The Animal, Soulish, and Spiritual Man

The Animal, Soulish, and Spiritual Man

“Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.” 1 Pet. 2:11-12.

Those who live according to the lusts of the flesh live on the level of an animal. Any unsaved person can see such sins, and all of us, whether saved or unsaved, are aware that these fleshly lusts war against the soul—we have an aversion to them. Such people feel condemned in their conscience. Many suffer great agony as slaves of their fleshly lusts—living like animals.

Peter exhorts us to demonstrate to the unsaved that there is such power in Christ that we can be raised up from being in an animal state to being human. We must avoid such things which even the unsaved can see are sin, and every Christian should be able to measure up to this standard so that he is not judged by the light and the conscience of the unsaved. However, this alone does not make us spiritual.

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Heb. 4:12.

We become spiritual when our soul is divided from our spirit. The soulish person is just a natural human being (1 Cor. 15:45), and as a soulish person we are understood and honored.

It is praiseworthy for everyone to be saved from being in an animal state—from the fleshly lusts that war against the soul. Then a person becomes a reliable, respectable citizen, and it is pleasant to be in his company. This is where the majority stop without going further to become spiritual.

In the old covenant they could also be raised up from the animal plane to live on the soulish plane through the law; but they could not become spiritual until Jesus had finished the work.

Jesus’ mother was certainly the most God-fearing woman of her time, but she could not understand the way on which Jesus went. She believed that He was out of His mind. Mark 3:21.

We can be quite certain that there was a good relationship between Jesus and his close relatives, and, trusting in that good relationship, they asked to speak to Jesus in spite of the crowds. V. 31. If Jesus had acted in a soulish or human manner, He would have given in to their desire, and the crowds, who would have witnessed such a good relationship, would have praised Him. However, Jesus had come with a sword, and now the sword was to divide between soul and spirit. That which was soulish, or human, was to be poured out, or put to death. Then Jesus pointed to His disciples and said that those who do His Father’s will are His mother, sister, and brother. Jesus attached importance to a spiritual kinship, and He wanted His kin according to the flesh in that kinship. Now they felt that He was hard and unloving. He was not understood on this way. Notwithstanding, Jesus did not desire any melting together other than according to the Father’s will.

As long as we are soulish, we are led by our feelings and whatever is pure and good in people’s eyes; but by faith we enter into the pouring out of our soul in order to gain spiritual understanding. Only a few want to go this way of suffering; the others remain in their human love, enjoying the honor and respect of people. They never come to the love of Christ that could say to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan!”

Peter was concerned for Jesus, but he was only mindful of the things of men. He wanted to spare Jesus the sufferings, and he wanted to obtain an earthly glory. However, Jesus used the sword. He was not interested in any kind of comradeship with Peter. By faith He offered up one of His best apostles, but Peter endured the sword. He received a mind for going through sufferings to glory.

Just as there is a human love, so there is also a human righteousness. So you must not expect to be understood when you give your coat if all they want is your cloak, or when you turn the other cheek.

There is also a soulish zeal for God’s cause and the virtues of Christ. That zeal is before the face of man; it ebbs away when it is not praised. Only a spiritual zeal can germinate in the dark soil, just like the seed.

We read about this dividing between soul and spirit in connection with entering into rest from our works just as God rested from His works.

A soulish person can do much good, even sacrificing himself to the point of abusing his body; but he does not rest from his works. Col. 3:23. He seeks the testimony of man. He cannot give something away unless the right hand knows what the left hand is doing. A death has to take place for him to enter into rest. There are many thoughts and counsels in the heart that have to be judged by God’s Word. By agreeing to God’s judgment, we will find our life and lose it again. Then we will become spiritual people who live according to God’s workings. We enter into rest from our works, for we have been redeemed from among people and from the earth.