Q&A on HUMAN NATURE: Spirit, Mind & Flesh

How Does the Bible Define a Human Being?

The simplest definition for a person—a human—is a “living soul,” which is in accordance with the hermeneutical law of first mention. In other words, what does our Creator say about human beings the first time they’re defined in Holy Scripture? Here’s what Genesis says:

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 (nephesh).

Genesis 2:7 (KJV)

The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living being (nephesh).

Genesis 2:7 (NIV)

As you can see, the first book of the Bible describes precisely how God created human beings: The LORD formed the human body out of “the dust of the earth,”* breathed into it “the breath of life,” and so man became a “living soul” (KJV) or “living being” (NIV). Notice the three key facets of the human being. The Bible mentions other parts of human nature, of course, like the heart, which we’ll look at as we progress for a fuller understanding.

* It’s a scientific fact that the human body is made up of the same essential chemical elements that are in the soil. Humanity did not discover this until relative recent times, but the Creator revealed it here thousands of years ago.

Isn’t the Use of “Man” for Humanity Sexist?

No, the term ‘man’ in the Bible refers to both male and female, unless the context tells otherwise, as observed here:

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

²⁷So God created mankind in his own image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:26-27

The Hebrew word translated “mankind” is the same word for “man” in Genesis 2:7 (quoted in the previous section). Notice in verse 27 that ‘man’ in this generic sense refers to both male and female. That said, I regularly use ‘human’ for man, and ‘humankind’ (or ‘humanity’) for mankind, so that there’s no misunderstanding and no one’s needlessly offended.

Isn’t a ‘Soul’ the Immaterial Part of a Person?

It depends on the context. To explain, we saw in Genesis 2:7 above that nephesh (neh-FESH) is the Hebrew word for “soul.” The equivalent New Testament word is the Greek psuché (soo-KHAY), which can be observed when the creation text—Genesis 2:7—is partially quoted in 1 Corinthians 15:45 where nephesh is translated by the Greek psuche. Of course, psuche is where we get the English words psyche, psychology and psychiatry.

So, nephesh and psuche are the respective Hebrew and Greek words for ‘soul’ in the Bible.

Sometimes these words are used in reference to the whole person, such as Genesis 12:5, Jeremiah 52:30 and 1 Peter 3:20. In other words, ‘soul’ (nephesh/psuche) in its broadest sense refers to the entire person—spirit, mind and body—and not just the immaterial part of the human being. This is hidden from the English reader because most translations render nephesh & psuche as “persons” or “people” in such cases.

However, ‘soul’ can also refer to one or more of the three main parts of human nature—spirit, mind and flesh. For instance, psuche—“soul”—refers specifically to the mind in this passage:

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:23

Nephesh & psuche also refer specifically to the mind in 1 Chronicles 28:9 and Acts 14:2 respectively.

Meanwhile nephesh refers explicitly to the body in Leviticus 21:11 and Numbers 19:11. And psuche refers specifically to the human spirit in Luke 1:46-47. In the latter case, Mary was employing synthetic parallelism. She says her “soul”— psuche—glorifies the Lord in verse 46, but specifies in verse 47 that it is her spirit that rejoices in God. Thus “soul,” a broad term for the whole human being, refers specifically to the spirit on this occasion.

Nephesh & psuche can also refer to both spirit and mind in some contexts, such as Psalm 31:9 and Revelation 6:9-10.

Minutia like this is tedious to most readers, but the reason it’s important is because it reveals the Bible’s definition of human beings. People are living souls comprised of spirit, mind and flesh, as illustrated here:

How Is the Mind the “Center of Being”?

First Thessalonians 5:23 (cited in the previous section) describes human nature as having three basic facets—spirit, mind and body. This can also be observed in this passage:

For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.

²¹ So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. ²² For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self [i.e. spirit], ²³ but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.

Romans 7:18-23 (NRSV)

Paul speaks of three facets of human nature. In verse 18 he mentions his “flesh” (or “sinful nature” in the NIV) and states that “nothing good dwells within” it.

In verse 22 he mentions his “inmost self” and says that this part of his being delights in God’s law, which is a reference to his spirit.

In verse 23 he mentions his “mind” and the “war” that it is fighting. The nature of this “war” is made clearer just a few verses later (keeping in mind that Paul’s original letter to the Romans had no chapter and verse divisions; these divisions were added well over a thousand years later for convenience in scriptural study and citation):

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit set their minds on the things of the spirit. ⁶ To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the spirit is life and peace.

Romans 8:5-6 (NRSV)*

* Since there is no capitalization in the biblical Greek, translators must determine if “spirit” should be capitalized, in reference to the Holy Spirit, or not capitalized, in reference to the human spirit. Many translations capitalize “spirit” in these passages and some do not (for example The New English Bible). Since these passages (and other such passages) are plainly referring to the human spirit, “spirit” should not be capitalized. A good example of this is Matthew 26:41. In a way it makes no significant difference since the believer’s reborn spirit is united with and led by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 3:16; Romans 8:16).

These divinely inspired words reveal two truths:

That there are three basic facets to human nature—flesh, mind and spirit.
That the mind is caught in a struggle between the other two facets—flesh and spirit. This is the “war” Paul is talking about in verse 23.

What exactly is the mind? The mind is your center of being. The Greek for “mind” is nous (noos) meaning “The intellect, i.e. the mind (divine or human; in thought, feeling or will)” (Strong 50). This reveals the three qualities of the human mind: volition, intellect and emotion:

Since the mind is the center of volition and will, it is the mind that decides whether to live according to the flesh or according to the spirit.

What Are Flesh and Spirit?

The flesh and spirit are the opposing facets of your being. In Romans 7:18 above Paul describes the flesh as the part of his being where “nothing good dwells.” In verse 22 he describes his spirit as the side of him that delights in God’s laws. We could therefore define flesh and spirit as follows:

The “flesh” is that part of you that veers toward what is negative, destructive and carnal.
The “spirit” is that part of you that inclines toward what is positive, productive and godly.

These contrasting facets are repeatedly mentioned in Scripture:

“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Matthew 26:41 & Mark 14:38 (NKJV)

I say then: Walk in the spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh lusts against the spirit, and spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

Galatians 5:16-17 (NKJV)

It’s interesting to note that the formulator of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, was able to discover these three basic facets of human nature through his research. The mind is comparable to Freud’s “ego”; likewise, the flesh coincides with his “id”; and the spirit corresponds to the “superego.” I’m obviously not an advocate of Freud, but pointing this out may help readers who are familiar with secular theories to better understand the biblical model of human nature—spirit, mind and body.

Where Does the Heart Fit Into This Model?

Many verses speak of the human “heart,” such as Mark 7:6,21. The Greek word for “heart” is kardia (kar-DEE-ah), which is where we get the English ‘cardiac.’ Like the English “heart,” kardia literally refers to the blood-pumping organ but figuratively to the core thoughts or feelings of a person’s being or mind (Strong 39). E.W. Bullinger describes the heart as “the seat and center of man’s personal life in which the distinctive character of the human manifests itself” (362). The heart could therefore be described as the core of the mind, the center of your being. It is part of the mind, but specifically the most central part, i.e. the core.

What is in a person’s heart is determined by whether your mind has decided to live by the flesh or by the spirit. Christ said, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). If you, in your mind, decide to dwell on carnal thoughts, then carnal, negative, destructive things will naturally store-up in your heart. If, on the other hand, you choose to dwell on spiritual thoughts, then good, positive, productive things will grow in your heart. Proverbs 4:23 puts it like this (in the NCV): “Be careful what you think for your thoughts run your life.”

Here’s a visual on how the heart fits into the biblical model of human nature:

Notice that the heart is the core of your mind and is figuratively called “soil.” Why? Because the Bible likens the heart to soil (Luke 8:15). Soil in the natural realm is a neutral substance that grows whatever seed is planted in it. This is the way it is with the soil of your heart, except that it grows non-physical “seeds,” whether spiritual or unspiritual.

By “seeds” I mean thoughts, impulses, desires, images or impressions. Dwelling on these “seeds” waters them, so to speak, and thus enables them to nurture. In short, your meditation feeds them; and that is how they grow. Whatever is planted in your heart and grows there is what eventually fills your heart and produces the desires thereof. These desires of your heart then determine your character and therefore your actions, good or bad.

Has someone ever offended you and you dwelt on it so much that you made more of it than what it was? When the issue was finally resolved, you realized how you made a mountain out of a mole hill. How did this happen? Simple: You fed the offense with your thought life and thus it grew. As you kept thinking about it, the bigger the problem got. This principle goes into motion with any impulse you choose to focus on and give life to, whether it came from your spirit or the flesh.

The bottom line is that you decide what’s stored up in your heart depending on whether you’re governed by flesh or spirit.

I think it’s important to point out that carnal and crazy thoughts will at times flash through your mind; yet this doesn’t mean these thoughts are stemming from your heart. Having carnal, crazy thoughts flash through your mind is natural to the human experience; in other words, if you’re human, it happens. Sometimes you may even be bombarded with such thoughts. These thoughts may originate from the flesh, unclean spirits, ungodly people, the environment you’re exposed to, or otherwise, but just because they flash through your mind it does not mean they’re in your heart. These thoughts are not you, and are not originating from your heart; but they can become you if you allow them to get lodged in your heart by dwelling on them and giving them life.

Such thoughts should just be ignored or, if that doesn’t work, taken “captive” and made “obedient to Christ,” the Word of God (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Otherwise, they will become a weed with the potential of growing into a big, ugly tree of destructive bad fruit (e.g. bitterness, immorality, frustration, sloth, depression, arrogance, abuse, gossip/slander, rage, etc.).

For additional insights see this video and this one.

What’s the Key to Walking Free From Sin?

The first step to freedom from the flesh is turning to the LORD in repentance & faith (Mark 1:15 & Romans 10:9-10) wherein you’ll receive spiritual regeneration (John 3:3-6 & Titus 3:5). This means you’ll acquire the spiritual hardware necessary to overcome any sin bondage, not to mention the help of the indwelling Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16).

Secondly, it’s necessary to learn how to be spirit-controlled. This just means being spirit-driven rather than flesh-ruled. In other words, your being controlled by your higher self as opposed to the lower self. To do this you simply have to learn to put off the old self and put on the new:

You were taught with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:22-24

The “old self” is the flesh or sin nature and we are instructed to put it off. Why? Because the old self is corrupted by “deceitful desires.” Your flesh has desires, which means it has a ‘voice,’ but these desires are deceitful. They promise happiness but don’t deliver. They can only ultimately bring death and all that goes with it. We are told to “put off” these fleshly desires, which involves stripping off the old way of thinking in favor of a new way.

Verse 23 tells us how to do this: We need to be made new in the attitude of our minds. What is the new attitude we should have? We are to count ourselves dead to the old self and alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11). Counting yourself alive to God includes accepting everything God says you are in Christ, that is, who you are in your new self, the spirit.

This results in what verse 24 calls “putting on the new self,” which refers to a believer living out of his/her spirit as led of the Holy Spirit. When you do this, you’ll be spirit-controlled and produce the fruit thereof. The Bible describes this in different ways. When you are spirit-controlled…

you “live by the spirit” (Galatians 5:16),
you “clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14),
you “participate in the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4), and
you “put on the new self” (Colossians 3:10).

How can putting on the new self be described as clothing yourself with Christ or participating in the divine nature? Because the “new self” refers to your regenerated spirit, which was “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (verse 24).

If there’s a true righteousness and holiness there’s also a false righteousness and holiness, which is religious legalism. True righteousness and holiness can only be attained by, first, being born-again spiritually and, second, living out of your spirit rather than the flesh. The latter is a learning process, of course, and takes time, but the more you do it, the easier it is, and the more fruit you’ll produce.

The fruits of the spirit are the fruits of God’s nature. Hence, those who live by their spirit, which is guided by the Holy Spirit, will be “like God” because the spirit naturally produces the fruits of God’s nature:

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²² But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:19-23

This list of the fruit of the spirit isn’t exhaustive any more than the list of the works of flesh is exhaustive. God has many other character traits, like righteousness (Philippians 1:11), truth (Ephesians 5:9), power (2 Timothy 1:7), righteous anger (Mark 3:1-6) and boldness (Mark 11:15-18).

The awesome news is that believers can walk free of the works of the flesh and the two ways they manifest in the Church—legalism and libertinism—simply by putting off the flesh in favor of participating in the divine nature. If this were not possible, Paul would’ve never instructed us to “be imitators of God” in Ephesians 5:1.

Christians are usually blown away by this verse. They ask, “How can I possibly imitate God?” It’s simple: Put off the flesh and learn to live out of your spirit and you’ll automatically participate in the divine nature and produce the very fruit of God’s character!

So how exactly do you walk in the spirit like this? There are three things necessary to do, all corresponding to the three parts of your nature—mind, body and spirit. These are the three keys to walking in the spirit:

Renew your mind. Make it your mindset that you are dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. This includes making it your confession. Say: “I [state your name] am dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Renewing your mind effectively includes lining up your thoughts and words with who God’s Word says you already are in Christ. For instance, the Bible says that you’re dead to sin, holy, righteous and more than a conqueror in covenant with the Lord. These all describe who you are in your spirit as opposed to the flesh. You may not feel like you are these things, but you already are in your spirit. By accepting these positional truths by faith you’re being spirit-focused rather than flesh-focused. Do it.
Offer the parts of your body to God as instruments of righteousness. This includes serving the Lord—doing what God wants you to do (both general instructions from the Scriptures and specific instructions from the Spirit)—but also praise & worship. Each of these puts into motion the law of displacement. By moving forward in the spirit, you aren’t slipping backwards in the flesh. By spending time in the light of God’s presence through regular praise & worship, darkness flees. How do you get the darkness out of a room? You simply turn on the lights!
Pray (and sing) in the spirit regularly. This will keep you charged up and built-up in faith. It’ll produce the power you need to walk in the full life Christ came to give us (John 10:10). It’ll empower you to agape love people you don’t have warm feelings toward, including your enemies who hate you without cause. It’ll enable you to walk in tough love when necessary, including righteous radicalness, like when Paul rebuked an arrogant sorcerer and temporarily cursed him with blindness to humble him, as led of the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:8-12). It’ll provide the self-discipline necessary (2 Timothy 1:7) to overcome personal weaknesses, including lack of confidence, depression and various sin issues, like alcoholism, drugs, lying, gossip/slander and sexual lust.

Practicing these three principles is simply a matter of wisdom and love. The first and greatest command is to love God with all your heart and the second is to love people as you love yourself (Matthew 22:34-39). This is the New Covenant law of Christ or law of love (Galatians 6:2 & 1 Corinthians 9:21), which is different from the Mosaic law that believers are not under (Romans 7:6 & Galatians 5:18).

In a sense there are three commands in the law of Christ since we are commanded to love God and love others as we love ourselves, which means you have to love yourself first. I mean that in a healthy sense, of course, and not a narcissistic way. If you genuinely love yourself, you’ll put these principles into practice on a regular basis. After all, if you fail to implement them you won’t have a victorious Christian life and you won’t be intimate with God. You’ll be encumbered and limited by personal weaknesses or areas of the flesh. This will not bless you; it won’t bless those linked to you; and it won’t bless God.

Practicing these three principles is the key to walking in the spirit. It’s the key to producing the fruit of the spirit and, therefore, being spiritual rather than carnal. Simply put, it’s the key to being spirit-controlled rather than flesh-ruled. The former gives life while the latter brings death.

For additional insights see this video.

What Are “Positional Truths”?

A positional truth is a truth that reveals your position in Christ and therefore how God sees you because of this position. For instance, Colossians 1:22 declares that we are “holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation.” This is how God sees you because this is who you are in Christ. A good example from the Old Testament is Gideon, who viewed himself as the weakest and least, but God saw him as a “mighty warrior” (Judges 6:12-16). He had to change his thinking to fulfill his call.

Here are ten positional truths to chew on and renew your mind:

You are holy (Colossians 1:21-22).
You are a child of God (John 1:12-13).
You are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).
You are the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
You are dead to sin (Romans 6:11,14,18).
You are more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37).
You are a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
You are rich (2 Corinthians 8:9).
You are healed (1 Peter 2:24).
You are a royal priest of the Most High God (1 Peter 2:9).

For additional insights see this video.

What Does It Mean to be Created in the Image of God?

Here’s the first reference to being created in God’s image and likeness:

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

²⁷So God created mankind in his own image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:26-27

The LORD—Father, Son & Holy Spirit—decided to make humankind in ‘their’ image and likeness and then did so. The Hebrew word for “likeness” is demuth (dem-OOTH), which means likeness or similitude—that is, something that resembles another; it’s something that is a match or counterpart to another. As such, human beings resemble the Almighty; you could say that we’re God’s counterpart in the physical realm.

The Hebrew for “image” is tselem (SEH-lem), which simply means representation, copy or duplicate. For instance, the LORD instructed Moses to drive out the inhabitants of the Promised Land and “destroy all their carved images (tselem) and their cast idols” (Numbers 33:52). Also, the false god Baal was perceived as a man with the head and horns of a bull; hence, the carved images of the Canaanites depicted this—the carving (idol) was a physical image of the mental concept.

So, humankind—male and female—is the physical image of God. This shows that, while “God is spirit,” as Christ said (John 4:24), the LORD is not some amorphous cloud entity in the spiritual realm. God has a shape, similar to people, with a head, torso, arms and legs. It has been argued that God has no physical body, which is obvious, but the Creator certainly has a spiritual form or “body.” For instance, the Bible repeatedly says that the LORD sits enthroned in Heaven (Psalm 47:8, 103:19 & Isaiah 40:22). Does this refer to a shapeless cloud-being sitting on a throne in Heaven? No, the Creator has a central presence and spiritual form, parallel to the body of human beings, who were created in God’s image and likeness.

Consider Ezekiel’s awesome vision of an incredible craft in which God sits on a throne that rests on a sparkling ice-like platform propelled by four cherubim with the aid of four giant wheels within intersecting wheels:

Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. ²⁷I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. ²⁸Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.

This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Ezekiel 1:26-28

I realize this is a vision, but it’s describing God’s form—“the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD”—which is chronicled as “a figure like that of a man.” This is how the God-breathed Scriptures describe the Creator’s appearance and it is the Scriptures that we are to use to formulate accurate doctrine; they’re the basis for correcting error (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Sure, the references to “glowing metal” from the waist up and “fire” from there down are figurative, but Ezekiel was simply using items he was familiar with to describe the indescribable—God.

Genesis 1:26 (cited above) provides further insight on what it means to be created in God’s image and likeness: It means to possess authority of some sort, like that which humankind holds over the Earth and its creatures. This explains why people have zoos for animals and not vice versa.

Being created in God’s likeness further means to possess volition, which is the power to consciously choose. It also means to distinguish good and evil. People have a conscience, an inward moral compass. Only those who harden their hearts are bereft of this sense (1 Timothy 4:2). Animals, by contrast, are instinctual and do not comprehend such concepts.

Being created in the LORD’s image moreover means having the ability to create in a sophisticated sense, like the Creator. Hence, human beings create cities, vehicles, highways, languages, literature, art, music, movies, computer systems and so on. Animals, of course, lack such aptitude.

While the same Hebrew & Greek words for ‘soul’—nephesh/psuche—are used in reference to animals (e.g. Genesis 1:20,24 and Revelation 8:9 & 16:3) and animals are animated by a “breath [spirit] of life” from the Creator (Genesis 7:15), they are not created in God’s image and therefore lack these human attributes.

For additional insights on human nature see…

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Related Topics:

SANCTIFICATION: Spirit, Mind & Body

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Holiness — A Fresh Look

Human Nature — Spirit, Mind & Body

Demonic Spirits — How to Deflect Them

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