toldailytopic: Are the spirit and the soul the same thing? If not, how do they differ

Nathon Detroit

Nathon Detroit

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The TheologyOnline.com TOPIC OF THE DAY for January 30th, 2013 06:00 AM


toldailytopic: Are the spirit and the soul the same thing? If not, how do they differ?






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Totton Linnet

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Off the top of my head, the soul is the inner man, the hidden person of the heart. The spirit is the hidden person of the soul.

Man is triune as God is triune but he is born dead, he has a spirit but it is dead, slain in trespasses and sin. When we are truly born again God brings our spirit ALIVE by the breath of the Holy Spirit. We are made one spirit with Christ.

This is why salvation can never be lost. Howbeit many christians live according to soulish ways, some live entirely according to carnal ways. Some walk in the Spirit.
 
ChristNU

ChristNU

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toldailytopic: Are the spirit and the soul the same thing? If not, how do they differ?



No, they are not the same thing. Man functions at 3 levels: spiritually, psychologically, physiologically – spirit, soul, and body.

The apostle Paul prayed for the Thessalonian Christians that "the God of peace Himself might sanctify them entirely; and their spirit (pneuma) and soul (psuche)and body (soma) might be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ" (I Thess. 5:23).
 
kmoney

kmoney

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I've seen it said that a soul is the union of spirit and body. I kinda like that. But there are scriptures that seem to say man is spirit, soul, and body.
 
T

The Glory Land

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Knight said:
The TheologyOnline.com TOPIC OF THE DAY for January 30th, 2013 06:00 AM


toldailytopic: Are the spirit and the soul the same thing? If not, how do they differ?










No, they are not the same, everyone alive has a soul, but only the true believers have the Spirit of God. ;)
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PureX

PureX

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Knight said:
toldailytopic: Are the spirit and the soul the same thing? If not, how do they differ?
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That's an interesting question.

I guess I think of the 'soul' as being the essential nature of a person, that is then expressed by their 'spirit'. I think of our spirit as the outward expression of our soul. And I figure it works both ways. If we allow ourselves to project a spirit of selfishness, ignorance, and dishonesty, this will in turn darken our souls. Whereas when we try to project a more positive, generous, and honest spirit into to the world, that will in turn brighten our souls.

But this is just how I conceptualize these aspects of the human phenomena.
 
eameece

eameece

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Knight said:
The TheologyOnline.com TOPIC OF THE DAY for January 30th, 2013 06:00 AM


toldailytopic: Are the spirit and the soul the same thing? If not, how do they differ?

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This is a metaphysical issue, dealt with by esoteric studies, as well as by Biblical scholars and believers, etc.

It depends on how close you choose to define them.

In one sense they are the same. The spirit or soul is the creative source within, the unmoved mover.

The soul can also be defined as the individualized spirit. As a soul, I am an individualized expression of God. The soul may relate to the heart chakra, while the spirit is contacted at the crown chakra and above.
 
P

Ps82

Active member
My opinion is this.

First, God allocated a measure of spiritual life to the laws he established to form the unique characteristics that would be passed along to all of mankind through reproduction. He referred to these original manifested new beings as male and female.

Second, then God created a living visible physical form to which he associated the invisible spiritual nature of mankind.

When the living spiritual nature and the living physical nature were joined by God ... then mankind BECAME a living soul.

For me the word "soul" describes "the state of the completed creature" after these two living parts of our creation are joined.

I know that people like to call the invisible living spiritual nature that belongs to mankind as "man's soul," and I don't think arguing about the nuances is worthwhile.

But, as you can see above, I just see things differently and I also think that pinning down the truth can be helpful to our understanding of some scripture.

If you want to gain some insight regarding just how God imparts spirit unto human beings ... check out what was said about what God did to impart things unto Jesus in John 3:34,35.

34 For He (Jesus) whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the "spirit" by measure unto him.

35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given ALL THINGS into his hand.

A couple of points:
If God imparted ALL OF HIS SPIRIT unto Jesus ( for that's what is meant by "God giveth NOT the "spirit" by measure to him."), then this means that He did impart only a measure unto mankind. Jesus, who even only spoke the words of God, could claim to be equal with God ... where we cannot not.

The Father imparted ALL THINGS unto our Lord Jesus ... we do not have "all things." In fact, Lord Jesus explained to the woman at the well that mankind needed yet another measure of LIFE, which he had to give us, so that we could have eternal life.

These things let me know that God is able to impart of his spirit and character unto created beings (men and angels) as he chooses.
God sent the "The WORD," into the world and gave him a living human body... which had only a measure of life in him. IOW, the word was able to experience death because the his body did not have eternal life. Yet, being the creator who associated himself with mortal flesh, he was able to pick that body back up again and raise it from the dead.

The two parts of the Messiah were:
a.) All things spiritual of God (including life and character) ...
b.) and a measure of life in the physical body.

Similar for us:
a.) We have been given a measure of spiritual life (including life and character) ...
b.) and a measure of life in our physical body.

Together the connection of these two living parts ... make us a "living soul."
 
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I

IXOYE

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Do you want the answer by definition of modern Xian definitions, or what it meant in the OT to the Hebrew people?

Spirit is the drive in their life... not seen, not touched, but a force pushing you along, thus the words for wind to describe it.

SOUL was quite literally a human body with life in it. Period. End of Story.




Knight said:
The TheologyOnline.com TOPIC OF THE DAY for January 30th, 2013 06:00 AM


toldailytopic: Are the spirit and the soul the same thing? If not, how do they differ?






Take the topic above and run with it! Slice it, dice it, give us your general thoughts about it. Everyday there will be a new TOL Topic of the Day.
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Nang

Nang

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Knight said:
The TheologyOnline.com TOPIC OF THE DAY for January 30th, 2013 06:00 AM


toldailytopic: Are the spirit and the soul the same thing? If not, how do they differ?

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Yes, they are the same. It is the soul/spirit that manifests life in material bodies.

Man is not tripartite, and such beliefs lead to error. (They create humanistic comparisons of man with Truine God, which mislead.)

Adam was created body and soul.

Nang
 
P

Paulos

New member
Nang said:
Yes, they are the same. It is the soul/spirit that manifests life in material bodies.

Man is not tripartite, and such beliefs lead to error. (They create humanistic comparisons of man with Truine God, which mislead.)
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Hebrews 4:12 and 1 Thessalonians 5:23 indicate that the spirit and the soul are distinct.
 
ChristNU

ChristNU

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Man is neither tripartite nor trichotomous. There are not three substantive "parts" of man, capable of being cut up, partitioned or compartmentalized. Nonetheless I Thess. 5:23 clearly makes the distinction between the spirit, soul and body. The failure to maintain these life-function distinctions leads to much ambiguity and misunderstanding.
 
Nang

Nang

TOL Subscriber
Paulos said:
Hebrews 4:12 and 1 Thessalonians 5:23 indicate that the spirit and the soul are distinct.
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Does mention of "joints and marrow" mean there are two distinct kinds of material bodies?

Does mention of soul and spirit designating LIFE, mean there are two kinds of spiritual and everlasting LIFE?
 
P

Paulos

New member
Nang said:
Does mention of "joints and marrow" mean there are two distinct kinds of material bodies?

Does mention of soul and spirit designating LIFE, mean there are two kinds of spiritual and everlasting LIFE?
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In the New Testament, demons are often referred to as "unclean spirits" or "evil spirits", but never are they referred to as "souls". I think there must be a good reason for that.
 
G

Gurucam

Well-known member
Knight said:
The TheologyOnline.com TOPIC OF THE DAY for January 30th, 2013 06:00 AM


toldailytopic: Are the spirit and the soul the same thing? If not, how do they differ?






Take the topic above and run with it! Slice it, dice it, give us your general thoughts about it. Everyday there will be a new TOL Topic of the Day.
If you want to make suggestions for the Topic of the Day send a Tweet to @toldailytopic or @theologyonline or send it to us via Facebook.
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Jesus is the Truth, the way and the life.

1. Jesus' soul is the Truth (i.e. a set of ideas).

2. Jesus' Spirit is the way (i.e. the Spirit of Truth). Jesus' Spirit is created and sustained by His love for the ideas which is His soul (i.e. Jesus Spirit is created and sustained by His love for the Truth). Love for the Truth is the fabric of Jesus' Spirit. Jesus' Spirit is a force. In humans forces are called spirit. Spirits are energized ideas. Love for ideas create and sustains spirits or forces.

3. Jesus in a physical body is the life. In this presentation, Jesus is within His Spirit within a physical body as man on earth. In this presentation Jesus is the life. The example of the highest expression of human life on earth. This is how humans were designed to live. Jesus life on earth was an example of living under grace of God. This is to be 'in Christ'.

1. Jesus and all humans can have a soul without a Spirit and without a physical body. A spirit and/or a physical body cannot exist without a soul.

2. Jesus and all humans can have a soul and a Spirit without a physical body. A spirit can exist without a physical body but not without a soul. Each spirit must have souls within.

3. Jesus and all humans can have a soul within a spirit within a physical body. Each physical body must have a spirit and a soul within.

Souls, spirits and physical bodies are possessions. Jesus and humans are essentially witnesses who can and do posses souls, spirits and physical bodies.

The difference between Jesus and other human entities is that the soul of Jesus is the Truth. The souls of other human entities is less than the Truth.

The souls of humans are never the totality of ideas described as 'the Truth'. Only Jesus has such an omniscient soul. The soul of each human is a unique combination and permutations derived from the unlimited ideas which make up 'the Truth'. Therefore each person posses a unique soul.


All spirits are born from souls. Each spirit is created and sustained by one's love for the ideas which comprise one's soul. Therefore since the ideas which comprises each soul is unique, then each spirit is also equally unique, in accordance with one's own soul.

Physical bodies are created and sustained by one's spirit. Therefore the physical body of each human is unique, in accordance with one's spirit (which is in accordance with one's soul). The blue print for our physical bodies is called dna. Dna is known to be unique in each human. Our physical bodies is the material expression (in part) of our soul and spirits.

Dna is simply a physical expression of the part of our spirits which relates to our physical body. Our spirits is simply the dynamic expression of our souls. Our souls include the ideas of and for, both our spirit and our physical bodies, in pure potentiality.

Not only is each of our dna and physical bodies unique in each of us, so too are our individual spirits and souls. They are all unique in each of us. However our own individual physical bodies, spirits and souls are all very closely matched. At the level of their essential fabric, they are the same.​
 
Nang

Nang

TOL Subscriber
Paulos said:
In the New Testament, demons are often referred to as "unclean spirits" or "evil spirits", but never are they referred to as "souls". I think there must be a good reason for that.
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Indeed, for the body and soul of man was created in the image of God, where angelic beings are not.

IOW's, your switch is not a valid premise for this argument, is it?
 
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