SPIRIT SOUL AND BODY

John 3:3-18 (NKJV)

18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY

Man is a spirit, he has a soul, and he lives in a physical body (1 Thess. 5:23, 1 Thessalonians 5:23

PRAYING IN TONGUES

For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.

—1 Corinthians 14:14,15

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR SPIRIT

1. By meditation in the Word

2. By practicing the Word

3. By giving the Word first place

4. By instantly obeying the voice of your spirit

Joel 2:28-29, Acts 2:

TOPIC: YOUR SPIRIT, GOD’S CANDLE

Text: Romans 8:14; Proverbs 20:27, 1Thess 5:23 (Phil 1:21-24; 2Cor 4:16; 1Pet 3:4; 1 Cor 2:11)

INTRODUCTION

If the spirit of man is "the candle of the Lord," that means the human spirit is where God sends His light.

Many times, however, we seek guidance by means other than the way God said. We have to understand that man is a spirit, that he has a soul, and that he lives in a body. It is our heavenly Father’s great desire for His children to submit to the leading of His Spirit, for the sake of His glory and for the sake of their spiritual fruitfulness, well-being, and peace.

EXPOSITION

1. What is the spirit of man, (1Thess. 5:23; Heb. 4:12; Phil 1:21-24; 2Cor 4:16)?

(a) Man, a spirit being made in the likeness of God (Gen 2:7; 26-27 // John 4:24; Job 33:4)

(b) Man has a Soul

(c) Man lives in a body

(d) The heart as the human spirit

______________________________________________________________________

In many places when the Bible speaks of the heart, it is speaking of the spirit. This is the real man. God doesn’t communicate with us directly through our mind or our body, because He dwells in our spirit. Therefore, God communicates with us through our spiri

NOTES

Spirit – Interacts with and contacts the spiritual realm. This is the part of man that deals with the spiritual realm and knows God. Check John 4:24.

It is the spirit of man that contacts God, for God is a Spirit. Only a spirit could contact a spirit. The new birth is a rebirth of the human spirit.

The human spirit has a voice. We call that voice conscience. God isn't going to do anything with our body or our mind. The believer has got work here, Rom 12:1-2; 8:1-39 and 1 Cor 9:27.

Soul – Interacts with and contacts the intellectual realm (intellect and emotions). This is part of man which deals with the mental realm. Man's intellect. The sensibilities and will. The part that reasons and thinks. The mind requires renewal with the Word of God. Rom 12:2

Body – Interacts with and contacts the physical realm. The dimension of man which deals with the physical realm. This is just like the house in which we live.

Now it is up to us to do something. Paul said that we need to (1) do something with our bodies—"present your bodies a living sacrifice;" and (2) do something with our minds—"be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind." Just because a person is a Christian, and even filled with the Holy Spirit, doesn't mean that he has a renewed mind. The mind becomes renewed with the Word of God

2. What happens at the new birth (John 3:1-7, 2Cor 5:17-21; Isa 64:7)?

The part of man that is born again is his spirit. Man's spirit receives eternal life—the life of God, and the nature of God. It is man's spirit that is made a new creature in Christ.

In salvation God purchased and adopted the believer as sons

Rom 8:15 – Adoption: the Holy Spirit adopts the believer. the Holy Spirit delivers the believer from the bondage of fear. How? By adoption, by actually adopting the believer as a son of God. This experience is that of the new birth in Christ,

(cf Jn 1:12; 3:3-7; Gal 4:4-6; 1 Pet 2:9//Ex 19:5-6).

Purchased by God – Act 20:28, Eph 1:13-14

Striving to be good on your own is not Christianity, it is mere religion. Christianity is being born again. Christianity is receiving the gift of eternal life. When eternal life, which is the nature and the life of God, is imparted to your spirit, it changes you.

3. Prov. 20:27 (read in different translations) –

In what way is a person’s spirit the candle or lamp of the LORD?

(Neshamah, “spirit,” or “breath,” is the principle of life breathed into man by God himself Gen. 2:7)

What it means is this: God will enlighten us, He will guide us through our spirits.

Hebrew of this line is literally “Lamp of the Lord spirit of man.” There is no verb, so RSV and others supply “is”.

The spirit of a man in this verse is generally taken to refer to the conscience. It is given to us by the LORD and serves as a lamp, throwing light on our thoughts, motives, affections, and actions. It approves and reproves the innermost thoughts and intents of our lives (see Rom. 2:14, 15).

The lamp of the Lord is a figurative expression; the meaning of the picture is that the Lord uses the human spirit or conscience to bring to light a person’s hidden thoughts or motives.

The conscience also called Inward voice/Still small voice, Rom 9:1, 1 kings 19:11-12

The inward man, who is a spirit man, has a voice—just as the outward man has a voice. We call this voice of the inward man conscience. We call this voice the still small voice. This is the voice of your spirit.

…the lamp of the LORD. The “spirit” represents the conscience of man which searches every secret place. (Romans 2:15; 2 Cor 1:12; 1 Cor 2:11).

______________________________________________________

SECOND DAY Rom 8:5-14

1Cor 2:9-14 the natural vs spiritual man

4. Rom 8:14 (John 16:13; 1 Cor 2:14-16) – Another way of describing true believers is to say that they are led by the Spirit of God. This is one of the great powers of the Holy Spirit, the power to lead the believer and to become involved in his life.

The first inner confirmation of adoption is the believer’s being led by the Spirit of God. A person who is truly experiencing the leading hand of God at work in his life can be certain he is God’s child.

Paul uses the word “sons” because of its connection with adoption and inheritance. Sonship implies reception into God’s family, with all the privileges and responsibilities of adult sons. A new convert does not have to wait a certain time before he enters into his spiritual inheritance; it is the moment he is saved, and it applies to all believers, men and women, boys and girls.

5. How to develop your spirit to hear from God (Gal 5:16-17)

Here’s an important point to remember if you are ever going to develop your spirit. You must determine to always keep a tender conscience.

Don’t violate your conscience.

Instead, make it a practice to always instantly obey your spirit. Remember, your conscience is the voice of your spirit, and it relates to your mind what the Spirit of God is saying to you in your heart.

If you persist in violating your conscience, you will make your conscience calloused to the Holy Spirit’s promptings. Spiritual things will become indistinct to you, and your conscience will no longer be a safe guide. Once your conscience is seared, it will be difficult for you to discern the Lord’s leading and to follow His plan.

(a) By meditation in the Word, Josh 1:8

(b) By practicing the Word, Jam 1:21-25; Phil 4:8

(c) By giving the Word first place, Prov 4:20-22

(d) By instantly obeying the voice of your spirit

(b) How to walk in the Spirit (That is the Spirit of God) (Another lesson)

6. Different ways Believers are led by the Holy Spirit (Another lesson)

7. How to test and confirm every form of leading (Another lesson)

HOW TO DIFFERENTIATE WHEN MY SPIRIT, THE FLESH OR THE HOLY SPIRIT IS SPEAKING

2 Cor 5:17 – If your spirit is a new creature in Christ Jesus and old things have passed away and all things have become new, and your spirit has the life and nature of God in it and the Holy Spirit in it, and your spirit is in fellowship with God—it is not going to tell you to do something that is not right. If you are a Spirit-filled Christian, your inward man has the Holy Spirit in His fullness—not in a measure, but in His fullness—making His home in you.

1 John 3:9; Rom 12:1-2 – If we continue to allow our flesh to dominate us, we will continue to miss it. If we continue to let our natural minds dominate us, and do not get our minds renewed with the Word, we will continue to miss it. Until your mind is renewed with the Word of God, your flesh and your unrenewed mind will dominate your spirit. A child of God can also develop his spirit in spiritual things and allow the Spirit of God to show him things and tell things to him. This comes about through the study of God's Word.

END