Every matter or thing has its origin, nature, and expression. The spirit also has its origin, nature, and expression. First, the origin of the spirit is God. We know that gold often comes from the refined ore of a gold mine. Some of the ore contains the nature of gold, and through the refining process, gold is produced. Thus, the origin of gold is the gold mine. In the same way, because God is Spirit, the origin of the spirit is God Himself.
For example, if someone asks what a table is, we can say that the essence of a table is wood. If someone asks what man is, we can say that the essence of man is flesh and blood. If someone asks what a book is, we can say that the essence of a book is paper. Wood is the essence of a table, flesh and blood are the essence of man, and paper is the essence of a book. Every item has its essence, and its essence is based upon its origin. God is the origin, in God is an essence, and this essence is Spirit. This is what the Bible reveals to us.
The Bible also says that God is love and light. God’s being love denotes God’s nature, and God’s being light refers to His expression. However, these are not something of God’s essence. For instance, if a lamp is not connected to the electricity, it will not shine. The shining of a lamp is the expression of electricity, but it is not the essence of electricity. We have never seen electricity, but we have seen the expression of the electricity—the shining of a lamp. The expression of electricity, however, is not the essence of electricity. Let us use another example. The heat that comes from an electric heater is the expression of the electricity but not the essence of the electricity. There is a distinction between the essence and the expression of a certain object.
It is difficult to explain the essence of the Spirit because no one has ever seen the Spirit. On the one hand, some Christians know the Spirit, but on the other hand, no Christian can see the essence of the Spirit, the Spirit Himself. Although we cannot see the Spirit, the Spirit manifests Himself in many ways. We can experience the presence of the Spirit, see the manifestation and power of the Spirit, and touch and contact the Spirit in the saints. According to the revelation of the Bible, God is Spirit; the essence, the substance, of God is Spirit. When we say that God is with us, we mean that the Spirit is with us. God’s being in us is the Spirit’s being in us. When we fellowship with God, we are fellowshipping with the Spirit; when we touch God, we are touching the Spirit because God is Spirit. If we have the Spirit, we have God; if we lose the Spirit, we lose God. There is no God outside of the Spirit.
The Bible also reveals to us that it pleases God to mingle Himself with man. This is God’s purpose in creating man. Genesis tells us that God created man in His image and according to His likeness (1:26) because the purpose of God’s creation of man is that man would be a vessel to contain Him. For example, a Coca-Cola bottle is made to contain Coca-Cola. The appearance of a bottle indicates its purpose. The reason God created man exactly the same as He is is so that He may put Himself into man. However, the process through which God puts Himself into man is not that simple, because God is too mysterious. God as Spirit cannot put Himself into man, unless man has a spirit. Thus, the Bible tells us that when God created man, He not only created man in His image, but He also created a spirit in man (2:7; Zech. 12:1). How wonderful this is! God Himself is the uncreated, eternal Spirit, and in order for this uncreated, eternal Spirit to come into man, God created a spirit for man.