We have seen the sense of the spirit and knowing the spirit; now we shall see the difference between the spirit and the soul.
The so-called psychologists analyze man and divide him into two parts: the metaphysical and the physical. The physical part refers to the body, and the metaphysical refers to the psyche, which is the soul spoken of in the Bible. They say that within the body of man there is only the psyche, the soul. But the Bible tells us that within man, besides the soul, there is the spirit. First Thessalonians 5:23 does not say only “soul” but “spirit and soul.” The spirit and the soul are two things and are different. Thus, Hebrews 4:12 speaks of the dividing of soul and spirit.
If we desire to have true spiritual growth in life, we must know that the spirit and the soul are two different things, and we must be able to discern what is the spirit and what is the soul, what is spiritual and what is soulish. If we can discern the difference between the spirit and the soul, we then can deny the soul, be delivered from the soul, and live by the spirit before God.
First Corinthians 2:14-15 speaks of two classes of man: one is the soulish man (the original text for “natural man” is “soulish man”), and the other is the spiritual man. This shows us that man can live by and belong to either of these two different things, the soul or the spirit. Man can either live by the soul and belong to the soul, thereby becoming a soulish man; or he can live by the spirit and belong to the spirit, thereby becoming a spiritual man. If a man is spiritual, he can then discern and receive the things of the Spirit of God; if, however, he is soulish, he cannot receive such things, and he cannot even know them. This makes it clear that the soul is in contrast to the spirit. The spirit can communicate with God and discern the things of the Spirit of God. To the soul the things of the Spirit of God are incongruous and inept. The spirit delights in appreciating and receiving the things of God, but the soul is not so; not only does it not receive such things, but it considers them foolish.
In the Bible, not only is there Romans 8, which shows us that the flesh is opposed to the spirit, but there is also 1 Corinthians 2, which shows us that the soul also is opposed to the spirit. When man lives by the flesh, he is of the flesh and not of the spirit; likewise, when man lives by the soul, he is of the soul and not of the spirit. Romans 8, when speaking of the flesh, emphasizes its relationship to sin; therefore, all who sin are fleshly. But the soul is not necessarily directly related to sin. Many times man may not sin and is not fleshly (as man sees it), yet still he is soulish and not spiritual. (Strictly speaking, when man is soulish, he is also fleshly, because the soul of man has fallen under the flesh. But when we speak of the soul itself, there is a difference between being of the soul and being of the flesh.) Thus, even if we do not sin and have been freed from sin, so that in man’s eyes we are not fleshly, this does not mean that we are necessarily spiritual and not soulish; neither does it mean that we can surely understand the things of the Spirit of God, or that we can apprehend, appreciate, and receive the things of God. We often think that if we could only be freed from sin and cease from running wild in the flesh, we could then be spiritual, communicate with God, and understand the things of the Spirit of God. No, it is not so certain. It is quite possible that, though we seem to have been freed from sin and no longer run wild in the flesh, yet we still live by the soul and not by the spirit.
The salvation of the Lord delivers us not only from sin and the flesh, but also from the soul. The purpose of the Lord’s salvation is not only that we should not be in sin and in the flesh, but also that we should not be in the soul, but in the spirit. His salvation would save us not only to the degree of morality that we become a moral man, but even more to the degree of spirituality so that we become a spiritual man. A man of good morals is not necessarily a spiritual man; on the contrary, it is quite possible that he is a soulish man, a man who lives by the soul. Thus, a brother or a sister may be very moral and very good; yet as to the spiritual things of God he or she may not be enlightened, may not desire or appreciate them, and even may not receive them, because he or she is living by the soul and is soulish.
First Corinthians 2:14 says: “the soulish man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God...and he cannot know them.” These words speak clearly and thoroughly concerning the condition of the soul as to the things of the Spirit of God. The soul “receiveth not” the things of the Spirit of God and “cannot know them.” The soul does not desire the things of the Spirit of God, nor can it receive them; even if it wants to receive them, it cannot, because it cannot know or understand them. The nature of the soul is not in accord with the things of the Spirit of God; therefore, it neither wants nor receives the things of God. Moreover, it also has no ability to know the things of God. Therefore, as to the things of the Spirit of God, a man living by the soul has no feeling, no interest, and no desire; neither does he seek them, receive them, or even understand them. For this reason God must deliver us from the soul so that we do not live by the soul; then He can make us love, understand, and receive the things of His Spirit.
We must be clear concerning the impotence of the soul in spiritual things and regard it as an important matter. The soul does not receive the things of the Spirit of God and neither can it know them. A brother or sister who lives by the soul can be very good, well-behaved, and virtuous, but he or she definitely cannot know spiritual things and may not even thirst for spiritual things. I have met many such brothers and sisters. They are very careful in their conduct, and their behavior may be said to be faultless, yet as to spiritual things they have a mental block, and they do not seek them. They evaluate themselves and others by the standard of human morality, good and evil, right and wrong, and in all matters they are short of the consciousness and insight of the Spirit of God. It may be that they are clear in their mind and strong in their intellect, but they are not enlightened in their spirit, and the consciousness of their spirit is insensitive. You may call them good Christians, but you cannot call them spiritual Christians. As far as their conduct is concerned, they are really good. They know how to behave and how to handle things; they are intelligent and alert, diligent and thorough. But as soon as they touch the things of the Spirit of God, they are lost. It is as if they were wood or stone, with no consciousness or understanding faculty at all. Moreover, toward spiritual things they are often cold in heart; they are not only slow in understanding, they are also slothful in seeking.
Hence, good Christians are not necessarily spiritual Christians. Spiritual Christians are not merely good in their behavior; they live in the spirit, having the sense of the spirit, understanding spiritual things, knowing the way of God from within, and having proficiency in spiritual things. Goodness and spirituality are very different. Many brothers and sisters are good, but not spiritual; they are good, but they do not live in the spirit. You meet goodness in them, but you do not meet the spirit. You see the virtues of man in them, but you do not smell the savor of God. From a certain standpoint, they do not seem to be in the flesh, yet they definitely are in the soul. Though they do not give rein to the flesh, they also do not live in the spirit; though they do not approve of sinful things, they also do not thirst after spiritual things; though they do not sin according to the flesh, yet they live by self, which is the soul. The soul is the source of their life, and it is also the means of their living. They are soulish people, living in the soul and by the soul; therefore they do not desire spiritual things, and neither can they understand them.
The soul is our individual personality, our ego; therefore, the soul is our self. That which is included in the soul, analytically speaking, is the mind, the emotion, and the will—these three parts. The mind is the organ of man’s thinking. It is what we usually speak of as the brain. (Physiologically it is the brain, and psychologically it is the mind.) It is the major part of the soul. Man’s thinking, meditating, considering, and memorizing are all functions of the mind in the soul. Man after the fall, especially today’s man, lives largely in the mind and is directed by the thoughts of the mind. As man thinks, so man behaves. Man’s action is always tied to man’s thought. There is hardly one who does not live in his thought. Thus, today, regardless of who or what we are considering, we must begin with man’s thought in order to win man’s mind. Nowadays, there are so many theories, schools, and educational methods, and they all have one aim: dealing with man’s thought to win man’s mind. If you can win a man’s mind by his thought, you can then win him, because man lives in the mind, which is the brain, and is directed by the thought of the mind.
The emotion in the soul is the organ of man’s love, anger, sorrow, and joy. Man loves, detests, rejoices, mourns, and is excited or depressed—these are all functions of the emotion in man’s soul. There are many who are emotional. They are rich in emotion and very easily stirred. They often deal with matters by their emotion. With such people, when you reason with them in thought, it is often difficult to get through; but you can very easily move their emotion. They cannot be easily persuaded in the mind by you, but in the emotion they are easily moved.
The will in the soul is the organ of man’s decision making. Man decides, determines, judges, chooses, receives, and refuses—these are all functions of the will in man’s soul. Some people are in the mind, some are in the emotion, and there are some who are in the will. Just as those who are in the mind or emotion live in their mind or emotion, so those who are in the will likewise live in their will. As the mind or emotion respectively is the strongest part of those who are in them, so is the will. One who is in the will, is definitely very strong in his decision. Once he has determined upon some course of action, you have no way to change him. You may reason with him, but he does not care for reason; you may appeal to him with emotion, but he has no regard for emotion. He is one who acts by his will and is in the will.
That which is in the soul are these three parts—mind, emotion, and will. These three parts are simultaneously present in every man. Every man has thought, emotion, and will. However, some are more in the mind, some are rich in emotion, and others are strong in the will.
Some are very clear in their thinking. No matter how you try to move them with emotion, it is impossible. If you want to win them, you must use reason. They are living in the mind, or the brain; they are the intellectual ones.
Some especially abound in emotion. It seems as if they do not have a brain and do not think, but have only emotion. Such people often make a mess of things by their emotion. If you reason with them, they frequently neither care nor understand and are not moved in their heart. If you deal with them with emotion, it is very easy to touch their inward part. A thousand or ten thousand reasons are not as powerful toward them as one or two tears. Sometimes, no matter how you reason with them, you cannot convince them; yet if you only shed some tears, you can win them over. They only care for emotion, not for reason. This is because they are not in the intellect, but in the emotion.
Some people’s will is especially strong. In everything they have some proposal or idea. And once they make a decision, they are very firm and cannot be easily changed. Such people usually are quite stable and stubborn, caring neither for emotion nor reason. In everything, by their obstinate will, they set forth ideas and establish policies. You reason with them, but they do not understand. You use emotion with them, but they are not moved. They are neither in the intellect nor in the emotion, but in the will.