The believer who has been quickened in spirit is born of the Spirit, and the Spirit of God dwells in his spirit. He has had the revelation of the cross which has shown him the way of victory over the life after the flesh, and he now walks in newness of life and in victory over sin as manifested in the "works of the flesh." But at this stage the question must be asked: What about the "soul"—the man himself in his personality, his intellectual or emotional activities? Which power is animating the actions of the man himself apart from the "works of the flesh"? Is he animated and governed by (1) the spirit life which comes from above from the Risen Lord as the Last Adam, the Life-giving Spirit, or (2) by the life which comes from the lower realm-the fallen life of the first Adam?

We have already pointed out the error of the prevailing idea that when the believer has comprehended his death with Christ to SIN, and ceases to walk habitually "after the flesh," he becomes a "spiritual man" and is "entirely sanctified"! Merely to be delivered from the domination of the flesh, or carnal life, does not mean that he ceases to be "soulish"-or ceases to walk after the life of nature; for the "death to sin" and crucifixion of the "flesh" is only one stage of the work of the Spirit of God to be done in the redeemed man. He may cease to be "sarkikos"—or fleshly, and still be psychical—or "soulish, " i. e., living in the realm of the soul instead of the spirit, or God-conscious sphere.

To understand this clearly, we must consider what are the evidences of the Christian being "soulish," when he ceases to be "carnal" or living "after the flesh."

The soul, we have seen, includes intellect and emotions, as well as the central personality which makes it the seat of one’s self-consciousness. The believer may be entirely freed from the manifest "works of the flesh," as described in Galatians 5:19-21, while his intellect and emotions are still moved by the "psuche" or "animal-soul" life—i.e., they are not yet renewed and fully animated by the Holy Spirit working through the regenerated human spirit. The soulish Christian is therefore one whose intellect and emotions are still governed by the first-Adam life and not by the Life-giving Spirit of Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:45) who brings the intellect and emotions under full control as the believer walks after the spirit. Yes, the Holy Spirit may dwell in his spirit and enable him to "make to die the deeds of the body" while his intellect and emotions are still "soulish."

If we take, for instance, the question of the intellectual life, a passage in the Epistle of James very clearly shows the distinction between the heavenly and the soulish—or natural—wisdom. The apostle writes that the wisdom which is not "from above" is (1) earthly, (2) soulish (psychikos: the ASV margin gives "natural" or "animal"—i.e.., pertaining to the soul), (3) demoniacal (ASV margin), and produces jealousy and faction, division and partisanship. On the other hand, the wisdom which is "from above"—that is, from the Spirit of God dwelling in the spirit of man-is characterized by purity, peaceableness, gentleness, mercy and good fruits, and so partakes of the divine character that it is "without partiality" (James 3:15-17). The pure heavenly wisdom is without any element of the soulish life—the place of self-consciousness, self-opinions, and self-views—and therefore causes peace instead of strife and envy. The third statement, of the soulish wisdom being "demoniacal," will be dealt with in another connection.

In the light of the passage in James, how clearly we can see the condition of the Church of God and why it has split up into sections and "parties." Often, alas, the "works of the flesh" in jealousy and strife are the causes of "factions, divisions, parties" (Galatians 5:19-20, ASV) in the assemblies of God’s professing people. But there is another cause of disunion in the professing Church where the soulish intellect is the separating factor. We see soulish "wisdom" so handling divine truths as to facilitate the world of demons in fostering division among the followers of Christ.

Pember remarks that "the intellect is not merely fallible, but the most dangerous of all gifts, unless it be guided by the Spirit of God." And yet among Christians it is relied upon for the grasping of divine truth, and for the understanding of spiritual verities, while the Scripture declares that the "soulish" man—and this includes even the believer insofar as he is "soulish"—cannot "receive" the things of the Spirit, because they can be only spiritually discerned.

Again, it is the soulish element in teachers and professors of holiness which is often the cause of separation and disunion. There may be, it is true, love in the heart to those who "differ." But the "differences" divide nevertheless, because the demoniacal powers, able to work upon the soulish element in the believer, always emphasize or exaggerate the differences in "views of truth" instead of magnifying the points of union, even driving eager believers to "fight" for their view of "truth" under the name of "witnessing for God." Devoted believers, alas, think they are seeking the blessing of others, while unknowingly doing the same as the Pharisees, in compassing "sea and land to make one proselyte . . ." (Matthew 23:15) .

It is also the soulish element in Christians which insists upon the minute correspondence of others to its "views of truth," and "tithe mint and anise [dill] and cummin" in words while leaving "undone the weightier matters of the law"—which in the gospel dispensation is the law of Christ, and places love and the unity of the Spirit between believers as the condition of their growth into "unity of the faith" (Ephesians 4:3, 13).

In brief, the soul-life, influenced by evil supernatural powers, is the main cause of divisions and separations among the professing, and even the true, children of God. "These are the ones who cause divisions, motivated-and-controlled-through-their-soul, devoid of Spirit." writes Jude (verse 19). "Separate themselves" is the KJV and "make separations the ASV text. "Arrogant setting up of themselves, as having greater sanctity; and a wisdom and peculiar doctrine, distinct from others, is implied," writes Fausset in his commentary. Fausset also translates the word "sensual" in this passage as literally "animal- souled. "

"Separate themselves" as "having greater sanctity" is always a mark of the soulish life, for the Lord Jesus said, "Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you . . . for the Son of man’s sake" (Luke 6:22). The Apostle Paul also said in answer to a question about separation, "Let each man abide in that calling wherein he is called," and therein abide with God." God Himself will "separate" those who walk in light and those who abide in darkness by His presence as the Light, and often the one who elects to walk in the "darkness" will either cast out the one abiding in the light, or himself be brought into the light. Men can be "governed by soul" even when they have the Holy Spirit, and these soulish ones always "separate themselves" and "make separations," proving that in some degree they are "soulish" and not "spiritual."

The other department of the soul-life is the emotional, which proceeds from the senses of the body. Here again a Christian may be swayed by the soulish and think it all "spiritual." Pember says that a "knowledge of Biblical psychology dissipates the idea that any holy spiritual influence can be set in motion by appeals to the senses." Yet the reaching of the spirit through the senses is the purpose of many church services, and even mission meetings where the gospel is proclaimed. Pember’s words on this subject are illuminating. He says, "Splendid buildings, gorgeous vestments, and picturesque rites for the eye, with sweet odors for the scent, and ravishing music for the ear, although they may bewitch one’s consciousness with the most agreeable sensations, can penetrate only as far as the soul . . . [yet] our spirit . . . does not receive its impressions from the senses, but only from spirit . . . ." He points out, also, that the order of our being from God’s point of view is spirit, soul, body, because "God’s influence commences in the spirit, then lays hold of the emotions and the intellect, and lastly begins to curb the body." From the standpoint of Satan the order is reversed. We have (1) earthly, (2) soulish, (3) demoniacal, because Satan’s influence enters by the clay made body; then seizes upon the soul; and, whenever possible, gains entrance to the spirit.

How solemn are the facts herein set forth. How clearly they show why the churches are filled with nominal worshipers of Christ, who show no marks of a true Christian life within them! How sad it is that the very presence of these worshipers shows that within the spirit they have an unconscious cry after God, which in thousands of cases is never satisfied. For either their soul-life in its intellectual department alone is met by intellectual, soulish presentation of the letter of the truth, or their sense-life is gratified by soothing music, and the calming influences of the hour of quiet, without their being led into real worship of God in spirit and in truth, which alone is acceptable to Him.

Are all these influences to be depreciated? God forbid. But they will not save the "soul"! They may, and do, prepare the way by bringing the person within reach of the truth which is read from the Scriptures, if not preached in the pulpit, and all these outer things that make for righteousness have their value and place.

But-and this is the serious danger — that PENETRATE ONLY TO THE SOUL and do not reach the spirit in regenerating power are deceptive. They give the person a "form of godliness without the power" and bring the spiritual religion of Jesus Christ down to the level of heathen philosophies and cults. Hence "religious" men who are merely "men of soul" place the Son of God on an equality with Mohammed and Confucius and discuss Christianity as "one of the religions" of the world, instead of men being compelled to see, as in the days of the early Church at Pentecost, the omnipotent power of God bearing witness to the name of His Son as the only Savior for a lost world.