Part 1 of 14

The Essential Spirit - Of What Does Man Consist?

 

James 2:26a …the body without the spirit is dead… 2 Cor. 3:6b … the spirit giveth life.

From the above verses we can see that the spirit in a man is most vital – in fact, the spirit is the key to his very life and existence. I have come to realize that without a proper understanding, Christians are easily sidetracked by what is not of the spirit or spirit related. The Bible is a spiritual book, and Jesus now is “the Spirit.” We are spirit beings at our core right now. We Christians will ultimately become 100% spirit beings for eternity; having shed these physical outer shells, our bodies of flesh, at our being caught up when we meet Him in the clouds.

All men possess a human spirit, referred to in the Bible as “the spirit of man” and “the spirit in man.” All those who have been regenerated have additionally received the “spirit of life that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:2a) into their human spirit. In the light of this, we may consider these verses. John 3:6 That which is born of …the Spirit is spirit. 1 Cor. 6:17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

Man is tri-part; consisting of spirit, soul and body. The “essence” of man is who he is in his human spirit, at his core. Man’s spirit is the root-life source in all men, at the center of their being. Daniel 7:15a I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body… That which is most vital and essential in created man is his human spirit. Apart from “the spirit of man,” man is dead.

As a tri-part being, man consists of three organs, spirit, soul and body (1Thes 5:23), with his spirit as his core. Man’s body is not who he is, neither is his soul who he is. The body organ of a man is his physical vessel, his outer man, by which he relates to the physical world around him. A man’s soul organ, with its faculties of mind, emotion and will, is a man’s “inward man” (2Cor 4:16); enabling him to be self-conscious and become an expresser of the life and nature that is in his spirit, at his core. Man’s spirit is to be the core and master of his being, while his soul is to be as the co-operative mate. God ranks the formation of “the spirit of man” third among the primary items of creation. Zech. 12:1 “... the Lord, which 1) stretcheth forth the heavens and, 2) layeth the foundation of the earth, and 3) formeth the spirit of man within him.”

We may see the matter of man’s primary element being the spirit more clearly by considering God Himself. John tells us “God is spirit” (John 4:24). Since “God is Spirit,” Spirit is not only His center, but His all. Spirit is His very substance, as a chair may be wooden. Not only is God made of Spirit, but the Spirit is His essential Self – His core, His person. God’s essence is not physical. He is THE Essential Spirit of the eternal spirit-life.

God never possessed the outer clothing of a physical body until He, in the person of His Son Jesus, was incarnated as Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus referred to Himself as “the son of man;” He was then human “born of a woman made under the law” (Gal 4:4). Genealogically, Jesus of Nazareth put on His human physical body that He received from Mary’s human body. Mary received her body from her father, Heli, and he ultimately received his from his genealogical father’s, back to…Adam, by whom “sin entered the world.” (See the author’s paper “Jesus - The Son of Man” for more detail regarding Jesus’ human genealogies taken from Luke and Matthew). Conceived of God’s Spirit, God the Father then was Jesus of Nazareth’s real Father. It was the Father’s essential Spirit that was in and one with His “only begotten Son,” Jesus. Thus, Jesus was Jewish and fully human only on His mother’s side who gave Him a physical body; He was fully divine on His Father’s side by His essential Spirit.

If ever there was an individual and a personality it is God Himself. I’m sure we will all agree that He is the most unique of all individuals. If there ever was a genuine self, it’s God. He is the original self. He is the ultimate free-acting and self-willing individual who chose to be... a self-giver, a lover of others…making a way to share His uncreated, eternal, Spirit-life with mankind whom he has created.

God is the one source of life, which is His Spirit-life (Zoë). Since God’s is the only uncreated spirit, then God’s spirit is the spirit by which man is made alive and has the potential to become eternal. The spirit of both God and the created man is the same God-Spirit. God’s Spirit-breath is the root-life of all created men.