"Soul" vs. "Spirit": Are They One in the Same?

My dear friend Bennie Durham wrapped up preaching revival at the church I pastor last week.  He did a tremendous job, and God definitely used him.  He preached a series of messages out of Hebrews 4.  One night talking about Hebrews 4:12-13, he made the comment about the "soul" and "spirit" being essentially the same thing.  Let me try to clarify this for you.

The words for "soul" and "spirit" are two entirely different words in the Greek language, which is what the New Testament was written in.  The Greek word for "soul" is psuchē, while the Greek for "spirit" is pneúma.  To make the comparison easier, I would reference you to 1 Thessalonians 5:23, where Paul prays for the Thessalonians for God to, "sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Let us try to differentiate between "soul" and "spirit."  The "spirit" is the part that enables us to perceive the divine.  Through this component we can know and communicate with God.This higher element, though damaged through the fall of Adam, is sufficently intact to provide each individual a consciousness of God.

The "soul" is the sphere of our will and emotions, the true center of personality, which gives us a self-consciouness that relates to the physical world through the body and to God through the spirit.

The "body" is the physical side of the human person.  This analysis of humankind had been Paul's training in the Old Testament, though much unresolved mystery remains regarding the interrelationships between the different parts, including the body.  How one affects the other is fully understood only by the Creator. 

I hope this clears the muddying of the waters somewhat.  Please feel free to respond with questions.

Blessings,

Bryan