John 10:10 “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” [KJV]
1 Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. [KJV]
John 6:63 “the spirit it is that is giving life; the flesh doth not profit anything; the sayings that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” [YLT]
We are all in reality sustained to life by the one spirit of God. And that spirit which sustains life to us is always the same spirit. It will be the same one spirit into eternity.
That one spirit of God which sustains our life is different from a man's individual spirit which God uses to see what is in a man's mind and heart. The word, “spirit”, means different things in different Bible texts and that is where confusion comes in for so many. There is God's spirit which gives and sustains life's basic existence and then God also has a demeanor to his choice of ways ( a spirit) which promote quality of life. The sum total of that spirit in the form of demeanor is called, “righteousness.” And that righteousness results from the balance of love, mercy, and justice with which God tempers all of his ways, he having the perfect knowledge, wisdom, and discernment combined with perfect self-regulation to maintain his righteousness perfect.
And so we could correctly say that righteousness is the sum total of sound spirits in God or in us which produce good things. This is why we see the Bible often speaking of various unsound spirits:
Numbers 5:14 “And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled”
Job 20:3 “I have heard the check of my reproach, and the spirit of my understanding causeth me to answer.”
Ecclesiastes 10:4 “If the spirit of the ruler rise up against theep, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences.”
Hosea 4:12 “My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms[a form of lust] hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.”
Notice the many spirits here, all of which or any one of which can be said to be of God in the sense that they please God so that God blesses them as gifts in the one having them:
Isaiah 11:2 “And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD”
Many of us think in terms of there being only one kind of spirit. But there are many kinds of spirits for the word is kind of a catch-all word by virtue of the fact that it most basically means something invisible to the naked eye but shown as there by its effect (the work it produces as proof it is there) and is used in just that many ways in our Bibles.
From Webster's New World Dictionary:
spirit
ME < OFr espirit < L spiritus, breath, courage, vigor, the soul, life, in LL(Ec), spirit < spirare, to blow, breathe < IE base * (s)peis-, to blow > (prob.) Norw fisa, to puff, blow, OSlav piskati, to pipe, whistle
1.
a) the life principle, esp. in human beings, originally regarded as inherent in the breath or as infused by a deity
b) SOUL (sense 1)
2. the thinking, motivating, feeling part of a person, often as distinguished from the body; mind; intelligence
3. [also S-] life, will, consciousness, thought, etc., regarded as separate from matter
4. a supernatural being, esp. one thought of as haunting or possessing a person, house, etc., as a ghost, or as inhabiting a certain region, being of a certain good (or evil) character, etc., as an angel, demon, fairy, or elf
5. an individual person or personality thought of as showing or having some specific quality [the brave spirits who pioneered]
6. [usually pl.] frame of mind; disposition; mood; temper [in high spirits]
7. vivacity, courage, vigor, enthusiasm, etc. [to answer with spirit]
8. enthusiasm and loyalty [school spirit]
9. real meaning; true intention [to follow the spirit if not the letter of the law]
10. a pervading animating principle, essential or characteristic quality, or prevailing tendency or attitude [the spirit of the Renaissance]
11. a divine animating influence or inspiration
12. [usually pl.] strong alcoholic liquor produced by distillation
13. Obs.
a) any of certain substances or fluids thought of as permeating organs of the body
b) Alchemy sulfur, sal ammoniac, mercury, or orpiment
14. [often pl.] Chem.
a) any liquid produced by distillation, as from wood, shale, etc. [spirits of turpentine]
b) ALCOHOL (sense 1)
15. Dyeing a solution of a tin salt, etc., used as a mordant
16. [often pl.] Pharmacy an alcoholic solution of a volatile or essential substance [spirits of camphor]
vt.
1. to inspirit, animate, encourage, cheer, etc.: (often with up)
2. to carry (away, off, etc.) secretly and swiftly, or in some mysterious way
adj.
1.
a) of spirits or spiritualism
b) believed to be manifested by spirits [spirit rapping]
2. operating by the burning of alcohol [a spirit lamp]
—
out of spirits
sad; depressed
—
End Webster's quote.
Our individual spirit when spoken of, means, our mental and emotional inclinations grown in us and by us as a product of our having been created capable of free thinking as is God. We are created in the image of God and so like God we can manifest a spirit of our own, just as he. And it is this spirit that God is able to use to know who we are in our minds and our hearts but it is not that spirit which gave us life, for that was God's one spirit which gave us life and sustains our life to exist. But if we would have the full benefit of the life that God gives, we must conform our self produced spirit willingly to his by our power of choice. Then we can tune in on his spiritual demeanor and learn his righteousness. And it is our doing that which invokes his faithfulness toward us in all of its fulness so that we can rest assured of salvation. Otherwise, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Hebrews 10:31
Until we understand this about that word, spirit, we easily develop many false assumptions concerning what the Scriptures speak to us.