The composition of man- Body, Soul, Spirit? or just Body and Soul?

I have always been taught that man was made up of body, soul and spirit, but in reading RC Sproul's 'The Soul's Quest for God', he says that ma has just body and soul, and that the words 'soul' and 'spirit' are used interchangably in the Bible, and both just talk of the inner, real and invisible you.

So which is true? And is there a difference between teh soul and spirit, and if so what is it? What do you think?

I could complicate it further with quetsions of what happens at conversion, and the indwelling of Holy Sprirt etc, but i won't do that yet!

1 Thess 5v23, 'Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I believe if scripture says we are spirit, soul and body, then that is what we are.

There is a difference between the soul and the spirit. I'm not to familiar with it, but this is what I have seen in scipture.

Matt 22v37, 'Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.

V38 'This is the first and great commandment.

This tells us that loving God is not just outward, but the complete person, spirit, body and soul, should be one in serving God.

Ecclesiastes 12v7, 'Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.

The body, the dust, returns to the earth, the spirit, to God.

That is all I have to offer for now. Someone else with some more knowledge can assist.

As you said, you could complicate things, especially with questions you intend to ask. But, this subject is complicated anyway, and interesting, it makes you think. We need that.

God bless.

Thanks Enid, it is interesting isn't it.

I am also wondering in which part of you the Holy Spirit indwells. Does He indwell your Human Spirit, or does a person not have a 'Spirit' until they are made alive to God and recieve His Spirit? hmmmmm.....

Quote: I am also wondering in which part of you the Holy Spirit indwells.

1 Cor 6v19 'Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

This is clear enough for me. It tells us that our body is where God's Holy Spirit dwells.

Vers 20 of the same scripture says '...glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

Here again the scripture speaks of the body belonging to God, and the spirit, but not the Holy Spirit.

Job 33v4, 'The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty give me life.

And in Genesis 2v7 it says '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 being.

Doesn't mention the word spirit, but breath is also used to denote spirit, as given in the scripture in Job.

Concerning the human spirit, that basically leads to humanism. The false truiumph of the human spirit over every obstacle we will encounter, whether men or devils.

I hate that. It has nothing to do with God.

I think, although I have never read or heard this, so it is just my opinion, that the 'old man' spoken of in Romans 6 certainly sounds like the human spirit/nature, and needs a death blow to it, namely crucifixion.

Still, that's all I have for now. I'm no Bible scholar. But there are some out there who can help, or open our eyes.

God bless.

Thanks Enid, the Lord has blessed you with wisdom.

Yes, those scriptures were helpful. So it is that we have a human spirit and when we are born again God's Spirit comes to dwell in our bodies alongside our human Spirit, but without possessing that human spirit?

The idea of our human spirit being the old man is an interesting one. What do other people think?

The idea of our human spirit being the old man is an interesting one. What do other people think?

Here4Him, You are asking questions that I myself have often wondered – and never been able to fully answer (I might add).

Of course, there is a risk in trying to divide and compartmentalize various parts of our being. That reminds me of biology class – dissecting piglets. Once you have the parts laid out on the table and labelled, you are left with just that – a lot of parts. THat's not bad in itself; its just that putting it all together again doesn't work so well.

The Gnostics tried to separate body and spirit and ended up with a heresy. That brings up the question: “What would be the purpose of trying to discern the parts? I heard a preacher once say, “Never mind all that, you are just YOU.” I suppose that may be too simplistic for some of us.

I’m not sure how any other kinds of divisions – whether trichotomy or dichotomy viewpoint will draw us closer to God or to his truth. How about considering the words of Paul in Romans 7? Does he define the only division that we need to be concerned about?

Where are the two divisions discussed in the following verses? (I think that you have already illuded to it.)

“14We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[c] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.”

Romans 7

Diane

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I guess to follow your feelings is to follow your soul but we are to be a people led by the spirit arnt we.

It is all quite confusing really, maybe we dont need to know everything! I like to delve into these things though!

Man's soul/mind and body choose whom they will serve. Adam had a soul/mind and body, by believing a lie he chose a spirit. That is the spirit of satan. If we believe in Christ we have a new spirit the Spirit of Christ, the mind of Christ and The Holy Spirit sent by God the Father in answer to the prayer of Jesus, The Holy Spirit will dewll in you forever. It sounds disputable but it seems by scripture that the soul/mind can choose and be deceived, and the body follows the soul/mind in its application.

We believer's, born again now have the Spirit of Christ that endwells the soul and the Holy Spirit live in this endwelling forever and teaches us the things of God. Renew your minds to the mind of Christ and "he that has not the Spirit of Christ is none of His".

What need for a new birth, unless it is to kill the spirit of satan and birth the Spirit of Christ in the new creature in Christ Jesus our Lord?

"You are of your father the devil"
Or You are in Christ Jesus our new life in the Son.

Pretty simple if the sword separates the spirit body and soul. Soul is man, Spirit is God or Satan. Old man is Satan, new man Is "Christ in you the Hope of Glory".

"Born again by Incorruptable Seed of the Father"

In Christ: Phillip