Friday, November 6, 2009

Breath of Life: Spirit

I said I would do a post on the nature of what is a “spirit.” To do so I am going to use Scripture and I am going to talk about it from the Christian perspective. I am not versed in what other religions say about the topic. I’m just providing a framework of what Christians believe about the topic, nothing more, maybe less because I’m not going to be exhaustive by any means.


Let’s start at the beginning. As the story goes, God created Adam and breathed the breath of life into him. Genesis 2: 7 reads “the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”


This distinction was not made in the creation of animals. They were created alive, but not given the breath of life as was Adam. And so from Adam to Even and on to all men the breath of life is a part of our existence.


Now the point of this is the “breath of life.” This is where humans got a spirit. The Greek word for “spirit” literally means “breath.” Genesis tells us that we were created in the image of God. John 4:24 tells us God is spirit. But we also know that God took physical form in Jesus who is the exact representation of the Father.


Man was created physical and given a spiritual dynamic when God breathed His breath into man giving Him life. John 6:63 puts it this way “The Spirit (meaning the Spirit of God) gives life; the flesh counts for nothing.”


Life doesn’t come from our flesh it comes from His Spirit and flows to our spirit which He gave us. Psalm 146:4 reads, “When their spirit departs, they return to the ground.” Meaning when the essence of our life, our non-physical being, leaves our body returns to the dust. For the body is not the essence of who we are. Who we are continues after the body is gone. Ecclesiastes 12:7 states “and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”


David writes in Psalm 31:5 “into your hands I commit my spirit, redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth.” And in Psalm 51:10 we read “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Proverbs 20:27 reads, “the lamp of the Lord searches the spirit of man; it searches out his inmost being.” God is very much concerned with the state of our spirit for a redeemed spirit connected with Him gives us life. Life, more than physically being alive like an animal, but having a restored contact with Someone greater than ourselves that is full of this kind of supernatural life.


God calls for us to connect with Him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24). This means our spirit can connect with His Spirit and we connect with Him in truth, it’s not just a mystical symbolic faith experience, it’s a real tangible encounter that is true.


We were designed to live fully connected in His spirit, but sin severed that connection and made connecting difficult. Our spirituality is still very much a part of our being, but we it’s like the light went out and that part of us is dark and unused or sometimes ill-used. We need to be spiritually and truly connected to the ultimate life giving source in order to have a resurrected spirit that enables us to connect to God in spirit and in truth.


Let me say once more, this is the story of our spirit and His Spirit according to the Biblical narrative. A story I am very much invested in and living out. But the above content isn’t an apologetic for that story, it is simply the story. I find we need to know what we are talking about before we can delve deeper into it. I said I would provide more information from Scripture regarding “the spirit” I believe is inside each of us and here is my first attempt to make good on my word.


I welcome clarifying questions and ask that we start there on this subject.

17 comments:

CyberKitten said...

I can't speak for anyone else - but to me that's pretty much gibberish.

Karla said...

Sorry, that's actually the first time I have ever written on that specific topic.

CyberKitten said...

I think a major problem with your approach is that you're using the authority of the Bible to back up your ideas.

As I do not see the Bible as a source of authority your argument kind of falls on deaf ears.

Karla said...

Yes, and typically I wouldn't write a post from that authority for that reason, I'm only doing so because I was asked to.

boomSLANG said...

Cyberkit': As I do not see the Bible as a source of authority your argument kind of falls on deaf ears.

My sentiments, too. As I said before, it convinces the already-convinced, and none else. I might make a few comments; then again, the "Righteousness" thread keeps me busy. That, and eating babies.

Karla: ....typically I wouldn't write a post from [the Bible's] authority for that reason, I'm only doing so because I was asked to.

'Had to have been requested by another Christian. The unconvinced person would surely want it to make sense in real-world terms. Then again, the Christian presumably already knows what "Spirit" is.

CyberKitten said...

karla said: Yes, and typically I wouldn't write a post from that authority for that reason, I'm only doing so because I was asked to.

But doing it is like talking to us atheists in a foreign language. We simply do not understand what you mean - or at least I don't. I have effectively zero background in scripture, so when you quote it all I hear is noise.

If you try to explain aspects of your belief system from inside the context of your belief system - of which I have little knowledge - then its obviously going to be difficult to get your point across. Without any common ground or common understanding communication is pretty much impossible isn't it? That's where any dialogue between us needs to start. We find out what we have in common and build mutual understanding from there.

Mike aka MonolithTMA said...

Spirit always equated with sentience to me when I was a Christian.

Karla said...

I agree completely Cyber. I was only writing the post to fulfill the request by BoomSlang to write it from the perspective of Scripture verses to back up what I was saying. You know this isn't my style with you guys, I just did it to honor his request.

Mike, I think it to be something more than that. But I would have to do a much more in depth study on the topic to really say much more than what I wrote in this post.

Karla said...

"'Had to have been requested by another Christian. The unconvinced person would surely want it to make sense in real-world terms. Then again, the Christian presumably already knows what "Spirit" is."

I was pretty sure you asked me to tell you what a "spirit" is and not what it is not, and to give Scripture references. So this post was in response to that request.

boomSLANG said...

Karla: I was pretty sure you asked me to tell you what a "spirit" is and not what it is not, and to give Scripture references. So this post was in response to that request.

It's true that asked you to tell us what a "spirit" is, as opposed to what it is not. Correct. Unfortunately, you couldn't figure out that the nonbeliever would want a definition/description based on the material/physical, as opposed to the unproven meta-physical concepts found in your bible.

Note, if your reply is something along the lines of, "Well, a spirit isn't physical or material, so how can my description be based on the physical, material world???", then my point is underscored:

When it comes to discussing concepts like "spirit", "souls", etc., the Christian can only take one of two routes. They can, either, a) tell people what these concepts are not..i.e.."immaterial", "nonphysical", etc, or b) use their bibles in an attempt to tell people what these things "are", which amounts to begging the question.

Either way, "spirit" has no coherent, real-world meaning. It is a non-'thing', aka, nothing.

Karla said...

Yep that was going to be my response Boom. So I guess if that isn't acceptable to you we have no where to go on that topic.

I'm sorry it has taken me so long to get back to responding to comments. We got a major snow here and while that should have given me more computer time I had less for one reason or another. However, I see it gave you time to peruse more my blog.

boomSLANG said...

So I guess if that isn't acceptable to you we have no where to go on that topic.

Yes, if it wasn't predictable, we've reached a stalemate on a thread titled, "Breath of Life; Spirit". Notwithstanding, I'll wager that this won't stop you from promoting such ideas as "Absolute Truth".

Karla said...

Nor will you stop promoting your notions of truth being merely factual knowledge which has no eternal or metaphysical source.

Karla said...

Not that I want anyone to stop promoting what they see to be true.

boomSLANG said...

Karla: Nor will you stop promoting your notions of truth being merely factual knowledge which has no eternal or metaphysical source.

Yet, there are no conditions attached to my promoting that "factual knowledge" that has no "eternal or metaphysical source" is adaquate knowledge. If you don't adopt what I'm promoting, so what?...you're free to walk away, no harm done. Conversely, if I don't adopt what you are promoting, I suffer a perpetual existence of torture by fire. Hmmm......'slight difference, I'd say.

(cue the, "but there's a solution!!!" soundbite)

Karla said...

Neither of us are putting any conditions on what we are promoting. Conditions may exist or not exist, but not because I put any there, but because it is real or not real. I cannot change reality. I didn't create reality.

boomSLANG said...

Karla: Neither of us are putting any conditions on what we are promoting.

Let's get something straight---there are conditions on what you're promoting by proxy..i.e..without YOU, personally, putting them there. The biblegod you worship promises to make sure that those who don't believe in and worship it will be kept alive and tortured with FIRE, for eternity. I don't give a rat's hindquarters if you "created reality" or made the "rules", or not. If you don't denounce this "God", then you support it, in which case, everything else out your mouth is really besides the point. Even the fact that you are a victim of religious indoctrination begins to fade into the background, as far as I'm concerned.

The doctrine of "Hell" is disgusting, abhorent, inhumane, immoral, and the fact that it's taught to children is nothing less than child abuse.