What happened to man's spirit when Adam sinned?
At Adam's sin, the human spirit—the place of fellowship with God—was completely put out of commission and made dormant. Man now lives in the flesh through the five senses, governed by the old sin nature, with no means of communication with God except the prayer for salvation.
Les explains that ever since Adam acquired the original sin nature, the conflict between man and God has continued. The human spirit, described as the place of fellowship, was completely put out of commission—made dormant. People still live in the same body of flesh, blood, and bone, operating through the five senses, but now the old personality, the sin nature, is what operates. That is all we have, leaving no way to communicate with God. Even a foxhole cry is not heard unless it is a call for salvation, the only prayer of an unbeliever God hears. Romans 8 makes clear the lost person is an enemy of God.