House of Faith Ministries

The Difference between the Spirit and the Soul

 

This is an area that is not dealt with often enough from church pulpits. What is the difference between my soul and my spirit? And how does lack of knowledge on this subject affect my walk with Christ?

 

Knowing the difference between your soul and your spirit can mean the difference between walking is shame, guilt and condemnation or walking in total and complete freedom from guilt, shame and condemnation.

 

Let me begin by stressing that the Bible makes a clear distinction between the soul and the spirit, and if we understand that their interaction affects how our physical bodies respond to any given situation, it will teach us how to walk in self-control, which is the completion of spiritual fruit.

 

I Thessalonians 5:23 “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

 

Paul clearly segregates the two, spirit and soul as dwelling within our physical bodies. But by introducing God as the God of peace Himself, Paul implies that there is a relation between spirit and soul that brings peace or the lack thereof, depending upon their interaction.

 

In order to know how the spirit and the soul interact within our bodies, and how their interaction affects our behavior, we need to understand their individual nomenclature. The Greek word used by Paul in the above passage for spirit is the word “Pnyoomah” Strong’s concordance # 4151 and it means Breath (blast).

 

The Greek word used for soul is the word “Psookhay” Strong’s concordance # 5590 and it also means Breath. We get a clearer picture from Genesis 2:7 “And the Lord God formed man (the body) of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (the spirit); and man became a living being (the soul).”

 

The words for breath and spirit are pretty much interchangeable in both the Hebrew and Greek languages. So when God breathed into Adam’s nostrils the breath (spirit) of life, Adam became a living soul.