God breathed into man's nostrils the breath of life that man may have a spirit as the recipient for him to receive God and as an organ to contact God and the spiritual things (John 4:24; Rom. 1:9). Within a transistor radio, there is a receiver. When this receiver is damaged, the radio waves cannot get through. Likewise, our body is an outward container and within us is a spirit made by God as a receiver to receive God as the heavenly radio waves. By means of this organ we may contact spiritual things. I contact a blackboard with my hand. I contact odors with my nose, colors with my eyes. I substantiate sounds with my ears. All these material things can be substantiated by the senses in our physical body. In the universe there are also spiritual things. There is God in this universe, and God is Spirit. We cannot substantiate Him through our physical senses. It is foolish to deny the existence of God because we cannot substantiate Him in a physical way. To say that something does not exist because we cannot sense it is foolhardy. Although there are many radio waves in the atmosphere, we cannot substantiate them without a receiver. Likewise, we cannot substantiate God without the proper receiver, our human spirit. If our spirit does not function well, we will be unable to sense God. We need to tune our spirit. We need to exercise our spirit to contact God. Within us there is such an organ called by the Bible the spirit of man.
In Hebrew the word breath in Genesis 2:7 is neshamah, which is translated "spirit" in Proverbs 20:27. This means that the breath in Genesis 2:7 is the human spirit, and this spirit is the lamp of the Lord. In ancient times people used oil lamps. The lamp contained oil which was burned to give light. Within us we have a lamp to contain the Spirit of God as the oil. Although we have such a lamp within us, we need the divine oil to come into it, enabling the lamp to burn and shine. Proverbs 20:27 says that the spirit of man searches all the inward parts of our being. When God as oil comes in to ignite our lamp, we will be enlightened and searched. The Bible tells us clearly that the breath of God has become our human spirit and that our spirit is God's lamp to contain God as the oil and to give us light.
The spirit of man was specifically formed by God (Zech. 12:1; Job 32:8). Zechariah 12:1 says that God stretched forth the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth, and formed the spirit of man within him. In this universe are three equally important things: the heavens, the earth, and the spirit of man. The heavens are for the earth, the earth is for man, and man has a spirit for God. God created the heavens for the earth. Without the heavens the earth cannot grow anything. The earth is for man, and man has a spirit within him to contain God. Thus, man is the center of the entire universe, and the center of man is his spirit. This is very important. As far as God is concerned, if there were no spirit within man, man would be an empty shell. If there were no man on this earth, the earth would be a void and the heavens useless. We praise the Lord that the heavens serve the earth, the earth serves man, and man has a spirit to receive God. Praise the Lord that "there is a spirit in man"!
The spirit of man is where the Spirit of God works. Romans 8:16 says that the Spirit of God witnesses with our spirit. Therefore, the Holy Spirit works with the human spirit. Second Timothy 4:22 says, "The Lord be with your spirit." The Lord Jesus is now with our spirit. This is where He dwells.