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DISCERNING SOUL AND SPIRIT
By Frank Mceleny
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any
double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and
marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
Over the last several months, our little house church has been studying
Hebrews 4:12. What does it mean to have the soul separated from the
spirit, why is it necessary?
It has
been a rich study, and in the last few weeks I have posted some of my own
thoughts on the subject. I pray they have been a blessing to some. A few days
ago the Holy Spirit, dropped into my spirit, the analogy of the conjoined
twin, and the vastly complicated procedures it requires to separate them. Here
are some of my thoughts on that...
The writer to the Hebrews tells us that the Word of God is "living
and powerful... piercing even to the division of soul and spirit." This
is no ordinary distinction. Soul and spirit are so intimately joined that
only the living Word of God can separate between them. They are not confused
in God's sight, but they are often confused in ours.
Perhaps the closest illustration is that of conjoined twins. They are
distinct persons, yet so intricately joined that they may share blood
vessels, muscles, sinews, and even vital organs. To separate them requires
extraordinary skill. In a far deeper spiritual sense, the
soul and the spirit are so closely associated that only the Great Physician, through
His living Word, can distinguish one from the other.
This is why Hebrews does not first speak of deeds, ministries, or outward
acts. Instead, it immediately says that the Word is "a discerner of
the thoughts and intents of the heart." Two believers may perform
the very same outward act. Both may preach, pray, worship, give, or serve. To
human eyes the actions appear identical, yet one may spring from communion
with God while the other proceeds from the self-life within the soul. Outwardly
they look the same; inwardly they are worlds apart.
The greatest deception, therefore, is not always between good and evil, but
between what is spiritual and what is merely soulish. The soul is capable of producing what
appears deeply spiritual, while self quietly remains upon the throne.
Only
the Word of God can divide between soul and spirit, exposing the true source
of our thoughts, motives, and intentions, revealing whether they arise from
the regenerated spirit or from the self-life that still seeks its own way.
Used with permission of
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