirit.
However the Lord Jesus Christ is in Heaven in His glorious, glorified, exalted and resurrected body. He will always remain in that body, which will have the marks of His crucifixion.

Man himself consists of body, soul, and spirit (the latter two being immaterial and imperishable). The terms *mortal* and *immortal* strictly apply to the body. Upon death the soul and spirit are separated from the body. The body goes into the grave to become dust, whereas the soul and spirit are bound for two destinations, depending on their relationship to God and Christ. Those who are saved go directly to Heaven to be with Christ, whereas those who are not go directly to Hades (in the heart of the earth) to suffer and await their final judgment.

God has guaranteed two resurrections. One for the just (saved) called *the first resurrection*, and the other for the unjust (unsaved) called *the second resurrection*. At the Resurrection/Rapture of the saints, those who have gone to be with Christ will be brought by Him (and with Him) to receive perfect, immortal, glorified bodies (and will be perfected in body, soul, and spirit). Those who are alive at His coming will also be perfected and receive the same kind of bodies (called *spiritual bodies* since they are free from human and mortal limitations). All of this will happen *in the twinkling of an eye*.

Those who are unsaved will be brought out of Hades, and will also receive bodies. And then be judged at the Great White Throne judgment, and eventually cast in to the Lake of Fire. Soul Sleep (souls sleeping in their graves) and Annihilationism (people being annihilated, evaporated, or exterminated) are both bogus and unscriptural teachings.
 
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ScottA

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I don't agree that mass does not have mass. But we do know that mass contains energy, and can store energy, sort of like my car battery.
Of course mass has mass in the context of mass. But my point in saying it the way that I did, is because n2thelight has asked his question outside of that context, and with regard to the spirit realm.
 

Stan B

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A spirit is a created being without a physical body. All angels are spirit beings (who can also take on bodies at will or at God's command) but are essentially spirit beings (invisible but very powerful). Satan (the devil) is the most powerful and evil spirit being, the Adversary of God and man. Almost since the beginning of creation there have been good spirit beings (angels) and bad spirit beings (angels and demons). *Ghosts* are in fact evil spirits, not people coming back to earth after death.

God the Father Himself is a Spirit (invisible to mortal man), and so is the Holy Spirit.
However the Lord Jesus Christ is in Heaven in His glorious, glorified, exalted and resurrected body. He will always remain in that body, which will have the marks of His crucifixion.

Man himself consists of body, soul, and spirit (the latter two being immaterial and imperishable). The terms *mortal* and *immortal* strictly apply to the body. Upon death the soul and spirit are separated from the body. The body goes into the grave to become dust, whereas the soul and spirit are bound for two destinations, depending on their relationship to God and Christ. Those who are saved go directly to Heaven to be with Christ, whereas those who are not go directly to Hades (in the heart of the earth) to suffer and await their final judgment.

God has guaranteed two resurrections. One for the just (saved) called *the first resurrection*, and the other for the unjust (unsaved) called *the second resurrection*. At the Resurrection/Rapture of the saints, those who have gone to be with Christ will be brought by Him (and with Him) to receive perfect, immortal, glorified bodies (and will be perfected in body, soul, and spirit). Those who are alive at His coming will also be perfected and receive the same kind of bodies (called *spiritual bodies* since they are free from human and mortal limitations). All of this will happen *in the twinkling of an eye*.

Those who are unsaved will be brought out of Hades, and will also receive bodies. And then be judged at the Great White Throne judgment, and eventually cast in to the Lake of Fire. Soul Sleep (souls sleeping in their graves) and Annihilationism (people being annihilated, evaporated, or exterminated) are both bogus and unscriptural teachings.

So . . . How would you define "soul"?? I have searched Scripture, but haven't been able to find anything definitive.
 

Enoch111

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So . . . How would you define "soul"?? I have searched Scripture, but haven't been able to find anything definitive.
*Soul* is the person himself or herself -- *the real you*. But immaterial.
Thus "eight souls were saved by water" means that eight persons were saved by water. The body is the tabernacle or dwelling place of the soul, and the spirit is attached to the soul, yet distinct from it. Upon death, the two are together separated from the body.

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Heb 4:12)

The spirit of man is unique in that animals do not have such spirits. That is because man was created in the image of God, and to have fellowship with God. So the spirit is the portion that communicates with God and comprehends the things of God. Since Adam sinned, all human beings are born with souls (the mind, the will, and *the heart*, or the emotions) which are alive at birth. However the spirit is dead. Therefore Jesus said that it is imperative that we *must be born again*. It is only after the New Birth that God awakens (or quickens) the spirit, and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within the spirit. Thus we can pray as we should, and also understand spiritual things.
 

Stan B

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*Soul* is the person himself or herself -- *the real you*. But immaterial.
Thus "eight souls were saved by water" means that eight persons were saved by water. The body is the tabernacle or dwelling place of the soul, and the spirit is attached to the soul, yet distinct from it. Upon death, the two are together separated from the body.

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Heb 4:12)

The spirit of man is unique in that animals do not have such spirits. That is because man was created in the image of God, and to have fellowship with God. So the spirit is the portion that communicates with God and comprehends the things of God. Since Adam sinned, all human beings are born with souls (the mind, the will, and *the heart*, or the emotions) which are alive at birth. However the spirit is dead. Therefore Jesus said that it is imperative that we *must be born again*. It is only after the New Birth that God awakens (or quickens) the spirit, and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within the spirit. Thus we can pray as we should, and also understand spiritual things.

I would tend to agree with most of which you have said. The spirit is eternal, but the soul is not necessarily eternal. "The soul that sinneth shall die."

I became quite intrigued with this a while back, when I observed a 90 year old guy at church, who although his mind was severely compromised, his wife would bring him to church with her every Sunday, probably because there was no one at home to look after him.

As I watched him carefully as we were singing hymns. He had no need of a hymnbook as he sang all five verses by memory. His memory was obviously not in his brain. It was stored somewhere else in his being, which I speculate was his soul.

Since then, I have checked out a number of such incidences on the internet, mostly in long term care facilities for people with Alzheimers et al. When it came to singing hymns, when the family sang hymns, the patient would soon join them and sing along with them, with a clear (mostly) recollection of the words!

I tend to believe that when the mind goes, knowledge is stored somewhere else within our being.
 
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Enoch111

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I would tend to agree with most of which you have said. The spirit is eternal, but the soul is not necessarily eternal. "The soul that sinneth shall die."
And that simply means "The person who sins will die". Therefore all human beings die and also face the second death. But the soul is imperishable and death means separation. The second death is eternal separation from God.
 

n2thelight

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Look at the below,God ask Job where he was when He(God)created this earth

Job 38:4 "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding."

Job 38:5 "Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?"

Job 38:6 "Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;"

Job 38:7 "When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for Joy?"



Who were these "sons of God" [the stars that sang], and when did these sons of God sing for Joy? We are talking about the angels here, that sang before the establishment of this earth age of the flesh. All souls were there and Satan also was there with all of them. Some how the people of this earth age are trying to forget Satan and the role that he played at the rebellion in that first earth age. We see that Satan was not in the conversation with Job and his friends at this time. They all have overlooked the overall plan of God. However had Job known the plan of God, where would he have been then, when the foundations of this earth were laid and the angels were rejoicing? Of course He would have been there with the rest of them, where we all were. You see, we the elect of God were chosen before the foundations of this earth were laid, and so was Job.


Ephesians 1:4 "According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world [age], that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:"


Ephesians 1:5 "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children of Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,"

Simple question,are you a son of God?
 
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n2thelight

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Ask yourself a question,when did satan sin and what was happening before his fall.Do you think he fell after God made man?If so according to that premise satan fell after around 7 days,does that make sense to you?

Do most even know what his sin was?