It is important for us to understand that who we are is more than just what we see in the mirror or how we think and feel. In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Paul prays that our whole spirit, soul and body would be kept blameless showing that we have a spirit as well as a soul (mind, will and emotions) and a body. Deuteronomy 6:5 refers to loving God with all our heart, soul and might, but when Jesus repeated this commandment in Mark 12:30 he added the concept of the mind: love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.
It is clear from these passages of scripture that we are made up of different parts – all interacting with one another. We probably all have a clear concept of our body, strength or might – the physical part of us. What about spirit, soul, heart and mind? Why did Jesus introduce the concept of the mind separately from the soul? Why did Paul just use soul and not include the mind? Why did the Old Testament not refer to a man’s spirit but spoke of the heart?
These parts of mankind cannot be thought of as separate identities neatly put into boxes. It is more like a continuum where on one end is the spirit then the heart, the soul, the mind and the body.
In the Old Testament and Gospels era people were not yet born of the Spirit. In other words they did not yet have a spirit alive to God so the concept of the heart was used as the inner part of man that responded to God. It is the deep part of the soul where a man’s core beliefs sit.
The soul is a broad term including a person’s heart, their will, emotions and thinking. At the spiritual end of the soul is the heart, at the thinking reasoning end is the mind. When we do not align our conscious thoughts (mind) with our core beliefs we act without integrity. Integrity speaks of wholeness. It means not pretending to be something or someone we’re not. It means being honest with ourselves and with others.
When Jesus called his first disciples he referred to Nathanael as a man without guile. He had prejudice – he didn’t think anything good could come out of Nazareth (John 1:46-47), but he was honest with himself and with others. He spoke what he believed. Jesus was able to deal with the prejudice, but praised him for his integrity (lack of guile).
What is the relationship between the spirit and the soul? When we are born again we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Our spirit is where God resides. When we read scriptures about being righteous, holy, blameless and perfect it’s our spirit that the scripture is talking about. Our thoughts, emotions and bodies are not yet perfect! The more we look into the mirror of the Word and what God says about our spirit, the more our core belief system lines up with the Word and we stop giving just mental assent to the truth but start to be fully persuaded of it. Then it can affect our conscious thinking; our emotions, our desires and our actions respond to that truth. Conversely, when we don’t know the truth of the spiritual realm we are led by our impulsive flesh nature and desires.
Learn to speak and act with integrity: say what you really believe and not what you think people want to hear. Don’t be ashamed or hide who you really are. When you face the reality of your beliefs you allow God, by His Spirit, to transform those beliefs as you meditate (think, ponder, chew) upon His Word. Let us walk after the spirit and not after the flesh and as we do so we will continue to be transformed into His likeness from glory to glory!