Is Spirituality Confusing?

 Yes. Next post…

Lol?

What is the Holy Spirit? Is Jesus the Gift of Christmas and the Spirit the Gift of Pentecost? Might God gift us yet in the future in some other way?

And then there are terms like “being spiritual”, which seems to be a more popular faith-based self-identification than being “religious”. There is a whole category of books known by the topic of “spirituality”. Recently, I found myself stirring up the mud by trying to define spirituality in terms of “transcendence”. Yah, not helpful, even if I think I know what I am talking about.

The Bible throws around the term “spirit” a lot. My bible reading right now is around King Saul in the book of 1 Samuel. They talk about God sending evil spirits upon Saul. How can I unravel this word that I have been soaked in my whole life to try and make sense of it?

You decide whether it is a benefit or a detriment that knowing “how” to do something rarely gets in my way. That’s meant some problems in home repair issues, but never stopped me when it comes to thinking about my faith.

There is a contrast in the writings of Paul between Spirit and Flesh. It can be summed up essentially as “Spirit good” and “Flesh bad”. But that is another discussion.

Where this helps us is that “flesh” is a clear description of us, human, created, sinful beings (thus bad and needing Jesus). Jesus is God “incarnate”, ‘made flesh’, same root word in Carnivore, flesh-eater. I know, kind of icky.

But in clearly defining our existence as “flesh”, the idea of “spirit” can then encompass what is beyond the flesh. Christianity has specific definitions of “spirit” in terms of God, in terms of humanity in connection to God, as do many faiths and systems of belief.

The key takeaway is that “ spirit” is beyond the flesh. It might be capital H and capital S “ Holy Spirit” or a description of some kind of ghostly apparition. 

That is why, I believe, it can be hard to pin down a working definition because the word is so encompassing. 

So, by definition, we are Flesh and God is Spirit. But the reality that the spiritual is integral to who we are as beings of Flesh is evidence to me that the world can see and know the divine, the transcendent, the spiritual.

I hope that is helpful.

Peace,

Pastor Peter