Man’s Spirit—The Essence of His Existence

[Buff Scott Jr.]

Man’s Spirit—The Essence of His Existence

[“The body apart from the spirit is dead”—James 2:26]

Preface​

The terms “spirit” and “soul” are often used interchangeably. It is important, therefore, to closely examine the context where “soul” is used. But “soul” usually entails one’s personality, such as life, anger, temperament. Occasionally, we find a “charismatic” person, one who is blessed with charm or grace, which is part of one’s soul. But the “spirit” of a person most always alludes to the authentic person.
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One of the renderings of “spirit” is “breath,” but never when it involves the crux of man’s existence. When Jacob’s spirit was revived after he was told his son Joseph was alive, his breathing did not improve. Rather, his inner man was infused with vitality [Gen. 45:23-28].

Later when Jacob was approaching death, “...he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people” (Gen. 49:29-33). His breathing ceased and became non-existent, but his real self, his spirit, was “gathered to his people” or united with “the spirits of righteous men made perfect” [Heb. 12:23]. It is apparent that his spirit, not his breath, when separated from his body, became an inhabitant of another world, the spirit or celestial world, and was “joined to the spirits of just men made perfect.”

Jacob’s bones and breath were not “gathered to his people,” but rather the essence of his existence. His respiration was not the divine spark that ignited his authentic presence on God’s planet earth, but rather his spirit. His body was composed of both breath and spirit. One ceased existing at his death; the other was “gathered to his people.”

Immediately following Moses’ biological demise he—that is, his spirit, the real Moses—assembled with all of the old saints who had gone on before him whose earthly existence had already ended—including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and all the others. We’re not speaking of Moses’ breath being gathered to his people. The idea is ridiculous and totally out of focus with the real sense. What would a bunch of “breaths” do when gathered, share halitosis? And what would a “flock of breaths” look like, anyway? Instead, we are talking about the actual man, for man’s spirit is the core/center of his life.

The spirit of man is not some mysterious force, energy, or entity. Nor does it take volumes and volumes of explanations to identify him and his function. Man’s spirit is the man himself, clothed in flesh and blood and instilled with the breath of life. As our Lord was dying, He said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Lk. 23:46). We know assuredly Jesus’ breath was not committed to His Father, because the actual Jesus, His spirit, went to Hades, the unseen abode of departed spirits. “He (the real Jesus, His spirit) “was not abandoned to Hades” (Acts 2:31).

We know, too, He did not ascend directly to heaven. When Mary Magdalene first saw Jesus after He resurrected, she was so overjoyed she tried to hold onto Him, but He said, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father” (John 20:17). The meaning seems to be, “Don’t delay me, for I have much to do before I ascend to the Father.”

Our Lord announced to the repentant criminal on the cross, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” [Lk. 23:43]. Jesus alluded to the paradisiacal abode of departed spirits [Hades]. But whether the forgiven criminal was with Jesus in Paradise that day or will be at some future date, is beside the point. The heart of the matter is that his real self, not his breath or biological body, will be, or is in, God’s heavenly glory.

Another striking detail is that, for whatever rational or strange reason, God allowed the prophet Samuel to be called up from the spirit world to tell King Saul of his impending death on the battlefield. The event was a fact, not a fantasy. Nor is it symbolic/figurative. Samuel said, “...and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me” (I Sam. 28). Samuel was not talking about the breathing apparatus—inhaling and exhaling oxygen—of Saul and his sons. Saul and his sons’ authentic selves would be in the same, or nearly the same, Hadean province as Samuel—the unseen abode of departed spirits.

In closing, I think it appropriate to ask, “Is God’s Holy Spirit His breath or some mysterious creation?” The scriptures seem to strongly indicate that the Holy Spirit of God is the essential character of the Father Himself, just as man’s spirit is his essential character. Per the testimony of Paul, our biological selves will be transformed to be like our Lord’s glorious body. “...we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body” (Phil. 3:20-21).

As Jesus’ real self, His spirit, reunited with His biological body in the tomb, our spirit will some day reunite with our physical temple at the time of transformation. It will be then that our transformed glorious body will no longer be subjected to age, decay, diseases, or death. It will “be like His glorious body”—eternally changed and fitted for heaven!​