The Total ManSample

By God’s original design, man is made up of three parts: spirit, soul, and body.

As we have learned, the spirit is man’s connection to God. God is Spirit, and if we are to communicate with Him or worship Him, it must be done in the spirit. Scripture tells us that the spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, meaning it is the channel through which God brings direction and illumination into a person’s heart.

The Bible also teaches that the things which the natural eye cannot see have been revealed to us by the Spirit of God. These revelations flow from God’s Spirit into our own spirit. When we come to Christ, we become new creatures, we receive a new spirit. Just as in the natural world, new life is tender, fragile, and in need of care. The same principle applies spiritually. New believers must be nurtured into growth. This is one of the primary purposes of the church: to feed believers with the truth of God’s Word so they can grow spiritually.

The food of the spirit is the Word of God and prayer. As you study Scripture and spend time in prayer, you grow. Growth is never instant. No meal can turn an infant into an adult overnight. Yet we all know that if a child is to grow, that child must be fed. Spiritual growth is the same; it is steady, consistent, and requires daily nourishment. Over time, maturity becomes evident. And just like children, we begin with milk and grow into strong meat, developing steadily in Christ.