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Scripture Reading: 1 Thes. 5:23; Heb. 4:12; 1 Cor. 2:14
We have seen that by the sense of the spirit we can know the spirit. Now we will see the difference between the soul and the spirit. If we can discern the difference between the soul and the spirit, we then can deny the soul and be delivered from the soul in all matters of our living and service in order to live before God by the spirit and serve God by the spirit.
Ordinarily, people confuse the soul and the spirit, thinking that they are the same thing. 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. However, the Bible tells us that within man, besides the soul, there is the spirit. First Thessalonians 5:23 does not speak only of the “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 and proper spiritual knowledge in service, we must know that the spirit and the soul are two different things, and we must be able to differentiate the soul from the spirit, discerning what is the soul and what is the spirit, what is soulish and what is spiritual.
First Corinthians 2:14-15 speaks of two classes of men. One is the 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 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. The soul, however, cannot handle or understand the things of the Spirit of God. The spirit delights in appreciating and receiving the things of God, but the soul does not. 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 a man lives by the flesh, he is of the flesh and not of the spirit. Likewise, when a man lives by the soul, he is of the soul and not of the spirit. When speaking of the flesh, Romans 8 emphasizes its relationship to sin; therefore, all who sin are fleshly. However, 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 truly understand the things of the Spirit of God or that we can perceive, apprehend, appreciate, and receive the things of God. We often think that if we could only be freed from sin and cease from indulging the flesh, we could then be spiritual, communicate with God, and understand the things of the Spirit of God. No, this is not necessarily so. It is quite possible that, though we seem to have been freed from sin and have ceased from indulging the flesh, 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 that we become a spiritual man. It is quite possible that a man of good morals is a soulish man, a man who lives by the soul. Thus, a brother or 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, “A soulish man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God...and he is not able to know them.” This word speaks clearly and thoroughly concerning the condition of the soul as to the things of the Spirit of God. The soul “does not receive” the things of the Spirit of God and “is not able to know them.” The soul does not desire the things of the Spirit of God, nor can it receive them. Even if it wants to, it cannot, because it is not able to 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 they cannot understand spiritual things, and they do not seek them. They evaluate themselves and others by the standard of human morality, good and evil, right or 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 their heart; they are not only slow in understanding but 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 ways of God from within, and having proficiency in spiritual things. Goodness and spirituality are very different. Many brothers and sisters are good, but they are not spiritual; they are good, but they do not live in the spirit. You touch goodness in them, but you do not touch 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 fleshly, yet they definitely are soulish. Though they do not give rein to the flesh, they also do not live in the spirit. Though they do not live in sin, yet they live in themselves. 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, they live by the self, which is the soul. The soul is the source of their life and the medium of their living. They are soulish people, living in the soul and by the soul. Therefore, they do not desire spiritual things, neither can they understand them.
The soul is our personality, our ego; therefore, the soul is our self. That which is included in our 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 remembering 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 person who does not live according to his thought. Thus, 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 gain him, because man lives in the mind, which is the intellect, 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.
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 strong in his decision and determination. 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.
The soul is comprised of these three parts—mind, emotion, and will. These three parts are simultaneously present in everyone. Everyone has a mind, 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 and very quick in their mind. Whenever something comes up, they think carefully before acting. If they have not thought things through, 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 intellect; they are the intellectual ones.
Some especially abound in emotion. It seems as if they do not have a mind 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 win them over, but if you shed a few 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 for reason. They decide and plan 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.
Regardless of whether a man is in the mind, in the emotion, or in the will, he is soulish. Regardless of whether a man lives in the mind, in the emotion, or in the will, he lives in the soul. Regardless of whether a man lives by the mind, by the emotion, or by the will, he lives by the soul. Therefore, it is very easy for us to judge whether a man is soulish. We only need to see whether or not he acts by the mind, emotion, or will, and whether or not he lives in the mind, emotion, or will. As long as he acts and behaves by any one of these three, or as long as he lives in any one of these three, he is a soulish man.
A soulish man often is what is called “a good man.” He is frequently faultless in man’s eyes. Clear thinking always brings the praise of men to those who act by it. Moderate emotion always brings the approval of men to those who live in it. A firm will also often brings the commendation of men to those who rely on it. But when a man lives in these, though he is not living in sin, he is also not living in the spirit. Though before men he seems to be without sin and faultless, before God his spirit is blocked, and his spiritual understanding is dull.
Once in a certain place I met a co-worker. His conduct was very good, but he lived too much in the mind, or in the intellect; therefore, it was difficult for him to understand or comprehend spiritual things. Whenever I spoke to him concerning matters of serving God, I was quite fearful that his eyes would roll. When I spoke, he would listen until he almost got the point, and then his eyes would roll, and he became confused again. When his eyes were rolling, it meant that his mind was considering. He only used his mind to consider; he did not use his spirit to sense the things of God. Therefore, it was exceedingly difficult for him to understand and sense spiritual things.
Thinking is frequently the difficulty and hindrance of the brothers in spiritual things. Many brothers often use thinking to deal with spiritual things, and they use their intellect to touch the matters of the service. They think that they can understand spiritual things by exercising their mind. They do not know that the mind, being part of the soul, cannot understand the spirit. A man living in the mind lives in the soul and definitely becomes a soulish man with no ability to understand spiritual things.
Just as the mind is the difficulty of the brothers in spiritual things, so the emotion is frequently the hindrance of the sisters. The reason many sisters cannot understand or sense spiritual things is that they are too much in the emotion. In the churches in various places I have seen many good sisters who have enthusiasm and love, who are careful in their behavior, and whose conduct is sober; yet when it comes to spiritual things, they lack consciousness, and they can hardly apprehend them. This is because they live too much in their emotion and act too much by their emotion. Apparently, emotion is not sin, but emotion prevents them from living in the spirit, from touching the things of God by their spirit, from having any spiritual sense, and from understanding spiritual things. Emotion is their pitfall; it keeps them in the sphere of the soul, living by the soul and being a soulish person.
For many brothers the will is also a difficulty and hindrance to their understanding the spiritual things. Even some sisters have this problem. They judge and decide on matters too much by their will, so unknowingly they live in the soul, having no spiritual sense or understanding in spiritual things.
Whichever part of the soul a person is in, he very easily acts by that part and lives in that part. Whenever one who is in the mind encounters anything, he naturally thinks through the matter again and again, considering it from many angles. One who is in the emotion unconsciously cares very much for the emotion in dealing with others and handling things. A person with a strong will very easily leans on his will in dealing with people and matters. Whichever part of the soul a person lives in easily and naturally, he definitely belongs to that part. If you see a person who very naturally thinks, considers, weighs, and measures every matter, you can be sure he must be one who acts by the intellect; therefore, he is one who is in the mind. If a person is easily stirred up when facing things, smiling and weeping quickly, happy for one moment and depressed the next, you know that he must be one who abounds in emotion and is emotional. If, whenever you encounter things, you plan and decide without any effort, and your will comes out to deal and function without any special exercise on your part, then undoubtedly you are one who is strong in will and who is in the will. Whichever part of the soul is strong or abounds in a person, it is always the part that is in the forefront whenever he encounters anything and deals with it. Whichever part of a person’s soul takes the lead in dealing with things, it is a proof that he is in that particular part, and it is also a proof that he is a soulish man.
If we can recognize what kind of person is soulish, it is not difficult to realize what kind of person is spiritual. Since a soulish person lives by the mind, emotion, or will, a spiritual person must be one who does not live by these. Since a soulish person lives by the soul and not by the spirit, then a spiritual person must live in the spirit and not in the soul. Although spiritual persons also have souls, and although the mind, emotion, or will in their soul may even be stronger and abound more than that of ordinary soulish persons, yet they do not live by these soulish organs, nor do they live in them. They live by the spirit and in the spirit, and they allow the spirit to be the master and source of their action and behavior. The spirit in them occupies the preeminent position; it is the source of their behavior and starting point of their action. The soul in them is in the position of submission. Although the mind, emotion, and will in their souls also function, these are all subjected under the ruling of the spirit and are directed by the spirit. Although they use their mind, emotion, or will, they always follow the sense of the spirit in using these organs of the soul. They are not like soulish persons, who let the soul be the master in everything, who allow the mind, emotion, or will of the soul to stand in the forefront to lead and to function. They deny the preeminence of the soul and refuse the leading of the mind, emotion, or will. Thus, they allow the spirit to be the master in them. They allow the spirit to direct their whole being so that they may follow the sense of the spirit. Whenever they encounter something, they do not first use the mind, emotion, or will of the soul to contact and deal with it. Rather, they use their spirit first to touch and to sense it, seeking first in the spirit for the Lord’s feeling as to this matter. After they have touched the Lord’s feeling in their spirit, they use the mind in the soul to understand the sense in the spirit, the emotion in the soul to express it, and the will in the soul to carry it out. Although they use the organs of the soul, they are not soulish, and they do not live by the life of the soul. They are spiritual, living by the life of the spirit, and the soul is simply an organ for them to employ.
We have seen that a fallen man, dead in spirit, can only live by the soul. But we who are saved and have an enlivened spirit can live by the spirit. Furthermore, God saves us so that we can return to the spirit and live by the spirit. The fall of man caused man to fall from the spirit to the soul so that man no longer lives by the spirit but by the soul. God’s salvation saves man from the soul to the spirit so that man does not live by the soul but by the spirit. However, many who are saved still do not live this way. Some remain in the soul and live by the soul because they do not know the difference between the spirit and the soul and the matters involved therein. Moreover, they do not know that God’s desire is that they be delivered from the soul and live in the spirit. There are some who know that their spirit has been enlivened, that it is different from their soul, and that God wants them to live in their spirit; nevertheless, they continue to remain in the soul and live by the soul. This is because they are accustomed to living by the soul and not by the spirit and because they do not consider living in the spirit important. These Christians, who do not know the difference between the spirit and the soul and do not know that God wants us to be delivered from the soul and live in the spirit, think that to live by the mind, emotion, or will of the soul is fitting and necessary. They also think that if they are careful and faultless, they are all right. However, they do not know that as far as Christians are concerned, this is far too poor.
God does not intend to deliver us merely from faults to a state of faultlessness. He intends to deliver us even more from the soul to the spirit. He wants us not only to live a faultless life but even more to live a spiritual life, a spiritually faultless life. He wants us to live a faultless life not by the soul but by the spirit. Yet because of their ignorance, many Christians still live by the soul, and they strive and struggle to be those that are faultless by their soul-life. Although their spirit has already been enlivened, they do not know that they should use their spirit and live by their spirit. They want to make themselves perfect men, living a satisfactory life by the power of the soul alone. Their view and judgment of things and their love and inclination are all in the soul, not in the spirit. Although they are well-behaved Christians, and their conduct and behavior are blameless, they still are living in the soul, not in the spirit. It may be granted that their thoughts are clean, their emotions are balanced, and their decisions are accurate, but they are still soulish, not spiritual. Their condition as far as Christians are concerned is abnormal. They are living the abnormal Christian life. Even if they are successful, they can only satisfy themselves. Sometimes some are truly satisfied with their success, a success that is truly doubtful. However, they cannot please God, for God wants man to be delivered from the soul and live by the spirit.
There are Christians who have some knowledge of the difference between the spirit and the soul and of God’s desire for us to be delivered from the soul and live in the spirit, yet they are still living by the soul. They are also living an abnormal Christian life. Although they know that their spirit has already been enlivened, they do not live by it. Although they know that God wants them to be delivered from the soul and live in the spirit, they still remain in the soul and live by the soul. Although they know that man should contact God in the spirit, they still use the soul to touch the things of God. They know they have a spirit, yet they do not use their spirit. They know they should live by the spirit, yet they do not live in the spirit. They find it convenient to use the mind, emotion, or will of the soul and are not accustomed to using the spirit. Hence, they neglect living by the spirit. Whenever anything happens, they always first use their mind, emotion, or will to deal with it. They do not first use their spirit to contact it. At most they can only be good and faultless Christians, although this is really doubtful. However, they cannot be spiritual Christians. They can only satisfy themselves; they cannot please God. They can only be commended by men; they cannot receive the praise of God. They still need the deliverance of God—not deliverance from sin but deliverance from the soul and not deliverance from the filthy flesh condemned by men but deliverance from the clean soul commended by men. Otherwise, they are still strangers and outsiders to the things of the Spirit of God.
How can we be delivered from the soul? This requires revelation from two standpoints, one concerning the soul and the other concerning the cross. We must see that the soul is impotent in the things of God and worthless in spiritual things. No matter how excellent and strong any part of our soul may be, it still cannot apprehend the things of God or understand spiritual things. However clean our mind, however balanced our emotion, and however proper our will, these can never make us spiritual. We must also see that our soul and all things that belong to it have already been crucified on the cross of Christ. In Galatians 2:20, when the apostle Paul says, “I am crucified with Christ,” the “I” he refers to is the soul. The soul, in God’s estimation, deserves only death. Moreover, our soul has already been taken care of by God through the cross of Christ. Hence, we should not value the things of our soul. Rather, we should only admit that our soul should die, that it deserves death, and that it is already dead. Such revelation and vision enable us to condemn the soul, deny the soul, reject the soul, forbid the soul to take the lead in all things, and in everything give no ground to the soul. By the Spirit we put the soul to death; we allow the Spirit to put to death the soul-life and to deal with the activity of the soul by the cross.
We must see how powerless the soul is before God, how it cannot comprehend the things of God and cannot please God. We must also see God’s estimation of the soul and how He deals with our soul. Only then can we deny the soul, reject the soul, and be delivered from the soul. Therefore, we must ask the Lord to make us see not only the impotence of the soul but also the dealing of the cross with the soul. Thus, in everything we will learn to reject the soul and not live by the soul. One who is in the mind should refuse his intellect in all spiritual things; he should put aside completely such functions as thinking and considering and return to the spirit, using the spirit to sense the consciousness of God. When he reads the Bible, prays, or speaks about spiritual things, he should refuse his thinking, imagining, theorizing, and investigating, and follow closely the sense in his spirit and move on in the fellowship of God. One who abounds in emotion should refuse his emotion in everything. He should not allow his emotion to lead and direct, but let the Spirit deal with his emotion. Thus, he can sense the will of God in the spirit. He should fear his emotion just as he fears sin, and in fear and trembling live in the spirit, not being directed or influenced by his emotion. One who is in the will should see his will as the enemy of God in the things of God, as the opponent of the spirit. Thus, he will condemn, refuse, and deny his will. He should allow the Holy Spirit to break his will by the cross so that he does not live before God by his firm and strong will but by the consciousness in his spirit.
Whichever part of the soul we are in, we should condemn and refuse it. Whether it is our mind, emotion, or will, they all should be broken and dealt with. In all the things of God, we should refuse the leading of the mind, emotion, and will. Rather, we should let the spirit occupy the first place to govern, direct, and employ our mind, emotion, and will. In this way we can be delivered from the soul. Then on the one hand, we can employ all the organs in the soul by our spirit, and on the other hand, we will not live by the soul. Hence, we will not be soulish but spiritual.
