• 1 Corinthians 2:11
    For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
     
  • Job 32:8
    But there is a spirit in man,
    And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.
     
  • Ecclesiastes 12:7
    Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
    And the spirit will return to God who gave it.

     
  • Ecclesiastes 3:20-21
    All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust. Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?
     
  • Psalm 146:4
    His spirit departs, he returns to his earth;
    In that very day his plans perish.
     
  • Proverbs 20:27
    The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD,
    Searching all the inner depths of his heart.

     


Related Scriptures

  • Romans 2:14-15
    for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)
     

For more scripture references, please see Bible verses for Spirit in Man


Resources

Man's Natural Spirituality

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

God has endowed man with a human spirit, as Elihu declares in Job 32:8, that places him above animals and gives him intelligence, emotion, speech, skills, and abilities similar to but lower than God's. This spirit enables free moral agency, the ability to choose one's behavior, but it has no moral compass of its own. It is …


The Holy Spirit

Sermonette by

God's Holy Spirit typically refers to the mind of God and Christ, which is added to our human spirit to create a sound mind by which we witness of God.


A Primer On Spirit

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

The spirit in man is not another being within us and not a material organ, but an immaterial, invisible quality that empowers. Elihu says in Job 32:8, "there is a spirit in man," and it gives understanding. Though it cannot see, hear, taste, smell, or feel, it empowers the brain and body to function. It enables communication …


Wind and God's Spirit

Sermon by Charles Whitaker

The spirit in man works with breath, which is wind on a small scale. It shapes, controls, harnesses, and disciplines breath into voice and words, so speech is breath disciplined by a spirit. A child learning to speak is bringing puffs of breath under the control of his spirit, and the spirit translates thoughts into words so …


What Is the Holy Spirit?

'Ready Answer' by David C. Grabbe

Every person has a spirit. Paul asks, "For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?" (I Corinthians 2:11), and Job 32:8 agrees: "There is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding." In this usage, spirit is synonymous with heart or mind. It is the intelligent, …


The Holy Spirit and the Trinity (Part One)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Man is material, yet like God he has a spirit. As 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 says, "what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?" The spirit in man is invisible and immaterial, an element of his mind. It cannot be seen; only what it motivates, inspires, or impels is seen, just as mind itself is never …


The Holy Spirit and the Trinity (Part Two)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Mankind is surrounded by truth about God, yet there is a powerful impulse to reject it, often successfully. Within man, there is a knowledge of being made in the image of God, and a basic understanding of His law, enough to keep it better than most do, even without conversion. However, this knowledge is frequently suppressed due …


The Holy Spirit and the Trinity (Part Three)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The concept of the spirit in man reveals an invisible, immaterial, and internal activating dimension of the mind that impels, motivates, and manifests in attitudes and conduct. This spirit can be masked or resisted, but when unleashed, it externally displays its influence. The power of one being's spirit, whether from God or …



For more resources, please see the library topic for Spirit in Man