The Soul: Bridging the Physical Outward Man and the Spiritual Inner Man

The Soul: Bridging the Physical Outward Man and the Spiritual Inner Man

To understand how we are designed to function, we must understand the position of the soul. The scriptures show us that man is a triune being. In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul writes:

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1Thess.5:23)

These three parts—spirit, soul, and body—make up your complete and entire being. Yet, they are so distinct that they can be divided into separate parts, which is exactly what happens at physical death.

• The Body is of the earth and returns to the dust. As it is written: "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was" (Eccl.12:7).
• The Spirit is from God and returns to Him. The scripture continues: "...and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." (Eccl.12:7).
• The Soul is the personal, individual "you" that must go to its designated spiritual destination. In the resurrection of Christ, Peter quotes David, saying: "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." (Acts.2:27).

The Soul’s Strategic Position

Your soul does not exist in isolation; it sits directly between the physical and the spiritual realms. It acts as the bridge.

   [ SPIRIT ]  <--->  [ SOUL ]  <--->  [ BODY ]
   (Inner Man)       (The Bridge)    (Outward Man)

The soul’s connection to the physical body is what the Bible refers to as the outward man. Through the body, your soul can discern, experience, and interact with the physical world.

Conversely, the soul’s connection to the spirit is what the Bible refers to as the inner man. Through the spirit, your soul has the capacity to discern, commune with, and receive from the spiritual realm.

Because the soul is positioned between these two distinct worlds, it must choose which direction it will look and where it will draw its life. The core struggle of the Christian walk is determined by which way the soul is facing.

1. The Outward-In Walk (The Carnal Mind)

When the soul draws its primary direction, identity, and comfort from the physical body, it operates from the outside inward. This is the carnal mind. The carnal mind judges its spiritual standing and relationship with God based entirely on outward, physical circumstances.

If a carnal person gets sick or faces financial trouble, they assume God is angry with them. If they achieve physical prosperity, they assume they are spiritual. This is what Paul warns against when he describes men of corrupt minds:

"...supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself." (1Tim.6:5)

Because the outward man is constantly bombarded by the physical senses, worldly media, and social noise, an outward-in life is easily deceived, unstable, and led into sin.

2. The Inward-Out Walk (The Spiritual Mind)

God created man to work from the inside outward. A spiritual mind does not look to physical circumstances or sensory experiences but operates from the inner man outward. This walk is anchored entirely in the spirit and the word of God. The scriptures show that true spiritual strength and life are ministered strictly through the hearing of faith, as Paul asks:

"He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" (Gal.3:5)

This inward-out operation is fueled by the words of Christ, which are the very source of life. Jesus declared:

"...the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." (John.6:63)

When we believe the bible, these words perform an effectual work in the inner man, producing genuine godliness that we do not have to perform or fake through the flesh. As Paul notes:

"For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe." (1Thess.2:13)

By letting the word of God renew our knowledge, our inner man is established. This enables the soul to discern spiritual realities rather than physical ones. The believer is then strengthened in the inner man to walk after the spirit, as it is written:

"That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;" (Eph.3:16)

Conclusion

Your soul is the deciding factor. It is the bridge between the earthen vessel of your body and the eternal spirit of God. If you try to live from the outside in, you will remain trapped in carnal defeat. But when you quiet the noise of the world, sit down with the word of God, and allow His written words to get inside your heart, God's written word will perform its designed, effectual work to strengthen your inner man. Stay in the word; it is the hand to your glove, the only true source of spiritual knowledge, and the power that renews your soul into the image of Christ.

Understanding the Heart, Soul, and Spiritual Transformation

Understanding the Heart, Soul, and Spiritual Transformation

To understand the difference between the heart and the soul, one cannot look at them in isolation. Instead, we must view them through the lens of the complete biblical structure of a human being: spirit, soul, and body. By understanding how these parts function together, we can see the distinction between the "outer man" and the "inner man" and how the Word of God transforms a believer.

The Tri-Part Structure

According to Genesis 2:7, God formed man of the dust of the ground (the body) and breathed into him the breath of life (the Spirit). When this divine Spirit animated the lifeless flesh, the person became a "living soul".

• The Body: This is the physical, inanimate container or "outer shell".
• The Spirit: This is the breath of life from God, the animating force that makes the body a living entity.
• The Soul: The soul is the resulting entity produced when the body is animated by the Spirit. It serves as a container—initially a "blank slate"—that is filled over time with character, personality, and knowledge.

The Soul, The Heart, and The Two Minds

Living From the Inside Out: A Spiritual Blueprint

Living From the Inside Out: A Spiritual Blueprint

Through faith, we grow and mature into love for all the saints. Once we reach this point, we are ready to receive the spirit of wisdom, revelation, and the knowledge of Him. However, this wisdom does not come passively—it is not something we merely receive. Paul wrote these words, and his prayer, having fulfilled his part in revealing them, is that through this revelation, believers may receive the spirit and have the eyes of their understanding enlightened.

Now, let’s consider this understanding:

Man is a three-part being—body, soul, and spirit. But at his core, man is a living soul. As Scripture says: 

"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28)

The soul possesses both a body and a spirit. Through the body, the soul comprehends the physical world—it sees, tastes, hears, and experiences the material realm. But just as the body allows the soul to perceive the physical, the soul can only understand spiritual truths through the spirit part of his three-part being.

This is how a person receives understanding—through the spirit, not the body. Many people attempt to operate in the wrong order, seeking spiritual truths in a physical manner. But this is backward; we must operate as God designed us—spirit first.

Understanding the Process of Salvation in Romans (Part 14 - Psychology 101)

Start this lesson series here: 
Understanding the Process of Salvation in Romans (Part 1)

Understanding the Process of Salvation in Romans (Part 14 - Psychology 101)

THAT YE SHOULD BE MARRIED TO ANOTHER

Rom.7:1  Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?  (2)  For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.  (3)  So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.

This passage from Romans 7:1-3 uses an analogy of marriage to illustrate the relationship between the law and believers. The key message is that the law has authority over a person only as long as they are alive. Just as a woman is bound by the law to her husband while he lives, but is free to remarry if he dies, similarly, believers are bound to the law until a death takes place. The important thing to learn from this analogy is who are the role players? 

Though Paul provides context to the marriage analogy from verse 4, and before we look into it, let us consider this analogy and work out for ourselves who the role players are.

The Inner and Outer Man

Paul teaches us in 1Thess.5:23 that every person has a spirit, a soul, and a body. The body is the lifeless outer shell that connects us to the earth and allows us to interact in this realm. The spirit is the breath of God within us that gives life and makes us a living soul, 1Cor.15:45. This means that the soul, according to Gen.2:7 and Mrk.8:36, is truly what you are. The body goes back to the dust, the spirit goes back to God who gave it, and the only part that remains of man is his soul.

How does Romans 5 to 8 work in a Human Being? (Part 3 - The Spiritual Mind)

How does Romans 5 to 8 work in a Human Being? (Part 3 - The Spiritual Mind)

Start the series here: Part 1
Go to the next part here: Part 4

This study began with a brief overview of the three-part structure of a human being, spirit, soul, and body. It is the soul component that is the primary focus of this study since it is the part that is formed when God’s Spirit, His breath of life, enters into the clay shell of the flesh. It is the soul, and more particularly, the contents of the soul that is of significance, as it is here where the Word of God works.

The content of the soul forms the heart of the person, the essence of the person, and what flows out of them into this world. Part 2 of this study placed brief focus on the heart, to define it, and identify its role in the context of a person. It is vital that you clearly understand what the heart of a person is, in order to better understand this next part that I am going to introduce in this post, which is the spirit of the mind,

How does Romans 5 to 8 work in a Human Being? (Part 2 - The Heart of Man)

How does Romans 5 to 8 work in a Human Being? (Part 2 - The Heart of Man)

Start the series here: Part 1
Go to the next part here: Part 3

There is more to the design of man than just the three components of spirit, soul, and body. We need to go deeper to find these underlying parts that are the primary elements that define the individual. In the previous post of this series, I mentioned that the soul can be understood as a container that needs to be filled with the essence of that person. What a person demonstrates to the outside world, in character, personality, desires, fortitude, etc, is that which is stored, processed, and released from the soul. (Please note that this attempt to express the soul, and make it easier to understand, is my personal, and creative explanation based on what I learn from the Word.)

Now, what comes out of the soul of a person is expressed in a few different ways in the Bible. We have investigated some biblical references to things like, the heart of a man, the spiritual mind, the carnal mind, the natural man, the spiritual man, the new man, also known as the inner man, and the old man. Jesus hinted on the contents of the soul when he reprimanded the pharisees, saying they were like whitewashed tombs, beautiful on the outside, but on the inside, in the soul, they were full of dead men’s bones, uncleanness, hypocrisy and iniquity, Matt.23:27-28.

How does Romans 5 to 8 work in a Human Being? (Part 1 - One Human, Three Parts)

How does Romans 5 to 8 work in a Human Being? (Part 1 - One Human, Three Parts)

The following post is a personal interpretation of my understanding of the tri-part structure of a human being, and how the living Word (or Spirit) of God works within these parts. The focus of the extended study is not so much on the different parts of the human, but rather to investigate how the Word of God works within the human, and which part of them it affects most. There is an interesting twist in the study, as Paul also introduces two lives, or two 'laws' within the human, that is of greater significance, and to which this study will invest more time to understand.

The Tri-part Structure of a Human Being

The Bible tells us that every human is a tri-part being. Spirit, soul, and body. Let's see what the Word has to say about this.

Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

The Journey: Part 4 - The Two Natures of a Believer in Christ

Start here at the Introduction: The Journey Begins

The Journey: Part 4 - The Two Natures of a Believer in Christ

As we progress in this journey, we need to keep two things in mind,

First, to provide us hope, strength, and passion to continue, we must know what our destination is.  We are making our way to that destination of being adopted sons of God and being glorified beyond measure in our Head, Jesus Christ. The vehicle to get us there is the Word of God, and our fuel is studying the Word so that it becomes part of us, quickening us in spirit and energizing us to growth.