Soul & Spirit
J. Jump said:
The Holy Spirit indwells us, and our spirit is made alive, but Hebrews 4:12 tells us that our spirit (which has been passed out of darkness into the marvelous Light) is separated from our soul, which is still in darkness ... From that point forward the Spirit and the flesh wage war one against the other.
How refreshing, J.Jump, it was to read this. This must be one of the most misunderstood areas of the Christian life, misunderstood by many outstanding theologians and exegetes, as well as many teachers who are well known, but not so outstanding.
The primary thing to understand is man does indeed have a spirit, separate and distinct from the soul. Man is, therefore, made up of a spirit, a soul (which consists of the mind, the will, and the emotions) and a physical body. When we are born again by the Spirit of God, it is our spirit which is regenerated (made alive), by God The Holy Spirit - and not our mind, will, or emotions (soul).
Second, The mind of man (and the emotions and will) are fallen and remain fallen after regeneration which is why Paul tells us to "be transformed by the renewing of our minds", to constantly ingest and wash our minds with the Word of God. The Holy Spirit is not our mind, or in our mind, nor is He in our emotions, as I heard Ed Young, Jr. say on a radio broadcast not too long ago (a ridiculous statement BTW, but logical, I suppose, if you like to mix behavioural, pop psychology into your theology).
Third, I should point out, without straying further off-topic, that regarding the function of it all, the Holy Spirit indwells and seals us at regeneration, and from that point on He (God The Holy Spirit) communicates with our spirit (that has been made alive by Him), and our regenerated spirit then impresses our fallen mind. We must learn to discern His impressions with practice. Simply put, this is one way God communicates with us, the primary one being His written Word, to which everything, especially mental impressions, is subject. Personally, I find that most often, His impressions are in the form of Holy Scripture, which He brings to my remembrance.
Anyway, I hope this is helpful to some brothers and sisters out there, though I encourage you all to test what I have said with Scripture and do whatever research may be necessary for you. In the words of one sister I know, "Our minds, no matter how pure, will never be completely reliable." Not in this life. But we can and should wash our minds daily with His Word, leaning finally on His wriiten Word and His Spirit that dwells within us.
One question I would ask, J.Jump: Is it our spirit, or the Holy Spirit within us, that wages war against the flesh? Or is it both?
:jesus: