In 2:11 Paul says, "For who among men knows the things of man, except the spirit of man which is in him? So also the things of God no one has known except the Spirit of God." The spirit of man is the deepest part of his being. Its faculty can penetrate the innermost region of the things of man, whereas the mind of man is capable only of knowing superficial things. So also, only the Spirit of God can know the deep things of God. 1Thes 5:23 And the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[Part 1 of 2]The Greeks were famous for gymnastics and philosophy. Gymnastics were for the training and development of the body, and philosophy was for the development of the mind. Today there is also a strong emphasis on developing the body and the mind. The spirit, however, is altogether neglected. When we mention the spirit, some do not understand what we are talking about. To them the spirit denotes a demon or phantom. Even many Christians do not know the difference between the human spirit and the soul. Many Christians believe in dichotomy--the teaching that man is of two parts, body and soul--and only a minority follow the Bible to believe in trichotomy--the truth that man has three parts, spirit, soul, and body. The believers at Corinth knew how to exercise the body and the mind, but they were ignorant concerning the human spirit. Thus, in verse 11 Paul teaches them about the spirit and says that the spirit of man knows the things of a man. Those who do not exercise the human spirit cannot fully know the things of man. Just as only the spirit of man knows the things of man, so only the Spirit of God knows the things of God. First Thessalonians 5:23 speaks of the three parts of man: spirit, soul, and body. This is also quite clear when we consider our experience. As far as man is concerned, there are at least three different realms. There is the physical, material realm with many material things. There is also the spiritual realm with the spiritual things. Besides the physical and the spiritual realms, there is another realm, which we may call the psychological realm. The English word psychology comes from the Greek word psuche, which means “soul.” Not only are there three realms, but God has created three parts for us that we may contact these three realms. The part we use to contact the physical realm is the body with its five senses, and the part we use to contact the spiritual realm is our human spirit. We cannot contact the spiritual realm by using our hand to touch it; we must contact it by our spirit. To try to touch a physical object by using our mind is to use the wrong organ. When we are happy, joyful, or angry, this is psychological, not spiritual. The God who is both in the universe and in us is neither physical nor psychological. God is Spirit; hence, He is related to the spiritual realm. (c) Living Stream Ministry.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of 1 Corinthians, pp. 153 and Living that Fulfills God's Eternal Purpose, The, Chapter 7, Section 3. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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