We have said many times that both the Scriptures and our experiences tell us that man is of three parts: spirit, soul, and body. Man not only has a body and a soul, but he also has a spirit (1 Thes. 5:23). Just as the body and the soul are separate, so the spirit and the soul are also divided (Heb. 4:12). The body, which has a form, is the outward, visible part of man, including the limbs and the various parts of human anatomy. The soul, which is without a form, is the inner, invisible part of man as his personality, his real self; it includes the human mind, will, and emotion. Man’s thoughts, intentions, preferences, and feelings of happiness, anger, sadness, or joy are all functions of the human soul. The spirit, which is also without a form, is the innermost part of man; it includes man’s conscience, the intuition of God, and fellowship with God. Man contacts the physical things through the body, the psychological things through the soul, and the things of God through the spirit.
Therefore, outwardly man has a body that belongs to the physical realm, and inwardly he has a soul that belongs to the psychological realm. Furthermore, in his innermost being he has a spirit, which is neither physical nor psychological. This spirit is the highest thing of the created life. Man is higher than all the other created things on the earth because man has a spirit, which none of the others have. Not to mention the lifeless things, even the living creatures other than man do not have a spirit.
Plants have life, but they do not have a spirit or even a soul; they are without the mind, emotion, or will. The plant life, the lowest life, is without consciousness.
Although the animal life is higher than the plant life, it also does not have a spirit. The animal life is higher than the plant life because animals have a soul. Animals such as puppies, kittens, little monkeys, and small birds possess a life that is higher than the plant life because they have a soul with a mind, emotion, and will. A puppy or a kitten has a mind, emotion, and will. They can decide to do or not to do a certain thing. If you treat them well, they will feel at ease and they will like you. If you mistreat them, they will feel miserable and they will dislike you. This is because within them there is the function of the soul. Despite the fact that they have a soul, they still do not have a spirit.
Among all the creatures on the earth, only man has a spirit. Therefore, man is higher than all the other creatures, including both plants and animals. Within man there is not only the soul, including the mind, the emotion, and the will, but there is another thing, which is higher than and superior to the soul. This higher life which is within man is the spirit of man. Although this life of the spirit of man is lower than the uncreated life of God, it is higher than all the other created lives.
Man is higher than all the other creatures not only because man’s mind is intelligent, his will is strong, and his emotion is rich; even the more it is because there is a spirit in man. The most important reason that man is higher than and different from all the other creatures is that man has a spirit within, while the other creatures do not.
God put a spirit in man, that is, He created man with a spirit, because He wanted man to worship and serve Him. He created man for Himself. He wanted man to have a relationship with Him by worshipping and serving Him. Since He is Spirit and since He wanted to create a man who would worship and serve Him, then how could man worship and serve God unless He created man with a spirit? For instance, there is air outside of man, but if man does not have a breathing organ, how can he contact air and take it in? Even though he is in contact with the air outwardly, he still does not have a relationship with the air inwardly. To have an inward relationship with the air he must have a breathing organ to receive the air into him. Likewise, man must have a spirit to contact God, who is Spirit.
God is Spirit, and He created man that man might worship and serve Him as Spirit. Therefore, He created man with a spirit to enable man to contact Him as Spirit and to worship and serve Him as Spirit. To further illustrate, there is sound in the universe and God wants man to hear it, so He created man with ears. If God had not created man with ears, man would not be able to hear, even though sound exists in the universe and God also wants man to hear it. Likewise, if God did not create man with a spirit, man would have no way to contact Him as Spirit, even though He as Spirit exists in the universe and He also wants man to contact Him as Spirit. Since God desired that man contact Him, worship Him, and serve Him as Spirit, He needed to create man with a spirit, which He did.
God created man with a spirit because His intention is that man should worship and serve Him. Although some animals, such as monkeys, dogs, cats, and parrots, are very intelligent and clever, none of them has a desire to worship God. No one has ever seen a dog or a cat worshipping God. Neither has anyone seen a monkey building a little temple to worship God. Animals do not worship God, nor do they desire to worship God, because they do not have a spirit. Man, however, is different. People in the world, whether they have culture or they have no culture, whether they are civilized or they are barbaric, whether they are wise or they are foolish, all have a thought and a desire to worship God. When you travel throughout the world, you cannot find a people that do not have the worship of God. The way they worship may be wrong and the object of their worship may be wrong and false, but the desire within them to worship God is still proper and genuine. Without exception among the human race, all people in the world have the inner thought and desire to worship God. This is because within every human being there is a God-created spirit for him to worship God.