There are only two (that I know of) views regarding the composition of man. God created man with a body, soul, and spirit or God created man with a body and a soul/spirit (soul and spirit, in the sense of natural man, being the same).
I lean towards the former - that God created Adam with a human body, a human soul, and a human spirit.
But I do not know that I can articulate the differences between soul and spirit in this sense.
What are your thoughts?
Trichotomy or Dichotomy
Discussion in 'Baptist Theology & Bible Study' started by JonC, May 2, 2022.
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I favor dichotomy. In Genesis God breathed (spirit and breath are same word) into man and he became a living soul.
I think this shows mankind is body and spirit and together they comprise the whole (a living soul)
At times spirit and soul are viewed separately and other times spirit and soul are used interchangeably.
When viewed separately, I believe “soul” is referring to the whole person (body and spirit).
Good topic
peace to you -
Not trying to change the subject - but - Does an animal have a Soul and a spirit -
If an animal only has one - then isn't that the difference between a man and animal? -
I know you asked JonC, but I’ll put my two cents in.
Animals don’t have a soul or a spirit they are not like people in this regard.
peace to you -
I tend to connect our spirit with our nature. So I think animals may have a spirit (not a human spirit).
I think of our soul as what makes us who we are as a person. Isaiah tells us God gives us a new spirit. It is "us" who are given this spirit.
Now that I consider my post, I suppose that I may also agree with those who hold to a dichotomous view (if they consider our nature as different from our soul).
But I am not sure. That's why I appeal to the wisdom of others here.
Old wise @Salty and old wise @canadyjd :Thumbsup -
Eternally Grateful Active Member
I always leans tri - body souls and spirit
We are born with our spirit dead - which leads us Di, Until our spirit is born again, In which we are restored to mankind’s origional state
Adam and Ever were created tri. When they sinned, there spirit died. -
Heb 4:12
Man is a Triune being.
Spirit: what man actually is. The part that will live eternally in heaven or Hell.
Soul: The mental activity in the mind. It is a connection between the spirit man and the flesh. (Sometimes translators use "Soul" of man to also include the Spirit.
Flesh: I think we all get that one. -
Their Spirit kind of died when they sinned. It died in the sense that fellowship was broken with God. It did not cease to exist.
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I always considered spirit and soul the opposite (same parts but opposite terms).
Christ gave up His Spirit agrees with your explanation.
But I think God giving us a new spirit agrees with mine.
I wonder if Scripture always used these words the same. (?) -
I think translation is not precise with the wording.
Is the "New Spirit" new or is it New Life to the Spiritually dead spirit? -
Agreed, since the human spirit and human soul are always together, only God could cleave them apart. I believe "soul" simply describes the attitudes and attributes of our human spirit both before being born anew and after.
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I have a question....kinda.
Using your definitions (mine may be muddied) would it be proper to say that Adam kinda died spiritually (what man actually is was separated in a way from God) and fell in that mental aspect (the nature, as man's "eyes were opened")? -
I don't know. I would have to think on that. We do know that spiritual death can not mean the spirit of man ceases to exist. That would equal annihilationalism which is heresy.
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Genesis 1:24, ". . . And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature{souls} after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. . . ."
Ecclesiastes 3:21, ". . . the spirit of the beasts, doth it go downwards to the earth?" -
Ecclesiastes 3:21 or so makes the comparison between people and animals saying they both die and return to dust. Later, the author acknowledges a separate fate for people.
peace to you -
Eternally Grateful Active MemberI see death as separation
Physical death is separation of the soul from the body
Spiritual death is separation of the spirit from God. -
Eternally Grateful Active Member
soul vs spirit as I see it..
the soul is the inner man. And all we are
the spirit is the part of us that relates to God.
When the scripture says we are dead, it is not talking of the body or the soul. the soul lives. But the spirit (the part of us that interacts with God and his spirit) is dead. -
Genesis 41:8
Now in the morning his spirit was troubled, so he sent messengers and called for all the soothsayer priests of Egypt, and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh.
According to the "as I see it" view above, this verse should read "his soul was troubled." How could a dead, lifeless spirit be troubled? -
Deuteronomy 2:30
“But Sihon king of Heshbon was not willing for us to pass through his land; for the LORD your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, in order to hand him over to you, as he is today.
How could a dead, lifeless spirit unable to influence human behavior, be hardened making his heart obstinate. Sounds like this verse too would need to be rewritten to read "hardened his soul."
Matthew 26:41
“Keep watching and praying, so that you do not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
How could a dead, lifeless spirit be willing to keep watching and praying to not come into temptation? Seems like our soul and spirit are one and the same, or very much intertwined.
1 Corinthians 2:11
For who among people knows the thoughts of a person except the spirit of the person that is in him? So also the thoughts of God no one knows, except the Spirit of God.
How could a dead, lifeless spirit know what is in him or her? Unless our human spirit is closely united with our human soul. -
Here is an important verse to study:
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
We see that the word of God can penetrate unities, soul and spirit, joints and marrow, thoughts and intentions. Thus the word of God teaches the unity of our soul and spirit, not a division. The word is said to reach into and divide apart these unities. Thus it can alter the attitudes and attributes of our human spirit, disrupt the functioning of our flesh, and impact our thoughts and intentions. The word of God is transformative.
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