A Spirit in Man

Next Part God’s Spirit Works with the Human Spirit

Back to The Awesome Potential of Man

Let’s now establish a basic Bible teaching. The Bible records, “But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding” (Job 32:8). This is a plain statement. Here, God reveals that men possess a kind of spirit, called the “spirit in man.” Fully understanding this spirit requires an examination of the other scriptures that describe it.

But before looking into the truth of this matter—before searching to see what the Bible says about this human spirit—we must understand and accept what the Bible does not say.

To do this, we must examine the most popular fallacy—the MYTH!—taught and believed by countless millions about this subject.

Most people do not understand the relationship between physical men and souls. They assume that human beings are born with immortal souls. The popular belief is that, upon death, the souls of sinners go to hell forever and those of the just go to heaven forever, since all souls are supposedly immortal. Is this what the Bible teaches?

We saw that Romans 6:23 states that “the wages of sin is death,” not life in hell. So, does the Bible somehow also teach that people have immortal souls? It does talk about “souls,” but in what context?

The Bible does teach that there is a connection between men and souls. Genesis 2:7 states, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man BECAME a living soul” (Gen. 2:7).

This verse does not say that men have souls, but that they are souls. Adam BECAME a soul—he was not given one. Then, almost immediately, God warned him, “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof YOU[not just your body] shall surely DIE” (Gen. 2:16-17).

When placed together, these three verses reveal that men are souls and that souls can die!

Ezekiel confirms the Genesis account. Twice he was inspired to write, “The soul that sins, it shall die” (Ezek. 18:4, 20). Death is the absence of life. It is the discontinuance—the cessation—of life. Death is not life in another place. It is not leaving “this life” for “another life”—the “next life.”

Finally, on the subject of whether the soul can die, notice this in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him [God] which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28).

The Bible says that souls can be DESTROYED! According to this verse, they can be destroyed as much as bodies can. We all recognize that bodies eventually die and that, afterwards, they naturally decompose and are completely “destroyed” due to the process of natural corruption. This verse explains that God does the destroying of souls IN HELL! Bodies can die in many ways. But souls are destroyed in hell by God. (This subject will be examined in greater detail in Chapter Ten.)

The Human Spirit

You are now prepared to discover what almost NO ONE understands. While man is composed of flesh, he has a non-physical component, the spirit in man, which can only be known of by what God has revealed in His Holy Word.

Because man is made of physical matter—flesh—God, composed of Spirit, had to have a way for Himself (Spirit) to be able to work with and communicate with man (flesh). Later, we will understand more regarding the vital spirit connection between God and humans, and exactly how it works.

Notice this: “The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, says the LORD, which stretches forth the heavens, and lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him” (Zech. 12:1). It is God who creates, designs, and “forms” the spirit of man in each human being.

The following verse explains that all people possess this spirit: “Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation” (Num. 27:16). The One who creates all the spirits in men calls Himself the God of these spirits.

All physical creatures eventually die. This applies to men and animals. Consider: “For that which befalls the sons of men befalls beasts; even one thing befalls them: as the one dies, so dies the other; yes, they have all one breath; so that a man has no pre-eminence above a beast: for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knows the spirit of man that goes upward, and the spirit of the beast that goes downward to the earth?” (Ec. 3:19-21).

Solomon is not saying that there is a spirit in beasts, but rather asks rhetorically, “Who knows… the spirit of the beast that goes downward … ?” Many verses reveal that there is a spirit in man, but men are ignorant of this truth and of whether animals also have some kind of “soul” or spirit. This verse shows that this cannot be talking about mere breath, plainly something different. But animals have no such spirit.

Astounding Knowledge

Now notice this astonishing verse. Paul in the New Testament wrote, “For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:11).

Do not try to “interpret” this verse. Let it interpret itself. Accept it for what it says. This passage identifies TWO different kinds of spirit—the “Spirit of God” and the “spirit of man.” They are not the same. Each provides a different function in acquiring knowledge, and this verse identifies how.

Human knowledge (“the things of a man”) is acquired because God has given men a human spirit—the spirit in man. Paul’s inspired statement also makes clear that spiritual knowledge (“the things of God”) can only be acquired by the presence of the Spirit of God. Even this very knowledge—that these two spirits exist and how they work—is in itself truly amazing! Think of it this way. Virtually no one has the knowledge about HOW either physical or spiritual KNOWLEDGE is acquired!

Remember the plain statement, “But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding.” This repeats exactly what Paul said. He identified this spirit, while distinguishing spiritual understanding (or knowledge) as something that comes from God—“the Almighty”—through His “inspiration.” This happens through the indwelling of the Spirit of God in converted minds.

Animals do not have the spirit in man. Animal brains are different from human minds. Humans are given this spirit from conception, allowing them, through use of the five senses, to acquire and retain knowledge. Remember, without this unseen spirit element, mankind would just be another dumb beast. But he has been given the power to acquire, retain, and use knowledge for all kinds of purposes.

All human beings were created by God to receive two entirely different spirits. One comes at conception, and the other comes by completely different means—repentance and baptism. Without the Spirit of God, people are simply incomplete. Their existence remains limited to what they can acquire on their own without God’s help. Thus, vast amounts of spiritual knowledge remain beyond reach. Though the human ability to acquire physical knowledge is beyond that of brute beasts, men cannot attain to any of this other marvellous understanding.

Let’s learn more about how the Spirit of God works with the human spirit in converted minds. Proverbs 20:27 offers important insight: “The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.” Think of this verse in the following way: God can work within a physical brain—communicating with and inspiring it—by means of, or through use of, the non-physical component of the spirit in man.

God Communicates Through the Human Spirit

Consider one example of how God can work through the human spirit. It illustrates an important principle. The setting involves King Cyrus of Persia. God wanted him to return to Jerusalem and build a second temple to replace Solomon’s, which had been destroyed. Notice: “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing” (Ezra 1:1).

God communicated with Cyrus through (“stirring up”) his spirit. He does the same today. Now examine the following scripture. It adds a new dimension to the verses we have read about the spirit in man and how it works.

Next Part God’s Spirit Works with the Human Spirit

Back to The Awesome Potential of Man

Back to By David C. Pack

A Spirit in Man

Contents

Not an Immortal Soul

The Human Spirit

Astounding Knowledge

God Communicates Through the Human Spirit