How The Human Spirit Should Function Series

Intro

We have completed a brief study in how to maintain a pure conscience. As a follow-up to that, I want to talk about “Caring for Your Spirit.” What do we need to do to maintain a strong, active spirit that is in communion with God and functioning effectively? How is the human spirit strengthened? That is where we are going in this series. To get there we must lay a foundation by answering crucial questions. What is a human spirit? What is the condition of an unbeliever’s spirit? What is the first thing that must happen for a person to be spiritual (pnuemaktios) in the way Galatians 6:1 uses the term? How does a believer’s spirit function in relationship to God and with that person’s own soul? What is the difference between your spirit and your soul? And why is it important to know that difference? The Bible has a lot to say about being a spiritual person. Most Christians live below their biblical privilege because they do not know these things.

Today we will talk about the difference between your spirit and your soul. We will talk about the resurrection of a dead spirit and what that means to your salvation. We will begin talking about how the believer’s spirit is to function. Next week we will explore what it means to walk in the Spirit and deal more fully with how the believer’s spirit functions in relationship with God and in relationship with the soul and body. What is the human spirit?

THE HUMAN SPIRIT

In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Paul addresses the three parts of who you are. He wrote to the Thessalonian Christians: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit (pneuma), soul (psuche), and body (soma) be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”i The three parts addressed are “spirit, soul, and body.” The body is the material part of you: your arms and legs and brain and lungs, etc. Your spirit and soul are the immaterial part of you. In a recent study we learned the Scripture uses of the heart as a metaphor for the immaterial part of a person. “Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). In our book Beatitudes of Christ,ii we taught how the heart is generally a reference to the spirit and soul. And because it includes the person’s spirit, it is the most fundamental part of who you are. Although your body is aging and will die, as a believer your spirit is alive in Christ.

This is one reason physical death is not a fearful thought for the Christian.iii For the believer, death is simply a change in locality. In this life, our dwelling is in a mortal body. At death, the immaterial part of you (spirit and soul fully conscious) leaves that dwelling to go be with the Lord. The new locality is better than the previous one. Physical death is a promotion for those who are in Christ. Psalm 116:15: “Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His saints.”

Therefore, when a fellow believer departs to be with the Lord, we do not grieve as the world

grieves. (1 Thess. 4:14). We miss our fellowship with that person because that is temporarily

interrupted. But we know the believer is in a better place, and we will be reunited at the coming

of the Lord.

There are two problems associated with this subject of spirit and soul that we must acknowledge

up front.

First, the use of language is not a laboratory test tube matter. Language evolves and a word is

often used in a variety of ways. For example, pneuma sometimes refers to breath, wind, fallen

spirits, the Holy Spirit, or the human spirit. In this study, we want to examine pneuma in

distinction from psuche (soul). Our focus is pneuma as a reference to the human spirit. Psuche is

sometimes used in reference to a person’s life. Sometimes it refers to the whole person. In other

texts it refers to the soul in distinction from the spirit as in 1 Thessalonians 5:23. Here it means

the rational mind, emotions, and will. That’s the way we are using it in this teaching. Because

these words are used in a variety of way, we could get bogged down in a multitude of technical

qualifications and caveats. I don’t want to get sidetracked with that. Instead, I want to teach a

couple of principles that are very important for your walk with God.

A second problem that we must acknowledge is this:

Distinguishing between soul and spirit can be challenging in our daily experience. Many

Christians cannot discern between a soulish emotion and spiritual stirring. The excitement of a