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Scripture Reading: Zech. 12:1; Gen. 2:7; Prov. 20:27
The matter of man’s spirit is a most neglected subject. Even among Christians there is an inadequate understanding and appreciation of the human spirit.
After a conference in Hong Kong in 1954, a Brethren preacher who had attended came to talk with me. He had enjoyed the conference, he said, but could not quite agree with everything that was said. The distinction I had made between spirit and soul he would not accept. Man, in his view, has only two parts: a material, physical body and a psychological, invisible soul. Spirit and soul, he felt, were interchangeable terms.
I pointed him to 1 Thessalonians 5:23: “May your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” If spirit and soul referred to the same part of us, there would have been no need for Paul to put the conjunction and between them. It seems as if Paul deliberately wanted to make a distinction between these two parts, lest anyone think they were the same.
This preacher refused to be convinced, maintaining that the two were the same in spite of this clear verse. All I could say further was, “Brother, if you do not believe the word of the Bible, and insist on holding on to your concepts, there is nothing more for us to talk about. I choose to walk in the way of the Bible. You can keep walking in the way of your concepts.”
As I mentioned in a previous chapter, confusion as to the difference between soul and spirit is partly due to the inaccurate translation of pneuma and cardia into Chinese. Romans 1:9, for example, reads, “God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of His Son.” The Chinese rendering says, “...whom I serve with my heart.” The Greek word pneuma means “air,” “spirit,” and “wind”; it cannot be translated “heart.” It is because of the confounding of these terms and the creation of the term heart-spirit by the translators of the Chinese Bible that the readers of the Chinese version are for the most part unaware of the significance of the spirit.
In the world today it seems that no one pays attention to the spirit. As soon as a child is born, his mother takes care to see that he is fed, bathed, clothed, and kept comfortable. All these needs for food, clothing, and lodging concern mostly the body. As the child grows, he goes to school, where they cater to his mind. Some people continue this educational process until their hair turns white. The shops take care mainly of the needs of the body or offer things for sale that appeal to the emotions. Thus, mankind seeks to supply the needs of the body and the soul, totally unaware that one-third of man’s being is neglected.
You may say that a shop that sells Bibles is caring for man’s spirit. Truly, the Bible is for the spirit. However, the salesman is probably ignorant of the spirit. Furthermore, all too often the Bible is used for knowledge. In seminaries and Bible colleges, the study of the Bible has become a matter of research, of debate, or of justification for religious concepts. Both the secular world and the religious world largely disregard the spirit.
You may be tired of hearing me speak so much about the spirit. You may be of the opinion that this is my only topic. You may wonder how much I know of various doctrines. Why has this been my pet subject for thirty years? If you will excuse me for saying so, I could easily teach courses on prophecy and typology. I am all too familiar with them. I no longer have any interest in these subjects, however. It is only the matter of the spirit that burdens me. The more I speak on this, the heavier my burden becomes.
After having heard or read so many of my messages on the spirit, you are probably familiar with the terminology. How much time, however, do you actually spend in the spirit? Not including your eight hours of sleep, how many of the remaining hours of the day do you live in the spirit? I ask myself this question also. Within me I am sometimes rebuked by the Lord that with all my speaking about the spirit, much of the time I do not remain there myself.
In order to live in the other parts of your being, no effort is required. It is natural to be in your flesh and to be loose, doing as you will in a careless way. To stay in your mind with all its considerations and analyses is a comfortable place to be, especially for the brothers. To live in your emotions and react according to their dictates is common, especially for the sisters. It may be that when you pray, you are in the spirit. Most of the time you spend in prayer, however, you may still be in your emotions, weeping, or in your mind, figuring things out. You may exercise your spirit when you come to the meetings, but usually your calling on the Lord sounds hollow because your daily life is not spent in the spirit.
Even though we are in the churches of the Lord’s recovery, we too neglect our spirit. Once again I would like to try to persuade you of its importance.
Man can be likened to a radio. The Spirit of God is like the heavenly radio waves. The spirit in man is like the radio receiver. Many “radios” do not function because their owners do not use their spirit. People are unable to contact God because the receiver within them is out of order.
I would remind you again how much importance God gives to the spirit. Zechariah 12:1 tells us that the Lord “stretches forth the heavens and lays the foundations of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him.” Here are the important things in the universe — the heavens, the earth, and the spirit of man. The verse does not even say man, but rather the spirit of man. You bathe regularly to make sure your body is clean, but this verse focuses on the spirit, not the body. Do you care about your spirit being clean? God’s concern is for the spirit, but man’s attention is devoted to the body. The body is just clay; it is the spirit that is precious.
The heavens are for the earth. Without them the earth cannot exist. The earth is for man. Without it man cannot survive. Man has a spirit, which is for God. God wants man to receive Him; that is why he was created. If man had only a body, he would not be able to receive God who is Spirit. By creating a spirit in man, God made man with a part that corresponds to Himself.
Genesis 2:7 reads, “Jehovah God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.” This verse indicates that man has three parts. His physical part was made from the dust of the ground. Then the breath of life that was breathed into him became his spirit. When the body and the spirit came together, there was the soul. The body is for man’s survival. The spirit is for him to contact God. The soul is for man’s self-expression. Of these three, the most important is the spirit, which came from the breath of life.
“The spirit of man,” Proverbs 20:27 tells us, “is the lamp of Jehovah, / Searching all the innermost parts of the inner being.” The word spirit in this verse is the same Hebrew word as that translated “breath” in Genesis 2:7. The breath of life that God breathed into man became man’s spirit. Although this spirit is distinct from God, it is close to Him in nature. Thus, the spirit can receive God and also work for Him. It is a lamp, searching man’s inward parts.
Care for your spirit. All the inner chambers of your soul must be controlled by the spirit. Every country needs a central governing body. What is the central government in you? Sorry, I do not believe it is your spirit.
When the brothers come together, the central government is in control because they begin by praying. The first few minutes of talk continue the atmosphere of prayer. But before too many minutes have gone by, the central government collapses. One brother expresses his opinions. Another says that the first is unfamiliar with the situation and therefore does not know how to handle it properly. The first brother then wants to know what makes the second think he is so well qualified. Is it right to heed your spirit when you pray, but disregard it when you talk to your brothers? Should it be your opinions that control you?
If you are older, your opinions may not be so manifested. You have been in the church life so long that your rough edges have been chipped off. Outwardly, you are smooth and agreeable. Inwardly, however, you are unwilling and dissatisfied. Dissatisfaction may be your central government.
In the central government of the sisters, emotion holds the posts of president, prime minister, and chief of staff. The spirit is useful when they pray, but when they are angry, they feel they must give vent to their emotions. Later, they will repent, but at the time they give way to their temper.
The central government of some saints is quick action. Without regard for the spirit, they make decisions, take action, and get things done, the quicker the better.
It seems that only when we pray is our spirit given its normal place. As soon as we finish praying, we in effect say, “Goodbye, spirit. Now that my praying is over, I do not need you any longer. I want to take care of things myself in my way.” This kind of attitude makes us like the unbelievers. Neither they nor we are living by the spirit.
Even the Lord has no way to control you. You may say, “Is not God almighty? He should control me so that I do not lose my temper.” God controls you in your spirit. If you do not contact Him, He cannot control you. The Lord is like electricity. If the current cannot get through to the outlet, you may have the lamp plugged in, but the light will not go on when you turn the switch.
What is it like to let the spirit be our central government? We will find our thoughts restricted. We will not dare to utter our opinion. Words will not come out of our mouth so lightly. Our pride will be smitten. We will sense a restraint or a constraint in even the smallest things we do.
When you were out of the spirit, you felt free to live as you wanted. You may have hated others, told lies, or stolen. Your actions may have been wild. The Bible says of those who utterly disregarded their spirit, the part of their being closest to God, that “God gave them up” (Rom. 1:28). Those in this world who have turned away from God, God has let go. After you are saved, however, God would have you turn to your spirit. That is the place where He is, the place where He may be contacted. God wants to bring you under His strict control, in big things and in small, even in your words.
“O Lord, preserve me in the spirit.” It is here that you enjoy the presence of God and are one with Him. Do not be concerned about your problems. Do not shed tears over them. Do not argue. Do not focus on your troubles. Whatever your situation, however provoking your circumstances, turn to your spirit.
If your wife aggravates you, do not be drawn out by her. The more you look at her, the angrier you will feel. The more you listen to her words, the more you will feel like exploding. Return to your spirit. Call upon the name of the Lord. Say, “Lord! Lord, save me! Preserve me in the spirit.” This is the secret of overcoming and of holiness.
May the Lord show us the importance of this spirit that He formed within man. It came from God as the breath of life and is very close to Him. By means of this organ we can contact Him, and God can search all the parts of our inner being. Let us make this spirit our home and stay there. By remaining here we will meet God and enjoy Him.
