The YMCA Way: Spirit

When I was younger, I remember going to the YMCA in my home town and seeing their logo which read: "Spirit, Mind, Body."  During this brief series, I am going to look at these three different aspects of the human soul and how they relate to the Holy Trinity.  In essence, I am taking a look at how the Trinity plays into our conception of the Imago Dei, that is, the idea that we are made in the likeness (or the "image") of God.  The posts in this series are not necessarily Christian doctrine, but I do feel like they are helpful, both to Christians who are considering the implications of being children of God and to non-Christians who are wondering how the Trinity works and what it means to be "created in God's image."

“The heart has its reasons which reason knows not.” -Blaise Pascal

What does it mean to say that someone has a "spirit"?  What images does this simple word conjure in our imaginations?  These questions are not easy to answer, and indeed many people's answers vary widely from that of their neighbor.  In fact, the modern world seems content not to entertain the idea of a spirit at all.  This is partly because a person's heart (I will use the terms heart and spirit interchangeably) is perhaps the least rational aspect to him or her.  When science could not account for all of the heart's importunate demands, it chose to relegate this complex component of the human soul to the regime of psychological oddity.  In essence, the human spirit has been declared a cerebral phantasm, and therefore even to entertain the idea of its existence is considered foolhardy by many in the scientific community today.

Yet people continue to act through the motivation of the heart, whether or not science can account for it.  In fact, this is partly the reason why the social sciences seem at times to be so nebulous and difficult to grasp—humans are impelled by forces which are not always rational and straightforward.  And this is not necessarily a bad thing.

Uniquely Human

In general, the human spirit is one of the things that makes life so enjoyable for us.  In his book
Thumbs, Toes, and Tears, author Chip Walter points out six different traits that seem to set humans apart from other species: "our big toe, our opposable thumb, our oddly shaped pharynx, and our ability to laugh, kiss, and cry." (quote from Goodreads)  The first three are quite obviously physiological phenomena (stay tuned for the "Body" post in this series), but the rest of the six traits all deal with emotion on one level or another.

Granted, an evolutionist like Walter is likely to have his own explanations for why these traits exist, but every evolutionist explanation I have come across seems to fall flat.  Simply saying that these emotions are psychochemical responses programmed into our DNA to facilitate the survival of some ancient ancestor denigrates the very idea of emotions.  Sure, hormones and chemicals may be involved in the physiological responses accompanying these emotions.  But the emotions themselves always feel like they stem from somewhere much deeper and more sacred.

I believe the human heart is one of the greatest gifts we have.  Just imagine a world where you had no preferences, no aspirations, no fears, and no sense of humor.  That sounds like a very dull universe to me!  Instead, we need to embrace our personalities and desires, because they form an integral part of who we are.

Reasonably Irrational

By now, you are probably wondering, "Does he really mean for us to just follow the whims of our desires?"  Not at all!  As you will see in the coming weeks, being human means striving to balance the many impulses thrown at us from all three parts of our selves.  Each component to the human soul holds some sway over our decisions, and the three must be weighed together (along with other influences) to ensure the best possible choice is made.  Similarly, all three components are in some way tainted by the Fall, so they should each be viewed both critically and fairly.

The good news for Christians is that God Himself is able to see and influence our hearts. "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps." (Proverbs 16:1)  A person's spirit is integral in their decision-making, but God should be a part of the process as well.  Also comforting is the idea that a person's heart matters more to God than their outward appearance.  Samuel found this out while searching for the man who would be the future king of Israel.  "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'" (1 Sam. 16:7)

God is very interested in the workings of his servants' spirits.  All throughout Scripture the call is made to hear and believe God's Word with one's "heart."  The Psalms are virtually full of descriptions of the authors' hearts and the various conditions they are in.  What is evident, however, is that God is more than capable to work on a person's heart.  One of my personal  favorite passages comes out of Ezekiel 11.  After discussing the eminent judgment faced by the people of Israel, God changes his tone and begins discussing His plan for their repentance.  "I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.  Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God." (19-20)  This scripture answers David's cry: "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10)  To be sure, this psalm is the true call of every repentant Christian, and God's response to them is always the same.

Your emotions should not be the only motivation behind your actions, but if they coincide with what your mind and body are telling you, and with what others (including God) are telling you, I see no reason not to let them lend strength to your decisions.

God's Spirit

If each of us has a spirit, and we are made in God's image, then it is only sensible that God would have a Spirit as well.  I believe that the Holy Spirit functions for the Holy Trinity much in the same way our hearts function for us.  Now this is likely not a perfect analogy, but it certainly helps me in my understanding of the Trinity.

The Holy Spirit is certainly less corporeal than Jesus, and seems to be much less forthright than God the Father.  He compels men to speak (Isaiah 61:1) and he also prevents them from speaking (Acts 16:6).  He is described as fire (Isaiah 4:4, Luke 3:16), water (Isaiah 44:3), and wind (John 3:8).  These descriptions evoke very distinct comparisons with the human heart.  The last description, that of wind, is especially pertinent to this topic.  It indicates that we may never know exactly what the explicit plans of the Holy Spirit are, but we can certainly feel Him pushing or pulling us in one direction or another.  In my experience, this is very similar to the way my own emotions direct me.

The Trinity is one aspect of Christianity which I believe surpasses all other world religions.  In other mythologies and religions, deities always have characteristics which are very human at face value.  Some of them behave like humans (Ancient Greek mythology), many look like humans (Hindu), and almost all talk and think like humans.  But in this aspect, I believe Christianity is far superior.  We are told that God has created us in His image, but never given the chance to see Him (with the brief exception of Jesus).  God certainly does not act or think like the humans who worship Him.  He is divine and perfect, among many other superlative adjectives.  It is not until we look much more closely that we are able to see the connection between God and man, and that connection is much deeper and more intricate than any that another religion can boast.

Dream On

So what are the applications of this message?  First, your spirit is a very important part of your soul—one that will likely not be destroyed with the physical world in the End.  Nevertheless, it can be changed so that your desires (for such are the wants of the heart) are in line with those of God.  He has even offered to give you a portion of His own Spirit.  That is great news!

Second, do not let others discount the importance of the human spirit.  It may not be driven by the most logical or self-apparent forces, but that does not mean that it is untrustworthy.  When working in conjunction with the Holy Spirit and your other faculties, it can lend important weight to your decisions.  Corollary to this, be sure to consider your motivations before acting.

I leave you this week with some wisdom from Jesus.  Let it guide your spirit, mind, and heart into next week.

"No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.  Each tree is recognized by its own fruit.  People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers.  A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.  For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." -Luke 6:43-45