Dear Gino, thanks for your comments:

 

I will try to answer your two questions.  This came about as a ‘Rhema word’ from God.  This is my understanding of what He was saying to me.  Keep in mind that this is my viewpoint.   

 

Keep in mind that we are born (spirit) dead but our (corrupt) soul is alive and well.  Man’s soul (has been) functional in him since his (natural) birth.  The Bible says (Gen. 2:7 KJV) that we are living souls.  Every person, whether he has been born again…or not…is a soul.  Man’s soul is his identity and connects him with his ‘self’.  While his body connects him to the world through ‘sense’ knowledge, his (born again) spirit connects him to God.

 

We see (the effect of) spirit disconnection with unsaved people who are ‘living souls’ but have no interest in the things of God.  They are living ‘a soul life’ (self) apart from God.  To be connected to God requires one to be born again.   Keep in mind that man’s spirit is dead as a result of Adam’s disobedience.  We all inherited his spiritual affliction because of his fall.  Spirit death separates man from God by its absence.  It is either present in man …or not!   It is not present in an unsaved person (or they would already be connected to God and the new birth experience would be unnecessary.  As God’s agent in the earth, the Holy Spirit is the ‘key player’ in executing this Salvation plan.  Man’ spirit is eternal, given and retrieved by God (see Ecclesiastes 12:7).

 

 Adam did not have to be “born again” since he was created in God’s image and likeness and got it all “in the first pass” at his creation!  This was God’s intent for all mankind but Adam’s disobedience caused the ruination of the world with respect to man’s relationship with God.  This required man to be born twice in order to be connected to God; the first birth; “flesh gives birth to flesh” or natural life (sometimes referred to as the ‘soul life’) and the second birth; where the Spirit gives birth to spirit resulting in eternal life (sometimes referred to as the spiritual life).  This is the marvelous redeeming work of the second Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ, restoring sinful mankind back into God’s family. 

 

Unlike one’s soul, the spirit does not support/provide bodily functions and is therefore unnecessary to support earthly (bodily) life.  However, it is a necessary ingredient for the born-again and (heavenly) eternal life.  Once one has been born again his new, (perfect and secure) spirit is now present and functioning in him (for the first time) and he is now connected to God having been delivered from the curse of Adam.  He is a new creature, “old things are passed away and all things become new.  Salvation of the spirit is a ‘package deal’.  Along with the born again experience comes (embedded) in his new spirit, his destiny in Christ.  Once saved, discovering this destiny in Christ is one of life’s most important pursuits.  It will reveal his true purpose in life. 

 

“I tell you the truth no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and Spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh (soul/natural life) but the (Holy) Spirit gives birth to spirit (spirit/eternal life).  You should not be surprised at My saying, you must be born again” (John 3: 5-7).

 

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.  I have appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5).

 

“Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances” (Ezekiel 36: 26, 27).

“Then the dust (body) will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit (man’s spirit) will return to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12: 7).

 

The implication of these verses is that; because of the disobedience of Adam, the God-connecting spirit of man was not present until he was ‘born again’ by the Spirit of God (see John 3: 5-7 above).

 

As to your other question:

 

Here, God is differentiating between ‘the spirit of man’ and ‘created spirit beings’ (i.e. angels, evil spirits, fallen angels, demons etc).  Evil spirits are not the spirits of men.  He is simply making this point of distinction.

 

Maybe this answers your questions.  Apart from the Spirit some things cannot be understood.  I might have studied my whole life and never understood these things.  Hopefully, the following couple of scripture verses will help to clarify your questions.

 

P.S.  As a sidebar:  Man’s spirit is saved by the death of Jesus.

                                     Man’s soul is saved by the death of self.

                                        The Salvation of man’s spirit saves him from the penalty of sin.

                                        The Salvation of man’s soul saves him from the power of sin.

 

Thanks again for your interest.  May God’s best be your portion now and forever.  Tyler.