I. Scriptural Basis

1. The Human Spirit in the Old Testament
2. The Human Spirit in the New Testament
3. The Distinction between the Holy Spirit and the Human Spirit
4. The Distinction between the Human Soul and the Human Spirit

The human spirit is revealed throughout the Old Testament, from the beginning to the end. Starting from Genesis 2 (v. 7) with the creation of the human spirit by God's breathing into Adam, to Malachi 2 (v.16) where we are charged to take heed to our spirit, the Old Testament repeatedly highlights the human spirit. The following catalogue of Old Testament references to the human spirit is by no means complete, but it nonetheless provides a deep impression of the very central role of man's spirit in the Old Testament.

GENESIS

Genesis 2:7
Jehovah God formed man with the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.

Genesis 41:8
And in the morning his spirit was troubled, so he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

Genesis 45:27
And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them; and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived.

EXODUS

Exodus 6:9
And Moses spoke this to the children of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of exasperation of spirit and harsh bondage.

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Exodus 35:21
And they came, every one whose heart lifted him up and everyone whose spirit made him willing, and brought the heave offering of Jehovah for the work of the Tent of Meeting and for all its service and for the holy garments.

NUMBERS

Numbers 14:24
Only My servant Caleb, because he had a different spirit and has fully followed Me, will I bring into the land which he entered; and his descendents shall take possession of it.

Numbers 16:22
But they fell on their faces and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, will one man sin and You be angry with the whole assembly?

Numbers 27:16
Let Jehovah, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the assembly,

DEUTERONOMY

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Deuteronomy 2:30
But Sihon the king of Heshbon would not let us pass through his land, for Jehovah your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate for the purpose of delivering him into your hand, as he is today.

JUDGES

Judges 15:19
But God broke open the hollow place that is in Lehi, and water came forth from it. And when he drank, his spirit returned and he was revived; therefore he called the name of that place Enhakkore, which is in Lehi to this day.

EZRA

Ezra 1:1
Now in the first year of Cyrus the king of Persia, so that the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Cyrus the king of Persia; and he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and put it also in writing, saying,

Ezra 1:5
Then the heads of the father’s houses of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites rose up, even everyone whose spirit God had stirred up to go up to build the house of Jehovah which is in Jerusalem.

JOB

Job 6:4
For the arrows of the Almighty are in me, The poison of which my spirit drinks up; The terrors of God are arrayed against me.

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Job 7:11
For my part, I also will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the distress of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

Job 10:12
You have granted me life and lovingkindness, and your visitation has preserved my spirit.

Job 15:13
That you turn your spirit against God and let words go forth from your mouth?

Job 21:4
As for me, is my complaint to man? And why should my spirit not be impatient?

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Job 32:8
But there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding.

Job 32:18
For I am full of words; the spirit in my inward parts constrains me.

PSALMS

Psalm 31:5
Into Your hand I commit my spirit; Redeem me, O Jehovah, God of truth.

Psalm 32:2
Blessed is the man to whom Jehovah does not impute iniquity And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

Psalm 34:18
Jehovah is near to those who are broken in heart, And He saves those who are contrite in spirit.

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Psalm 51:10
Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Psalm 51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

Psalm 77:3
I remember God, and I moan; I complain, and my spirit faints. Selah.

Psalm 77:6
I remember my song in the night; I muse with my own heart, and my spirit carefully searches.

Psalm 78:8
That they might not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not set their heart right, And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

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Psalm 142:3
When my spirit fainted within me, You knew my path. On the way on which I walked They have hidden a trap for me.

Psalm 143:4
Therefore my spirit faints within me; My heart is appalled in the midst of me.

Psalm 143:7
Hurry and answer me, O Jehovah; My spirit fails. Do not hide Your face from me, Lest I become like those who go down into the pit.

PROVERBS

Proverbs 11:13
He who goes about as a gossip reveals secrets, But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.

Proverbs 14:29
He who is slow to anger is of great understanding, But he who has a hasty spirit exalts folly.

Proverbs 15:4
A soothing tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it is a breaking of the spirit.

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Proverbs 15:13
A joyful heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken.

Proverbs 16:2
All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes, But Jehovah weighs the spirits.

Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 16:19
It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor, Than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Proverbs 16:32
He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.

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Proverbs 17:22
A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 17:27
He who restrains his words has knowledge, and he who is cool in spirit is one who has understanding.

Proverbs 18:14
The spirit of a man can sustain his sickness, but a broken spirit who can bear?

Proverbs 20:27
The spirit of man is the lamp of Jehovah, searching all the innermost parts of the inner being.

Proverbs 25:28
Like a city that is broken down, without walls, is a man whose spirit is without restraint.

Proverbs 29:23
A man's pride will bring him low, But he who is of a lowly spirit will obtain honor.

ECCLESIASTES

Ecclesiastes 7:8
Better is the end of a thing than its beginning; better is patience of spirit than haughtiness of spirit.

Ecclesiastes 7:9
Do not be quick in your spirit to be angry, For anger rests in the bosom of fools.

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Ecclesiastes 10:4
If the ruler's spirit rises up against you, do not leave your place; for composure allays great offenses.

ISAIAH

Isaiah 26:9
My soul desires You in the night; Indeed my spirit within me seeks You at the dawn; For when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

Isaiah 29:24
And those who have erred in spirit will come to understand, And the murmurers will learn teaching.

Isaiah 38:16
O Lord, upon all these things men live; And in all of these things is the life of my spirit; Therefore may You restore my strength And make me live.

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Isaiah 42:5
Thus says God Jehovah, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and what springs up from it, Who gives breath to the people upon it And spirit to those who walk on it:

Isaiah 57:15
For thus says the high and exalted One, Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I will dwell in the high and holy place, And with the contrite and lowly of spirit, To revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.

Isaiah 57:16
For I will not contend forever, Nor will I always be angry; For the spirit would faint before Me, And the souls which I have made.

Isaiah 66:2
For all these things My hand has made, And so all these things have come into being, declares Jehovah. But to this kind of man will I look, to him who is poor And of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.

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JEREMIAH

Jeremiah 51:11
Polish the arrows, Take up the shields. Jehovah has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because His purpose is against Babylon, to destroy her; for this is the vengeance of Jehovah, the vengeance for His temple.

EZEKIEL

Ezekiel 11:19
And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them; and I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh,

Ezekiel 18:31
Cast away from you all your transgressions by which you have transgressed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit; for why will you die, O house of Israel?

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Ezekiel 36:26
I will also give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take away the heart of stone out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.

DANIEL

Daniel 2:1
And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams and his spirit was troubled and his sleep left him.

Daniel 2:3
And the king said to them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.

Daniel 5:12
Because an excellent spirit and knowledge and insight, and the interpretation of dreams, the declaring of riddles, and the resolving of problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Let Daniel now be called, and he will declare the interpretation.

Daniel 6:3
Then this Daniel distinguished himself among the chief ministers and satraps because in him there was an excellent spirit, and the king considered setting him over the whole kingdom.

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Daniel 7:15
As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was distressed, and the visions of my head alarmed me.

HAGGAI

Haggai 1:14
And Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of Jehovah of hosts their God,

ZECHARIAH

Zechariah 12:1
The burden of the word of Jehovah concerning Israel. Thus declares Jehovah, who stretches forth the heavens and lays the foundations of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him,

MALACHI

Malachi 2:15
But did he not make them one? And the remnant of the Spirit was His. And why the one? He sought the seed of God. Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one be treacherous to the wife of his youth.

Malachi 2:16
For I hate divorce, says Jehovah the God of Israel; and he who does it behaves in violence, says Jehovah of hosts. Take heed then to your spirit, and do not be treacherous.

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The New Testament provides an even fuller revelation of the human spirit. It begins with the blessing in Matthew to the poor in spirit and concludes in Revelation with the God of the spirits of the prophets. The New Testament record of the human spirit provides us with tremendous insight into the normal individual Christian life and corporate church life. Again, the verses below concerning the human spirit are not exhaustive, but are nonetheless critical to our understanding of this profound matter in the New Testament.

MATTHEW

Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.

Matthew 22:43
He said to them, How then does David in spirit call Him Lord, saying,

Matthew 26:41
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

MARK

Mark 2:8
And immediately Jesus, knowing fully in His spirit that they were reasoning this way within themselves, said to them, Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?

Mark 8:12
And He groaned deeply in His spirit and said, Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly I tell you, No sign shall be given to this generation.

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Mark 14:38
Watch and pray that you may not come into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

LUKE

Luke 1:47
And my spirit has exulted in God my Savior;

Luke 1:80
And the little child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his presentation to Israel.

Luke 8:55
And her spirit returned and she rose up instantly; and He directed that something be given to her to eat.

Luke 23:46
And crying with a loud voice, Jesus said, Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit. And saying this, He expired.

JOHN

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John 3:6
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

John 4:23-24
23  But an hour is coming, and it is now, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truthfulness, for the Father also seeks such to worship Him.
24  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truthfulness.

John 11:33
Then Jesus, when He saw her weeping and the Jews who came with her weeping, was moved with indignation in His spirit and was troubled,

John 13:21
When Jesus had said these things, He became troubled in His spirit, and He testified and said, Truly, truly, I say to you that one of you will betray Me.

ACTS

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Acts 7:59
And they stoned Stephen as he called upon the Lord and said, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!

Acts 17:16
And while Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he beheld that the city was full of idols.

Acts 18:25
This man was instructed in the way of the Lord, and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.

Acts 19:21
And when these things were fulfilled, Paul purposed in his spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome.

Acts 20:22
And now, behold, I am going bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing what will meet me there,

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ROMANS

Romans 1:9
God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of His Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you always in my prayers,

Romans 2:29
He is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is of the heart, in spirit, not in letter, whose praise is not from men, but from God.

Romans 7:6
Now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that in which we were held, so that we serve in newness of spirit and not in oldness of letter.

Romans 8:4
That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit.

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Romans 8:5
For those who are according to the flesh mind the things of the flesh; but those who are according to the spirit, the things of the Spirit.

Romans 8:6
For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace.

Romans 8:10
But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is life because of righteousness.

Romans 8:15
For you have not received a spirit of slavery bringing you into fear again, but you have received a spirit of sonship in which we cry, Abba, Father!

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Romans 8:16
The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God.

Romans 12:11
Do not be slothful in zeal, but be burning in spirit, serving the Lord.

CORINTHIANS

1 Corinthians 2:11
For who among men knows the things of man, except the spirit of man which is in him? In the same way, the things of God also no one has known except the Spirit of God.

1 Corinthians 4:21
What do you want? Should I come to you with a rod or in love and a spirit of meekness?

1 Corinthians 5:3
For I, on my part, though being absent in the body but present in the spirit, have already judged, as if being present, him who has thus done this,

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1 Corinthians 5:4
In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you and my spirit have been assembled, with the power of our Lord Jesus,

1 Corinthians 5:5
To deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 6:17
But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.

1 Corinthians 7:34
And is distracted. Both the unmarried woman and the virgin care for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit; but she who has married cares for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.

1 Corinthians 14:2
For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one hears, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries.

1 Corinthians 14:14
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.

1 Corinthians 14:15
What then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray also with the mind; I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing also with the mind.

1 Corinthians 14:16
Otherwise if you bless with the spirit, how shall he who fills the place of the unlearned in tongues say the Amen at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying?

1 Corinthians 14:32
And the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets;

1 Corinthians 16:18
For they refreshed my spirit and yours. Acknowledge therefore such ones.

2 CORINTHIANS

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2 Corinthians 2:13
I had no rest in my spirit, for I did not find Titus my brother; but taking leave of them, I went forth into Macedonia.

2 Corinthians 4:13
And having the same spirit of faith according to that which is written, “I believed, therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore we also speak,

2 Corinthians 7:13
Because of this we have been comforted. And in addition to our comfort, we rejoiced more abundantly over the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.

2 Corinthians 12:18 I entreated Titus and sent with him the brother. Titus did not take advantage of you, did he? Did we not walk in the same spirit? In the same steps?

GALATIANS

Galatians 6:1
Brothers, even if a man is overtaken in some offense, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of meekness, looking to yourself lest you also be tempted.

Galatians 6:18
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

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EPHESIANS

Ephesians 1:17
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him,

Ephesians 2:22
In whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit.

Ephesians 3:5
Which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in spirit,

Ephesians 3:16
That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man,

Ephesians 4:23
And that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind

Ephesians 5:18
And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissoluteness, but be filled in spirit,

Ephesians 6:18
By means of all prayer and petition, praying at every time in spirit and watching unto this in all perseverance and petition concerning all the saints,

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PHILIPPIANS

Philippians 1:27
Only, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, that whether coming and seeing you or being absent, I may hear of the things concerning you, that you stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving together along with the faith of the gospel,

Philippians 2:1
If there is therefore any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of spirit, if any tenderheartedness and compassions,

Philippians 4:23
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

COLOSSIANS

Colossians 2:5
For even though I am absent in the flesh, yet in the spirit I am with you, rejoicing and seeing your order and the solid basis of your faith in Christ.

1 THESSALONIANS

1 Thessalonians 5:23
And the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 TIMOTHY

2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power and of love and of sobermindedness.

2 Timothy 4:22
The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.

PHILEMON

Philemon 25
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

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HEBREWS

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and operative and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow, and able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 12:9
Furthermore we have had the fathers of our flesh as discipliners and we respected them; shall we not much more be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?

Hebrews 12:23
And to the church of the firstborn, who have been enrolled in the heavens; and to God, the Judge of all; and to the spirits of righteous men who have been made perfect;

JAMES

James 2:26
For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

1 PETER

1 Peter 3:4
But the hidden man of the heart in the incorruptible adornment of a meek and quiet spirit, which is very costly in the sight of God.

1 Peter 4:6
For unto this end the gospel was announced also to those who are now dead, that they might be judged in the flesh according to men but live in the spirit according to God.

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JUDE

Jude 19
These are those who make divisions, soulish, having no spirit.

REVELATION

Revelation 1:10
I was in spirit on the Lord's Day and heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,

Revelation 4:2
Immediately I was in spirit; and behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and upon the throne there was One sitting;

Revelation 17:3
And he carried me away in spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

Revelation 21:10
And he carried me away in spirit onto a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,

Revelation 22:6
And he said to me, These words are faithful and true; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show to His slaves the things which must quickly take place.

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The Scriptures clearly distinguish the Holy Spirit from the human spirit. Throughout the Bible, the divine Spirit is capitalized while the human spirit is lower-case. One might ask why this distinction should be pointed out. It is because in the past much attention has been paid to the matter of the Holy Spirit, while the human spirit has been almost entirely neglected. Nonetheless it is essential that believers realize and appreciate this distinction, for the residence and dwelling place of the Holy Spirit is now their human spirit. Thus, in order for us to be able to locate, contact, and enjoy the indwelling Holy Spirit, we must first know our human spirit. (Witness Lee, Economy 26)

John 3:6
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

John 4:24
God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truthfulness.

Romans 8:5
For those who are according to the flesh mind the things of the flesh; but those who are according to the spirit, the things of the Spirit.

Romans 8:9
But you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Yet if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not of Him.

Romans 8:16
The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God.

1 Corinthians 2:11
For who among men knows the things of man, except the spirit of man which is in him? In the same way, the things of God also no one has known except the Spirit of God.

1 John 4:2
In this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,

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The Bible also clearly reveals that the soul and spirit are two absolutely different and distinct entities. The soul has the ability to apprehend the psychological realm but not the things of God (1 Cor. 2:11). It is the spirit alone that can know and discern the things of God. In fact, the Greek words for soul (psuche) and spirit (pneuma) are completely different. Below are some examples of Scripture that underscore the distinction between the soul and the spirit. (Witness Lee, Basic Principles 87)

Luke 1:46-47
46 And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit has exulted in God my Savior;

Philippians 1:27 Only, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, that whether coming and seeing you or being absent, I may hear of the things concerning you, that you stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving together along with the faith of the gospel,

1 Thessalonians 5:23
And the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and operative and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow, and able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

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