THE TWO PARTS OF MAN

I have often heard people refer to man as a two part being: flesh and spirit. I can even find numerous passages of scripture which talk about these two parts of man. But I believe that man is actually a little more complex than this. It appears that there are actually three parts to a man. Notice carefully the words of the Apostle Paul. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (I Thessalonians 5:23)

If there are indeed three parts to man, what are they? How can we explain other passages which only mention two parts? There are indeed a lot of questions to be answered, but I believe the Bible provides those answers. First, we need to set forth the three parts and then try to explain each in detail. The first part of man is the physical body, the second is the mind or consciousness, and the third is the eternal spirit of man.

Man possesses life just the same as a horse, dog, or any other animal does. This is the first part of man: the physical body. It lives, it requires care and nourishment, and it dies just as any other living thing does. At this level, man is not different from any other animal.

It is quite apparent though, that man is no ordinary animal; he is somehow special. It is the second part of man which is responsible for this difference. It is what is often referred to as the heart or mind of man. It is where he thinks and reasons and has his understanding. Where he loves and hates and has all of his other emotions. All of these things are beyond the capacity of other animals. Man is truly alive and aware. He alone among the animals possesses a consciousness.

These first two parts of man are often included as one. This is not surprising since they are so closely interrelated. Scriptures which talk of only two parts of man simply take these two parts as one. When the lust of the flesh is spoken of it really concerns the combination of these first two parts. This is illustrated by Paul when he said Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. (Ephesians 2:3) He defines the lust of the flesh as fulfilling the desires of both the flesh and mind. The body itself can lust after nothing. The body alone cannot even conceive of lust, for it is nothing more than an animal. The mind can conceive of lust, but without the body has no way to partake of it. It is the mind and body working in concert that are able to find sin pleasurable.

What exactly is the mind? The mind is not truly a physical entity, since it has no mass or shape. It also has no direct contact with the physical world. The mind can not exist without the brain, neither can it know anything except for that which it receives from the brain, which has been gathered by the body through the five senses. Without the mind, man is nothing more than another animal. Without the body and brain, the mind cannot exist, but even if it could, it would have no way to receive information nor to affect anything around it. Therefore, the two must have each other.

The mind is not physical, but neither is it a spirit, since the time of it’s existence is limited to that of it’s body, unlike true spirits. The mind is neither a physical nor a spiritual being; it lies somewhere in between the two. Actually, I believe the mind is a link between the physical world and the spiritual world. This idea will become more apparent later on in this study.

In Mark 12:30, Jesus listed four part of man. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. This statement does not contradict the idea that man consists of three parts, but it rather serves to add further credibility to it. We have already seen that there are three parts, but often two of them are considered to be a single part, so that only two parts are mentioned. Likewise, one of the three parts is further divisible into two other parts. In the above passage, strength refers to the physical part of man, and soul to the eternal spirit. The heart and mind are essentially the same but have a slight difference in meaning. Medical science today has established the fact that man’s brain consists of two hemispheres or sides. One side is where logic and reason originate. The other side gives rise to creativity and emotion. So here the heart refers to the emotional side of man, and mind refers to the logical side.

Thus far we have focused on the first two parts of man, but let us not forget the third and most important part; the eternal spirit. The account of the creation of man is found in Genesis 2:7. And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. This included the first two parts: body and mind. The eternal spirit was also there, although it was not mentioned at this time. In Zechariah 12:1, we read of the existence of this spirit. The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. Job 32:8 provides further proof. But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. This spirit is also referred to as the inner man. That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man. (Ephesians 3:16)

The eternal spirit, which is within man, seems to be subject to many restrictions. In the Bible, we read of spirits, both good and bad, moving around doing various things. Man’s spirit, however, does not seem to have this freedom. It does not appear to be able to converse with other spirits. It’s sphere of activity seems to be limited to a single person. Also, the spirit has no direct means of communication or any way to affect the physical world. It can only have an effect or influence upon the physical world through the body to which it belongs. But how is the spirit able to influence the body? The mind serves as a bridge for the spirit from it’s plane of existence to the physical world. The mind is not physical. Therefore, the spirit can communicate with it. I do not know how the two communicate but in some way they do. The terms and extent of communication appear to be controlled, for the most part, by the mind.

Many people seem to have even completely shut off the voice of their spirit. I believe this is what Paul was referring to when he spoke of people Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron. (I Timothy 4:2) The reason I say this is because I feel the conscience of a man is nothing more that a manifestation of his spirit’s influence upon his mind. How else do you explain the conscience? I believe the spirit is deeply troubled and is trying to place extreme pressure on the mind to change whatever the spirit disagrees with.

Furthermore, I believe the eternal spirit of man is what psychologists often refer to as the subconscious mind. The subconscious is something that men have never been able to explain, yet there is no denying it’s existence. It is a level of consciousness within us that we cannot directly access. The spirit is present within us, but we are unable to directly communicate with it. Dreaming is another example of the subconscious activity of the spirit.

I feel that people who are unrighteous have little or no communication with their spirit. Notice how Paul compares those who have accepted Christ with those who haven’t. And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved). (Ephesians 2:1-5) He speaks of worldly people fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; they do not listen to the spirit. Therefore, the spirit has no effect upon the person. Essentially, the spirit is locked away. It cannot communicate with the person, nor can it communicate with other spirits. It is a spirit, but it is not presently in the spirit world. Neither is it in the physical world. It is trapped somewhere in between. So it is reasonable to say the spirit is dead. Thus when a person accepts Christ his spirit is quickened, or made alive.

The Bible often speaks of sinners being dead spiritually. The view is often taken, and correctly so, that this means the person will die spiritually, that is be cast into hell, sometime in the future. But I believe it is just as valid to say they are dead spiritually at the present time. The spirit is trapped inside a person that will not listen to it. It cannot communicate with or effect anything in the physical or spiritual worlds. It’s very similar to a person being in a vegetative state. While there is technically still life in the body, the person is really no more alive than a corpse.

Paul talked about this same subject in his letter to the Ephesians. That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24) When a person accepts Christ, the old man, or the mind, which has been running the persons life is put away. A new man is now allowed to take over. This new man, as Paul points out, is created after God or in other words, in God’s image. Only man’s spirit is created in the image and likeness of God. So this new man is nothing other than the spirit. A Christian must allow his spirit to take over and dominate his mind.

When a person accepts God they begin to communicate with their spirit. This gives life to the spirit. Also something even more remarkable occurs. Man’s spirit has someone to keep him company. The Spirit of God moves into the body with man’s spirit. As the Apostle Paul pointed out Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (I Corinthians 3:16) So now our spirit has links to both the physical and spiritual worlds. But most importantly it has the Spirit of God to instruct and guide it.

I feel that our spirits by nature are good. However, I feel they are easily corrupted by the input they receive. The spirit can only receive what the mind receives. And the mind can only receive what the body senses. It’s very simple; the person who is surrounded by evil and unrighteousness is feeding that to his spirit. And conversely, the person who is surrounded with godliness and righteousness is feeding that to his spirit. Paul explained this very well. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:8) This is why it is so important to do as Paul instructed, and be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:2) We are transformed by feeding our spirit good things and then allowing it to direct us.

The spirit tends to want to do good, but it’s concept of good is only as valid as the information the mind gives it. Paul was a very good example of this. And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. (Acts 23:1) When Paul said he had lived in good conscience, I think this implies that his spirit was well pleased with what he was doing. Paul was very zealous in his persecution of the church. Had that been the right thing to do, Paul should have certainly been pleased with himself.

Paul’s problem was not that he was following the flesh, because he wasn’t. He was following the spirit, but again the spirit is only as good as the information it receives. This is why it is impossible for man to live by his conscience. If a man had perfect knowledge and understanding of God’s will, then he could let his conscience be his guide. But since no man possesses that type of knowledge, the conscience cannot be totally relied upon. It can be an assistant, but not the guide. Paul was doing right according to his conscience, but his conscience did not have all the facts. This is why continued study is so important for the Christian. In so doing, our spirit will be better informed.

This view of man helps us to understand passages of scripture which are otherwise difficult to be understood. For instance Romans 8:26-27. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. This is seemingly a very strange and unusual passage. How does the Spirit of God make intercession for man with groanings which cannot be uttered? What are these groanings?

I do not understand how man’s mind and spirit communicate, but I do believe it is often a difficult task. The two are by their very nature contrary to each other as Paul pointed out. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. (Galatians 5:17) Once again, flesh refers to the combination of mind and body. The spirit will often desire one thing and the mind another. It seems the spirit often has a hard time getting it’s message through to the mind. The spirit may understand things the mind does not. The spirit may understand that certain things should be prayed for, but might be unable to communicate this to the mind, so that the prayer can actually be made. In this case, our spirit may well turn to it’s neighbor, the Spirit of God, and request assistance. God’s Spirit may in turn pass along the request to God. In essence, the Spirit has made intercession with the Father on our behalf with groanings which we could not physically utter, since we were never consciously aware of those things or if we were we did not feel compeled to pray about them.

Paul very beautifully described the struggle between the flesh and spirit of man in his letter to the Romans. For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. (Romans 7:14-25)

Paul’s use of “I” for both the inner and outer man indicates that neither is an unimportant part, but that both are vital parts of who and what he is. These parts are constantly in conflict. And it seems from his description that it is the spirit who most often comes up on the short end. If the apostle Paul struggled with this battle, should any of us pretend that we don’t do likewise? If we are not aware of a constant struggle within us, then this may be a sign that the battle is already over. And we can be assured that it was not the flesh that lost.