The Spirit of a Man

A human's thoughts perish when they die (I do believe some humans never die when they overcome), but I also believe that God never forgets a true Christian's memories. I understand that God gave Adam the breath of life and he became a living soul.

Genesis 2:7 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 soul.

But this scripture does not say the breath of life is the spirit of a man. Genesis 2:7 simply refers to "the breath of life".Life is simply that life. God gave life not only to man but also to animals in Genesis 1:20 using the term “that hath life”.

Genesis 1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

Giving life to man was described in a more intimate way than with the animals because humanity was more glorious than the animals of the field. Mankind was meant for a higher purpose than animal kind.

But life was no different for man than it was for animals. Genesis 6:17 shows this as an example of life being the same:

Genesis 6:17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.

Another relevant example of this is in Genesis 7:15 concerning the animals and the breath of life:

Genesis 7:15 And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.

Genesis 7:21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:

Genesis 7:22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.

By the above scriptures it is proven that animals and humans both had the breath of life given to them by the source of life which is God. This is demonstrated by Jesus.

But life is not the spirit. The spirit is something else completely. When we discern who or what a creature is, we understand its spirit. It is what determines how and what they are identified as. It is all the things that make animals or humans valuable. Our spirits describe our soul and body. 

The spirit of man or beast tells us who we are and what we are. Animals and humans are remembered not for their souls, but for their spirits.

A distinction between mankind and God is how God remembers us. Mankind remembers from birth to death, whereas God remembers forever. This is the answer to the question in Ecclesiastes 3:21:

Ecclesiastes 3:21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

I’m sure that because of the above verse there is a misunderstanding of spirits and where they go or who qualifies to go upward or downward. First let’s break it down. It is God who “knoweth” the “spirit” of a man.  Likewise it is God who“knoweth” the spirit of the “beast”.  

The problem for most is when interpreting this scripture they tend to think from a human perspective and not a Godly perspective.  The difference is between the two spirits is man has freewill and can chose to be remembered and the animals do not have the choice to be remembered. 

Mankind can chose to learn the commandments of God proving their love and devotion but animals cannot make the needed choice. Therefore God existing in Third Heaven knows our personage when we die.  This acknowledged significance goes up to heaven one way or another.  We either move out of this body into a new heavenly body or we are is remembered by God until the second resurrection and spoken back into existence. The beast is forgotten in the earth.

We have scriptures that tie into the thought that the spirit is not the breath of life which needs to be considered.

Proverbs 20:27 The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.

The breath of life does not search your thoughts but the mind of a man does search his own thoughts every day.

Isaiah 66:2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

The “contrite spirit” is not the breath that gave Christ Soul & Body life. The “contrite spirit” is the mind of a person who has been changed from an unrepentant sinner into a fearful follower of God. The spirit mentioned here has nothing to do with life force. It is the description of a child of God's spirit, the hidden man.

Zechariah 12:1 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.

This is a unique scripture that explains how the spirit of a man is contained from the inside out. The spirit described in this scripture cannot be the "breath of life" of a human being, since the breath was given to him by his mother and father. The life force of every person is the same from birth and does not change until death. However, the spirit of a man, the ID, and the conflict between the desires of the flesh and the demands of the cultural carnal mind do change and are formed within him. Paul speaks directly to this conflict by proposing the concept of the Old Man verses the New Man.

It is the conflict between the Old Man and the New Man which Paul addresses in Eph 4:22 and Col 3:9 where he speaks of the spirit of a man as the Old Man:

Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

Col 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

But he then explains the concept of the New Man which is a person's spirit changed by the word and Holy Ghost of God.

Ephesians 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

Ephesians 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Ephesians 4:23 tells us exactly where the spirit in a human dwells and exists within our beings.  The spirit lives in the mind.  The spirit is not the breath of life because the spirit is your consciousness. 

Ephesians 4:24 tells us that the spirit has to put on the new man which is a new way of thinking and living.  Your mind must learn to be a new mind which is created into a spirit like Gods mind and spirit by the teaches of righteousness and true holiness.

Furthermore Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 2 more about our spirits how how they are changed:

1 Corinthians 2:6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

Paul says he speaks heavenly wisdom not taught by mankind whose worldly wisdom is based on mortality and not on immortality, unto the saints who are overcomers using the phrase “among them that are perfect.”

Paul explains what he is teaching. Paul is teaching what is a mystery to the worldly wisdom of men. He is also teaching what was hidden from worldly men which was determined by God before the world was created. This is the plan of Grace and the mystery of his son Jesus.

1 Corinthians 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

1 Corinthians 2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Paul explains that it's a natural thing that ungodly mankind does not understand through human means, and even the Bible explains this natural occurrence. Man cannot understand the things of God unless God teaches and reveals his plan of Grace to them.

1 Corinthians 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

As a result, Paul reveals that those who love him understand God's law of righteousness and his teachings through the Holy Spirit. As a result, God's spirit, mind, and consciousness understand God's deep things (the mystery). Again Paul is not saying that God’s spirit is the “breath of life” in the above scripture.

1 Corinthians 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

Paul asks a simple question. What person knows anything about another person except through communication? In order to uncover each other's spirits, it is necessary to connect our minds. Even so how can a man know God unless someone opens a dialogue with God?

1 Corinthians 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

We have not received the wisdom or behavior of the world (spirit of the ungodly) but we have received the wisdom and behavior of God’s spirit that we know the mystery of Jesus which was given in love.

1 Corinthians 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

Paul explains that spiritual things are not things concerning the breath of life but they are comparing spiritual knowledge with spiritual outcomes.

1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Paul states that the ungodly man cannot possibly understand the spirit of God (the conceptualization of God not necessarily the baptism of the Holy Ghost) because man would have to know God which is only given by the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

1 Corinthians 2:15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.

Those who have been taught about God's spirit, who have received the things of God, and are living the way of Christ, will judge all ungodly mankind through their lives. And because he is living a Godly life with a Godly spirit there is no ungodly man that can compare to him.

1 Corinthians 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

Paul then proclaims that because he has the mind of the Lord he can instruct those who do not have the Christ mind to be spiritually likeminded. Again the spirit here is not the breath of life.

Paul tells Timothy not to let his youth cause strife being the example of Christ to believers in the word of God, in his way of living (conversation), in the practice of Charity, in spirit (not in the breath of life but being who he is in a godly lifestyle), in faith (practicing what we are commanded to do) and in purity (not to be blamable for any evil).

1 Timothy 4:12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

Peter then directly tells us that the spirit is the “hidden man of the heart” not the breath of life.

1 Peter 3:4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

The breath of life is just that...the breath of life that God gives to every creature. Genesis 2:7 explains this in the simplest of terms.

Genesis 2:7  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 soul.

The world from which Noah came will be punished by God. God took the same breath of life away from all flesh...both animals and humans.

Genesis 6:17  And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.

The writer of Genesis claims that every being that entered the Ark shared the same breath of life.

Genesis 7:15  And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.

The writer of Genesis also says that everything that did not go into the Ark had the same breath of life but perished.

Genesis 7:22  All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.

In the book of Job we read that Elihu explains to Job that God’s own spirit (not his breath) because Elihu was born of a man and woman yet through them the life of God was given to him. Elihu made no mention of his spirit.

Job 33:4  The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

All of the above makes it clear that our spirit is much more than the breath of life; it's what defines our soul and our body. Our spirits will only rise upward if we live for Jesus. Our legacy in Christ ascends upward to be put in the book of God’s remembrance.

Mal 3:16  Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.

All God-fearing men and women who serve God to the highest degree of their knowledge and their abilities will be in God’s book of remembrance. Yet the book of remembrance will not place anyone in the book of eternal life. The book is meant only for those selected for the second resurrection. Despite this, being in the book of remembrance does give the hope of eternal life. The Second Resurrection is meant to extend the mercy of God’s plan of Grace to those that love him.

God does not have to remember those that overcome. Those that overcome are promised eternal life and will never die. Overcomers go directly into the Lamb's book of life.

Rev 3:5  He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Rev 21:27  And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Rev 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Those who are written in the book of remembrance will at the end of the one thousand year reign be remembered into existence. They then present their own books before God. God will then access them according to the standards of Jesus' book of life. This is the law of righteousness. This will determine what they will need to do in order to overcome.  After a certain amount of time those who have resurrected will come to an end of their time. This is to complete their race for the mark of the high calling. Perhaps to overcome. But some may not overcome.  

Those that don’t overcome fail to have their names written in the Lambs book of Life and reap their reward.

Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Our spirits want to live forever, the want is the expression of the desire of the soul and the need of the body.

Genesis 1:27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Deuteronomy 4:16  Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,

1 Corinthians 15:49  And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

2 Corinthians 4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Hebrews 1:2  Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Hebrews 1:3  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Our spirits are the spoken image of ourselves and through Jesus it can be made into the expression of the image of God.