Backround Text: 1 Corinthians 2:12-14
Devotional Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:23b-24
Today, friends, we are looking at the difference between our souls and our spirits.
We know they are mentioned separately in the Bible. But what is the attribute that makes them different?
One of the most often used scriptures that speaks of body, soul and spirit is 1 Thessalonians 5:23b-24: “May your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.”
Our bodies, of course, are made up of our physical being. Made up of skin and bone, tissue and tendons, and all of our inner anatomical parts.
This next scripture says more to us about soul and spirit. It comes from Hebrews 4:12.
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
We have already learned from our series on the heart that it is known as the center of who we are. It includes mind, emotions, will, desires and passions, thoughts, discernment, all of who we are as a human being.
In the New Testament, we see the attributes of the heart to be the same as our souls. Referred to as the natural human being, the worldly human being or the flesh and also the sinful nature, the New Testament speaks to us about the many ways we can go wrong in life without having active spirits (see Galatians 5:13-21 for example).
Don’t get me wrong here. These are examples of what can go wrong in our lives, not that people are like this in general. However, as we continue, we will see how renewed life in our spirits helps us to become better people and to have a better life.
From the Hebrews verse, we find how the Word of God divides the soul and the spirit, using the analogy of joints and marrow.
The joints in our bodies are the places where two or more bones meet to allow movement.
The marrow in our bodies is the source of life-giving blood. Without the marrow that is found inside our bones, we would not survive. It is in the marrow that our blood stem cells develop into life-giving blood.
Putting these two definitions together, the joints become our active working bodies and soul. The marrow would be on a higher, essential plane that provides us with our spiritual life.
While our souls speak to who we are through mind, heart, will, imagination and dreams, our thoughts and desires and decision-making, as well as our life experiences, our spirits are that same inner life than defines us as we connect to the Holy Spirit of God.
It is the spiritual connection that helps us transcend our souls and connect to God’s love, faith, hope, trust and more.
While the soul is our life, the spirit transcends the soul and opens us to a life filled with God’s mercy and grace.
Some refer to the spirit within us as the spark of God given inside of us from birth. This spark is what awakens inside us when we choose to come to God by believing in his son Jesus as our Savior.
Upon believing that Christ died for our sins to save us and give us eternal life, the Holy Spirit is poured upon us to help us in our lives (see also Acts 2:38 and Galatians 4:6).
When Paul wrote his letter to the believers in Rome between A.D. 55 to 58, he explained to them the sacrifice of Jesus, and how, when we choose to believe in Christ, our spirits come to life as we receive the Holy Spirit (Romans 3:21-31 and Romans 8:1-2, 5-8).
The Word of God, as found in the New Testament, speaks to us over and over about our spirits connecting with the Holy Spirit to renew our relationship with God.
In 1 Corinthians 2:12-14, we see these scriptures written by Paul, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”
Going to Galatians 5:16-17, we learn how the desires of our fleshly/worldly life (in the soul) are opposed to the desires of the Holy Spirit. Paul advises people to stay close to God and walk by the Spirit.
From Galatians 5:13-21, Paul shows us the difference between walking without the Spirit and walking with the Spirit, emphasizing that as we walk with our spiritual connection to God, we will no longer be attracted to the sinful nature found in our souls.
Instead, more and more we will be able to discern what is bad for us and stay away from it.
Then in verses 22-23, we read of the fruits (the benefits given to us freely) from the Holy Spirit as we continue to walk in the Spirit staying close to God in our faith.
While we do not become perfect human beings when the spark inside our spirits experiences renewal by the Holy Spirit, life does become better for us. Our trust and faith in God grows and grows.’
We become more confident in who we are because we know we can trust in God’s mercy and grace. We can see things clearer with better focus, as we discern right from wrong. And the list goes on.
In summary, the sameness of soul and spirit is that both of them include who we truly are as human beings.
The difference is that the spirit takes us to another level, making us aware of God as our righteous, compassionate leader.
