The Spirit of a Man
Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version.
1 Corinthians 2:11-13 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
I have often heard from men who study God’s Word that we are spiritual beings housed in bodies of flesh. I too have come to this belief. God’s Word bears this out. Solomon wrote of this when speaking of the end of us all on this earth:
Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.
Paul also referred to the spirit within us all:
2 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
So then our emphasis should be not on that which will return to dust, the body, but to that which will return to God who gave it; the spirit.
Peter follows with the thought Paul introduced to us in 1Corinthians 2 in speaking about the spirit within us all when he says:
2 Peter 1:2-4 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
God has revealed to us all that we need to live this life and nurture the body, but even more importantly the spirit, our soul.
This says a great deal about the Word we hold in our hands. This Word is given to us as an absolute guide for living in the everyday world and giving food to our spirits that they may grow and mature.
God has given us precise knowledge that essential for us to be pleasing to Him. He has guided us by His Son on how to approach the things which challenge our lives day to day.
Reading chapters 5 through 7 of Matthew’s gospel we see our Lord preaching a series of lessons known to us as the Sermon on the Mount. Here He touches every aspect of our relationships with one another and with God the Father. If we have any doubt as to how we are to deal with our daily concerns we merely need to refer to these and the other things Jesus had to say to know the truth. Here again the spirit of God, through His revealed Word, teaches us, our spirit, the things that are needful for us to live in this life acceptable to God.
For instance, when asked if we should pay taxes, His answer is sure and direct:
Mark 12:14-17 When they had come, they said to Him, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?" But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it." So they brought it. And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" They said to Him, "Caesar's." And Jesus answered and said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they marveled at Him.
When Jesus was about to be crucified and leave this earth, he told his apostles that He would send The Holy Spirit to guide them into all truth. In this way His teaching and the very mind of God would be revealed to them and handed down to us.
In the matter of dealing with local and national authorities it was revealed to us:
Romans 13:1-2 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
Titus 3:1-2 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.
1 Timothy 2:1-2 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
I began by stating that it is the “spirit” within a man that the Word speaks to and instructs. Therefore it is incumbent upon each of us to heed those words and resist the fleshly nature of our outward man.
Our lives are intertwined with the Spirit of God. We are not here to merely give in to our fleshly desires and react to life only thinking of our fleshly well being in our own eyes and thoughts.
When Paul addressed the men of Athens he spoke to this very idea:
Acts 17:26-28 "And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.'
We live in troubling times just as our early brethren did, but at this point not as drastic in our country. Nevertheless, we are being bombarded with ideas contrary to the truth of God. Yet, we so far live under a government that does not force us to go against God’s will. Think about it, our laws only give us permission to sin, they do not force us to sin. It is therefore our challenge to remain faithful to the tenets that Jesus gave us directly from His own lips and that which The Holy Spirit has given to us through the apostles and other men appointed to write God’s will.
Paul stated in the verse we just read that God is not far from us but we live and move in Him and have our very being or existence from Him. It is this symbiotic relationship, our spirit with our Heavenly Father, that continues to lead us in the light.
Let us all focus our thinking about all we do on God above and what He has given to us as a guide.
We are also told that in order to come to God we must have faith:
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Jesus said that we come to the Father only through Him:
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
He instructed his Apostles as to how to do this:
Matthew 28:19-20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
Mark 16:15-16 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
Ed Snapp
Austin, TX
December 2016
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