THE INNER MAN 

(start your engines)

EPHESIANS 3:14-21

...he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being... (Ephesians 3:16b).

Most today take the view that humans have 3 parts: Fleshly bodies, the soul, and the spirit (inner being). I certainly hold to this view and see it taught in the bible.

Our passage talks about one particular part of this tricotomy - the inner being.  So what is your inner being? Many take this to mean the soul, with its faculties of reason and emotion and will. But I don't think this is what Paul means here.  Listen to Paul’s clue in 2 Corinthians 4. He says that “our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day” (4:16 NKJV). That is, for Christians there is something about us that is getting old, decaying and deteriorating; but there is also something about us that is getting more vital, and becoming richer and deeper and stronger every day we live. And that is what he calls “the inner being.”

The inner being is not the soul. The soul is the mind, will, and emotions and are linked to our physical life.  It may even be true, as many suggest, that the soul grows old like our bodies. 

The inner being is the human spirit. It is here that God begins the work of recovery. Not in the realm of our feelings.  Psychologists would call this the realm of the subconscious, the deep-seated part of our life. When you are really discouraged, really brokenhearted and have given up, your condition is often described as dispirited. That is an accurate term. Your fundamental nature is dissatisfied. It is not merely a question of temporary boredom. That would be in the realm of the soul. But this is something that touches the spirit, right at the deepest level of human life, and you find yourself filled with despair and indifference.

This is where the recovery must begin. And what the apostle tells us about here is the capability of the Creator Himself to give us a fresh infusion of strength by His Spirit into our spirit, the inner being. In 1 Corinthians 12, speaking of believers, Paul says, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, . . . and we were all given the one Spirit to drink” (v. 13). That is what our human spirits are for—to drink of the Spirit of God so that we are refreshed and revitalized. Just as taking a drink refreshes your body, so drinking of the Spirit refreshes your spirit, at the deepest level of your life.  

Don’t forget that your spirit is where the Holy Spirit dwells.  Ever heard the term spiritual life? You have gone from a dead spirit, which means no ability to communicate with God (Eph 2), to an alive and energized spirit that is in full speed by the time we get to chapter 4.

I really like John MacArthur’s description of the inner being as the christian ignition.  It is this powerful jolt from God at our very core.  Paul is praying for believers to be strengthened in this deep inner man because this is where real lasting change and power begins.

Remember, that is not the realm of feeling.  This is where we get off track. We get hung so up in this process of spiritual recovery by always wanting an instantly good feeling. Relief and feelings will come, but it doesn't start there. It starts down at the level of the spirit and sometimes may be nothing more than some awareness or reassurance that things are going to work out.

This beginning step is not your responsibility; it is God's. All that is necessary is that you ask Him for it. Paul prayed that these Ephesians might have this granted to them. When we ask on that level, God promises to give.

Time to rant for a second about how people interpret the bible.  Clarification, you will never hear me say I have all the correct interpretations, because I do not.  There is so much about the bible I do not understand. However, or maybe I should say But, anyways, I have had squillions of conversations with dogmatic “bible scholars” who do nothing more than chap my hide as they explain away what they do not understand. The passage on which I am currently writing, Ephesians 1:3-4, is a prime example. Who cares if election or predestination or foreknowledge makes no sense to you?  I mean really, who gives a rats rear? Not to be mean, just making the point that out lack of understanding has no bearing on interpretation.  Maybe we can say, “that’s what the verse says, I don’t get it, but I accept it as God’s truth.”  

OK, here is a good reaction - when you do not understand or like a passage like the one I mentioned, just call it “Calvinism” or “fatalism” or some other name to discredit.  I think I will call you a Mormon or liberal or whatever.

Thanks!  That was quite enjoyable.  Rant back if you want - just makes sense when you do it.

Let me rant and rave. I promise it will be spot on, as I see it, and interesting...sometimes humorous and probably at times offensive.  Everyone needs a place to speak their mind and this is where I will do it. You know what I am talking about don’t you?  All those things you always wanted to say but were either intimidated to voice it or it placed too much in jeopardy if you let it fly.  Not any more. Now I can really say it and nothing is riding on anyones like or dislike.


OK, click "FOLLOW" below and become apart of the madness.  Also, follow the bible study series I am about to do through the book of Ephesians.

I will be speaking much about Church Life.  I love the church. I have spent my life in church service of some sort.  But there are some trends that are ruining the testimony of many local congregations.  We are going to talk about that.

There is little that brings me more pleasure than studying the Bible. I have done so for 30 years. I learned at the age of 18, while sitting at a grey metal desk and pastoring a small country church, that I had to spend hours in the Word if I were going to deliver messages that shook it up. You will find a continual series of Bible studies on all the subjects I love, plus many of the subjects and doctrines that interest you.

I love stories and spend hours reading and writing them.  If you go to a bookstore and looked under the heading of Essays, you would find my style.  This is a personal kind of story; about my life and wanderings and that of my family.  They will be presented in shorter excerpts.  

Finally, let's have some laughs.  I have a huge collection of humor and one liners.  Maybe you can use them, or at least enjoy them.

Tell me what you think.  Rant and rave back, I can handle it.  This is fun.  Let’s quit playing stupid games where we tip toe around everyone’s insecurities.  This is our only go around and I do not know about you, but I am ready to start living for keeps.