Keeping Our Spirit in Holiness

 

Keeping Our Spirit in Holiness

Phil 2:1 "If there is any...fellowship of the Spirit"

1 Thess 5:19 "Do not quench the Spirit"

1 John 2:16 "For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life"

Rom 8:16 "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God"

1 Tim 1:19 "holding faith and a good conscience"

1 Pet 3:16 "having a good conscience"

Prov 20:27 "The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the inner depths"

Gal 5:16 "Walk in the Spirit"

The Constitution and Functions of Man's Spirit

The three parts of the spirit: conscience (condemns or justifies), fellowship (contacts God), intuition (direct feeling and knowledge from God)

Aspects of Keeping the Spirit	Meaning	Specific Methods	Biblical Examples	Practical Application	Related Scriptures
1. Exercise the spirit in fellowship with God to keep the spirit living	Through actively exercising our spirit in fellowship with God, we keep the spirit in a living state and avoid falling into deadness. If we do not exercise our spirit, we leave it in a dead condition	• Joy - practice joy in all circumstances • Prayer - pray unceasingly, maintain living fellowship with God • Thanksgiving - give thanks in everything, cultivate a grateful heart • Worship God in spirit and serve God • Exercise the three functions of the spirit (conscience, fellowship, intuition)	• Thessalonians: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks" • Samaritan woman: "worship in spirit and truthfulness" • Paul: "serve with my spirit in the gospel" • Example of closing eyes to pray on streetcar rather than looking around	• Establish daily prayer life • Practice joy in difficult circumstances • Cultivate the habit of giving thanks in everything • Maintain living fellowship with God • Exercise spirit in worship and service • Avoid keeping silent (causes spirit to become dead)	1 Thess 5:16-18 "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" John 4:24 "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" Rom 1:9 "God...whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel"
2. Keep the spirit from defilement and contamination	Cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, so the spirit is not defiled by worldly contamination. A contaminated spirit becomes dead and affects fellowship with God	• Guard the eyes from seeing evil things • Stay away from defiling pictures and content • Abstain from all defilement of flesh and spirit • Fear God to perfect holiness • Cleanse ourselves from contamination • Choose holy environments and content	• Daniel not defiling himself with king's food and wine • Joseph fleeing from Potiphar's wife's temptation • Negative example of David seeing Bathsheba and sinning • Shanghai streetcar experience: looking at street scenes deadened spirit, closing eyes to pray kept spirit living	• Carefully choose what to see and hear • Stay away from media and environments that contaminate the spirit • Establish holy living habits • Choose pure entertainment and reading • Learn to protect spirit in contaminating environments	2 Cor 7:1 "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" Psa 119:9 "How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word"
3. Exercise to have a blameless conscience	Through exercising ourselves to always have a conscience without offense toward God and men, keeping the conscience keen and clean, able to correctly discern right from wrong	• Maintain blameless conscience toward God • Maintain blameless conscience toward men • Act according to conscience's feeling • Bear witness with the Holy Spirit • Confess and repent promptly • Keep conscience's keenness	• Paul: "I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men" • Paul in Romans: "my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit" • Timothy: "holding faith and a good conscience" • Peter: "having a good conscience"	• Daily examine thoughts, words, and actions • Promptly confess and repent to God • Be honest and upright with people • Follow conscience's feeling and Holy Spirit's leading • Cultivate keen spiritual discernment	Acts 24:16 "This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men" Rom 9:1 "I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit"
4. Pay attention to the spirit's feeling, set the mind on the spirit	Pay attention to the feelings and leading in the spirit, turn the mind toward the spirit, care for the rest in the spirit, not acting according to natural thoughts	• Pay attention to feelings and rest in spirit • Set the mind on the spirit • Care for peace in spirit • Don't act according to mind's analysis • Learn to distinguish between spirit and soul • Cultivate sensitivity to spirit	• Malachi: "take heed to your spirit" • Paul: "to be spiritually minded is life and peace" • Paul in Troas: "I had no rest in my spirit because I did not find Titus" • Philippian jailer: trembling in spirit and getting saved	• Seek peace in spirit before major decisions • Pay attention to unrest or rest in spirit • Act according to spirit's feeling rather than mind's analysis • Cultivate sensitivity to spirit • Wait for God's leading in quietness • Learn to discern the Spirit's voice	Mal 2:15-16 "But did He not make them one...Therefore take heed to your spirit" Rom 8:6 "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace" 2 Cor 2:13 "I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother"

 

Important Principles of Cooperating with God

Key Concept	Explanation	Practical Meaning
Cooperate with the sanctifying God	We need to cooperate with God who sanctifies people, separating us from the dead condition of our spirit	Sanctification is God's work, but requires our active cooperation and response
Living vs. dead spirit	Living spirit: through exercising spirit in fellowship with God; Dead spirit: keeping silent, not exercising spirit	The spirit needs constant exercise to remain living, otherwise it falls into deadness
Pull out from death	Joy, prayer, thanksgiving can pull our spirit out from death	Actively exercising the spirit is the key method to revive a dead spirit

 

Core Biblical Foundation

Scripture	Key Teaching	Practical Application
1 Thess 5:16-19	"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks...Do not quench the Spirit, do not despise prophecies"	Three basic exercises of spirit, maintain sensitivity to the Spirit
2 Cor 7:1	"Cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God"	Importance of keeping spirit from contamination
Num 6:6-8	Nazarite regulations: separated unto God	Principle of being separated from the world unto God for holiness
2 Cor 5:4	"We who are in this tent groan...that mortality may be swallowed up by life"	Cooperate with God to let life overcome death

 

Summary: The Complete Way of Keeping

To keep our spirit in holiness requires cooperation in four aspects:

1.      Actively exercise spirit - Joy, prayer, thanksgiving, maintain living fellowship with God

2.      Negatively guard spirit - Stay away from all contamination and defilement, keep spirit pure

3.      Exercise conscience - Maintain blameless conscience toward God and men, keep spiritual keenness

4.      Care for spirit's feeling - Set mind on spirit, pay attention to rest and leading in spirit

This is a process requiring continuous cooperation with the Triune God, enabling our spirit to be kept and grow continuously in holiness.

 

*Please refer to the June 2025 Summer Training, General Topic: Experiencing, Enjoying, and Manifesting Christ (III), Chapter 5: The Reason for Our Being Blameless in Holiness and the Reason for Our Perfect Sanctification of Our Spirit, Soul, and Body