If soul and spirit are the same thing, then why was the word of God so precisely operating on the organic Hebrew metaphors that held them together? Jesus repeatedly told the Hebrews to leave their old soul and get the new one. Only the word of God is effective enough to complete the seperation and renewal process. The original living soul of the old covenant was Adam as revealed under law through Moses and more fully revealed under law through Jesus Christ. The living soul of Adam was put to death and raised into a new covenant of Yashua. The image of the living soul today that truly masters the human spirit is still effectively created by the word of God as breathed into our minds by his ministers and his holy spirit. 

2 Corinthians 5:17 So that if anyone is in Christ; new creation. The originals have moved forward and arrived. Be aware that all (original creations coming into Christ) have been made new. 

A spirit with a new soul is a newly covenanted creation. Adam became a new covenant creation when God breathed into him. He already had a spirit. He just needed to righteously master his spirit. Over time Adam's new covenant creation got old and groaned under the burden of keeping the law in the power of the flesh. All of the covenant creations groaned together becuse they could not righteously master their own spirits; even after the twelve tribes were dispersed and preaching Moses in every city in order to humanize every creation. Even the humanized spirit could not be tamed in the power of the flesh. 

James 3:7 ECB 7 For all nature, both of beasts and of flyers, both of creepers and of those in the sea, is tamed - and has been tamed by human nature: 8 but the tongue, no human can tame - an unrestrainable evil full of death bearing venom:

Hebrews 4:13 And there is not a creation which is invisible to his view. Since all are exposed and have been laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we are accountable.

All spirits, other than the supreme Elohim, are individually born spirits living in an individually born body which lives within a corporate governing body made of many spirits. Governing bodies are referred to biblically as creations. We are told to submit to the human ones. (anthropos; things common to humanity)

1Peter 2:13-16  YLT 13 Be subject, then, to every human creation, because of the Lord, whether to a king, as the highest, 14 whether to governors, as to those sent through him, for punishment, indeed, of evil-doers, and a praise of those doing good; 15 because, so is the will of God, doing good, to put to silence the ignorance of the foolish men; 16 as free, and not having the freedom as the cloak of the evil, but as servants of God;

Romans 8:14-23CLV 14 For whoever are being led by God's spirit, these are sons of God." 15 For you did not get slavery's spirit to fear again, but you got the spirit of sonship, in which we are crying, "Abba, Father!" 16 The spirit itself is testifying together with our spirit that we are children of God. 17 Yet if children, enjoyers also of an allotment, enjoyers, indeed, of an allotment from God, yet joint enjoyers of Christ's allotment, if so be that we are suffering together, that we should be glorified together also." 18 For I am reckoning that the sufferings of the current era do not deserve the glory about to be revealed for us. 19 For the premonition of the creation is awaiting the unveiling of the sons of God. 20 For to vanity was the creation subjected, not voluntarily, but because of Him Who subjects it, in expectation" 21 that the creation itself, also, shall be freed from the slavery of corruption into the glorious freedom of the children of God." 22 For we are aware that the entire creation is groaning and travailing together until now. 23 Yet not only so, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruit of the spirit, we ourselves also, are groaning in ourselves, awaiting the sonship, the deliverance of our body."

At Pentecost, the governing body of Moses became the first of the creations being raised into the governing body of Christ; the new creation body. 

Jude 1:9 ECB 9 Yet Michah El the archangel dialoguing with Diabolos reasoning about the body of Moses, dared not bring a blasphemy; but said, Yah Veh rebuke you! (this is body corporate)

Proverbs 17:22  CLV A rejoicing heart does good as a cure, Yet a despondent spirit dries up the ribs.

Matthew 10:28  CLV 28 And do not fear those who are killing the body, yet are not able to kill the soul. Yet be fearing Him, rather, Who is able to destroy the soul as well as the body in Gehenna.

 
LOSE THE SOUL TO FIND THE SOUL 
Matthew 16:25-26 ECB 25 For whoever wills to save his soul, loses it: and whoever loses his soul for my sake, finds it: 26 for what is a human benefited whenever he gains the whole cosmos and loses his own soul? Or what gives a human in exchange for his soul?

Jesus put the old soul of Adam in himself to death and called on others to continue to put the old man to death and follow the new covenant soul before He came to finish the job in AD 70. Those who stayed in the old creation lost their soul because they did not find it made better in the new covenant.

Genesis 2:7  ECB 7 and Yah Veh Elohim forms Adam of the dust of the soil and puffs into his nostrils the breath of life; and Adam becomes a living soul. 

1 Corinthians 15:45  LITV 45 So also it has been written, "The" first "man", Adam, "became a living soul;" the last Adam a life-giving Spirit. Gen. 2:7

Psalm 31:4-6  CLV 4 You shall bring me forth from the net That they have buried for me; For You are my Stronghold. 5 Into Your hand am I committing my spirit; You have ransomed me, O Yahweh, El of faithfulness." 6 I hate those keeping hypocritical vanities, Yet I, I trust in Yahweh."

Yeshua trusted Yahwey even when he knew his life in the old covenant was about to end unjustly. He was about to lose the old soul and start a new one. 

As Jesus left his body he entrusted his spirit to Yahwey; as he killed the old soul of Adam in himself

Luke 23:46  CLV 46 And shouting with a loud voice, Jesus said, "Father, into Thy hands am I committing My spirit. Now, saying this, He expires."

Jesus questioned why the perfected soul of Adam had to be abandoned in the old covenant. 

Matthew 26:39 ECB 39 And he proceeds and falls on his face and prays, wording, O my Father, if possible, pass this cup from me - however, not as I will - but as you will.

Matthew 27:46 ECB 46 and about the ninth hour Yah Shua cries with a mega voice, wording, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is, My Elohim, my Elohim, why forsake you me?

Psalm 22:1-18  ECB 1  To His Eminence; On the Hind of the Dawn: A Psalm by David. My El, my El, why forsake you me? - so far from my salvation and from the words of my roaring? 2 O my Elohim, I call by day, and you answer not; and by night, and am not silent. 3 And you are holy - you who settles in the halals of Yisra El. 4 Our fathers confided in you - they confided and you slipped them away: 5 they cried to you and escaped; they confided in you and shamed not. 6 I am but a maggot - not a man; a reproach of humanity despised of the people. 7 All who see me deride me; they bust out the lip, they shake the head, 8 saying, Roll on Yah Veh! He rescues him! He slips him away, seeing he delights in him! 9 For you are he who gushed me from the belly; to confide in you at the breasts of my mother. 10 I was cast on you from the womb; you are my El from the belly of my mother. 11 Be not far from me; for tribulation is near: for there is no helper. 12 Many bullocks surround me; the mighty of Bashan surround me: 13 they gape on me with their mouths as a tearing and a roaring lion. 14 I am poured as water and all my bones separate; my heart is as wax melted midst my inwards; 15 my force is dried as a potsherd; my tongue adheres to my prey; you set me into the dust of death. 16 For dogs surround me; the witness of vilifiers surround me: my hands and my feet as a lion. 17 I scribe all my bones; they look and see me; 18 they allot my clothes among them and toss pebbles for my robe.

As Stephen left his old body he also entrusted his spirit to the new covenant soul of Yashua. They were both murdered by the spirits of men who clung to the old soul of the old man; Adam. They wanted to stay in the old covenant corporate body. Stephen was in the new corporate body of Christ with a new living soul. It was a body and soul they could not kill. Stephen was given his new living soul by the breath of God on Pentecost. He truly mastered his own spirit by way of the new soul. A soul is created in covenant. Only one covenant is eternal and only one soul can master the spirit and make it truly human.

Acts 7:59-61  ECB 59 and they stone Stephanos: calling on Elohim, wording, Adonay Yah Shua, receive my spirit. 60 And he places his knees and cries with a mega voice, Adonay, set not this sin to their charge. - and saying this, he falls asleep.

Stephen even mastered the one thing no human spirit had been able to master; the tongue. He blessed and did not curse even if he had a right to curse. Cursing is not always wrong. Jesus, who first mastered the human spirit, cursed as he entered old covenant Jerusalem for passion week.

A living soul is created as one or more spirits breathe their covenant life into another spirit. This is called family life. Soul and spirit both have root words that mean wind or breath. In a family, one spirit is catching the breath of others through their words and actions. As a spirit mingles with other humanized spirits he become more human. When a baby takes his first breath and begins to breath on his own he is initiated into his family's life. Pentecost was the initiation into the born again family life of Yeshua. He is the perfected human spirit; better known today as Christian.