Does man have a soul? Is man’s soul made up of flesh and
blood? Does man have a spirit? Does his spirit survive the death of his body?
These are questions that most Christians answer in the affirmative. Many people
accept that man has a soul that never dies and a spirit that will spend eternity
in heaven or hell. These truths are accepted without much study. Most Christians
accept these truths from their parents without questioning their validity.
However, there are those who believe the soul is only flesh and blood. These
people teach that the spirit is only the breath of wind that is found in human
bodies. Those who believe that the Bible is the Word of God must seek its pages
for the truth concerning these matters. The Bible is clear in its teachings
concerning the soul and the spirit. The purpose of this study is to present what
is right concerning the soul and the spirit to provide a weapon against error.
There are some things in the Bible that are taken for
granted. For an example; there are not any arguments to prove the existence of
God. The Bible just introduces Him as the creator of the heavens and the earth.
The soul and the spirit are also presented in the same manner. There are not any
arguments to prove that either of them exist. The Bible writers just mention
them when the need demands it. Therefore, this study will examine the usage of
the words soul and spirit in their context. In this way the reader can arrive at
the meanings of each word.
GOD IS A SPIRIT
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true
worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father
seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must
worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24).
This verse teaches that God is a Spirit. God seeks spiritual
worship. Jesus is teaching the Samaritan woman about true worship. True worship
is not a worship that must be done in Jerusalem. True worship is spiritual
worship. Spiritual worship allows people to worship God where ever they may be.
Spiritual worship is a worship that requires the use of one’s spirit. This
tells the readers something about the spirit of man. Man’s spirit is not wind.
It is not his breath. Man’s spirit must be intelligent and conscious that it
may come into contact with God. This should not be a strange concept. God is a
spirit. God is not a wind. God is an intelligent conscious being that is all
knowing, present everywhere, and Almighty. Man receives his spirit from God.
When one considers the creation account given in Genesis, man is given special
consideration. The Genesis account reveals how God spoke everything into
existence. However, when it came time to create man, divine council was taken.
The Genesis account reveals how the man that God created was not complete after
the body was formed. The man did not become a living soul until God put part of
Himself into the man. However, the animals are different. God simply spoke the
animals into being. The animals are complete without the benefit of God putting
part of Himself in them. The complete man is flesh and spirit. It is the
spiritual part of man that longs for communication with God. The Psalmist
realizes this when he makes the statement that his soul thirst for the living
God. Jesus teaches that the flesh longs for fleshly things. It is the spirit
that longs for spiritual things. It is the spirit that longs for spiritual
things. Elihu, in Job 32:8, teaches that there is a spirit in man. It is the
inspiration of the Almighty that gives man’s spirit understanding. Man has a
conscious spirit that can understand spiritual things. God created man with the
capability to fellowship Him in spirit. The above text teaches that God is
seeking true worshippers. True worshippers worship a spiritual God in spirit and
in truth.
ANGELS ARE SPIRITS
But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my
right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all
ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of
salvation? (Hebrews 1:13,14)
This text of scripture shows that Angels are spirits. It is
more proof that spirits are not just life forces. Spirits have a life of their
own. This is true of angels. By understanding the spiritual nature of angels,
one can get a better understanding of the spirit in man. Psalms 8:5 tells us
that man is made a little lower than the angels. Luke 20:36 teaches that in the
resurrection man will be equal to the angels. What is it that makes man
different from the angels? Is it his spirit? The answer is no. In the
resurrection two things will happen to mankind. At physical death man loses his
flesh and blood. The Bible teaches that man will get a new body that will be
like Jesus’s resurrected body (IJohn 3:2 and 2Cor. 5:1-3) (This only refers to
the saved in Christ. The wicked will receive a body fitted for destruction). The
second thing is man will never die again. When these two things happen, man will
be equal to the angels. The spiritual part of man will not return to the dust.
His spirit remains the same. The spiritual part of man is the same as the
angels. The spiritual part of man is not the wind. It is not his life force. It
is not his breath. It is the part of the man that has communion with God. It is
the living, conscious part of man that never dies.
MORE ON THE SPIRIT OF MAN
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 (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
There are Bible teachers that teach that the spirit in
humans is nothing more than their breath. These teachers believe that when
humans die, their spirit dies with them. They teach that the spirit is not a
conscious entity dwelling within man. This teaching must be rejected totally.
The Bible teaches contrary. This has already been shown in Job 32:8 and St. John
4:23,24. The text found in 1 Thes. 5:23 strengthens this position. In this text
Paul’s hope for the Thessalonians is that God would sanctify them wholly.
Wholly is translated from the Greek word holoteleis. Holoteleis is a compound
word that carries the thought of whole, entire, complete to the end. In this
text, Paul is expressing the desire for the saved in Christ to be sanctified
through and through. The complete man includes body, soul, and spirit. The next
part of the text reveals Paul’s prayer request for the Thessalonians. He wants
the whole man to be preserved blameless for the day when Jesus Christ makes his
return. Spirit as used in this verse does not convey the thought of breath or
wind in man. One’s breath cannot be preserved blameless. God only allows man
to take one breath at a time. After we breathe in, we exhaled. There is nothing
to preserve be preserved. Paul believes that man is physical and spiritual. He
believes that the spiritual part of man must be as blameless as the physical
part of man. This thought is also found in 2Cor. 7:1.
2Corinthians 7:1
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us
cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting
holiness in the fear of God.
The previous chapter in 2Corinthians closes by exhorting the
people of God to separate themselves from everything that is unclean. If God’s
people separate themselves from the unclean, He promises to be a God and Father
unto them. This text opens the chapter by exhorting the reader to accept God’s
promise of becoming a Father to those who cleanse their flesh and spirit from
all filthiness. This verse teaches that spirits can become contaminated by sin.
Spirits can be cleanse after they are contaminated. One’s breath cannot be
contaminated by sin. If the spirit in humans is the same as their life force,
than one must acknowledge that the life force found in humans is an intelligent,
conscious entity. The spirit in humans is not their life force. God put spirit
into people so they can worship God in spirit and truth. Once the human spirit
has been defiled, it cannot communicate with God. God cannot be a God or Father
to those whose spirit is filthy. The believers are not only encouraged to
cleanse their bodies but their spirits also. Perfecting holiness is the process
of believers cleansing their flesh and spirit from the filthiness of sin. The
spirit in humans is not their breath or life force.
ARE THE SOUL AND THE SPIRIT THE SAME?
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper
than any two-edged 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 (Hebrews 4:12).
The text above shows that man is body, soul, and spirit.
1Thes. 5:23 and Hebrews 4:12 are proof that the soul and the spirit are not the
same. Sometimes in scripture the two are used interchangeably. However, our
current text shows that man is twofold in nature but threefold in being. There
is a difference between the soul and the spirit. The Hebrew writer reveals this.
It takes the word of God to show the difference. Consider this thought further.
THE NATURE OF MAN’S SPIRIT
The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the
LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the
earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him (Zech. 12:1).
This passage of scripture contains a very important fact.
God reveals through his word that He creates spirits. Humans are reproduced
through the sexual union of the male and the female. According to our text,
spirits are created by an act of God. Through the miracle of life, God joins
procreated bodies with spirits that He creates. Fleshy attributes of the
heavenly Father. The fleshy part of man comes from the dust of the earth.
Therefore, it longs for worldly things. Spirits come from heaven. Therefore,
they long for the spiritual things of God. Spirits are not created through the
sex act. Spirits are created by God. The proper understanding of this simple
concept, enables the reader to understand the truth concerning man’s soul and
spirit.
MORE ON MAN’S SOUL
Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones
and sinews (Job 10:11).
Zechariah 12:1 teaches that God create spirits in man. Job
10:11 implies that God creates souls in man. Who is the "me" in this
verse just quoted? Job testifies that God has clothed him with skin and flesh.
This verse shows that part of man’s being is enclosed in skin and flesh. This
part of man’s being cannot be the fleshy part of man. Job is not talking about
a person or an animal that is inside of him. He certainly is not talking about
the life he is enjoying. The word soul will not be found in this passage of
scripture. Job understands that everyone has a soul. He knows that he is not an
exception. His soul is the eternal part of him. The skin and flesh along with
the bone and sinews will return to the dust. The eternal Job or Job’s soul
will survive the death of Job’s body. Job has the understanding that one day
his body will be destroyed. He also knows that he will receive a new spiritual
body for his soul. Consider the text from Job 19:25-27, "For I know that my
redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; And
though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though
my reins be consumed within me."
2Corinthians 5:1-4
For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle
were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal
in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with
our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be
found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not
for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be
swallowed up of life.
The difference between a man’s soul and his body can be
explored in the writings of Paul. In this text, Paul makes a statement that the
believers are in a tabernacle. The word tabernacle is translated from the Greek
word "skene." Skene can also be translated tent. Either way, Paul
acknowledges that his real person is abiding in an earthly house. Paul teaches
that one day his house will be dissolved. When his earthly house is dissolved,
Paul believes that he will have an eternal home waiting for him in heaven. This
home is made without hands. Paul makes mention in this text that the believers
groan to be clothed upon with the heavenly home. Is Paul talking about his
fleshy body? The answer must be no. He has already stated that his earthly house
has been dissolved. It is the believer’s soul within him that groans to be
clothed with the heavenly home. The soul is naked when it leaves the body at
death. This passage of scripture teaches that the body is clothing for the soul.
This is true whether it is a heavenly body or an earthly body. The soul demands
to be clothed. Since the soul is the immaterial part of man and is spiritual in
nature, it prefers to be clothed in a spiritual eternal body. It is worth
repeating that it is not the body that groans to be clothed upon. The body is
clothing already. It is the soul that demands to be clothed upon with an eternal
body. This passage of scripture proves that the soul is a conscious living
entity when it is outside of the body. The soul survives the death of the body.
Some believe that Paul is a member of a special class of
people who will go to heaven when they die. People with this belief acknowledge
that only one hundred and forth-four thousand people are going to go to heaven.
The rest will spend eternity on the earth. This teaching must be rejected as
false. Paul was a man like everyone else. In the order of creation, there is
divinity, angels, and then man. The Bible does not give two classes of men on
earth. All are descendants of Adam and Eve. Paul taught this in Acts 17:26 when
he wrote, "And hath made of one blood all nations of men…" Some men
do not have spiritual souls while other men’s souls are fleshy. All men are
the same. The "we" that Paul uses in this text is referring to all the
born again believers throughout time. Ephesians 4:4 teaches, "There is one
body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling."
Any teachings that divide the body of Christ into two different factions is not
divine in origin. There are not two bodies of believers. Everyone in Christ has
the same hope of their calling. One class of people do not have one hope and the
people in the other class have a different hope. This is contrary to the
scriptures.
The best way to understand the truth concerning the soul and
the spirit is to study the many Biblical texts that talks about them. The word
"soul" is translated from the Hebrew word "nephesh" and the
Greek word "psuche." The word "spirit" is translated from
the Hebrew word "ruach" and the Greek word "pneuma."
Sometimes these words are translated other ways than soul or spirit. The
remainder of this study will take the words nephesh, psuche, ruach, and pneuma
and explore how they are used in the scriptures. Comments will be made on some
of the verses to help the reader in his study. The reader is encouraged to study
the scriptures in the context in which they are written. God bless!
In our study of the scriptures we should be able to see that
the soul and the spirit of man are different. Every man has a soul. It is the
spirit that every human has that makes one human different from another one. The
soul is the part of God that is in man. The spirit of man is what enables man to
communicate with God. The soul is the being. The spirit is the driving force of
that being. The soul and the spirit cannot be separated. Together the soul and
the spirit make up the spiritual man. The body is the material house of the soul
and the spirit.
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