SUNDAY GOSPEL: The Difference Between the Spirit and Soul of Man

Happy Sunday friends!

Today we’re tackling a big topic in our weekly Sunday Gospel Message….the difference between the Spirit and Soul of man.

From Pastor Robb:

Today’s Sunday message is titled, “The Difference Between the Spirit and Soul of Man.

Most believers don’t understand the difference between the two parts of out innermost part of us.

Today we dive into this subject and will discuss this in depth.

My prayer for you is that you will learn what the scripture has to say about this topic.

May the Lord continue to lead you into a deeper place in the Lord.

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It’s truly exciting to learn about this topic. You will become a bright light to others. You will lead them into deeper places in God’s Kingdom and presence.

Oh the Glory of His presence.

We, your people give you severance. Amen.

Lord we also ask you to lead President Trump and his staff in a deeper place with you. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Pastor Robb Goodman
Sr Pastor of Zion Freedom Fellowship USA

Please enjoy:

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

Pastor Robb Goodman:
Good morning, everyone. My name is Pastor Robb Goodman, and I am the senior lead pastor here at Zion Freedom Fellowship in the wonderful state of Maryland on the East Coast of the USA. Praise God—it’s good to have you with us all this morning. I pray that you had a wonderful rest last night.

I am, by the way, recording this on Saturday afternoon at about 4:55. Usually I record earlier, but I just got a late start today, so here we be. Right—I’ve got a wonderful message for you today. Let me read the title to you: the title of today’s message is “The Difference Between the Spirit and the Soul of Man.”

Now, the scripture is very particular on certain points that these are three different entities or parts of our physical and spiritual being, and I will explain all that as we go forth. But before we do that, let’s enter into the Word, into the presence of the Lord, with prayer.

Father, we thank You and we praise You, Lord, that You are the Mighty God of Israel. Lord, You are the God that never changes; nothing will change You, nothing will change Your mind. What You have written will surely come to pass as we live and breathe. The Word of God is truth, and we know all things by the Word of God.

We do not need any man to teach us anything because we already know that we have this unction in us. The Apostle John said in 1 John (I believe it’s chapter one or two) that we have an unction from the Holy One and know all things, so we need not have anyone to teach us. But you’ve got to be careful how you read that scripture—He is not saying that we don’t need Bible teachers. Yes, we do; we need them desperately, especially in this day and age when there are so many false teachings going forward.

Everybody believes everything under the sun these days, just like they did ages ago when Jesus’ disciples were spreading the gospel after He ascended into heaven. They ran into all kinds of goofy things—demonic doctrines (that’s what they’re called, doctrines of demons). Amen. Well, let’s just pray.

Father, we ask You right now to lead us and guide us into this message today, that You would speak to our hearts. Father, we yield the innermost part of our being unto You—the very part where You live and dwell inside of us. Lord, I thank You that You will teach through my lips today. You have told me many times that You put Your words in my mouth, and as I open my mouth to speak, Lord, You will fill it with Your words.

I submit myself completely and totally unto You—Father, Daddy, Father, we love You and we praise You that You are now our heavenly Father because we are believers in Jesus Christ and have been attached to the vine. We are now one of the branches. Praise be to God—Jesus said, “I am the vine and you are the branches. As the branch can bear no fruit by itself, neither can you unless you are attached to Me.” Amen.

So, Lord, we want to hear Your voice today. We want to recognize the truth of the Word of God. Holy Spirit, I ask You to open the eyes and understanding of those listening to this message right now, that they will see, know, and understand everything You are speaking to them. May they receive it by faith, because we know the voice of Jesus and the voice of a stranger.

Jesus, You said this yourself: “We will not follow—so, Lord, have Your way.” Amen. Have Your way with this word today, Lord; we receive it from You in the mighty name of Jesus. Thank You so much for ministering to Your people today, Father. Minister to them, Lord—give them a reason to live and overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the Word of our testimony.

We will continue onward—onward, Christian soldiers, marching into war—amen—with the cross of Jesus going on before. Oh, thank You, Lord, what a wonderful, wonderful hymn; we praise God for that. Lord, we worship You, Jesus; we thank You, Holy Spirit, for leading and guiding us into all truth, because You, Father, are truth and there is no lie in You whatsoever. There is no lie in You—hallelujah.

Blessed be the name of the Lord Jesus Christ—and everybody says, “Amen and Amen.” All right, now let’s go to the scripture again. The title of today’s scripture is “The Difference Between the Spirit and the Soul of Man” (or, I should say, mankind—not just men, but every human being).

So, let me start sharing a few notes with you. The soul and the spirit are the two primary immaterial parts given to humanity in scripture. Discerning the difference between the two can be quite confusing sometimes—most Christians don’t know the difference between the spirit and the soul. But praise be to God; He has told us that there is a difference, and we’re going to read the scriptures that show that the word “spirit” refers only to the immaterial facet of humanity.

Human beings have a spirit, but we are not all spirit alone. However, in scripture, only believers are said to be spiritually alive. Let’s look at 1 Corinthians—I’m going to actually start at verse 6: “However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature.” The King James version uses the word “perfect,” which literally means spiritually mature.

The scripture speaks about young boys, young men, and then fathers—three stages, 30, 60, 100-fold, as we grow in the Lord. Yet, we speak the wisdom among those who are mature—not the wisdom of this age or world, nor of the rulers of this age who are coming to nothing. I love that line because all the wisdom of this world will one day come to nothing—it has no power; it’s deceptive and full of lies. The wisdom of man will totally block out God and His Word, and they will one day find out when they stand before the King of the Universe that they were totally wrong—and they would wish they had turned to the Lord at that point in time.

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery—the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory. Isn’t that amazing? God wants us to share in His glory so that we can be glorified in Him as well, and He receives all the glory. Do you believe that which none of the rulers of this age knew? For had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

The Lord pulled a fast one on Satan Himself; He completely deceived him and knocked him out of his boundaries. Jesus went down into hell and preached salvation to those already in the grave—wow, that’s amazing to me. Now, as it is written, the natural eye has not seen, nor has the natural ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.

Oh man, do you love the Lord today? I am so excited about what’s coming shortly down the road because we’re living in end days right now. We’re living in the days that scripture has talked about, and these things are being opened up to the children of God. God is giving us understanding about these last days, and many scriptures are coming to knowledge to bring forbearance on the world—because the world doesn’t understand spiritual things; they are dead to the things of God.

But God has revealed them to us—say this: “God has revealed them to me. God has revealed these things to me.” How did He do it? Through His Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things—the deep things of God. As you grow in the wisdom and revelation of the Lord, your spiritual depth will go much deeper into the things of God; for what man knows of a man, except the spirit of the man which is in him, even so one knows the things of God, except the Spirit of God. Woo—hallelujah.

Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know, fully understand, be intimate with, and have revelation knowledge. It is so real to us—even though you don’t see it, it is as if you’re seeing it right before your very eyes. You are different from other people because you know the truth, and the truth has made you free. You are different because your spirit is alive unto God—awesome, isn’t it?

We speak not in words that man’s wisdom teaches but with what the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But listen to this: the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. Neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned. Yet he who is spiritual judges or discerns all things, though he himself is not rightly discerned by anyone.

The world looks at you and wonders what makes you tick. You might be the only believer in your factory among 40 men and women, and when you talk about the things of God, they whisper behind your back, saying, “Who does this guy think he is? Do you really believe what he’s telling you?” They cannot understand because they have not been born again by the Spirit of God—their spirit is dead unto the Lord.

They don’t know the Lord; they’ve never been born again. Yet, have you ever met someone you’ve never met before and sensed in your heart that they are a child of God? You begin to talk with them, and suddenly they say, “You know, when I got saved 13 years ago…” and the light bulb goes on in your eyes. You discern that they are spiritual people—amazing, isn’t it? And yet he himself is not rightly discerned by anyone, for who has known the mind of the Lord to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ—woo, we have the mind of Christ, and we need to speak that over ourselves. Do you believe that? Do you believe you have the mind of Christ?

Now, if you are spiritually immature and haven’t grown in the knowledge of the Lord, you will lack in these areas—you’ll be lost and not understand what we’re talking about. But there is a way for you to enter in—a way to come into the kingdom of God, and I’ll share that with you at the end of today’s message. Do you want to know the Lord? Do you want to be born again and filled with God’s Holy Spirit? I’m telling you, the light bulb will go on; as soon as light enters a dark room, it’s like someone turning on a light switch. You are happy because you can see, you understand, and you’re not stumbling around in the dark. Amen. This is truly and wonderfully awesome.

Human beings have a spirit, but we are not all spirit alone. However, in scripture only believers are said to be alive. Let’s look at Hebrews 4:12: “For the Word of God is living and powerful.” The King James version uses the word “quick” (an old English term meaning alive), as in “the Word of God is quick and powerful.” Remember the old Lutheran creed: “He will judge the quick and the dead.” As a small boy in the Lutheran Church, I wondered what that meant—I was never late, but I wasn’t speedy! I thought I was greedy, but I wasn’t yet born again.

But the day I got born again, I understood that scripture—it meant I was quick, alive in God through my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For the Word of God is living, powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit. Now the scripture delineates the difference between the two: the soul and the spirit. It is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of our heart, and nothing is hidden from His sight; all things are naked and open to Him, to whom we must give account.

Seeing then that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus, the Son of God—let us hold fast our confession. We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses; He was in every way tempted as we are, yet He Himself was without sin. You see, Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary. He could not be born and become the Son of God if He had sin in His life.

God pulled a fast one on the enemy again, didn’t He? By sending the Christ child through the womb of the Virgin Mary—where the Holy Spirit overshadowed her, and the presence of God came upon her—she was impregnated with the Word of God. She brought forth her Son, wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger—a feeding trough. It is amazing that the King of Kings and the Lord of Glories came to us in such a humble manner. Just think about it—amazing to me.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace so we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in our time of need. We can now come because of the blood of Jesus—our sins and our consciences have been cleansed through His blood. We are no longer ashamed and can understand the Word and will of God. Man, I’m telling you, that is absolutely amazing. All unbelievers are spiritually dead.

Paul teaches the Corinthian Church about the vast difference between the soul and the spirit. (Let me get a drink of my tea here—Suzanne Ying sent this wonderful vanilla tea from somewhere up in New York, in Waverly, New York; though it may have come from Singapore, where she’s from. It’s just very wonderful tea—thank you, Suzanne Ying, if you happen to be watching.) The Lord is so faithful.

Just looking at my timer, I’ve done a few dumb things in the past where I pressed the button and it didn’t click, so I wasn’t recording—but I am recording now. Hallelujah! Paul teaches the Corinthian Church about the vast difference between the soul and the spirit—in Paul’s writing, the spiritual is pivotal to the life of the believer. Think about that—the spiritual is pivotal to our life.

Now, let’s look at Ephesians 1:3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” These are not natural blessings—they are spiritual blessings. Yes, there are natural blessings as well when you live a life of obedience to God; you don’t have to worry because even when fear tries to come upon you, God’s promises are made alive unto you—they belong to you.

Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love—love that is mind-boggling—God holds nothing against you. Why? Because Jesus paid the price for your sins; He is not holding anything against you. I pray, just as Luke said, “Whoever sins you remit, they will be remitted unto them; whoever sins you retain, they shall be retained.”

So please, walk in forgiveness—don’t hold back or judge anyone because of what they have done. They may have hurt or tormented you, but be quick to forgive them, be fast in doing so, because God will bless you mightily. He has predestinated us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace.

By which He has made us accepted in the Beloved, in whom we have redemption through His blood—the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace that abounds toward us in all wisdom. Prudence has made known unto us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself. Now think about that—you can know and understand the will of God for your life because you’ve been born again.

Ask the Lord, “What is Your will for my life?” Sometimes pastors discern what their people are called to do and assign tasks they are equipped to perform. Don’t hold back any longer—give unto God the fullness of yourself and be willing to step out and be obedient to your spiritual leaders, and watch what God will do. I’m telling you, folks, that is absolutely amazing.

Let’s go to Ephesians chapter 3 and look at verse 11: “For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus, for you Gentiles—you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you.” Now listen—this is really, really important. By revelation, spiritual understanding, and what I always paraphrase as “war”—wisdom and revelation—Paul prayed in Ephesians 1:16 through verse 22 (or 23): “I pray, God, that You give me understanding so that I may grasp the mysteries of the kingdom of God,” so that when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, but now has been revealed by the Holy Spirit to His apostles and prophets.

This revelation shows that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, of which I became a minister according to the gift of God’s grace given to me by the effective working of His power. Woo, man—that is absolutely amazing. When we are born again, our spirit receives new life from God. It happens instantaneously—just as fast as you blink your eye.

The spirit and the soul of man are eternal—these are the eternal parts of our being. Papa Heagen used to say, “We are a spirit; we have a soul, and we live in a body.” I thought that was a perfect explanation: you are a spirit, you have a soul, and you live in a body. Glory to God! When a person dies, the spirit and the soul leave the physical body.

Let’s read Genesis 35:16. Actually, let’s look at verse 16: “Then they journeyed from Bethel, and when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored in childbirth and had hard labor. Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, ‘Do not fear; you will have this son also.’” Fear was trying to enter Rachel’s life, but the midwife, acting as a spiritual mother, said, “Don’t be afraid—you’re going to have this son also.” And so it was, as her soul was departing—why did it depart? For she died, plain and simple.

The spirit and soul leave the body—you are gone. Now, that doesn’t mean you have gone into oblivion; you are destined either for heaven through your faith in Jesus Christ or for hell—it’s simply what scripture teaches. I’m not going to lie to you and say something fair; many people say, “I’m sure they’re in heaven,” and we often say that to comfort others. We must be careful with our words and ensure what we say is of the Lord. Amen.

And her soul was departing, for she died. She called his name Ben-oni, but his father called him Benjamin. So, Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (which is Bethlehem), and Jacob set up a pillar on her grave—the pillar of Rachel’s grave—which remains to this day. Then Israel journeyed and pitched his tent beyond the Tower of Ader, and while Israel dwelt in the land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard about it. I won’t get into all of that, but understand that once your spirit and soul leave your body, you are gone.

I must be very careful—I do not believe in preaching fear. I’ve got to sit up a little straighter, guys, because sometimes I tend to slink down when speaking. First of all, be honest with yourself: do you really know that when you die you will stand in the presence of God? Those who believe in Jesus have this witness in themselves—they know they will go to heaven because they know they were born again, that Jesus Christ is their Savior, and that they have been redeemed from death.

Jesus now holds the keys of death—in the grave, He holds the keys in His hand. He has defeated Satan and robbed him; Jesus is a grave robber, I’m telling you right now. Praise be to God! But you must know Him—He must be living inside of you, and only you know that if you truly are a born-again believer, a child of God. Hallelujah—God is so good. Thank you, Lord; thank You so much, Lord Jesus. Man, I’m telling you, that is mighty and powerful.

Now, let me read this: “The soul of man is the emotional center of our being.” We are now going to discuss a couple of Hebrew and Greek words. Let’s look at Job 30:25: “Have I not wept for him who was in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor?” Our soul-like emotions can sometimes dictate how we respond to what happens in the world—they can bring us joy or fear.

But we must learn to navigate through our soul-like realm in the authority of Jesus’ name and not allow our emotions to rule over us. Remember: we are all spirit; we have a soul, and we live in a body. Like the Lord, we have a triune nature—we have three parts, just as our Father God does. Let’s look at Psalm 43:5: “Why, are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance, and my God.”

Again, your soul-like emotions must not rule over you—don’t let them reign. If someone hurts your feelings and you feel mocked or deeply damaged by their words, and you allow the enemy to torment your soul with aggravation and doubt, you will end up more damaged than the person who hurt you. Forgiveness is absolutely necessary. By the grace of God, He gives you the ability to forgive—He grants you the divine ability to forgive those who have wronged you or hurt you.

I remember a story from when I was 15. I had a friend in high school who had broken into an elementary school; they sold all kinds of equipment and made money off it. I found out about it—this guy I was hanging around with was a total lost soul (I pray today that he is saved; I believe he is no longer alive, and I pray he’s in heaven). This kid was rejected by his parents and was not loved—he carried a lot of bitterness in his heart. I still remember his name.

He told someone at school—and I was in 10th grade at the time—and they told another guy involved, who then paid my neighbor with PCP to beat me up really badly. I had known this neighbor since I was young; he lived two doors down from me. One night, he called me and said, “Can you meet me down at Vesta in the woods?” We used to sit there and smoke dope and drink alcohol (I’m not proud of that now, but that’s what I did years ago). That man is now dead—praise be to God. Glory be to Jesus that he is dead.

I met him down there—it was getting really dark—and eventually he said, “I got something to show you back in the woods.” Fool that I was, I was gullible enough to believe him, even though a bad feeling in my gut warned me something was off. I knew this guy, and even though he had wronged me before, I was always a forgiving person. So we walked back into the woods—he led the way, and then he pulled out a rope and strangled me.

I collapsed to the ground, and as I passed out, I truly thought I was going to die—I was scared to death. While I was unconscious, he kept kicking me in the face. I suffered fractures in my skull—one in the front and one in the back; my eye sockets were broken, my nose was broken, and my jaw was shattered. I had to have my jaw wired shut for about two months—it was a terrible, terrible time.

I remember walking to my aunt’s house because he was my neighbor—I didn’t want to go back that way because when I woke up in the woods I thought I was dead. I tend to jump around when I tell stories, but praise be to God—I was still alive, and I made it to my aunt’s house. I even remember tripping over a log coming out of the woods. When my grandmother answered the door, she was terrified, crying, saying “Oh my God, oh my God!”—she didn’t know what to do.

She held me over the sink while stones and pebbles fell from my skin into the aluminum sink—it was awful. But God had a reason to keep me alive; He wouldn’t let anyone kill me because He had a purpose for my life. Lo and behold, the police came. They started asking questions, but I could barely answer because I kept passing out—I needed blood desperately.

They took me to the ER, and I told them where he lived. When the police went to his house, the detectives found bloody boots outside on his side porch—he lived two doors down from me in Parkville. I won’t go into all the details, but my grandmother and the police got me to the hospital, and they searched the woods where I was beaten. There was blood everywhere—blood on the logs, a trail of blood where I fell. I believe the angels got me, because the blood trail ended at the street.

There were only two streets I could have taken to get there, and when I met another friend who saw me, he started yelling, “No, it’s me, Robb—it’s me, Robb! Can you help me get to my aunt’s house?” He knew where she lived and escorted me there. They did not find any blood along the path from where I fell to where I met my friend. I’m telling you—God is awesome and mighty to save. Nothing can stand against Him.

We’re at 43 minutes now, so I must begin wrapping up. We must learn to submit our emotions to the Lord—our emotions can dominate our faith if we allow them to manipulate us. The soul and the spirit are connected yet separable. We read in Hebrews 4:12 that the soul is the essence of humanity—who we are—while the spirit is the immaterial part that connects with God.

Our minds must be renewed by the Word of God; that is how we gain power and authority over our soul and our flesh. When your mind is renewed by God’s Word, you have authority and dominion over your soul-like emotions. The enemy uses these emotions to try and bring us down—he speaks into our minds, but remember, the Greek word for “spirit” (pneuma) means the breath of God. When God created Adam and Eve, He breathed life into them, and they became living beings.

When Jesus was raised from the dead and was about to ascend, He breathed on His disciples—and I truly believe at that moment they were filled and born again. Jesus told them to go and wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father, to pray and wait, and then they were baptized in the power—the dunamis power of the Holy Spirit. We must allow our minds to be renewed by God’s Word so that the enemy has no authority over us. We are children of the Most High God, and He does not have authority over you.

Now, I want you to pray this prayer with me: “Father God, I submit my soul to You.” The Greek word for “soul” (psyche) refers to our emotional center. We are a spirit; we have a soul, and we live in a body. If Your spirit gains ascendency over Your soul, Your flesh will align with God’s Word. Two against three—two-thirds holds more authority. I ask You, Lord, to fill me with Your power so that I may walk in authority over my soul-like feelings and emotions. Lord, have Your rule over me.

Thank You for taking me, Lord, and adopting me into Your kingdom as one of Your children. Thank You that You have given me authority over the flesh and dominion so that I may obey You and honor You with my life. Father, I desire to serve You all the days of my life. Thank You for renewing me, cleansing me, sanctifying me, and making me holy through Your blood, Jesus—through Your blood. In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen and Amen. Hallelujah.

If you’re watching today and have never met the Lord Jesus, it’s very easy to accept Him. All you have to do is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. For with the heart, man believes unto righteousness; with your heart or your spirit, man believes unto righteousness; and with your mouth, confession is made that brings forth salvation—you will be born again.

I’ll never forget the night I was born again—June 6th on a Friday night in 1980. I walked out of a classroom where Bible study was meeting, and I was a new creature in Christ Jesus. My drug addiction was completely obliterated in Jesus’ name—my face was lit up, and I knew my life was different. I fell in love with Jesus and have served Him ever since. That was many years ago, and I am absolutely telling you that God is amazing.

Is He really your God? Say with me now: “Jesus, come into my heart. I confess that I am a sinner. Save me by Your grace; wash me clean from all my iniquities; make me a part of Your body. I want to know You, and I want to be with You, Jesus, forever. Take away the fear of death from me; take away fear and use me the way You desire.” In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen and Amen.

Thank you so much. I hope this message has brought you understanding. I may not have finished all my notes today, so we might complete them next week. I’ve noted where I stopped, and of course I will preach this message in church tomorrow morning as well.

Blessed be the name of Jesus—may you live forever and serve Him all the days of your life, for He will have His way with you. God bless you; may the Lord bless you and keep you; may the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you; may the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you His greatest blessing—His peace. Shalom, alayim, shalom, y’varaka—in the mighty name of Jesus.

Be filled with His everlasting joy—the joy of the Lord is your strength. Be filled with laughter and gladness because your sins have been washed away. Get yourself into a church with sound teaching of the Word of God—a church that trains you in spiritual warfare and how to overcome the flesh, not just a religious institution. You need sound teaching, and God will have His way with you.

Oh, my brothers and sisters, I bless you in the mighty name of Jesus—I bless you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Thank You, Lord—have Your way, have Your way in Jesus’ name by the power of God. Amen and Amen. I love you very much; may the Lord bless you and cause you to prosper in everything you set your hand to.

Tell others about Jesus. If you’ve been saved or born again today, tell people about it—tell your family, tell your friends. And most importantly, please let me know if you just prayed that prayer with me tonight and something special happened to you. You can email me at [email protected]. Bless you—God bless you mightily in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen and Amen. We love you, and we’ll see you again next week. Blessings.