A Biblical Study
Understanding who we truly are, where we come from, our purpose in human form, and living with a spirit-minded focus
"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."
— John 4:24 KJVBefore we had physical bodies, God knew us. We are not accidents of nature — we are deliberate creations of the Most High, formed with intention and purpose from the very beginning.
"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."
"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."
"Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."
"The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him."
"The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life."
"For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well."
We bear the image of our Creator. Since God is Spirit, we too are fundamentally spiritual beings. Our physical body is a vessel, but our truest identity reflects the nature of God Himself.
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."
"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."
"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."
Why are spiritual beings placed in physical bodies on earth? Scripture reveals that this life is a proving ground — a place to choose, to grow, to glorify God, and to be transformed.
"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live."
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind."
"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
Living in a physical body creates a tension. The flesh has its own desires that war against the Spirit. Understanding this battle is crucial to walking in victory as the spiritual beings we truly are.
"For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would."
"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like."
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."
"For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members."
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
"Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul."
This is the key to everything. Scripture makes it clear: to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Our mindset determines our spiritual trajectory.
"For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
"But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his... But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you."
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."
"Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."
"And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."
"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh."
"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
When we are born again in the Spirit, we become entirely new creations. The old passes away. We put off the old man and put on the new — a spiritual transformation at the deepest level.
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God... That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again."
"…seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him."
"For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day."
"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God."
This physical life is temporary. Our spirit came from God and will return to God. The body is a tent — temporary housing for the eternal spirit within us.
"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens... We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."
"So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption... It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body."
"In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."
"For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body."
"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."
"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."— Romans 8:6 KJV