If God is Spirit, why does God have a Spirit?

[MarcoPG]

Hello,
following my previous thread on the Holy Spirit, I had another question asked which goes something like this: "If God is Spirit (John), why does God have a Spirit (Genesis), sends Him (Gospels, Acts, …) and is seen as the third Person and not just his Spirit?

So, how can I better explain that what God has, God is, and vice versa. Surely, it is difficult to explain with analogies how God is Spirit and has a Spirit which is another Person.
also, I want to avoid the idea that the Father may have a Body, or is the One who incarnated. That he is Spirit and has a Spirit might sound to a novice like he has a like we have, so he is Spirit and something else, maybe matter.

Thank you for your help.

 

[tm21]

Hello,
following my previous thread on the Holy Spirit, I had another question asked which goes something like this: "If God is Spirit (John), why does God have a Spirit (Genesis), sends Him (Gospels, Acts, …) and is seen as the third Person and not just his Spirit?

So, how can I better explain that what God has, God is, and vice versa. Surely, it is difficult to explain with analogies how God is Spirit and has a Spirit which is another Person.
also, I want to avoid the idea that the Father may have a Body, or is the One who incarnated. That he is Spirit and has a Spirit might sound to a novice like he has a like we have, so he is Spirit and something else, maybe matter.

Thank you for your help.

Part of your confusion may be in terminology. God (the Trinity) IS spirit, meaning He does not have a material body and is utterly transcendent (except in the incarnation…but that is another discussion). Also, the third Person of the Trinity is the “Holy Spirit” who proceeds from the Father and the Son. Also, God give hints of the Trinity in the Old Testament, but chooses to not fully reveal it until the Incarnation. Therefore, in the Old Testament you have to keep in mind that the language of the “spirit” is not fully developed, or explained.

 

[Memaw]

Hello,
following my previous thread on the Holy Spirit, I had another question asked which goes something like this: "If God is Spirit (John), why does God have a Spirit (Genesis), sends Him (Gospels, Acts, …) and is seen as the third Person and not just his Spirit?

So, how can I better explain that what God has, God is, and vice versa. Surely, it is difficult to explain with analogies how God is Spirit and has a Spirit which is another Person.
also, I want to avoid the idea that the Father may have a Body, or is the One who incarnated. That he is Spirit and has a Spirit might sound to a novice like he has a like we have, so he is Spirit and something else, maybe matter.

Thank you for your help.

God is Spirit but so was the Word, (before the Word became Flesh) and the Holy Spirit, as they are all the same nature. Confusing, OK but it is a true Mystery and we are not able to explain it or understand it with our finite minds. No matter how hard we try. God, Jesus, uses words of our language to help us accept what HE teaches. Our words are not very adequate when teaching about God. The Word became Flesh and lived among us and from not on Jesus will have a human body. The Holy Spirit is the Third person of the Trinity to come to us to help make us Holy. Even tho I don’t understand it now, I am thankful and will someday know in Eternity what it means. That’s called FAITH. We have faith now but in Heaven we won’t need faith! God Bless, Memaw

 

[Bookcat]

scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c3a8.htm

see above for more about the Holy Spirit.

Catechism:

691 “Holy Spirit” is the proper name of the one whom we adore and glorify with the Father and the Son. The Church has received this name from the Lord and professes it in the Baptism of her new children.16
The term "Spirit" translates the Hebrew word ruah, which, in its primary sense, means breath, air, wind. Jesus indeed uses the sensory image of the wind to suggest to Nicodemus the transcendent newness of him who is personally God's breath, the divine Spirit.17 On the other hand, "Spirit" and "Holy" are divine attributes common to the three divine persons. By joining the two terms, Scripture, liturgy, and theological language designate the inexpressible person of the Holy Spirit, without any possible equivocation with other uses of the terms "spirit" and "holy."