Since we are created in the image of God, are there any similarities between the spirit of man, with the spirit of God? Let’s examine some of the characteristics:
Mind
In man
- I have heard the check of my reproach, and the spirit of my understanding causeth me to answer.
- And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
In God
- Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?
- For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
- For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Life / the breath of life
In man
- And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
- O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live.
- All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;
In God
- If he set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath;
- All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust.
- The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
- For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Presence
In man
- I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.
- For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?…
- For I am full of matter, the spirit within me constraineth me.
In God
- Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
- Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
Character
In man
- …and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
- The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
- A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.
In God
- Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.
- Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
Emotions
In man
- And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
- Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.
- In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said…
- And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.
In God
- Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.
- But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.
- And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Observation
Comparing different characteristics applied toward the literal understanding the word ‘sprit’ we see some similarities and differences between the spirit of man, and the spirit of God. The image is a representation of reality, yet it is not a reality of it self. Here is an example:
This is the image of Eiffel tower, we can recognize it is the Eiffel tower, yet the reality of Eiffel tower is far greater than this two dimensional pixel representation above, on your screen. If we go to Paris, we would see, feel, and touch the true reality of Eiffel tower. The similar is with us, whom God created in His own image. As we can learn something from the Eiffel tower by looking at this image, so we can learn of God, by looking the image that reflects Him.
As man has a spirit, so does God. The human spirit is the image of God’s Spirit. Although it is not the same thing, it possesses certain characteristics which are in common. The relation is matching. What the human spirit is to man, the Spirit of God is to God. We also see that God’s action upon man is actually the action of God’s own Spirit upon man’s spirit, as a Spirit-to-spirit relationship, as even Scripture itself testifies:
- The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
- For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
