SEPARATING THE VISIBLE ASPECT

 OF ONE’S CHARACTER

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Psa 8:4 -6, 9   What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest  him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.  Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:  O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

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What is the spirit of man?

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      What is the human soul?

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In this study we will be looking at man as spirit, soul, and body. We need to get a clear understanding of the difference between the spirit of man and the soul of man. We as believers are to live a spiritual life, to live in the spirit, no longer living as men in the soul. So it is very important that we know the difference of the human personality in order to have good spiritual health.

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1 Cor 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

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 In this new life in the last Adam we learn the important of spiritual warfare, how to discern between spirit and soul and how to battle successfully against the devil. For our battle is not against fleshs and blood, it is a spiritual battle, that starts first by knowing what is spirit and what is soul.

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Eph 6:10 - 18    Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;       And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

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God needs all of us.

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There are three main words that describe the nature of man: Spirit, Soul and Body.  Our bodies are physical; natural, with our senses we contact the outward world, we are world conscious, the flesh makes up the body and has needs hunger, sleep, pain and etc.  Through our souls we are self-conscious, we are able to know our self, we are capable of feeling our soul gives us consciousness and personality. Through the human spirit we have the ability to know God. With our spirits, we have the capacity to be God-conscious. A person that is not saved lives by their soul; mind, and body, he has no conscious of his spirit. God intended that man be guided; ruled by his spirit.
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SOULISH CHRISTIANS AS WORLDLY PEOPLE

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 Worldly people are sinners and functioning in body and soul. Soulish Christians function in body and soul their human spirit is dormant, so the Christian lives and is motivated by his soulical parts.

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SPIRITUAL CHRISTIANS

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 Spriritual christians do not live in the soul, but by the human spirit. Instead of the soul controlling the spirit, the human spirit now controls the soul and body.

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Man's spirit becomes one with God's Spirit.

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(1 Cor 2:13, 14 KJV)  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
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(1 Cor 3:1 KJV)  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

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Paul referred to the Corinthians Christians as carnal. They were Soulish Christians living from their souls,  minds, and intellect unable to comprehend spiritual thing. They still lived like unsaved people, need to learn throw their minds instead of threw their spirit. 

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spiritually    =   non-physically, i.e. divinely
     natural        =   existing in or formed by nature
     carna          =    not spiritually  or not renewed, sinful  not renewed in heart and mind
                              Worldly or eathly

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HOW DO WE GET FROM SOUL TO SPIRIT?

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The basic difficulty of a servant of God lies in the failure of the inward man to break through the outward man.   We need to learn how to release our inward man by breaking through the outward man. Nothing can so hinder us as this outward man.

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THE PROBLEM

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Man was not supposed to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil for the development of the soul, but from the Tree of Life for the development of the spirit.

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The soul can be divided into three components:

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     A.   WILL                      (the part of the mind that makes decisions)

     B.   MIND                    (the intellect the part that thinks)

     C.   EMOTIONS           (the part that feels)

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The spirit also can be divided into three components:

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    A.   INTUITION           (knowing without thinking it through, as does the intellect)

    B.   COMMUNION       (fellowship with the Father and with His Son)

    C.   CONSCIENCE       (bearing witness with the spirit, or grieving,  quenching or                                                      resisting the Holy Spirit.)

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Body and Soul are subject to death because of sin.

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God is the Father of spirits.

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 Heb 12:9   Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

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The human spiit enters reality by the soul and body*

The spirit, in the unregenerate, is dead, alienated from God. The spirit once renewed is made alive. It's clothed with soul and body which are mediums of expression for the spirit. The soul is manifested and sustained in life by the body. A sick body can destroy the manifestation of the mind, the emotions and the will. 

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The impartation of eternal life is through the engrafted seed of the living Christ.

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 James 1:21  Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

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1 Pet 1:23   Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

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 By our human spirits we are to know the laws of God.  Then it dictates the law to the soul, which enforces it.
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(Rom 2:15 NLT)  They demonstrate that God's law is written within them, for their own consciences either accuse them or tell them they are doing what is right.

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The world is void of pure conscience, but lives by there soulish mental powers, or methods.  The soul looks for numbers to count; the spirit seeks the fruit of holiness, peace and joy.
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REACHING SPIRITUAL REALITY

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 We need to have a biblical understanding between soul and spirit. It is impossible to have proper spiritual development and spiritual maturity without an understanding of the functions of the soul and spirit. Until we can form or mark a difference between the soul and the spirit we will most likely be living in the soul, the lower life and not in the spirit the higher life.

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It is not possible for you to walk in the spirit unless you know what spirit is.

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Gal 5:16   This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
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When you are walking in God, walking in love and walking in holiness you will not fulfil the lust of the flesh, you will not walk in darkness, will not walk in sin and will not walk in rebellion against God.
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The SPIRIT versus The SOUL

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1 Cor 15:45    And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

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 (Heb 4:12 KJV)  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
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Soul

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Intellectual (Mind)

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·        Intellect the faculty of the mind by which one knows or understands

·        Brain

·        Thinking

·        Evaluating

·        Self-consciousness = conscious of oneself or one's own being.

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Emotional

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·        Feeling

·        Desire

·        Mood

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Will

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·        Deciding

·        Volitions  =  the act of willing, choosing, or resolving; exercise of the will:

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Gal 5:19    Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

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Confusion

Self- righteousness

Self- examination

Disappointment

Defeat

Discouragement - failure

Immaturity

Impotence =   being without restraint
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Spirit

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Intuition = direct perception of truth

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Communion

Conscience = the inner sense of what is right or wrong

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·        Living in the Spirit

·        Walking in the Spirit

·        Praying in the Spirit

·        Singing in the Spirit

·        More than conquerors

·        No condemnation

·        No guilt

·        No worry

·        No fear

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Royal Nature

Rev 1:6   And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

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 Priestly Nature

 Prov 20:27  The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.

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John 7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

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Body

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Physical (the Human Body)     The body is supposed to be the servant and slave.

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THE 5 SENSES

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·        Touch  =  World of touch

·        Taste  =  World of taste

·        Smell  =  World of smell,  Flowers - air

·        Hearing  =  The world of sound

·        Sight  =  The world of sight

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The 5 senses must be guarded by the Spirit. Subjected to the spirit.
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WHAT IS THE ANSWER TO THE CONFLICT BETWEEN SPIRIT AND SOUL?

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Ezek 36:26, 27    A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.  And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

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 The birth of the spirit in our lives

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Rom 8:10   And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

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 The coming of his Spirit into our spirits

 Rom 8:11  But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

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A divided heart must choose who is going to rule

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Our heart can be involved in differnt interest, affections, possessions and ambitions. Things like these can claim the heart and control our personality.

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1 John 2:15 - 17  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.   For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

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The "world'' does not refer to the physical creation but to the world-system. The  world  view is contrary to God, the world is full of wickedness, lusts,  pleasures and pride. When a believer walks in the things of the world he is vexing his soul. To follow worldly lust is to move away from God and become a part of that which opposes Him. The environment in which you decide to live can lead you away from God to evil. 

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When a believer walks in the worlds system God's Spirit brings condemnation a strong disapproval to their conscience to turn them back to God, the Holy Spirit leads us away from the world to Christ.

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(Rom 8:1 KJV)  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

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If a believer resist the leading of the Spirit he will sear his conscience.

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 1 Tim 4:1, 2  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

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There consciences were so branded by evil that they lost all moral sensitivity and were no longer able to distinguish between right and wrong. This can happen to any person whose life has lost its foundation of faith.

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2 Pet 2:7 - 11  God delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:  (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.

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Hear we see that the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly. God delivered just Lot, God sent Angles to lead him out of Sodom. When the Holy Spirit guides use out of temptation, we need to follow. Lot followed the angles but he lost his family. Do not look back into the world or you my die like Lot's wife. 

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(1 Cor 10:13, 14 KJV)  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.   Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
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There is a difference between the two words “heart” and “spirit”. The main difference is the heart is always the ruling center of the personality. Everything in us is related to our heart.

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Prov 4:23 - 27  Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.   Put away from thee a forward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

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Man possesses a soul and body, but God made man’s spirit to be king of his personality. The spirit of man should be ruler over the total personality, with the soul and body under obedience to the spirit. The spirit should be the ruler allowing God to rule throw you. However, even when God does not rule in your spirit, the spiritual position; function; role still remains. It is just dormant waiting to take control.

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KING - SERVANT - SLAVE

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 God made our spirit to be king.

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 God made our soul to be the servant to serve and obey the spirit.

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 God made the body to be slave to carry out the wishes of the spirit.

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Eph 4:22 - 24  That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

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 1 Pet 2:1,2  Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

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