Romans 8:4 says, “That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit.” Different translations of the Bible render spirit in Romans 8 either with an upper case S to designate the Holy Spirit or in lower case to designate our human spirit. According to the usage in the New Testament, the word spirit in verse 4 denotes our regenerated human spirit indwelt by and mingled with the Spirit. Christ as the life-giving Spirit is mingled with our regenerated human spirit, and these two spirits are mingled as one (1 Cor. 15:45b; 6:17; Rom. 8:16). We need to walk according to this spirit. Ephesians 6:18 says, “By means of all prayer and petition, praying at every time in spirit.” This again is the mingled spirit, our regenerated spirit indwelt by the Spirit of God.
In Revelation 1 John saw the vision of the seven golden lampstands with the Son of Man standing in their midst. Verse 10 says, “I was in spirit on the Lord’s Day.” Again this refers to the mingled spirit. Prior to the second vision concerning the judgment of the world throughout the ages, 4:2 says, “Immediately I was in spirit.” Then at the beginning of the third vision concerning Babylon the Great in chapter 17, verse 3 says, “And he carried me away in spirit,” and before the vision of the new heaven and the new earth with the New Jerusalem in chapter 21, verse 10 says, “And he carried me away in spirit.” In receiving each of the four major visions of the book of Revelation, John was in spirit.
Ephesians 1:17 says, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him.” A spirit of wisdom and revelation is the mingled spirit. Galatians 6:1 says, “Brothers, even if a man is overtaken in some offense, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of meekness, looking to yourself lest you also be tempted.” One who is spiritual is one who lives and walks by the Spirit of God, who indwells and is mingled with his regenerated spirit. If we go to restore a fallen brother, we must do it in spirit. Philippians 2:1 says, “If there is therefore any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of spirit, if any tenderheartedness and compassions.” Our fellowship is in the mingled spirit. Lastly, 1 Peter 3:4 says, “But the hidden man of the heart in the incorruptible adornment of a meek and quiet spirit, which is very costly in the sight of God.” The hidden man of the heart is our human spirit because the heart, composed of all the parts of the soul plus the conscience, surrounds the spirit. Peter tells us that sisters should adorn themselves with the hidden man, the inner man, the spirit.
All the preceding verses show that we, the regenerated ones, need to walk, live, do things, and have everything in the spirit. We may have the wrong impression that to exercise our spirit is only to pray. To pray is one of the many ways to exercise our spirit, but it is not the only way. We may exercise our spirit in everything we do. When we speak with people, we need to speak by exercising our spirit. When we are angry with someone, we must be angry by exercising our spirit. Of course, if we exercise our spirit, we may not become angry, but if we are angry, we must be able to say that we are angry in the spirit. Then our anger will be justified. Even our love, if it is not in the spirit, is not justified. What matters is not whether we love or hate. What matters is whether we live by the old man or by the new person in our spirit.
Luke 14:25 and 26 say, “There were great crowds going along with Him, and He turned and said to them, If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and moreover, even his own soul-life, he cannot be My disciple.” What matters today is not loving or hating but whether we do things in the soul or in the spirit, whether we live by the old man or by the new man. To love by the soul is wrong, but to hate by the spirit is right. Once the Lord Jesus became angry in the temple, driving out the moneychangers with a whip and overturning their tables (John 2:14-15). On other occasions He called the Pharisees offspring, or brood, of vipers (Matt. 3:7; 12:34; 23:33). In 1 Corinthians 4:21 the apostle Paul says, “What do you want? Should I come to you with a rod or in love and a spirit of meekness?” Sometimes in our soul, not in our spirit, we are meeker and more gentle than the Lord Jesus and the apostle.
To exercise the spirit is not only to pray. It is to do everything in the spirit. If we have no confirmation or feeling in our spirit when we do or say something, we should not do or say it. The proper way for Christians to live is to consider not whether something is good or bad but whether we are doing it by our self, in the soul, or by the Lord as the life-giving Spirit mingled with our spirit in a subjective way. We must always exercise our spirit. Even when we deal with our family, we must learn to exercise our spirit. Sometimes the spirit restricts us from speaking something to our wife. In such a case we should remain silent. However, when our spirit releases us to say something, we should follow our spirit.