1 Thessalonians 5:23
Ephesians 3:15-18
“God” dwells as spirit, “self” dwells as soul or psyche, “senses” dwell in the body and determine favorable or unfavorable stimuli for the soul. The “soul” is the meeting point between body/self and self/spirit.
The soul is self-determinate and can choose to accept or reject things in its environment.
The soul looks to the spirit for input received from the Holy Spirit and communicates to the body what it has received so that the body may partake of the perfection of the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 3:15-18
“God” dwells as spirit, “self” dwells as soul or psyche, “senses” dwell in the body and determine favorable or unfavorable stimuli for the soul. The “soul” is the meeting point between body/self and self/spirit.
The soul is self-determinate and can choose to accept or reject things in its environment.
The soul looks to the spirit for input received from the Holy Spirit and communicates to the body what it has received so that the body may partake of the perfection of the Holy Spirit.
The soul dwells between the spirit and the body and is the medium of the two. The body is the outer shell of the soul, while the soul is the outer shell of the spirit. The soul is potentially the strongest part because both the spirit and the body are incorporated into it, take it as their personality and are affected by it.
Before the fall of man, the spirit of man was in tune with God who (through the soul) taught and directed the whole being. When the spirit wanted to do something, it communicated to the soul, and the soul activated the body to follow the direction of the spirit. After the fall, man chose to allow the body to play tug-of-war with the spirit for control of the body seeking to use the body to influence the soul to overtake the spirit.
The soul is the seat of personality; man’s will, intellect, and emotion all lie in the soul.
The spirit is the part with which man communicates with the spiritual realm.
The body is the part with which man communicates with the physical realm.
The soul is in the middle of these two parts. It exercises judgment to determine if the spiritual realm is to rule or if the physical realm is to rule. Unless the soul yields its rule to the spirit, the spirit cannot rule. Hence, the soul has to authorize the spirit to rule before the latter can rule over the soul and the whole body. The soul is the master of a person because man’s will is part of the soul. When the spirit controls the whole being, it is because the soul has yielded itself and has taken a subservient position. If the soul rebels, the spirit will not have the power to control it. This is the meaning of "free will" in man. Man has the absolute right to make his own decisions. He is not a machine of gears which turn merely according to God’s design. He has his own faculty of deliberation and he can choose to follow God’s intentions and/or he can choose to oppose God’s intentions.
According to God’s arrangement, the spirit should be the highest part and should control the whole being. Yet the main part of man’s personality, the will, is of the soul. Man’s will (soul) has the power to choose to let the spirit rule, to let the body rule, or to let the self rule:
A) SPIRIT (Seeks harmony of all; the quality of forming a pleasing and consistent whole)
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B) SOUL (Self identification and ego)
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C) PHYSICAL (Body focused and/or driven by pleasurable stimuli)
Thus B chooses the course for the body and soul to follow. It may choose to follow the inputs from A, B, or C.
One may be driven by the pleasurable stimuli produced in the body.
One may be driven by what is "selfish."
One may be driven by what is harmonious for all.
One's spirit, the one determining that which is "a pleasing and consistent whole," may be determined by self, by UNholy influences or by the Holy Spirit.
Holy: That which must be preserved whole or intact, which cannot be transgressed or violated. That which is directly from God or connected with God.
Seek to make B “in tune” with A and C, giving preference to A when it conflicts with B or C.
One may be driven by the pleasurable stimuli produced in the body.
One may be driven by what is "selfish."
One may be driven by what is harmonious for all.
One's spirit, the one determining that which is "a pleasing and consistent whole," may be determined by self, by UNholy influences or by the Holy Spirit.
Holy: That which must be preserved whole or intact, which cannot be transgressed or violated. That which is directly from God or connected with God.
Seek to make B “in tune” with A and C, giving preference to A when it conflicts with B or C.
Now contemplate the three leaders in the body of the Masonic lodge.
- The WM is the overall leader and is responsible for being in tune with the Grand Lodge.
- The SW is the officer who receives communication from the WM and, when at work, passes it along to the body through the JW.
- The JW is in charge of the body of the lodge when at refreshment (pleasure).
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May you be strengthened in the soul through the Holy Spirit.
May the anointed one of God dwell in your soul through faith.
Being thus rooted in Love,
may you be able to comprehend the full extent of God's love.
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