We have been spending time getting to know who we are. “I am a spirit, I live in a body, and I have a soul, which is my mind, will and emotions.” Today we are going to discern the spirit from the soul. In other words, learn how to divide our soulish natural mind from the spirit’s mind we must follow. The soul is our mind, will and emotions, steered by the mechanism of decision; our heart. Our mind takes things in through thoughts. The will decides what to believe, and the emotions react to what we decide to believe. The soul is self. The soul covers our spirit, but needs to be renewed or broken to obey spiritual truth, not carnal natural worldly truth. Our spirit should reign.
1 Corinthians 2:14: The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. Berean Natural – psuchikos- soul, self, mental rational being
The natural man is the soul, or self. It is me. It is my rational being that is alive, and guides me by decisions I make. So when we speak of the natural man, we are speaking of us as human beings, what we think, what we believe based on worldly views, not spiritual views. The soul is self. It can be right if led by the spirit, and wrong, if led by the flesh and carnal mind-> world.
Ephesians 4: 17-23: 17 So I tell you this, and testify to it in the Lord: You must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sense of shame, they have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity, with a craving for more. 20 But this is not the way you came to know Christ. 21 Surely you heard of Him and were taught in Him, in keeping with the truth that is in Jesus, 22 to put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be renewed in the spirit of your minds; Berean
1 Corinthians 2:15, 16: 15 The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment. 16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. Berean
Matthew 16: 24-26: 24 Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? Berean
Luke 9: 23-25: 23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. 24 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. 25 “For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? NAS
Galatians 6:18: Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. KJ
Philemon 1:25: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. KJ
Romans 8:10: And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. KJ
Romans 8:5-8: 5 Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace, 7 because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s Law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the flesh cannot please God. Berean flesh – sarx – human nature with its frailties; human being; carnally minded
Galatians 5: 15-18: 15 But if you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out, or you will be consumed by each other.
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to one another, so that you do not do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Berean
The spirit and soul must be divided. We are to walk by listening to the mind of our spirit. Our soul must be broken because it covers up the spirit. Jesus told us 1) deny self (soul), 2) take up your cross, and 3) follow Him. Following Jesus means following the Word over our rationale soul. We must put our soul on the cross; crucify self. We deny our soul by turning our hearts to the Lord inwardly where God reigns with Jesus in the Holy Spirit. When you are in trouble, don’t know what to do, getting anxious and concerned, turn to Jesus inside you to find peace. The answer will come. Don’t rely on your own self, your own soul, your own rationale; rely on Jesus and the Father who live in the Holy Spirit inside your spirit. Turn inward, not outward!
Galatians 2:20: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. KJ
John 15:4: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. NAS
