When we exercise our spirit to know the things of man, we are ushered into the Spirit of God. The two spirits, the regenerated human spirit and the divine Spirit, cannot be separated. This is the reason Paul speaks of both spirits in 2:11. First he says that no one knows the things of man except the spirit of man which is in him. Then he goes on to say that the things of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. If we would be a proper and genuine human being, we must have these two spirits. We must have the spirit of man to know the things of man and the Spirit of God to know the things of God. According to the Bible, the things of man are related to the things of God. This makes it all the more necessary for us to have these two spirits.
In verse 13 Paul goes on to refer to spiritual things: “Which also we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, communicating spiritual things by spiritual things.” In verse 14 Paul points out that the things of the Spirit of God are spiritually discerned: “But a soulish man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he is not able to know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” A soulish man is a natural man, a person who lives in the soul instead of in the spirit. In verse 15 Paul says, “But he who is spiritual discerns all things, and he is discerned by no one.” In these verses we have spiritual knowledge, spiritual communication, spiritual discernment, and spiritual persons.
Do you know what it means to be spiritual? To be spiritual is to have the two spirits mingled together in your being. To be spiritual is to have your spirit, the regenerated human spirit, mingled with the Spirit of God to become one spirit. Spiritual persons live in this mingled spirit. Whenever you are in the mingled spirit, you are spiritual, and you have spiritual discernment, spiritual knowledge, and spiritual communication. You are able to discern spiritually both the things of man and the things of God.
As we consider the matter of Christ as the depths of God and the matter of the two spirits, we must admit that in order to experience Christ as the depths of God, we must have these two spirits. We must exercise the human spirit, and we must be ushered into the Spirit of God. This means that our spirit must be mingled with the Spirit of God.
We have pointed out that one who lives in the mingled spirit is a spiritual man. A spiritual man stands in contrast to the soulish man. According to the context of these chapters, to be soulish is to be Greek and to live according to Greek culture. Philosophers and those who admire human wisdom are soulish people. The spiritual persons are those who exercise their spirit to coordinate with the Spirit of God. Because they live in the mingled spirit, they are truly spiritual and they have spiritual knowledge, discernment, and communication. Here in the mingled spirit we enjoy Christ not in a superficial way, but as the depths of God and even in the depths of God. We enjoy Him in a way that eye has not seen, ear has not heard, mind has not thought, and heart has never imagined. We enjoy Christ in a way beyond all we have ever dreamed.
God has predestined Christ for us, He has prepared Him for us, He has revealed Him to us, and He has given Him to us as the deep things of God. How wonderful! We need to pray more concerning these matters, especially that we shall see this vision clearly. We also need to practice the mingled spirit in order to be spiritual. Then we shall be able to discern the things of man and of God and to communicate with others spiritually in the mingled spirit. To be sure, if we experience the mingled spirit in this way, we shall have the deeper experience of Christ. We shall experience Him not in a superficial way, but as the depths of God. We shall experience Christ daily as our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. But we shall experience Him in a way that even surpasses these aspects, for we shall experience God Himself with all His depths. Praise the Lord that He is our portion through the mingled spirit!