The Immense Significance of the Human Spirit

Have you ever noticed that in addition to the Holy Spirit, the human spirit is mentioned numerous times throughout the Old and New Testaments?

In other posts, we’ve looked at the three parts of man: the spirit, soul, and body. We also examined the difference between the soul and the spirit in more detail. In this post, we’ll focus specifically on the immense significance of our human spirit, the deepest part of our being. We’ll see the monumental place it occupies in both God’s purpose for humanity and our Christian life. 

How God views the human spirit

Let’s first see how God views the human spirit. Zechariah 12:1 says:

“Thus declares Jehovah, who stretches forth the heavens and lays the foundations of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him.”

It’s easy for us to appreciate the awe-inspiring, God-created heavens and earth. We can’t help but be struck by their grandeur when we look up at the stars, or see images that capture the beauty of nature. 

But Zechariah 12:1 shows us that in God’s eyes, the spirit of man is equally important. It is ranked on the same level as the heavens and the earth. 

Notice also that this verse doesn’t just say that God “forms man” in a general sense, but that He “forms the spirit of man within him.” This indicates that the spirit is the most outstanding part of our being.

But why is our spirit so important to God?

First, let’s look at how and why God formed the spirit of man.

How God formed the spirit of man

When the mighty God created the universe, He stretched forth the heavens and laid the foundation of the earth with His power. Jeremiah 32:17 says:

“Ah, Lord Jehovah! It is You who have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm. Nothing is too wonderful for You.”

The creation of the heavens and the earth was a tremendous event. Through it, God displayed His awesome power. But when it came to creating man, Genesis 2:7 gives us these details in contrast:

“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.”

In Hebrew, the original language of the Old Testament, the word translated as breath is neshamah. In Proverbs 20:27, this same word, neshamah, is translated as spirit:

“The spirit of man is the lamp of Jehovah.”

These verses indicate that the breath of life became the spirit of man.

The creation of man’s spirit was an intimate act of God. God breathed into man after forming him from the dust of the ground. This is much more personal than His way of creating the heavens and the earth, which was by His great power and outstretched arm. He imparted His very breath into man. This breath, which became man’s spirit, came from within God’s very being. How precious our spirit is to God! He took such care in forming it.

Why God formed the spirit of man within him

God created the heavens, the earth, and the spirit of man because He had a purpose in His heart that He wanted to fulfill. It was for this purpose that God created us not only with a body and soul, but also with a spirit.

God’s purpose is to impart Himself into us, sharing His divine life with us and becoming everything to us. This is how we and God can have an intimate and personal relationship. God desires that He and man share one life inwardly and one living outwardly. By receiving the life of God and living by it, mankind would express God in every way.

To accomplish God’s great plan, our human spirit is indispensable. It’s the part of our being that can contact, receive, and contain God. No wonder our human spirit is so important to God!

John 4:24 says:

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truthfulness.” 

This verse shows us that God’s very nature is Spirit. As we’ve seen, our human spirit corresponds closely with what God is. So we need to use our spirit to contact God, who is Spirit.

When we believed in Jesus as our Savior, we were regenerated—that is, born again—in our spirit with His divine life. That’s why John 3:6 says:

“That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

Now God isn’t far away from us—He’s living in our spirit. We can use our spirit to contact Him and continue to receive more of Him.

Appreciating our human spirit    

Our God-formed and God-designed human spirit is truly marvelous. Without our spirit, we could only know and worship God objectively as our Creator. But because we have a spirit, God can impart Himself into us so that we can experience Him inwardly as our life.

Realizing the importance of our human spirit should revolutionize our Christian life. The Lord isn’t far away from us; He’s dwelling in us, in our spirit. Now, no one can be nearer or more available to us than He is. At any time, in any place, under any circumstance, we can contact Him, receive Him, and enjoy fellowship with Him. 

When we experience Christ in this way, the words of 2 Timothy 4:22 will be most precious to us:

“The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.”

All our personal, subjective experiences of Christ are possible because He’s living in our human spirit. 

The importance of our spirit in our Christian life

When it comes to the Christian life, the New Testament doesn’t tell us that we must try our best to live up to certain outward regulations. It actually emphasizes our human spirit again and again, even exhorting us believers to walk by our spirit—that is, to live by our regenerated spirit. When we live by our spirit, the living Christ within us with all His wonderful virtues is lived out of us. That is how we express Him in our daily lives. 

But living by our spirit and experiencing Christ as our life is not just for our own individual spiritual growth. Actually, this is how God will gain His corporate testimony, which is composed of all the believers. The New Testament calls this corporate testimony the church and the Body of Christ, and this is what will fulfill the desire of God’s heart. 

To be God’s expression is the meaning of our human life and our Christian life, and this is what will satisfy both us and God.

If you live in the US, you can order a free copy of the New Testament Recovery Version here to learn more about the significance of our human spirit.