In John 3:6 we read, “That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” This verse speaks of two distinct spirits—one is indicated by a capitalized word, and the other is indicated by a lowercase word. The first occurrence of the word spirit refers to the Holy Spirit of God, and the second, to the human spirit of man. That which is born of the Holy Spirit is the human spirit. Another verse showing these two spirits is John 4:24: “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit.” Again, the first word is capitalized, and the second is not. We must worship God, who is Spirit, in our human spirit. Romans 8:16 further confirms the existence of the two spirits: “The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God.” The pronoun our definitely designates the human spirit and removes any ground to doubt the reality of both the divine Spirit and the human spirit.
In Romans 8:9 and 10 we read, “The Spirit of God dwells in you...But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead..., the spirit is life.” The King James Version capitalizes spirit in verse 10, but the better translations, such as the American Standard Version, render spirit with a small letter s. Why do we point this out? It is because Christians have very little knowledge concerning man’s spirit. Much attention is given to the Holy Spirit, but the human spirit, the residence and dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, is almost entirely neglected. If someone wants to visit me, he must first find where I live. If he cannot locate my home, he will lose the opportunity to visit me. Although there is much talk about the Holy Spirit, most Christians do not know where He dwells. Romans 8:9 refers without a doubt to the Holy Spirit, but verse 10 speaks of the human spirit: “Though the body is dead..., the spirit is life.” Of course, the Holy Spirit cannot be compared with our body. The comparison must be between the human body and the human spirit, not between the human body and the Holy Spirit.
In Romans 1:9 the apostle Paul said, “For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of His Son.” The common thought is that we serve God in the Holy Spirit, but this verse declares that we serve God in our human spirit.
Bible translators have found it very difficult to decide whether the word spirit in some passages refers to the Holy Spirit or the human spirit. The reason for this difficulty is that in the believer the Holy Spirit and the human spirit are mingled together as one spirit. First Corinthians 6:17 says, “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.” We are one spirit with the Lord. This indicates a mingling of the Holy Spirit with our spirit. Because of such a mingling, in some Bible verses it is difficult to say whether the word spirit refers to the Holy Spirit or the human spirit. In us the two spirits are mingled as one. We may say that this mingled spirit is the Holy Spirit, and we may also say that it is the human spirit. Sometimes we make a beverage by mixing two kinds of juices—pineapple and grapefruit. After the two are mixed, it is difficult to tell what kind of juice it is. Is it pineapple, or is it grapefruit? We might refer to it as pineapple-grapefruit juice. In the New Testament it is wonderful to see that the two spirits, the Holy Spirit and our spirit, are one mingled spirit.
In the first chapter we saw that God the Father is in us (Eph. 4:6), Christ is in us (2 Cor. 13:5), and the Holy Spirit is in us (Rom. 8:11). All three persons of the Triune God are in us. But where within us is the Triune God? In what part of our being? It is very clear, beyond any ground of argument, that Christ today is in our spirit. The Scriptures confirm this fact. We do not need to be vague, like many who say in a general way that the Lord is in us. The last verse of 2 Timothy definitely states that Christ is in our spirit: “The Lord be with your spirit” (4:22). In order for Christ to be in our spirit, first He must be the Spirit, then we must have a spirit, and finally these two spirits must be mingled as one spirit. If the Lord were not the Spirit, how could He be in our spirit, and how could we be one spirit with Him?
In order to locate the human spirit, we need to divide the soul from the spirit. Hebrews 4:12 says, “The word of God is living and operative, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow, and able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” God’s word is a sharp sword to pierce our being, to divide our soul from our spirit.
We are told in 1 Corinthians 3 that we are the temple of God. According to the Old Testament, God’s temple is portrayed as having three parts: the outer court, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies.
We know that God was in His temple, but in what part? He was neither in the outer court nor in the Holy Place; rather, He was in the Holy of Holies. There in the Holy of Holies the shekinah presence of God dwelt. In the outer court was the altar, which is a type of the cross, and near the altar was the laver, which typifies the cleansing work of the Holy Spirit. In the Holy Place were the table of the bread of the Presence, the lampstand, and the incense altar. In addition to all these items, in the Holy of Holies was the Ark, which typifies Christ. Therefore, Christ was in the Holy of Holies, and God’s presence, the shekinah glory of God, was there also.
The Scriptures point out that today we are the temple of God (1 Cor. 3:16). As tripartite beings, we too are composed of three parts—the body, the soul, and the spirit (1 Thes. 5:23). But in which part of our being does the Triune God dwell? Second Timothy 4:22 states clearly that the Lord is in our spirit. Our spirit is the very Holy of Holies. The typology of the Old Testament temple presents a very clear picture. Christ (typified by the Ark) and God’s presence were in the Holy of Holies. Today the type of the temple of God is fulfilled in us. We are of three parts: our body corresponds to the outer court, our soul to the Holy Place, and our human spirit to the Holy of Holies, which is the very residence of Christ and God’s presence. This is illustrated in the following diagram:
Hebrews 10:19 says, “Having therefore, brothers, boldness for entering the Holy of Holies in the blood of Jesus.” What is the Holy of Holies for us to enter today while we are here on earth? According to the above diagram, our human spirit is the Holy of Holies, which is God’s residence, the very chamber in which God and Christ dwell. If we would find God and Christ, there is no need for us to go to heaven. God in Christ is so available, for He is in our spirit.