S17P4 – When Jesus walked in: from one spirit to two

1 Cor. 3:16
Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

Every person has a spirit. Many verses in the bible speak of the human spirit within man, that which was given birth when God himself breathed life into Adam [2 Tim. 4:22; Gen. 2:7; Prov. 20:27; 1 Cor. 2:11]. Thus, when the crucifixion of Jesus Christ came to an end, and his earthly body ceased to live, He committed his spirit to the Father and breathed his last breath [Luke 24:36]. Even in our fallen and unredeemed state, the spirit exists. The human spirit unaccompanied, however, is lost and incomplete.

When we come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, we experience a rebirth. Where we were first born only of flesh, we now become born of the Spirit, which is God’s Holy Spirit [John 3:6]. As this week’s verse tells us, we now have another spirit living within us. God’s Holy Spirit himself dwells in the person who has accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. This is not a replacement of the person’s spirit but an addition to it. God is in us, and we are in him [John 14:20]. And only once we become reborn spiritually in this way can we gain entry into God’s kingdom [John 3:5].

The newness that God brings when we give ourselves to him touches every part of our beings. The lost spirit becomes found, joined by God’s Holy Spirit now dwelling within us. And this is one spirit that we all share [Eph. 4:4]. God’s Spirit is holy, which makes us a holy dwelling place. We are his temples, and we must regard ourselves as such. Father, remind us of the holiness that dwells inside us that we may keep ourselves holy and pure for your sake, walking in the power and authority that You impart to us through that Spirit.