Please break down the difference between soul and spirit.
This is not easily done. It can be a little confusing to try to determine the precise difference between the soul and spirit. In fact, it takes the Word of God to really divide between the soul and spirit as we read in Hebrews 4:12 – “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Using the language of scripture, we see that a man’s soul defines the essence of who he is. When God breathed into Adam’s nostrils, he became a living soul as we read in Genesis 2:7 – “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
The spirit is that part of us that allows us to know and have a relationship with the Lord. Job 32:8 says, “But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.”
While we have a spirit, we are not spirit…God is spirit as we read in John 4:24 – “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
The Bible teaches us that man was created in God’s image in Genesis 1:27 – “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” If God is spirit, according to John 4:24, how is it that man was created in God’s image, since we have a fleshly body. God is a triune person. That means that although one, He is made of three: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Man is also a triune person. We are made of three also: body, soul, and spirit. It’s in this sense that man was created in the image of God.
When we were saved, did the Lord save our body, soul, or spirit? Actually, He saved all three, as all three define who we are. We read in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 – “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (3.3)