Text – Genesis 2:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 4:12
“Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7 (NIV)
“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NIV)
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. ” Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)
INTRODUCTION
Some of us are still wrestling with trying to correlate spirit and soul. Many of us still want to use them interchangeably, but the scriptures teach us that they are separate entities. A lot of us feel like we have a pretty good understanding when it comes to talking about the body. 1 Thessalonians shows us that it is important to be reminded that man is made up of spirit, soul, and body. If we notice, even Hebrews shows us that man has a soul, spirit, and body (Joints and Marrow). The body connects us to the physical world. The body sees, tastes, feels, tires, and even hurts. It will return to the dust.
The soul sees, hears, tastes feels, etc. The soul connects us to our self. It is where we think, and remember. The soul is where our emotions lie; it is where our character lies. It is where our emotions and thoughts operate (. . . as a man thinketh in his heart . . .Proverbs 23:7). It is who we are as a person.
As for our spirit, it is that part of man that connects him to God. Genesis shows us that God didn’t just make man from the dust of the earth, HE also took breath from Himself and breathed it into man (Genesis 2:7). This brings us to the question which is also the subject of our message for today:
DO YOU REALIZE HOW SPECIAL YOU ARE?
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” Romans 8:14-16 (NIV)
God’s Spirit bears witness with our spirit; not our body, not our soul, but that spirit that God breathed into man. This is one of the reasons why Jesus told Nicodemus: “You must be born again”. It is the soul where our mind operates, and that has to be renewed . . . not our spirit. When we are born again we become new creatures in Christ Jesus so the Holy Spirit dwells within us. But it is our thoughts, our thinking that have to be renewed. This is where the Believers’ most difficult battles with Satan takes place. This is where Believers are still struggling in various areas of their lives.
POINTS –
- Genesis 2:7 – We know that there are numerous places in the Bible where it speaks of “Sons of God” but only Jesus is the “Only begotten Son of God!” This tells us that Jesus is the only one who has come from the very essence of GOD (expound). However, GOD does breathe into the lifeless being HE formed from the earth, some of His essence to give him life.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:23 – Not only is this passage of scripture reminding us of how wonderfully we are made, but it is also showing us that the Lord desires that every fiber of our being be found sanctified and without condemnation when the Lord comes.
- Hebrews 4:12 – We definitely see the triune man (soul, spirit, and body) present. This passage of scripture also reminds us that the word of God penetrates and effects every part of man.
CONCLUSION –
When GOD gave man the breath of life, He put in Him a part of Himself. It is not the same part that Jesus is; but the only way we can regain that part of GOD that placed into man is to be born again, and the only way to be born again is through believing in GOD’s only begotten son . . . Jesus the Christ!