Spirit and Spirits: The Unseen Life Force

The spirit is the hidden, God-given core of every human being — the breath of life that makes us living souls. Understanding what the Bible teaches about the spirit, and discerning the unseen realm around us, is essential to a close walk with God.

What Is the Human Spirit?

The word spirit, also translated as ‘wind’ and ‘breath’, represents our inner being, the core of who we are, the essence of our existence, the life-enabling capacity given by God. Although we have a spirit, we are not spirits (Gen 2:7; Job 33:4; Ps 104:29-30; Isa 42:5; Mk 2:8; Act 7:59; Rom 1:9, 8:9-16; 1 Cor 5:3-5).

As believers we can have an intimate relationship with our heavenly Father through our spirit, for we are spiritually alive to Him. Unbelievers, however, are spiritually dead and unresponsive to the things of God, with Satan literally blinding their minds (1 Cor 2:14; 2 Cor 4:4; Eph 1:13, 2:1-5; Col 2:13; Jas 2:26). At death, the spirit returns to God and awaits being reunited with the person’s resurrected body to spend eternity in heaven or hell (Lk 8:55; Act 7:59; 2 Cor 5:1-5; Jas 2:26). As a living being Adam was orientated to the earthly realm, becoming spiritually dead through sinning, while Christ as a life-giving spirit was tuned to heaven (1 Cor 15:45).

Sometimes the original Bible translators used one word (heart) to include soul and spirit; however the spirit is contrasted to the flesh or body, the material part of us (Mt 26:41; Jn 6:63).

We are to protect our spirit even more than our body, for it is the source of all life and true enrichment, and both our body and spirit can be devoted to God or contaminated by sin (Prov 4:23; Mal 2:15-16; 1 Cor 7:34; 2 Cor 7:1).

Diligently protect your spirit from evil

God Is Spirit

God is Spirit, and must be worshipped ‘in spirit and truth’, meaning in genuine honesty of heart, not by lifeless human rituals. Scriptural principles guide us to bow humbly before Him and declare He is worthy (Jn 4:24; Rev 4:11, 5:9,12).

Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of God” (Mt 5:3). This refers to those who, recognising their spiritual inadequacy, rely fully on the sacrifice of Jesus to save them.

Spirit Guides and the True Guide

Belief in spirit guides is commonly associated with New Age, pagan, and spiritualistic belief systems. The concept is that these allegedly friendly 'unseen helpers' enable a person to discover some secret wisdom, rise to a higher level of consciousness and find a fulfilling life.

Truth is considered relative, with many claimed paths to God: man is seen as inherently good, with unlimited potential for power and advancement, to be transformed through spiritual awareness to realise his inner divinity. In reality, these helpers are not benevolent — they trap and destroy people with false teachings and occult practices.

The Holy Spirit is to be our Guide

Spirit guides represent a world-view that is diametrically opposed to what the Bible teaches: man is inherently sinful, and no one is truly good, yet God is truth, and Jesus Christ is the only way to a right relationship with Him (Mk 10:18; Jn 14:6; Act 4:12; Rom 3:12). The Bible declares our purpose is to glorify God and be conformed to His image (Eccl 12:13; Rom 8:29).

The Bible warns against dabbling in the spirit world, but rather to "test the spirits to see whether they are from God" (Lev 19:31, 20:27; Deut 18:11-12; 1 Chr 10:13; 1 Jn 4:1). God has put His Holy Spirit within each believer, who together with the Word of God is to guide us (Ps 119:105; Jn 14:16-17, 16:13; Rom 8:14; 1 Cor 3:16, 6:19; Gal 5:16-18; 2 Tim 3:16-17).

David's prayer, "Search me, O God, and know my heart... see if there is any offensive way in me" (Ps 139:23-24), is a model for every believer. Be open and honest with God, inviting Him to examine your inner being and expose what lies hidden beneath the surface. Then deal with whatever He reveals is not right within: rather than excusing, suppressing or hiding it, confess it, turn from it, and ask God to cleanse and realign your spirit with His (Ps 51:10; 1 Jn 1:9). This regular, honest self-examination keeps the spirit tender before God and guards against the slow hardening that sin brings.

Reflection and Application:

Invite God to search your spirit daily and reveal anything that grieves Him.
Guard your spirit by being selective about what you watch, read and dwell on.
Worship God in genuine honesty of heart rather than outward ritual.
Test every spiritual teaching against Scripture before accepting it as truth.