The Human Spirit

By

Jeff L. Mills

God created man as a fully functioning being; man is capable of drawing on the resources around him to sustain his life. There are certain needs of life that man will instinctively pursue in order to support himself. Foraging for food, seeking shelter and protecting himself, are just some of the things that man will naturally seek out. There are also other functions, necessary to sustain life, that are performed by the human body without any conscious input. The intake of air, the beating of the heart and the processing of food into energy are some of these. God also created many different animal species. They are also able to sustain their lives from the environment around them and their bodies also function without conscious thought.

God created man in his image and set him above all the creatures of this world (Genesis 1:26), but what is it that separates man from animal? Man is a thinking, reasoning, being, capable of making decisions and then taking action based on those decisions. Animals rely completely on their instinct to survive and react to each situation without thought. Animals do not possess conscious thought, they do not think of past, present, or future. Some animals can be taught, but it is just the result of conditioning. They are simply trained, or conditioned to react to a situation in a different way. Scientists have successfully trained some primates to communicate in sign language, but the animals only respond to simple basic needs. They can ask for food, or water, but they are incapable of engaging in a meaningful conversation.

What then, is the source of this incredible power of reasoning and conscious thought that resides within man? In Job 32:8, we are told the following:

8 But there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.

So, there is a spirit placed in man, by the great creator God, that allows him to have conscious thoughts, to muse, ponder, consider and reason. Out of everything that God created, man is the only one that is spoken of, to have received this spirit from God and this spirit gives him (man) understanding! In Genesis chapter 2 and verse 7 we read:

7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

By putting these two scriptures together, it is clear that God’s breath gives man both life and understanding. This spirit must grow and mature right along with us from the start, just as our bodies grow and mature. God could not wait until we were a certain age and then just place this spirit within us. The spirit is what gives us each our individuality and it must reside within us from the very start and to begin interacting with our minds.

The human spirit, that each of us receives from God, does not actually perform any decision making, or physical processes. The human brain handles all the physical and mental processes that occur in our minds. Herbert W. Armstrong explained this concept as follows:

"First, God put IN the physical MAN a ‘human spirit’. It is NOT, however, the human spirit that makes the decisions, comes to repentance, or builds the character. As I have emphasized, this spirit does not impart life, cannot see, hear, feel or think. It empowers the PHYSICAL MAN, through his BRAIN, to do these things. But this spirit RECORDS every thought—every bit of knowledge received through the five senses and it records whatever character—good or bad—that is developed in human life." (What Science Can’t Discover About the Human Mind, page 15)

There is an example, in the bible, that give us some insight into what man is like apart from the spirit that gives him conscious thought, and the power to use his mind. In Daniel 4, God pronounces judgment on King Nebuchadnezzar for boasting of his own greatness and accomplishments, and for not recognizing that God is the sovereign ruler over all creation. We begin in Daniel 4 and verse 30:

30 The king spoke, saying, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?"

31 While the word was still in the king's mouth, a voice fell from heaven: "King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you!

32 And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses."

33 That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws.

Deprived of his God given human spirit, Nebuchadnezzar became as a wild animal. He dwelled in the wilderness away from other men and even his body and appearance was transformed. When his punishment was fulfilled, God placed Nebuchadnezzar’s human spirit back within him. Daniel 4 and verse 34:

34 And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom is from generation to generation.

Ah! Notice what Nebuchadnezzar says here; "my understanding returned to me". Incredible? Yes! But, there it is, recorded for us to see. Nebuchadnezzar’s understanding, his conscious thought, returned to him when his punishment was complete and God placed his (Nebuchadnezzar’s) human spirit back within him. Notice in verse 33 that Nebuchadnezzar was driven out from men. Apparently, when God removed Nebuchadnezzar’s human spirit, he became so wild and uncontrollable, that he was driven out of the very city he had earlier boasted of creating! Likewise, without the human spirit provided by a loving God, we would all be running loose and behaving as wild animals.

Another very important point to notice here, is that the instant his spirit was restored to him, Nebuchadnezzar’s understanding and the realization of who he was returned to him. He began to praise and bless God, now fully realizing who was in complete control. God is able to store our human spirits; and our human spirit contains the essence of who we are as individuals. It is in this same manner that God restored Nebuchadnezzar’s spirit back to him, that he will resurrect the dead. Once the physical body has been raised up, God will place the exact spirit of that person back within the body and it will be for them as though they had just slept. Every thought, memory and feeling will be restored back, just as it was when the physical body perished.

King Solomon understood this concept of the human spirit within us. In Ecclesiastes 12, Solomon spoke of the end of man’s physical life:

7 Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it.

God receives back the spirit of each and every person who has ever lived out a physical existence on this earth, until a future time when these spirits will be restored to physically resurrected bodies. In Ezekiel chapter 37, a great future resurrection is pictured. In verse 10, the breath of life enters the resurrected bodies and with the breath of life comes understanding:

10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

Each person resurrected back to their fleshly bodies and their human spirit restored, just as though they had never perished. Now God will begin working with these people and they will have access to God’s Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is able to work with and influence our behavior and thoughts; it is also able to impart wisdom and understanding in the ways of God. The human spirit does not have any control, or influence in our lives. Why would God place this human spirit within us, yet leave it powerless to influence our lives?

The human spirit that God places within us allows us to have conscious thought, without conscious thought we would never be able to come to any knowledge of God. But, we must come to God willingly; he will never force us to accept him and his way of life. The human spirit within us will not help, or hinder us in spiritual matters. There is an example of this in the bible too; in Genesis 2, God warned Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil:

15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.

16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;

17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

God could have easily put it into Adam’s mind to obey him without question, but he did not. Adam and Eve were completely aware of who they were, who God was and what he had told them. They made a conscious decision to disobey God as recorded in Genesis 3:

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

Just as Adam and Eve were tested, we must also be tested and proven. We must willingly make a decision and set our minds to go God’s way. Evidently, when Adam and Eve partook of the fruit of the forbidden tree, some sort of chemical process was triggered in their brains, that allowed them to understand the difference between good and evil. Along with this understanding that they now possessed, another change occurred as well, their minds could now be influenced directly. Notice in Genesis 3, that Satan actually appeared before Eve in the form of a serpent and spoke directly to her:

1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"

2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;

3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'"

4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die.

5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

It appears from this account, that before Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit Satan was unable to influence their minds, and that is why he had to appear before Eve and speak to her directly. Now we know that Satan can "broadcast" evil and sinful thoughts directly into men’s minds as we read in Ephesians:

1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,

2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,

Satan’s spirit is at work in all who disobey and live contrary to God’s law. Our loving God has also provided a counteractive force to Satan’s broadcasts, God gives us his Holy Spirit to unite with our minds and allow us to live God’s way and to repel Satan and his influences. We can read this in Acts 2:

38 Then Peter said to them," Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

 

God’s spirit influences us in positive ways and creates within us a whole new way of thought and action, a way that leads to eternal life! Notice Romans 8:

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors — not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

The truth of the human spirit that exists within all of us, this "spirit in man", is an incredible doctrine that God restored through Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong. The understanding of the existence and presence of this spirit, and it’s purpose, proves once again what a wonderful, loving, God we serve. It is up to us individually to seek out why we are and where we may be. God has given us each an incredible opportunity, if we take advantage of what he has offered to us, we can join him for all eternity!