It is popularly understood that man is made up of three parts i.e., the spirit, soul, and body. We can oftentimes describe and explain what the body is as it is the physical part of man, that which we can recognize and relate with in the physical world. However, there has been confusions about the soul and spirit of man. Questions such as What is a soul? What is a spirit? Are the soul and spirit one and the same? What is the difference between the soul and spirit? have been asked.
One thing to note is that there is a distinction between these two parts of man (soul and spirit), each with distinct peculiarities and correlating similarities. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (KJV) states “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”. This scripture asserts a distinction between the spirit, soul and body. This further implies that there is indeed a difference between both.
What is a Soul?
A soul can be seen as the immaterial part of man that is responsible for his human nature. A soul houses a person’s nature. It is the spiritual, rational and immortal part of man that gives him the ability to think, choose, and distinguishes him from other living things.
In Genesis 2:7 (KJV), the bible states “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”. At the point of creation, man was formed of the dust of the ground i.e. man’s body was formed, but what made man human, and a living soul was the breath of life God breathed in him. This breath of life was specially given to man to create that which makes him human-(a living soul). The soul can be said to be focused on the inner life of man which includes his mind, his will, his emotions and everything that builds the character he displays on the outside.
3 John 1:2 (KJV) states “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in good health even as thy soul prospereth”. This verse talks about two kinds of prosperity- The prosperity of the soul and material prosperity. The prosperity of the soul can be likened to emotions like happiness, growth of the soul into a better form and nature, expressions of righteousness in thoughts and deeds, and so on. Material prosperity can include wealth, good success, and so on.
Ezekiel 18: 20(KJV) states “The soul that sinneth, it shall die…” A sinning soul is a sinning human nature. This sinning human nature produces sinful actions and thoughts that shall be judged and condemned.
In essence, the soul is the part of man that gives him his human nature. Though immaterial, it is responsible for his behavior and character.
What is a Spirit?
The spirit, like the soul is immaterial. It is also immortal. It is the part of man that gives him life. Without the spirit, the body dies. It is the Spirit of man that leaves his body at the point of death. It is our spirit that enables us to have a connection with God for God is Spirit, not flesh. Through man’s spirit, he contacts God. John 4: 24 (KJV) states “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth”.
The spirit is in direct battle with the flesh and at the point where Salvation has not taken place in a man, his flesh tends to win the battle but at the point of Salvation, God’s Spirit connects with man’s spirit and there is an assistance from God’s Spirit to man’s spirit to win the battle over the flesh, over sin.
CONCLUSION
James 2: 26(KJV) states “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also”. This affirms that the body needs the spirit to be alive. However, the soul on the other hand gives man his human nature and character.
The spirit is what aids us connect and contact God, the soul is a channel through which this contact is made. A pure soul would make it easy for the spirit to contact God’s spirit. An impure soul won’t.
These two parts of man are essential in building his Christian life and must be protected at all costs and are very important to God like expressed in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (KJV) which states “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”.
This article is a collaboration between the Pearlyjay's pen Blog and the Jdsignate Blog so be sure to check out our collaborators blog to also be blessed by enriching Christian content.
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I believe the soul is the inner part of man. It's like a cloth that has the outer and inner part. The body is the outer,soul is the inner. This is why as believers the Bible makes us to understand when a man dies the body dies but the soul is alive forever. The spirit is what makes us to have interaction with the spiritual. Man was made to communicate with spirits whether holy spirit or evil spirit. That spirit departs to meet God.
ReplyDeleteVery true, this is a very good summary of the article, glad you left here with something tangible, thanks for reading through.
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