The Division Of Soul And Spirit
Hebrews 4:12
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any
two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of
joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
(Heb 4:12).
Notice that there is a
division between the soul (psyche) and the spirit. The soul is the conscious
part of the mind, and the spirit is the subconscious part. The word of God is a
discerner of the thoughts (the understanding) and the intents (motives) of the
spirit. God’s word discerns between the thoughts of the conscious mind (the
soul) and the intents of the subconscious spirit.
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Dreams
Come To The Spirit In Symbols
When Joseph dreamed, God did not tell him in literal terms that
his family would bow to him. He had to interpret with the understanding of the
soul what the symbols of the spirit meant. “God
is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John
4:24). God communicates firstly with man’s spirit, and then requires us to
worship in understanding truth with the help of the Holy Spirit. We must
worship first in spirit and secondly in truth (understanding).
Not all dreams come from
God. Most dreams come from our own fears and concerns.
Have you ever wondered why
Hebrews 4:12 says the word of God divides joints and marrow? When the priest
worshipped, he would cut up the animal.
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Worship
Has To Do With Sacrifice
It involves a “piercing of joints and
marrow” with a sharp two-edged sword. Even devoting the Canaanites to
destruction was worship. They were devoting them to God. The same is true when
we praise God in worship. “Let the high praises of God be in
their mouth, And a two-edged sword in their hand, 7 To execute vengeance
on the nations, And punishments on the peoples; 8 To bind their kings
with chains, And their nobles with fetters of iron; 9 To execute on them
the written judgment-- This honor have all His saints. Praise the LORD!” (Psalm 149:6-9)
God commands us to present our
bodies as a living sacrifice. God’s word cuts us in pieces, piercing even to the division of joints and
marrow.
When Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s
dream, we see a good example of the division of soul and spirit.
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God Spoke To Pharaoh’s Spirit
Joseph said, “God has shown
Pharaoh what He is about to do”
(Gen41:28). God had shown it to
Pharaoh’s spirit, but not to his understanding (his soul). Because Joseph had
the gift of interpreting dreams, he was able to bridge the gap from the spirit
to the soul, from the subconscious part of the heart to the understanding, from
the intentions of the heart to the understanding of the thoughts. He was able
to pierce even to the division of soul and spirit and to discern the thoughts
and the intentions of the heart. Interpretations Belong To
God.
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Note
The Difference Between Spirit And Soul
Paul said, “I will pray with the spirit, and I will also
pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing
with the understanding” (1Co 14:15). “For
if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful” (1Cor 14:14). Paul identifies the
understanding with the soul. The Greek word for soul is psyche. Pscyhe means
being. It has to do with conscious understanding of the natural world.
By the way, you can pray in
the spirit without the gift of tongues. You can pray with groans that cannot be
uttered. “the Spirit Himself makes
intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26.)
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The
Greek Word For “Soulish” Is Translated “Natural”
…in 1 Cor 2:14. “the natural man does not receive the things
of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned.” Notice the contrast between what
is soulishly discerned and what is spiritually discerned.
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God
Says False Teachers Are Soulish
Jude said they are “sensual
persons… not having the Spirit” (Jude 19). The Greek word that is
translated sensual comes from the
word soul, psychicos. It means soulish. They
get their doctrine from either from being purely cerebral of from being too
emotional. Both extremes are soulish. We will not understand God’s word until
we can discern the difference. Pray for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of
Christ.
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How
Can We Know If We Are Soulish?
“But
if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie
against the truth 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is
earthly, sensual, demonic” (James 3:14). For example, when a man gets
bitter and angry in defending his interpretation of the Bible, “This wisdom does not descend from above, but
is earthly, soulish, demonic.” One time Frank and I dealt with a young man
that started screaming and stormed out mad when we suggested a different
interpretation. His reaction was definitely earthly, soulish, and demonic.
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Prophets
And Teachers
God spoke to the prophets in
visions, dreams, and symbols. “I have
also spoken by the prophets, And have multiplied visions; I have given symbols
through the witness of the prophets” (Hosea 12:10). The prophets did not
always understand their visions. The job of the teacher is to interpret the
visions of the prophets. But they need to have the wisdom that descends from
above.
“Now in the church that was
at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers” (Acts 13:1).
Moses was a teacher. God said, “If there is a prophet among you, I,
the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. 7
Not so with My servant Moses... 8 I speak with him face to face, Even
plainly, and not in dark sayings” (Num 12:6-8). Visions and dreams are dark sayings. Moses
was a teacher, but he needed the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in order to
teach from his spirit. He needed “understanding
in the visions of God” like it says of Zechariah
(2Chron 26:5).
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Should
We Pray For A Spirit Of Wisdom And Revelation?
Ephesians
1:16-18
Some
say the days for that ceased when the New Testament was completed.
Paul said, I do not cease… making mention of you in my prayers: 17* that …
the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the
knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened.
If
we think that way, we are soulish. On the other hand, the one that’s always
saying, “God told me this and God told me that” is probably also soulish. Read
my blog on “The errors of the Charismatic movement.”
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Soulish
Men Like Soulish Teaching
… because it’s down on their level.
It’s earthly. It’s simple. But they think it is spiritual just to know memorize
the Bible and know the stories.
False
teaching is soulish. For example soulish teaching says, “Everything in the
vision of Revelation is literal.” Soulish teaching also says the opposite. It
says, “The historical parts are only symbolic and not literal.”
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Why
Is This Teaching On Soul And Spirit Important?
It’s
important in counseling people and winning souls. It is possible for a person
to have truth in his spirit, but not yet in his understanding. We need to
discern this and be patient with him. Don’t force him or expect him to
understand everything yet.
How
can we discern if he does not have it in his heart yet? We can certainly tell
if he has bitter envy and calls people names when they disagree with him. This
wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, soulish, and devilish.
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Are
You Ready To Get Cut In Pieces?
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any
two-edged sword, piercing even to the
division of soul and spirit, and of joints
and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
(Heb 4:12).
“I
beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable
service. 2* And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable
and perfect will of God.
