In the Holy Scriptures, the word spirit applies unfortunately to a great many different subjects. The described and deciphered meanings of this word are numerous.  A different page will be devoted to some of the other usages not given attention here. The material here is limited to one subject, man's spirit.

I have not used what may be considered parallel scriptures in which the language and subject may differ but in the end teach the same facts. In such cases I have simply chosen one scripture. Otherwise, we would be reading the entire Bible anew.

The following will try to present what man's spirit is. If some find scriptures that seem to use the word spirit, referring to the spirit within man, that they feel paint a different picture than the one presented here, please email me.

The reason Christians should be interested in defining man's spirit is because Eccl 12:7 (Rotherham), "And the dust return to the earth, as it was,—and, the spirit, return unto God, who gave it."

What is the definition of this spirit that returns to God?  This question will remain an unsurmountable obstacle to interpretation and agreement unless first the parties come to an other agreement; namely, what is the condition of the dead.  For this reason, please be sure to have read the page on Condition of the Dead:[ One.  If after having considered that subject and the scriptures shown there, you do not agree with the scriptural evidence presented there, then there is no reason to continue reading this page.

If you understood and agree with the information on the 'condition of the dead' page then the remaining information is scant.

Zechariah 12:1b states that God does this to man's spirit: "And forming the spirit of man in his midst." (Rotherham)

In Psalm 146:3, 4, we also read, "Trust not in princes--in a son of man, For he hath no deliverance. 4 His spirit goeth forth, he returneth to his earth, In that day have his thoughts perished. (YLT)

Eccl 12:7 And the dust return to the earth, as it was,—and, the spirit, return unto God, who gave it. (Rotherham)

Ecclesiastes 8:8 There is no man having power over the spirit to restrain the spirit; neither is there any power of control in the day of death; nor is there any discharge in the war. (NW)

If you have come this far, then you'll probably agree that it is paramount to realize that God's word is harmonious. Thus no part contradicts another; rather, they function much like children's Lego toys. Once you put them together correctly, you have a coherent teaching that'll permit further growth of your understanding.

(Paraphrasing and explaining)

The scriptures just review show that when a person dies, his spirit goes forth and in that day his thougths perish.  Obviously, the spirit then is not an entity capable of thought !  But it is capable of being shaped and of returning to God ! 

Could the spirit be the person's lifeforce?  No way!  If the person's lifeforce still remained, the individual couldn't have died.  For the individual to die, this life force must be used up, logically.   Then, what is this spirit of man?  What spirit of men can be shaped while we live?

The answer then to what man's spirit is becomes clear when we know of the resurrection hope. If God is to successfully resurrect someone, he had better know if it is male or female, what age, height, infirmities, personality, nationality, language, intelligence level, etc.  Now you yourself can define this spirit that returns to God when a person dies; thus the definition must be:

This subject is far from simple; however, the scriptures firmly agree that the individual's thoughts, emotions: love and hate, all his aspirations have come to naught upon his death. Thus the above conclusion remains.

What more, in Job 7:20, 21 Job states with inspired words,

Job 7:20-21 . . .If I have sinned, what can I accomplish against you, the Observer of mankind? Why is it that you have set me as your target, so that I should become a burden to you? 21 And why do you not pardon my transgression And overlook my error? For now in dust I shall lie down; And you will certainly look for me, and I shall not be.

Those who claim that an individual's spirit returns to God as a spirit being ignore Job 7:20,21. After Job died, the scripture stated God would look for him and not be able to find him. If Job returned to God as a spirit being, God would most certainly know Job was with him, wouldn't He? Further, the sleep-like state that Jesus and his apostles attributed to death wouldn't exist if a conscious spirit being left its dead body of a shell and went back to God to interact with him!

Those that stubbornly against all scriptural evidence claim that an individual's spirit-being remains and returns to God on that person's physical death need to think seriously about why they are going against all scripture, and think also about why Paul stated,

1 Corinthians 15:52-55, "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

Why does Paul talk about Death and Grave's victory?

Why does Paul say corruptible and "this mortal" if our spirits are immortal?

Paul is talking about the resurrection, and that is what Christians hope for; they don't believe in the claim of apostate teachers. 

If in fact the spirit of a dead one was a living entity going back to God, to be with God, then one would clearly expect the spirits of the Saints and the faithful to praise God.  However Isaiah says differently:

Isaiah 38:18 For they that are in the grave shall not praise You, neither shall the dead bless You, neither shall they that are in Hades hope for Your mercy. 19The living shall bless You, as I also do. (AB)

Those who make the claim of the immortal spirit-being returning to God when we die are deceivers of themselves and others.

As it says in Matthew 15:14, "they are blind guides. And if the blind guide the blind, both shall fall into a pit." Yes , the pit of eternal destruction is where these deceivers go.

However, such ones having denied both the Christian scripture's testimony about 'being asleep' and the Hebrew-Aramaic scriptures, will stubbornly continue in their error and do as Peter says in 2 Pet 3:16 "also in all the letters, speaking in them concerning these; in which is hardly understood some things, which those unlearned and unstable distort, as also the remaining writings, to the own of themselves destruction."