The Spiritually Controlled Soul
The Bible makes a distinction between soul and spirit. But why?
For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.
Romans 7:18, ESV
The Bible reveals that spirit is life. In the beginning the first man was lifeless until he received “the breath of life” from the Lord God (Genesis 2:7). When Adam died his spirit departed and his body was lifeless again. “The body without the spirit is dead” (James 2:26; see also Ecclesiastes 12:7). All who come after Adam are given breath and spirit (see Isaiah 42:5), and those who give their lives to Christ receive the Holy Spirit.
God Himself is Spirit (see John 4:24), and it is the Spirit Who gives us spiritual life (6:63). God’s Spirit lives in those who have believed in Christ, who were formerly dead in sin and under wrath (see Ephesians 2 and Romans 5:9). It’s crucial we fully understand our spiritual position in Christ and recognise the dangers of being dominated and contaminated by self. When we are humbly submitted to Christ’s authority each day, God’s indwelling Spirit will enable us to confront our natural inclinations. In this condition we can more fully understand His will.
When we place our faith in Christ we are born anew and enter into a spiritual relationship with God. It is a spiritual birth: “That which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6); “You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him” (Romans 8:9); “Jesus Christ is in you” (2nd Corinthians 13:5). The Lord Jesus Christ is the Spirit.
Christ in us is life, strength and deliverance from sin and death. He is “our life” (Colossians 3:4). The Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from sin and death (Romans 8:2). Because we have been made alive with Him (Ephesians 2:5), our bodies are now the dwelling place of God: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” (1st Corinthians 6:19).
Living sinfully will always weaken us (Psalm 31:10), but the Spirit of the Lord within us is our strength: “Strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” (Ephesians 3:16, 17).
Christ in us is spiritual understanding. The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirits that we are His children (Romans 8:16). “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God” (1st Corinthians 2:12). (Also read John 14:26; Romans 8:26, 27; 1st Corinthians 6:17; Galatians 2:20; 1st John 2:20; 27.)
It’s important to remember that when we are sensitive to God’s direction it will always tally with the balanced fullness of His written Word. It's therefore essential that we are very familiar with Bible teaching. His Word is a light to our path; it shines in our spirits, examining our innermost places (Psalm 119:105 and Proverbs 20:27).
Each day invite Him to speak to you in your “heart” (consider Ephesians 1:18). While following his righteous paths, learn to enjoy the fullness of your salvation, and have a heart that is willing to hear and respond to His Holy Spirit (Psalm 51:12).
His Holy Spirit is inner Life to us and searches the depths of God comprehending His thoughts. In response to our growing faith, God’s Spirit teaches us all things and reinforces His Truth in and through our spirits. “But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ” (1st Corinthians 2:15, 16).
We must take time to grasp His will for us so we can work for Him constructively. His truth within us will be living and active, bringing a spiritual understanding that will make us complete and proficient, thoroughly equipping us for every good work (see Hebrews 4:12; 2nd Timothy 3:17).
Ongoing failure to hear from God—not having a spirit and mind that imbibe His wisdom and revelation—is a spiritual deafness that causes us to be governed by self. There are times when we need to spiritually discern God’s will for us (1st Corinthians 2:14). He desires to give us “a spirit [or Spirit] of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him…that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened” (Ephesians 1:17, 18); “Be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians 1:9).
Do we truly believe that “nothing good” dwells in us, that in our own strength and wisdom we will accomplish nothing for Him? If so, we know that whatever comes entirely from self will always be unsound and at best questionable. The soul is the seat of a person’s personality. It is the very fullness of self.
The soul is the natural essence of who someone is, with or without God’s influence. It is our intrinsic built-in identity. It consists of the mind’s thoughts, with all its emotions and intentions, preferences and dislikes, and so on. It’s condition and inclinations should be determined by the regular application of God’s Truth:
“For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart. And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, and revealed to the eyes of Him with whom we have to give account” (Hebrews 4:12, 13, Amplified Bible).
It is the Spirit alone Who brings inner life and spiritual insight. Fallen human nature is always contrary to the mind of Christ. It cannot be otherwise. We will profit from His Spiritual Life when we are changed by Christ’s Word working within us. (Consider John 6:63.) His Word is to live in us richly (Colossians 3:16).
God intends that his truths and commands within us should become much more than mere knowledge of Bible texts. His living truths will take us far beyond dry intellectual understanding. His Word is the rich and living truth of the Spirit that stirs up faith, love and godly zeal.
If by faith we hear and embrace the balanced fullness of God’s Word, we can be sure it will show us how to please God and accomplish His will. His living and active Truth will reveal where we need to change. It will teach us how to grow spiritually. With God’s help, then, we must remain grounded “in the teaching of Christ” (2nd John 9).
We should remember too in passing that we are responsible before God for controlling our bodies. When His living Word isn’t active within us, the isolation of soul (self) from spirit won’t take place and we may be tempted to use our bodies sinfully. In other words, when we are not walking by God’s Spirit (Galatians 5:16-23) the impulses of our old fallen nature will rise up encouraging us to do what’s wrong.
We know that we are commanded to glorify God in our bodies. (Read 1st Corinthians 6:19, 20.) Allowing God’s dynamic Word to actively expose our fleshly nature is essential if we are to keep the whole person set apart and centred on His will.
To successfully resist all our self-centred inclinations and motivations we must be able to quickly identify what comes from self, the soul. And when we are Spirit-led and have the self under control, we will be equipped to resist our spiritual enemy.
Soul-centric believers will rarely, if ever, experience the division of the soul and spirit. They are too easily controlled by “carnal” ways of thinking. Those who are controlled largely by self may sincerely enjoy the formal trappings of religious experience yet never know a deeper spiritual walk with God that works against their flesh and steadily expands their inner understanding. The Bible describes the spiritually immature in this way:
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?
1st Corinthians 3:1-3
In the letter by James we read that “soulish” behaviour was causing unrest among believers: “Such wisdom does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual [Greek: ‘soulish’*], demonic” (3:15). (Also consider Judas in John 13:2; 6:70; 13:27.)
Among those James was writing to, the wayward inclinations of self were a very disruptive force. And of course the same is true today in our local churches. Crucially, the scripture here also reveals that the characteristics of earthly, unspiritual people in the church are associated with the wicked works of our spiritual enemies.
The ways of our fallen nature will always help our enemy. James appeals to the wise and understanding to instead cultivate peace and to sow the fruit of righteousness among God's people. God's dividing work in our lives will always produce a Christ-centred harmony that displays the fruit of the Spirit according to His living Word.
To avoid fleshly, disruptive behaviour, your soul needs to be submissive to God's Holy Spirit through your spirit where God resides. You need his inner dynamic truths and presence to ‘divide’ you and show you the full extent of what is untrustworthy and carnal in your life, even though at times you may be convinced you do not need help and correction. Self is routinely delusional.
Your human nature is thoroughly corrupt (see Genesis 8:21, Jeremiah 17:9 and Matthew 15:19). Self is the full expression of our fallen soul-life. It is by nature contrary to Christ’s influence and control. To enjoy all that God would share with us, self with its many thoughts and intentions must be divided from the spirit, where God lives. With self exposed, judged and brought under control, we will freely hear from God. His powerful word will become alive within us, exalting Christ in our lives.
If by faith we are willing, His Spirit can perfectly reveal the self-serving nature of our innermost motivations and thoughts. If we prayerfully yearn to distrust and deny self, we will experience life according to God’s will.
We will live according to the Spirit when we habitually set our minds on the things of the Spirit (see Romans 8:5). In other words, we will be sensitive to the “mindset of the Spirit” (consider 8:6, 7 in the CSB; “spiritually minded”, NASB). Such sensitivity will reshape our thinking and conduct.
If a division doesn’t regularly take place, we will be more likely to depend on our own perceptions, abilities and intellect while trying to follow Christ. But we are warned not to lean on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). It’s foolish to trust our own minds (28:26). If the soul dominates our Christian identity we will be vulnerable to other dangers. If we remain “soulish” we will struggle in vain against the works of the flesh, sometimes with dreadful results.
Those who are literally full of themselves cannot be led by God’s Spirit in their spirits. Their efforts will revolve around self. They will be blind to the fact that their activities may in fact be unproductive and even harmful. Human effort can never further the work of God. Success and popularity are no recommendation.
Many of those who are governed by self have a tendency to be wordy and crushingly intellectual, overbearingly eager to share what they know. Their thinking is often shaped by their predilections and hobby-horses. For example, King James Version Onlyism is a modern example of just how forceful and controlling the soul can be.
There are many believers who regularly take delight in discussing irrelevancies, or in being different to the majority. Soulish believers who are very knowledgeable (or think they are) often focus on getting the better of those around them rather than humbly sharing their knowledge in the hope they might enrich others in their walk with God.
Some have influential and magnetic personalities that draw many Christians to ideologies and causes that hamper the work of God, cause confusion and result in distracting quarrels and damaging conflicts.
Soul-driven believers are often content with a comfortable religious routine that rarely exposes them to God’s instruction and correction. Others are religiously self-righteous. Many instances of disharmony are caused by the stubborn work of the soul, often through those who, lacking humility, see themselves as being able to teach. But teaching from the soul is precarious. This is why an illiterate person who comes to Christ can have spiritual wisdom, understanding and authority found lacking in those who have been to seminary.
We know that the human spirit has been made alive in Christ through faith in Him and His sacrificial work. By prayerfully and faithfully remaining in Christ and heeding His teaching, we will experience a spiritual awareness that overcomes the potent impulses of the soul (self, with all of its thoughts and intentions).
In this standing the human spirit can have a dual awareness: through the Holy Spirit Who dwells within, each spirit can effectively evaluate a person’s thoughts and also be free to know the mind of Christ. (Consider 1st Corinthians 2:9-16.)
We have been crucified with Christ. “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:24, 25, ESV). We will keep in step with the Spirit if we heed His Word and allow Him to expose those carnal characteristics that are deeply rooted in our personalities and behaviour.
In claiming our death with Christ, and by actively abiding in Him daily, our souls will gradually be conformed into His image. When we fully acknowledge nothing good dwells in us, we will allow the Holy Spirit to work freely through our spirits. In this way we will be subjected to His will. We will be changed.
The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
2nd Corinthians 3:17, ESV
Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”
John 14:23, ESV
* NET Bible note: “Grk ‘soulish,’ which describes life apart from God, characteristic of earthly human life as opposed to what is spiritual. Cf. 1 Cor 2:14; 15:44-46; Jude 19.”
Unless noted, Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible.