[NOTE: This discussion presupposes the model discussed in Spirit, Soul, Body.]

“The Word of God is living and active; sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12).

The Soul and the Spirit are different things, with joints and marrow used as the analogy. Cleanly dividing between the two is nearly impossible. However, the Word of God is able to divide between Spirit and Soul. Whether you consider the Word of God to be Jesus Christ (see John 1) or the Bible, God’s Word, when carefully considered and lived out, will divide between a life foundation upon the Soul or the Spirit. Often, they can look identical, especially to the person whose true foundation is the Soul.

Religion is often maligned as justification for atrocity, judgment or being an opiate for the masses. It is also frequently maligned as being Man’s fruitless attempt to reach God. Certainly these statements are all true. Religion, not just Christianity, has been used to justify many wrong things, and it has been used to beat down the masses or focus their hopes solely on the afterlife. Religion is almost always uniformly wrong - with the sheer number of self-contradictory religions that have existed over Man’s history making that a certainty.

However, True Religion reaches beyond us and is ultimately handed down from God. Because our attempts to reach Him are necessarily flawed, just as the attempts of a small child to communicate on an adult level with his earthly father would expect to be flawed, it is God who has told us what needs to be done. However, as the four Gospels reveal in the religiosity of the Pharisee and Sadducees, being religious and studying Scripture and behaving in a supposedly righteous manner does not mean that one has a spiritual religious practice. It can be all Soul, all selfishness, self righteousness, and self aggrandizement. It is through relationship with God, being actually and truly alive to Him, that we begin to discover which is the foundation - Spirit or Soul.

Acting in the best interest of others includes doing unto others as we would have others do unto us, treating others as more important than oneself, loving others as we love ourselves - all Biblical commands. Often, though, people who may believe they are doing things for others are really doing it for themselves. They care about others because they want to feel good about themselves. They do things for others so they will be liked or become popular. If the action for other people is truly for them, without concern for oneself, then it is truly for Others. If it is for a desired payoff, and others are merely the tool for achieving that payoff, then it is for Self. These are easily confused, hard to divide, and often even people who do the most for other people still need to get their heart right before God.

Following principles includes having all actions governed by Agape love or always seeking to do that which is Agathos good. Another example is using the Principles taught in the Bible to make decisions about things about which the Bible does not directly speak. Whatever the Principles, if they are objective, consistently applied Principles, then a person is truly living by and making decisions by Principles.

However, many people use stated principles to justify desired conclusions, changing the principles when the desired outcome changes. In these cases, the person is living by the Soul, not the Spirit. Those who may espouse the highest sounding principles often have hearts that are still corrupt before God because the seemingly lofty sounding principles are really nothing more than rationalizations to justify their desires or their agenda. Thus the "principles" are not spiritual, but things crafted by the Mind for the Emotions (desire).

Following True Religion includes worshiping God in Spirit and in Truth, loving God with all your might, truly having faith and life grounded in God’s Truth. However, many people do religious things because they want to feel good about themselves, self-righteous, special, or chosen. The Pharisees liked to look good in front of others, liked to have the honor of their position, and they considered themselves so elite that they would thank God that they were not like others. This is a false religion of a selfish Soul, not Religion that leads to being alive in the Spirit because it is truly God focused. The choices they made were calculated to support their desired station and reputation (Will, Mind, Emotions), not obedience to God to demonstrate divine Principles to lead Others (all Spirit).

The Word of God divides between Soul and Spirit. It is through Jesus Christ and seeking to walk intimately with Him that we begin to see the things in us that may appear good for what they actually are in Truth. It can be so difficult for us to tell that we often cannot be sure. We may think we’ve got it right when we have it wrong, as did the Pharisees, and that which we can justify as most spiritual is often most soulish.

As we gain greater insight into what is hopefully an accurate model for understanding Spirit and Soul, we will gain a greater ability to distinguish between them. With God’s guidance, fervent prayer, and digging into the Scriptures, where we appear spiritual and seek to be spiritual may be revealed to us as something that still needs work - perhaps not in our actions, but merely in our intent and in our motivation.

As we learn to master the Soul and our own Spirit, we may find that submission to a higher authority is the key to success. Our physical body benefits from the proper exercise of our Soul, and our Emotions benefit from the dominion of the Mind over Emotion, and Will over Mind. The Will benefits when it subjects its decisions to the Spirit, to Others, governing Principles, and to Religion. The Spirit prospers when it is properly aligned with God.

Just as a student or athlete benefits most when submitting to a skilled teacher or coach (and is likewise harmed by submitting to an unskilled teacher or coach, or follows error), we benefit when we learn that the greatest exercise of the Will, as master of our Soul, is to lord over Soul and Body and live in submission to the Spirit and God.

Asking the Holy Spirit for Help

If we want help distinguishing in us that which is Spirit and that which is Soul, understanding the nature of the division is helpful - but it is not always enough. Even those who know the Bible well might not be able to tell, but by imploring the Holy Spirit for help, we can increase our chances of discovering our faults at whatever rate the Holy Spirit knows we can handle it.

My prayers consistently go to asking God, the Holy Spirit in particular, to guide me to His Truth. I ask Him to bring my Religion, my Principles, my regard for Others, my Will, Mind, Emotions, and my Body into conformity with His Truth. Where there is error, I ask that He shine His light of Truth on the error that it may be corrected, and I ask Him to lead me to understand His desire and intention for that part of me.

I ask forgiveness for my errors (since the word "sin" is used of missing the bullseye in archery, it would apply even to relatively innocent mistakes), ask that God deliver others from the consequences of my mistakes, and I ask for Him to help me correct the error.

A key point is that everything I believe, every "Truth" I live out in my life and teach to others is always up for scrutiny. Sometimes I discover that I've been in error and need to change, sometimes a thing I believed just needs to be refined or my motives purified, and sometimes a Truth that I need to live out simply needs to be amplified (it's right, but I don't do the right thing I know enough).

If we're serious about God's Truth, then we will be more afraid NOT to ask God for help arriving at His Truth than we are TO ask. If we're afraid to ask Him, then perhaps we need to truly consider where in our Self we believe and practice our Religion. Is it truly Spiritual - which means it is OVER our Will - or is it soulish and fleshly - which means that we reserve the right to decide for ourselves if we like what God says is True.