The Human Spirit

The human spirit is the immaterial part of every believer that was imputed by God at salvation to enable the believer to understand the teaching of spiritual information. The Holy Spirit teaches the human spirit the communicated spiritual information only when the believer is filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit then converts that understood spiritual information into spiritual knowledge (gnosis) and transfers it to the left lobe of the soul.

The human spirit must be distinguished from the human soul. Heb. 4:12.

“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12, NASB)

In the original creation of man, the human spirit was received along with the human soul when God the Father breathed into Adam the “breath of lives.” Gen. 2:7.

“Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7, NASB)

When Adam and the woman ate of the fruit and sinned, both lost their human spirit and became dichotomous, with a physical body and soul only. They also both acquired an old sin nature. At the point of sin, they became spiritually dead. From that point on, every member of the human race has been born with a genetically-formed sin nature and without a human spirit. At the point of physical birth, everyone receives the imputation of Adam’s original sin. All are born spiritually dead except the unique God-man Jesus Christ because of His virgin birth. Rom. 5:12.

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—” (Romans 5:12, NASB)

The unbeliever does not have a human spirit. As a dichotomous being, body and soul, the unbeliever cannot understand spiritual information because they have no human spirit. To them, spiritual information or Bible doctrine is foolishness. 1 Cor. 2:14.

“But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.” (1 Corinthians 2:14, NASB)

The believer is trichotomous with a body, soul, and human spirit. Why? Because the human spirit is acquired from God the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation along with the filling and indwelling of the Holy Spirit. To this newly acquired human spirit, God the Father imputed His eternal life to that human spirit. For the believer, human IQ is no longer a handicap to learning Bible doctrine. Spiritual perception is the Holy Spirit teaching the human spirit. Both the human spirit and the Holy Spirit are necessary for the function of the grace apparatus for perception. Eph. 2:5; 1 Thess. 5:23.

“even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),” (Ephesians 2:5, NASB)

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23, NASB)

In the communication of the Gospel to the unbeliever, the Holy Spirit acts as the human spirit for the perception of salvation information. John 16:8-11; 1 Cor. 2:14-16.

“"And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.” (John 16:8-11, NASB)

“But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:14-16, NASB)

The spiritual IQ of the believer or the believer’s ability to comprehend Bible doctrine is related to the human spirit. Job 32:8; Rom. 8:16; 1 Thess. 5:23; Philemon 1:25.

“"But it is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding.” (Job 32:8, NASB)

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,” (Romans 8:16, NASB)

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” (Philemon 1:25, NASB)

The believer’s positive volition and filling of the Spirit are both necessary to make doctrine taught from the Bible understandable and to be transferred to the human spirit as spiritually understood information. In 1 Corinthians 2:13, “spiritual thoughts with spiritual words” is πνευματικός (pneumatikos) in the Greek. The Holy Spirit does everything here. John 14:26; 1 Cor. 2:9-16; 1 John 2:27.

“"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” (John 14:26, NASB)

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.” (1 Corinthians 2:12-13, NASB)

“As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.” (1 John 2:27, NASB)

The Holy Spirit then automatically transfers the spiritually understood doctrine (pneumatikos) to the left lobe of the soul as gnosis. Here, it is ready for the believer to either accept it with positive volition or to reject it with negative volition. Negative volition results in gnosis staying where it is in the left lobe of the soul. Here, it has no spiritual value or application. It must be believed to be of any spiritual use. Upon the believer’s positive volition acceptance or belief, again, the Holy Spirit does everything by converting the gnosis to epignosis (full knowledge) and transferring it to the right lobe of the soul. See category on the Grace Apparatus for Perception.

The right lobe of the soul is the place for epignosis storage and application to the spiritual life. Epignosis doctrine in the right lobe of the soul becomes residual doctrine with which the edification complex is constructed. Eph. 3:17-19.

“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19, NASB)

In Ephesians 3:17, “that Christ may dwell” refers to Christ being at home in the body of every Church Age believer. “Being rooted” is ῥιζόω (rhizoō) in the Greek and means foundation of a root, the filling of the Holy Spirit. “And grounded” is θεμελιόω (themelioō) in the Greek and means to lay a foundation of epignosis Bible doctrine in the right lobe of the soul for establishing a frame of reference and an edification complex. “In love” is God's perfect love, which is only possible through the filling of the Holy Spirit.

In Ephesians 3:18, “comprehend” is καταλαμβάνω (katalambanō) and means Bible doctrine seized which is epignosis in the right lobe of the soul. This epignosis or full knowledge of the Word has been believed by faith is stored in the areas in the right lobe of the soul. There is room for every word that came out of the mouth of God to be stored. Christ is at home in your heart when the believer is filled with the Holy Spirit and developing an edification complex. Eph. 4:20-24.

“But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” (Ephesians 4:20-24, NASB)

The believer possesses the human spirit as the basis of their spiritual IQ. Therefore, doctrine stored in the right lobe of the soul is the area of refreshment. Basic doctrine builds up a frame of reference. Advanced doctrine builds upon basic doctrine and results in the construction of your edification complex. Eph. 3:16-19; 2 Cor. 7:13. See category on The Edification Complex of the Soul.

“For this reason we have been comforted. And besides our comfort, we rejoiced even much more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.” (2 Corinthians 7:13, NASB)

Doctrine stored in the right lobe of the soul is the basis of grace orientation. Philemon 1:25.

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” (Philemon 1:25, NASB)