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A human being is comprised of body, soul and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23; 3 John 1:2; Psalm 16:9). However, human beings tend to rely on the body for input and the soul for decisions, while ignoring the spirit. This is unfortunate. The human spirit without God is like a deflated balloon. A disregard for the spiritual often results in depression and emptiness. When a sinner repents and turns to Jesus for salvation, God sends His Holy Spirit to dwell within the spirit of that believer (Luke 24:49; John 14:26; 1 Corinthians 6:19). The Holy Spirit breathes life into that deflated human spirit, and a new creature is born (2 Corinthians 5:17). The more room a person gives to the Holy Spirit, the more power he or she experiences in living for God.
God is spirit (John 4:24). If we want to know God, we must experience Him spiritually. Although God works in tangible, physical ways through His creation (Psalm 8:3; 107:24), we come to know Him personally through the union of our spirits with His (Romans 8:16). As we allow the Holy Spirit free rein in our lives, we learn to live by the Spirit, rather than by emotion, impulse, or fleshly indulgence (Galatians 5:16, 25; Romans 8:14). We learn to discern the voice of God as distinct from our own thoughts (John 10:27). All of this takes place within the spirit, invisible to the other senses, but as real as touch, taste or smell.
However, the term spiritual does not necessarily mean “godly.” Satan is also a spirit and does his evil work by attacking our minds (James 3:14-15), our bodies (Luke 9:42; 2 Corinthians 12:7), and our spirits (Matthew 16:23; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Some have delved into an exploration of the spirit world to their own destruction. The seven sons of Sceva are a case in point. They were assuming a knowledge of the spiritual realm and an authority they did not possess. They learned the hard way that spiritual warfare is not to be taken lightly; it can only be fought successfully by those who are in Christ and equipped for battle (Acts 19:13-16). Also, many people consider themselves "spiritual" while completely bypassing the true God who is the King of the spirit world (Mark 3:11). Such people are deceived by the “god of this age [who] has blinded the minds of unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
The Bible is clear that the spirit world is every bit as real as the physical universe (Ephesians 6:12). There is an unseen battle taking place around us every moment between God’s holy angels and the forces of darkness (Daniel 10:12-14; Ephesians 6:10-17; Jude 1:9). If we are vigilant as the Lord commands, we will not be caught unprepared by Satan’s attacks (1 Peter 5:8; 2 Corinthians 2:11). And we have the promise of God that His Holy Spirit is stronger than any of Satan’s schemes (1 John 4:4). God has given His children everything we need to stand firm against any spiritual attack of our enemy. The apostle Paul calls this the "armor of God" (Ephesians 6:11).
The spirit world is very real, but an unbalanced focus on demonic powers is not healthy and does not glorify God. The Holy Spirit is the only Spirit we should ever invite into our lives, and He has all the power we need to overcome anything Satan uses to defeat us (Isaiah 54:17).
A spiritual being is a supernatural, incorporeal being. The Bible begins with the assertion that God, a spiritual being, created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). Other spiritual beings mentioned in Scripture include angels, demons, and Satan. The supernatural worldview is found throughout the Bible—from creation to Revelation and everywhere in between. While we may never fully understand everything that has to do with spiritual beings this side of heaven, believers worship God, who is spirit (John 4:24), and look forward to His kingdom, which is not of this world (John 18:36).
God is a spiritual being. God has no physical form, and nothing in this world can be made to represent Him (Exodus 20:4; Deuteronomy 4:12; Acts 17:29). There are other spiritual beings who are not of the same status, greatness, or ability as God. The psalmist declares, “The heavens praise your wonders, Lord, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones. For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings? In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him. Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you” (Psalm 89:5–8). In just this section of Scripture, we are made aware of an assembly of holy ones, heavenly beings, and the Lord God Almighty who is greater than all other spiritual beings.
God created the spiritual beings. They are known as God’s heavenly host (Psalm 148:2). When God laid the foundation of the earth, “the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy” (Job 38:4–7). These spiritual beings existed before God made humanity.
If a being is “spiritual,” that being is not a human or an animal—both human beings and animals exist with a physical body. The term spiritual being does not tell us what the being does or communicate its status. Angels, for example, are spiritual beings (Psalm 104:4). Yet angels is a blanket term for many different types of spiritual beings. Angels exist within a hierarchy and have various functions. Some angels are loyal to God, and others, the fallen angels, are loyal to the devil (Matthew 25:41). Messenger angels (Genesis 32:3, 7; Deuteronomy 2:26), archangels (1 Thessalonians 4:16; Jude 1:9), cherubim (Genesis 3:24), seraphim (Isaiah 6:2), watchers (Daniel 4:13,17, 23), the Angel of Yahweh (Genesis 35:7), and the divine council (Jeremiah 23:18) all seem to be part of God’s heavenly host.
Along with loyal members of the heavenly host, there are other spiritual beings who form the powers of darkness (Ephesians 6:12). These rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world, and spiritual forces of evil also reside in the heavenly realms. The wicked spiritual beings include demons (Mark 1:34) or “unclean spirits,” false gods and goddesses (Exodus 15:11; Deuteronomy 11:16; 32:17), and renegade “sons of God” (Genesis 6:2, 4). These are all spiritual beings, but their loyalty is not to the Lord of hosts. Our battle in this world is not against flesh and blood but against these spiritual forces in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12).
The devil is also a spiritual being who aspired to become above God (Isaiah 14:12–15). His pride led to his fall, and he continues in his wickedness. While the devil is referred to as the ruler of this world (John 12:31; 2 Corinthians 4:4), his power is not equal to God’s. The devil can only do what God allows. His demise is sure, along with that of all the demons who follow him (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:3).
We cannot see the spiritual realm, and we would never be able to see God, except for the Incarnation. The Son of God, the Word who always was God (John 1:1), took on human flesh and dwelt among us (verse 14). Jesus Christ is the “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:15–16). Jesus, God in the flesh, lived a perfect life, and His perfect sacrifice on the cross provided redemption once for all. In addition to providing us with reconciliation to God, the sacrifice of Christ also “disarmed the powers and authorities” of the spiritual realm (Colossians 2:15).
Among all the spiritual beings, there is no one like our God. There is none greater. No other spiritual being is worthy of our worship.
At the end of our lives, we will enter a spiritual realm. Upon their death, believers in Christ are carried by the angels to the place where the Lord is (see Luke 16:22). Unbelievers will face eternity in hell, separated from God. For believers, faith will become sight, and the spiritual realm will be visible to us.
The Bible tells us that “faith is the reality of what we hope for, the proof of what we don’t see” (Hebrews 11:1 CEB). It also says, “We don’t focus on the things that can be seen but on the things that can’t be seen. The things that can be seen don’t last, but the things that can’t be seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18 CEB).
It appears that the old saying “seeing is believing” just doesn’t cut it in the kingdom of God.
There’s a reality that’s visible, and one that’s invisible. In the physical world, there are three spatial dimensions that you can see. (Time is sometimes referred to as the fourth dimension, but it’s somewhat different from the others.) Some theories in physics suggest that there could be ten or more spatial dimensions.
I believe the spiritual realm could possibly be found in some of these hidden dimensions. But that’s just conjecture. The point is, there’s a lot going on out there that you just can’t see. Somewhere you’ll find angels, demons, and the souls and spirits of people who have died. Some of those entities seem to be able to interact with our world as well as their own, in some cases simultaneously. Could it be possible that the spiritual realm exists parallel to the physical? Are there invisible dimensions right here along with the ones we can see? If so, that would explain a lot.
Human beings also have visible and invisible components. The Bible refers to each of us having a body, a soul, and a spirit. The visible part (the body) is fairly easy to understand, but the invisible part consists of both the soul and the spirit. It’s not easy to tell where the dividing line is between the two. (Hebrews 4:12 seems to make this point.) I generally think of the soul as consisting of things like the intellect, will, and emotions. The spirit, on the other hand, is the part of us that’s equipped to perceive and interact with the spiritual realm, and to commune with God himself. Perhaps it also includes things like conscience or intuition.
The point to all this is that a discussion of spiritual and supernatural topics should start with the understanding that humans are both physical and spiritual beings. We live between two worlds, and we’re caught in the middle of a war between two kingdoms. The challenge for the church is to teach believers how to navigate all these intersections.
The Bible teaches the existence of an immaterial, spiritual reality, unseen by human eyes. The physical reality is evident for all to see—although some doubt the existence of a material universe, too! The Bible says that the spiritual realm consists of both good—God and the holy angels—and evil—the devil and his demons. Demons are most likely fallen angels who rebelled against God and were thrown out of heaven (see Ezekiel 28:11–17; Isaiah 14:12–15; Revelation 12:7–9). The Bible also teaches that humans were created by God in His image, which means we have a spiritual component (Genesis 1:27). We are more than physical entities; we possess a soul/spirit destined for eternity. Even though the spiritual realm is invisible to the physical eye, we are connected to it, and what goes on in the spiritual realm directly affects our physical world.
In our culture, the most commonly accepted form of evidence for proving the existence of something is empirical evidence, which involves using the scientific method of observation and experimentation. Is there empirical evidence for a spiritual realm? It doesn’t take much research before one realizes there is “evidence” both for and against the existence of a spiritual realm. It comes down to which studies one wants to believe.
The best, and most prevalent, evidence available proving that there is a spiritual realm is testimonial evidence. We can look at the sheer number of religions around the world and the billions of people who focus their lives on the spiritual realm. Is it likely that so many people would report encounters with the spiritual and it not be real?
The best testimonial evidence for a spiritual realm is the Bible itself. Historians, both Christian and non-Christian, agree that the historical authenticity of the Bible is strong. Jesus claimed to be God’s Son, the One who came down from heaven. He made this fact quite clear: “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world” (John 8:23). The Bible recounts numerous encounters that people had with the spiritual realm. Jesus cast demons out of people regularly, healed the sick by speaking to them, miraculously fed thousands of people, and spoke with people who should be dead: Moses and Elijah (Matthew 17:1–3). These are all indicators that the spiritual realm is real.
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