Steel and Spirit Part III
Becoming Fully Mature in Christ
Therefore, let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so. (Hebrews 6:1–3)
We’ve made it to the third and final part of this series and God helping us, we will land the plane without crashing. In Parts I and II, we examined why separating the soul from the spirit is essential. We saw that unity with Christ begins with a union of our spirit with His and explored the believer’s progression from carnal to Spirit-led. As Paul notes, by God’s permission, we have laid the foundation. Now, we must move beyond theory and examine the practical implications of being Spirit-led.
To clarify, separating soul and spirit does not mean destroying the soul. That would be akin to a spiritual lobotomy. As long as we are in this physical body, our tripartite nature, spirit, soul, and body, constitutes our wholeness. Paul underscores this in 1 Thessalonians 5:23: "May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
The soul cannot be discarded because it houses our uniqueness. It is the medium through which the spirit expresses itself. The fruits of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, manifest through our emotions and intellect, which reside in the soul. For every fruit of the Spirit, there is a counterfeit rooted in the soul or flesh. Take joy: there is joy born of the Spirit, which has no visible source yet gives strength. Then there’s sensual joy, experienced through activities like pre-marital sex, which is short-lived and often arises from the flesh. Both forms of joy express themselves through the soul, but only one is Spirit-led. Even when our expressed joy has no conspicuous link to physical activities we would be surprised how often we have soul joy and not spirit joy.
This makes the soul, particularly its intellect and emotions, the most dangerous part of our makeup. It can serve the Spirit or the flesh. The same intellect God uses to direct us can become, when tainted, a tool for deception. James 3 distinguishes God’s wisdom as pure, whereas earthly wisdom, though seemingly neutral, is unspiritual and even demonic. This is the flesh operating through the soul. We must scrutinize every thought and emotion. Have you ever had a negative thought or impression of someone without knowing why? In moments like these, the soul may have hijacked what should be Spirit-led discernment.
The goal, then, is not to sever the soul but to subjugate it to the Spirit. The division of soul and spirit is not an end but a path to walk daily. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). That daily cross includes the surrender of our souls. We must also feed ourselves spiritually. As Christ said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work” (John 4:34).
To be Spirit-led, we must consider ourselves "dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus" (Romans 6:11). This means daily reckoning that we have "crucified the flesh with its passions and desires" (Galatians 5:24). But crucifixion must also reach into our soul, slaying self-love, self-pity, self-satisfaction, and every hidden form of self-centeredness. As Spirit-led believers, we carry light. The darkness in our hearts cannot comprehend it, nor can our earthly wisdom grasp it. Through the Spirit, we choose Christ’s nature over our fallen one.
Because we know Christ, we must become skilled at discerning when our soul has fallen back under the influence of the flesh. When that happens, we must surrender afresh to the Spirit. Paul labored to present the Colossians "fully mature" in Christ (Colossians 1:27–29). His aim was to transform them from carnal and soul-led to Spirit-led believers. That labor continues today. We are not yet fully mature, nor have we grasped the full mystery of Christ, so we must press forward.
Laws of Spirit Life and Leadership
Discernment is the bedrock of spiritual leadership. We must know what is Spirit and what is not and learn to yield rather than quench the Spirit. A believer recently shared how she felt a sudden burden from the Spirit to pray for a friend while they were in a noisy bar. Despite the awkward setting, she obeyed. When the Spirit burdens us, our response should be immediate obedience until that burden lifts.
Discernment also means recognizing when we are out of fellowship with the Spirit or under negative influences. If sadness, complaint, jealousy, or bitterness flood our hearts and rob us of joy, it’s a sign we’ve drifted. We must return quickly to the path of freedom.
Love is another marker. 1 John 4 teaches that “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” Fear and hate are signs we’ve slipped back into the soul’s grip. Disunity in the Church is likewise evidence that the Spirit has been sidelined. What fills the void is earthly wisdom manifested as partiality, division, and pride.
Finally, as Spirit-led believers, we walk in the light of God. The hymn “Trust and Obey” rightly says, “There’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”
One final note: spiritual conflict never ends; it evolves. As we grow and crucify the flesh, we begin to engage deeper battles “against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). This advanced warfare deserves separate treatment, but for now, let us commit ourselves to the Word of God, which alone can divide soul and spirit and discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Please take me beyond surface-level faith, beyond routine and distraction. Lead me to a place where my soul and spirit are clearly divided, where I can see what is truly from You and what is not.
Help me bring my soul under Your control. Shape my thoughts, emotions, and will, not through pressure, but through Your refining work. Let my joy come from Your Spirit, not from changing circumstances. Let my peace remain steady and help me love without being controlled by fear. Show me where I’ve mistaken worldly thinking for godly wisdom. Bring me back when my will has wandered from Yours. If bitterness or pride has taken hold in my heart, please remove it.
Teach me how to follow You closely. Help me listen for Your voice, obey quickly, and trust You fully. When I lose my way, guide me back. When I face battles, be my strength. Make me spiritually mature. Make me whole in You. Let Your Word go deep into my heart, correcting and shaping me. Lead me, every day, by Your Spirit.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.