God Is Spirit The Catechism description of God as “a spirit” is based upon the Greek text of John 4:24: πνεῦμα ὁ θεός, pneuma ho theos, literally, “spirit [is] the God.” The first thing that must be addressed is the intent of the anarthrous πνεῦμα, pneuma. Leon Morris wisely urges that we should omit the indefinite article in our English translation.26 Jesus is not saying, “God is one spirit among many”; rather, he intended to underscore the truth that God’s essence is of the nature of spirit.