God is spirit – What does that mean?

TL;DR:

Saying “God is spirit” means that He is immaterial, invisible, and not bound by physical limitations. He exists eternally, fills all space, and must be worshiped in a way that matches His nature—spiritually and truthfully.

what does the bible say?

In John 4:24, Jesus declared, “God is spirit.” This simple but profound statement distinguishes the nature of God from anything earthly or material. He is not composed of matter (Luke 24:39). He has no physical body (John 1:18). He is not confined to a location (1 Kings 8:27). He is invisible (Colossians 1:15), eternal (Psalm 90:2), and ever-present (Psalm 139:7-8).

To say that God is spirit is to recognize that He is categorically different from creation (Isaiah 46:9). He cannot be seen, touched, or contained. Yet this does not mean He is distant. His spiritual nature means He is always near and present with all His people at all times (Psalm 139:7-10).

Because God is spirit, He must be approached on His terms. He cannot be reduced to images, rituals, or locations. Worship that pleases Him must be inwardly sincere and aligned with revealed truth (John 4:24b). Anything less misrepresents His nature and falls short of true communion.

from the old testament

In Deuteronomy 4:12, Moses reminded Israel at Sinai, “You heard the sound of words, but saw no form; there was only a voice.” God has no form, or body.
This is why the second commandment forbids making idols: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth” (Exodus 20:4). God is not to be represented by images because He is spirit. Anything we create to represent “Him” inevitably distorts His nature by trying to limit the immaterial, infinite God into physical matter.
Because God is spirit, He cannot be contained. In 1 Kings 8:27, at the dedication of the temple, Solomon exclaims in His prayer, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built!” God’s presence was symbolically in the temple, but He was never confined there. As infinite God and spirit, He transcends space.
For God, the earth is so small in comparison to Him that He metaphorically rests His feet on it: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?”” (Isaiah 66:1). The LORD is not limited to a building or nation because He is spirit.
Indeed, there’s no way to hide from God because He is spirit. The Psalmist declares, “Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence?” (Psalm 139:7). God cannot be seen, yet He sees everything because He is everywhere! Since He is not restricted by anything, there is no where we can go to block Him out.

from the new testament

The phrase, “God is spirit” is found in John 4:24. Jesus said that as part of a larger conversation with the Samaritan woman about where to worship (John 4:20). Jesus explained that God was spirit, and thus everywhere, to help her to see that worship is not about geography but sincerity and truth. Rather than expecting God to be found in a specific location, we can pray anywhere, but those prayers must come from hearts that conform to God’s revelation (truth).
Paul affirms God’s invisibility in 1 Timothy 1:17, calling Him “to the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God.” God’s nature is fundamentally different from ours, including that He is invisible because He is spirit.
In Acts 17:24-25, Paul told the Athenians that “the God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man.” God does not live in created temples because a pure spirit cannot be contained.
Although no one has seen God, the Son of God added on humanity to be like us (Philippians 2:7-8a). Because of this, Paul could say that Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). That is, by looking at Jesus, we “see” God who is spirit.
John likewise commented that the Word (Jesus) “became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). By this he meant that they saw the glory of the invisible God by seeing His glory in His Son, Jesus.
Jesus, Himself, said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9b). God was fully revealed in Jesus so that we can know Him (Hebrews 1:1-2) because “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature” (Hebrews 1:3a).

implications for today

“God is spirit” means that God cannot be understood by an image or contained in a place. He is invisible, eternal, and limitless. However, though we cannot see Him, He has revealed Himself to us. He did this first through prophets, and then in His Son (Hebrews 1:1-2).

Remembering who God is helps guard us from shallow, external religion. Since God is spirit, He is not limited to temples or mountain tops or in churches. God is everywhere. He sees our heart and knows whether we are genuinely worshiping Him (1 Samuel 16:7). We do not impress Him with ceremonies, but only when we worship Him in “spirit and truth” (John 4:24), which means to worship Him as Scripture teaches.

Knowing that God is spirit should be comforting. We don’t see Him, and we often don’t even feel Him. However, the Bible tells us that He is especially close to believers even at this moment. God is always ready to hear our needs and guide us through trials.

Also, knowing that God is spirit reminds us to seek spiritual things above earthly ones (Colossians 3:2). We do that when we walk by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7) and live in constant communion with Him in our prayers, Bible study, and worship.

understand

God is immaterial and invisible, not bound by physical limitations.
God wants to be worshiped in spirit and truth.
When Christ took on human form, believers “saw” the invisible God through Jesus.

reflect

How does Christ’s incarnation help you to draw closer to God?
If you use Christian symbols, such as the cross, how do you ensure you’re worshiping God in spirit and truth and not making an idol of those symbols?
How does knowing that God sees all impact your daily walk with Him?

engage

What are some challenges of explaining to unbelievers what it means that God is “spirit”?
How can we engage on the issue of God being spirit with those from faith traditions who use icons in worship?
How does God being spirit and Christ coming in the flesh help us better shed light on the doctrine of the Trinity and interact with those who argue against that doctrine (e.g., Jehovah’s Witnesses)?