THE MINGLED SPIRIT
Romans 8:4 says, “That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit.” Bible translators have had difficulty discerning whether the spirit mentioned in this verse is the divine Spirit or the human spirit. We need to see that in Romans 8, the Spirit is no longer merely the Spirit of God, as He was in creation (Gen. 1:2), but also the Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of the resurrecting One. Furthermore, this all-inclusive Spirit is mingled with our spirit. Romans 8:16, which says, “The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit,” mentions the two spirits together. Thus, the spirit in verse 4 refers not merely to the divine Spirit or the human spirit but to these two spirits mingled together as one spirit. Every believer has such a mingled spirit. (The Two Spirits in Romans, Chapter 7, Section 2) http://www.ministrybooks.org/SearchM...d=2A0F5D0666F8
Thus, Galatians 5 unveils the war between our flesh and the Spirit. Although most translators find it difficult to decide whether the spirit in Galatians 5:25 denotes our human spirit or the Holy Spirit, I am confident that it denotes the mingled spirit, the mingling of the Holy Spirit with our regenerated spirit. (Life-Study of Romans, Chapter 13, Section 2) http://www.ministrybooks.org/SearchM...?id=230E5A0A67
I have written many posts arguing against W. Lee interpretation of certain passages of The Scriptures. I have stated my opinion, understanding, for doing so, and I let the readers judge if what I said was too far from the truth.
In this post I say Amen to Lee's words. When W. Lee is right, well he is right (this is my opinion). So I am not going to disprove something I approve. I never thought that W. Lee was always wrong (if someone is disappointed, let him be disappointed).
So why the purpose of this post? Well, I am actually disappointed at something W. Lee didn't say. Most translators have problem figuring out if they need to use Spirit or spirit in certain verses of the Bible, especially the letter to the Romans. But W. Lee, not a translator himself, was confident to affirm that the verses are talking about the mingled spirit.
I am very confident, too, that this is the explanation, for a simple reason:
The use of a large or small 's' is of extreme difficulty in the case of the word Spirit; not in giving it when the Holy Spirit is simply spoken of personally. There it is simple enough. But as dwelling in us, our state by it, and the Holy Spirit itself, are so blended as to make it then very difficult; because it is spoken of as our state, and then as the Holy Ghost. If it be put large, we lose the first; if small, the Spirit personally. I can only leave it with this warning, calling the attention of the reader to it. It is a blessed thought that it is so blended in power that our state is so spoken of; but if we lose the divine Person, that blessing itself is lost. The reader may see, not the difficulty, for it does not exist there, but the blending of the effect and the person in Romans viii. 27.
REVISED PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT (1871)
The Holy Scriptures A New Translation from the Original Languages
by J. N. Darby
http://www.ccel.org/bible/jnd/darby.htm
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Disclaimer:
I am not 100% sure that W. Lee never acknowledged Darby as the source of his understanding about the mingled spirit.