Tripartite man

The colouring in this picture, grabbed somewhat at random from the internet, suggests that the "spirit" is the most important part of the human makeup, using the same logic as the king is the most important because, after all, he is king. Which doesn't necessarily follow.

The Bible is pretty consistent in its dividing of man into body, soul and spirit through both the old and new testaments, even if there is only one verse that actually includes all three. And it is pretty consistent in its word usage which I could go into but this is hardly the place and anyway I am no language scholar so would probably get it wrong.

I'm on this subject because we've been studying it in church and reading some of Watchman Nee and had several sermons on the subject. It's not that I am opposed to the doctrine but it seems strange that, in all 6,000 years of modern history, man is still uncertain about his makeup. I've spent some time recently thinking about this - trying to see inside myself and figure it out. The bits of my body that I can see are pretty obvious but beyond that it gets fuzzy.

I struggle with the idea that I have a spirit which can communicate with God but only if I am a Christian. True, there have been times when I would say I have "heard" God in that I have known that a particular course of action was what I had to do. But I'm nowhere near the league of constant dialogue that some suggest should be the norm. I'll go along with Jesus' "my sheep hear my voice" as a statement of fact, but not as "my sheep ought to hear my voice" which is what I sometimes hear. But Ali says what I hear is not necessarily what is said.

I like this definition: He knows there is only one thing that separates us from the beasts: is is that everyone carries his Eden, an inner realm of silence, and this is what some call the soul, having no other name for it. The point is to allow people to reach it, be blessed by it, even briefly, to save them from the filthy under-murmur of living. (Joseph O'Connor, Ghost Light).  This expresses rather well that which I inwardly long for. I may have a conversation with Meg (the dog), stroke her, give her the odd biscuit - but there's nothing deeper there.

I'm looking for an equally good definition for the human spirit. 

There is this: For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. I think of carving a chicken - if under-cooked it is remarkably hard to separate the leg joints even with a sharp knife: how much harder to get to the marrow? The suggestion is that the soul and spirit are not easily divided and that marrow (thus spirit), though hidden, is essential in its role to produce blood cells, the stuff of life. Perhaps my answer is that I can no more detect the existence of my spirit than I can my bone marrow!