Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
4/11/2022
The difference between the Spirit – Soul, and Conscience of man.
The Greek word for spirit is pneuma. It refers to the part of man that connects and communicates with God. Our spirit differs from our soul because our spirit is always pointed toward and exists exclusively for God, whereas our soul can be self-centered. The Bible teaches that we consist of body, soul, and spirit: "May your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus" (I Thessalonians 5:23). Our material bodies are evident, but our souls and spirits are less distinguishable.
In the preceding passage, the Greek word for soul is psuche. This word implies our mind, will, and desires as seen in our personal preferences, choices, and emotional responses to life's situations. Our soul is reflected in our personality.
While everyone's soul is fully active at birth, not everyone's spirit is, because when Adam fell the spirit died and was separated from God. Only in Christ is the spirit reconnected and reconciled: "At one time you were separated from God. But now Christ has made you God's friends again … by his death … " (Colossians 1:21-22).
Conscience: Reverend Billy Graham says, God has put within each of us a conscience — an inner sense of right and wrong. When King Solomon rebuked someone who had wronged his father, he said, “You know in your heart all the wrong you did” (1 Kings 2:44).
The Bible contains God's standard for right and wrong, but even those who have never even heard of the Bible still know the difference. Paul says that when those who don't have the Bible do what is right they show that God has placed a sense of right and wrong in their hearts.
“…since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness…” (Romans 2:15)
In his book, “The Abolition of Man,” C.S. Lewis says you can look at any culture from any time period anywhere in the world and see that human beings have basically the same sense of morality. Almost all cultures forbid murder, stealing, lying and cowardice. Lewis says that this is evidence that God has placed a conscience in us all”
Throughout the Bible, the Holy Spirit is referred to as the Breath of God. This name encapsulates both the Spirit's supernatural power and divine purpose. The Holy Spirit brings life and fills us with the power of God. John 20:22
“he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost”.
The human soul is central to the personhood of a human being. As George MacDonald said, “You don’t have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.” In other words, personhood is not based on having a body. A soul is what is required. Repeatedly in the Bible, people are referred to as “souls” (Exodus 31:14; Proverbs 11:30), especially in contexts that focus on the value of human life and personhood or on the concept of a “whole being” (Psalm 16:9-10; Ezekiel 18:4; Acts 2:41; Revelation 18:13).
The human soul is distinct from the heart (Deuteronomy 26:16; 30:6) and the spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 4:12) and the mind (Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27). The human soul is created by God (Jeremiah 38:16). It can be strong or unsteady (2 Peter 2:14); it can be lost or saved (James 1:21; Ezekiel 18:4). We know that the human soul needs atonement (Leviticus 17:11) and is the part of us that is purified and protected by the truth and the work of the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 1:22). Jesus is the great Shepherd of souls (1 Peter 2:25).
There is often confusion about the human spirit vs. the human soul. In places, Scripture seems to use the terms interchangeably, but there might be a subtle difference. Otherwise, how could the Word of God penetrate “even to dividing soul and spirit” (Hebrews 4:12)? When the Bible talks about man’s spirit, it is usually speaking of an inner force which animates a person in one direction or another. It is repeatedly shown as a mover, a dynamic force
(e.g., Numbers 14:24).
It has been said that there are only two things that last: the Word of God
(Mark 13:31) and the souls of men. This is because, like God’s Word, the soul is an imperishable thing. That thought should be both sobering and awe-inspiring. Every person you meet is an eternal soul. Every human being who has ever lived is a soul, and all of those souls are still in existence somewhere. The question is, where? The souls that reject God’s love are condemned to pay for their own sin, eternally, in hell (Romans 6:23). But the souls who acknowledge their own sinfulness and accept God’s gracious gift of forgiveness will live forever beside still waters with their Shepherd, wanting for nothing
(Psalm 23:2).
Speak the Name Dove Awards Performance feat. Natalie Grant Koryn Hawthorne
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7ot7WPhIJc
My studies and research are taken from many places, including Billy Graham, C.S. Lewis, and Got Questions Ministries.
