Part 1: Who is the Spiritual Man?

“The days of visitation are come, the days of recompence are come; Israel shall know it: the prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad, for the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred.”

Hosea 9:7

As a writer of the Spiritual Reload, you would think that I should know something about what it means to be spiritual. At least according to the Bible. But you will be sad to hear that I am the most un-spiritual person I know. I am constantly striving to tether my mind, will, and emotion to the Word of God. Being spiritual is not natural to me.

Then again, it isn’t supposed to be natural.

Who’s mad?

The world has a definition of spiritual that is directly opposite of the Bible definition. The world sees a mystic who tattoos his body, puffs marijuana or coke, and talks in rhyming jibberish as ‘spiritual’. Conversely, the man who is dogmatic about the Bible, preaches on the street, and tithes is looked at by the world as a bigoted madman. Though not exactly flattering, that’s exactly who Hosea was talking about.

Dr. Ruckman commented on this passage: “The obvious meaning of the text is that the populace looks on a genuine prophet as a FOOL (see Acts 2:13; Matt. 27:39; 2 Cor. 11:16; or 1 Cor. 3:18) and on the spiritual man as a MADMAN (see Acts 26:24 or 2 Cor. 5:13). The “great hatred” which the rulers had for the word of God and “the multitude” of their iniquities (vs.7) caused them to hate God’s prophets (see Matt. 23:34) and to vilify them as madmen (Mat. 23:31). Since this universal truth is so clearly presented in the Bible, we may expect the ‘recognized scholars’ to split their britches all over the sewing room when they try to expound the passage.”¹

Dr. Ruckman’s analysis is well-documented and polemic as always. Let’s briefly comprehend the cross references given. The twelve apostles were “mocked” as being drunk on grape juice on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. What were they doing? Preaching Jesus as the Messiah. No marvel, for even Jesus as He was being crucified was “reviled” for prophesying His resurrection in Matthew 27. Paul implored the church at Corinth to hear him, even if they esteemed him only a “fool.” He cautioned that any seeming to be “wise in this world” should become more of a fool in order to get wisdom in 2 and 1 Corinthians, respectively. Paul gave his testimony before Festus in Acts 26. “And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.” To which he replied, “But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness.” The itinerant apostle Paul very often appeared bothered, but for good reason, again in 2 Corinthians 5: “For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.” But the strongest proof of this strange perception of believers, preachers, the word of God, and of the Lord Jesus Christ is this indictment by Jesus Himself:

“And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. 
Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 
Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? 
Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 
That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.”

Matthew 23:30-35

We have a Scriptural case, then, for the spiritual man in God’s eyes will be ignored by the world at best, or hunted down at worst. The world has no use for a spiritual man.

Which meaning?

The world does have its spiritualists, but they do not measure up to the definition God has. Even an old American Dictionary has a pretty high standard in defining ‘spiritual.’

This side-by-side shows a very Biblical foundation for the understanding of American English. Though Webster’s 1828 is not gospel, it is undoubtedly good. Compare that to a self-proclaimed dictionary for ‘the real world’:

Can you see by this simple comparison that the modern expectation of a spiritual man has departed somewhat from the older, let alone Bible, expectation? In the modern sense, you lose the renewed life, the reality of the soul, the standard of holiness in morality, and the ability to enter into the spiritual by means of the word of God. Take those away, and you’d better sit cross-legged and smoke some pot, because life just got hopeless!

God Hath Spoken

A debate over definition is endless without a final authority. Thankfully, we have One. The King James Bible has proven itself to be both “the word of a king,”⁴ with power and “right words”⁵ in force. The Bible is not an argument, it is evidence of Divine opinion: the end of discussion.

Using a Strong’s Concordance, I looked up the number of mentions of “spirit,” “spirits,” and “spiritual” in the Bible. The opening verse from Hosea is the first mention of the word “spiritual”, and the starting place for this study. When you look up multiple verses containing the same words, an impression will begin to form. Through the context, through the frequency of use, and through internal requotes by other Bible writers, the Bible definition of any word will manifest within the Bible itself. God is both Author and Finisher. He is the source of what is old- He is also the source of everything new. Bible study that opens the mind is the kind that does not muzzle the mouth of God.

As a causeway into the idea of being spiritual, let’s take an overview of the kinds of spirits you will find in the pages of Scripture.

An Examination of Four Kinds of ‘spirit’

Spirit of God

We are introduced to this part of the Trinity in Genesis 1:2. There, “the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” God’s Spirit is the ‘mover’. Some of the names by which He is known are: the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of Truth, and the Comforter. John 4:24 in the King James specifically says that “God is a Spirit:” differentiating Him from just anything that is a ‘spirit.’ Usually in Scripture, God’s Spirit can be identified by the capitalized proper name, ‘Spirit’. Other kinds use lowercase, ‘s’.

The Spirit is separate in office from God the Father (The Lord), and the Son (Jesus). Yet He is one in essence: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” (1 John :7) The Holy Spirit administers the actions of the Godhead. Quick, decisive, and severe judgment falls on the man who offends,⁶ or sins against the Holy Spirit.⁷

Spirit of man

God created man in His image, after His likeness. Thus, man is a tripartite being, having a body, soul, and spirit. The body is the physical, visible third; the other two-thirds are unseen and spiritual. The spirit’s creation is described in Genesis 2:7, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground [body], and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life[spirit]; and man became a living soul [soul].”

The spirit of man is given from God, but it is not God’s Holy Spirit. It is actually Adam’s sinful spirit. The spirit of a man gives him the ability to live temporally, but not to live forever. For a lost man’s spirit according to Ecclesiastes 3:21, “Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward…?” When a man dies, the Bible says he ‘gives up the ghost.’ This is not a man going to Heaven, this is his spirit, as air or breath, exhaling and returning where it came from.

Don’t confuse this verse with the destiny of the soul. Your soul is YOU. That is the unique, conscious, everlasting part of you. It, you, will exist forever, whether in a state of eternal LIFE in Heaven, or in a state of DEATH–“the second death” (Rev. 20:14)— in Hell, soon to be the Lake of Fire. A man who goes to Hell, goes there devoid⁸ of his spirit, which is why Jesus warned in Matthew 10:28, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Spirit of a beast

The animals are not eternal beings, and they have a certain spirit that exists in nature. Man mistakenly worship⁹ this, though creation itself groans for Jesus Christ’s return.¹⁰ These spirits are subject to mankind, which is why a horse or an elephant can be tamed and ridden, though they are stronger (and often smarter) than their owners.

The spirits of animals are a funny thing, and everyone wants to know if their favorite pet will go to Heaven when they die. We relate in this life to animals because they have a spirit, as we do, and a body, as do we, that provides relatability. But an animal has no soul, therefore is not an everlasting being. Their spirit is recycled into the earth, as Solomon says, “Who knoweth… the spirit of the beast that goeth downward into the earth?”¹¹ They are well represented in eternity, and I’m sure will accompany the saints as they worship God. But that’s another story…

Spirit of the devil (unclean spirit)

Unclean spirits in the Bible are a scary subject to study. They are individual entities– once angels, now fallen beings due to the hierarchy of Satan and his fall from orbiting the throne of God.¹²,¹³ Once they lost station in heaven, some debased themselves, giving up their immortality for sensuality, while others remain spirit to possess the living at their will. At the present time, according to the book of Jude, some are “reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” While an unnumbered mass of them are “wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.” (Jude 6, 12)

They are not ‘demons’ as some would explain away, but rather are called ‘devils’ after “the Devil.”¹⁴ This is because they have submitted their will unto the Devil, and therefore can neither reform nor repent. They also cannot perform righteousness or bless. God can still command and subdue the unclean spirits¹⁵,¹⁶ for He beat the Devil in every temptation during His earthly ministry.¹⁷

One of many strange characteristics is that devils are of a multiplied variety.¹⁸ A possessed person is frequently subjected to many spirits at once, not just one.¹⁹ They seem to operate on a hive mind mentality, speaking and acting together. According to the notable parable of the soils, the “fowls of the air came and devoured” the word from the wayside, and the interpretation of Christ tells us those ‘birds’ are actually one: “Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word.” (Mark 4:4 and 15)

Put Them To The Test

There are many ‘spirits’ operating in the world today. They constitute an unseen realm of forces that a man is subject to, though he be totally ignorant of. Furthermore, simply knowing of these spirits does not default to make a man spiritual. The Bible instructs us to test every spirit.

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.”

1 John 4:1-6

This test should be marked, memorized, and used daily by every Christian today. It is a simple test, and it works. It is largely ignored by Charismatics and every other cult because it lacks the ghostly willies that a seance provides. Show-biz requires more feeling. The Bible is sufficiently powerful to ward off spirits without the goosebumps.

Which brings me to this last, most important message. Not everything that is spiritual is good. Many lost men work to become spiritual, and they gain much in the way of deeper understanding, alternate perspectives, and uncanny senses. But a man who trespasses into the realm of ‘spiritual’ things is lost without a light, and defenseless without a weapon. “Thy word is lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105) and “Take… the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17) The Bible is the ‘lightsaber’ that will guide you into an interaction with the Holy Spirit, and protect you from the sway of evil spirits who would mislead you.

We strive so hard to see things spiritually, only to be blindsided. The Word delves into the spirit world, and divides good from evil, light from darkness.

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit [both unseen; spiritual], and of the joints and marrow [both physical, musculoskeletal], and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart [the imperceptible shift from desire to debate in man’s will].

Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight [no dog, nor devil, man nor angel]: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”

Hebrews 4:12-13

You should have much to do with Him and His Book, if you ever expect to become the Spiritual Man He expects you to be.

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Coming up in part 2: Three phases a man must pass to become spiritual.

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1. Ruckman, Peter S. “The Bible Believer’s Commentary on the Minor Prophets, Vol. 1: Hosea-Nahum”, p. 113-114, [some emphatic typeset altered to match style] Bible Baptist Bookstore, 1978 ↩︎
2. “spiritual” webstersdictionary1828.com, Retrieved from https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/spiritual on 10Feb2026 ↩︎
3. “spiritual” dictionary.com, 2012, Retrieved from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/spiritual on 10Feb2026 ↩︎
4. Ecclesiastes 8:4 ↩︎
5. Job 6:25 ↩︎
6. Acts 5:3-4 Lying to the Holy Ghost punished by death ↩︎
7. Matthew 12:31 Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost ↩︎
8. Genesis 1:2 “void” without the spirit and Mark 9:44, 46, and 48 on “worm” ↩︎
9. Romans 1:22-25 ↩︎
10. Romans 8:22-23 ↩︎
11. Ecclesiastes 3:21 ↩︎
12. Isaiah 12:12-15, Ezekiel 28:12-15 ↩︎
13. Revelation 12:4 A third of the angels ↩︎
14. Revelation 20:2 Four names for His Hellishness ↩︎
15. Old Testament, God sends 1 Kings 22:23 “a lying spirit,” and Isaiah 19:14 “a perverse spirit” ↩︎
16. New Testament, Matthew 8:16 “cast out the spirits with his word,” and Matthew 17:18 “and Jesus rebuked the devil;” along with many others in Mark, Luke, and John ↩︎
17. Matthew 4:1-11 ↩︎
18. Ruckman, Peter S. from the sermon: “Cup of Devils” preached at Bible Baptist Church, Pensacola, FL, circa 2008 ↩︎
19. Luke 4:33-34, Mark 5: 1-20 “Legion” infested 2,000 swine, and Luke 8:2 with Luke 11:26, Mary Magdalene had “seven devils” ↩︎