Rightly Dividing Man: Spirit, Soul, and Body

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Someone has said that man is a three part being: part is spirit, part is soul, and part is body. But I don’t like to say it that way because it’s misleading. Actually, man is a spirit; he’s not part spirit. He’s a spirit being. He has a soul --mind, will, and emotions -and he lives in a body.

When expressed like that, the true nature of man takes on a different significance than just saying “part” of him is spirit,"part"of him is soul, and"part" of him is body.
In the Bible we see the way God divides man.
God distinguishes the difference between the spirit, soul, and body of man. If a person’s spirit, soul, and body are one, why does the Bible divide them?

**Text:1 THESSALONIANS 5:23

23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole SPIRIT and SOUL and BODY be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We need to understand man’s nature because the devil works through man’s Eve physical senses and his unredeemed soul and body to try to defeat him. When a believer understands that, he can close the door to the devil by renewing his mind his soul and keeping his body his flesh under the dominion of his recreated spirit. That’s essential in standing victorious against the devil.

Believers must learn how to let the real man -the spirit man on the inside dominate their soul and body. That will solve many problems as far as the devil is concerned. As believers let their recreated spirits dominate, they will learn how not to give the devil any access spirit, soul, or body.

You see, much of what is being called the “devil” or demonic activity in the church world today is not demon activity at all. It’s man’s unregenerated soul and flesh dominating his recreated spirit. When the believer understands that, he will readily be able to determine what is and what is not demonic activity and undergird his soul to stand strong against the enemy’s attacks.

Text:2 CORINTHIANS 5:17

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, HE is A NEW creature old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new

You need to understand that it’s not the outward man man’s body -that becomes a new creature. It’s the inward man -man’s Spirit -that becomes a new creature in Christ. If you had red hair before you are born again. If you were baldheaded before you were saved, you are still baldheaded.

The outward man doesn’t change in the new birth, and neither does the soul of man -his mind, will, and emotions. Only the man on the inside changes. Old things are passed away and all things are become new in man’s recreated spirit when he’s born again, not in his soul or body.

Because all things have not become new in your body or soul in the new birth, that means you still have your outward man to deal with. As long as you are in your body, you will have the desires of the fleshly carnal nature and the unredeemed soul to control. And that is the realm where Satan tries to gain access to man.

Dividing the Soul and Spirit

It is easy to distinguish between the body and soul of man because that difference is obvious. But it is more difficult to divide or distinguish between man’s soul and spirit. The Bible does not say that man’s soul and spirit are the same thing.

It will help your spiritual growth immeasurably to know the difference between your spirit and soul, because to stand strong against the devil you will need to learn how to renew your mind and feed spirit.

To gain a better understanding of your nature, it would help you to go through this process in your thinking:

With my spirit, I contact the spiritual realm. With my soul, I contact the intellectual and emotional realm. With my body, I contact the physical realm.

Text:Hebrews 4:12

12 For the word of GOD is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart

There has not been much sound, biblical teaching about how to distinguish the difference between the spirit and soul of man. I’ve read textbooks used in theological seminaries, and the way they present this subject is confusing. Some Bible teachers say that the soul and the spirit are the same. But the Bible divides them so it stands to reason they aren’t the same thing. It would be just as unscriptural to say that the spirit and soul are the same as it would be to say that the body and soul are the same.