How essential is the understanding of what the soul and spirit are?
After tonight you realize that it is at the very epicenter of the gospel. Because what the gospel is indeed about is the salvation of the soul. How is it even remotely possible to intelligently discuss the salvation of the soul when we don’t have the vaguest idea of what the soul really is?
1 thes 5:23 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.
If the soul and is to kept blameless how can we do this? How can we intelligently cooperate with God in this matter if we cannot identify what the soul or spirit is?
Note the scripture says the whole body, the whole spirit and whole soul? The scripture makes a distinction, so that we know these are not the same thing.
Heb 10:39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
The salvation of man is in the soul. (The solution to the complex problem of saving man and destroying sin).
Questions to be answered
- If the salvation of the soul is in the believing then what does a believing soul do?
- What happens to a believing soul?
- What does the conversion of the soul mean?
- What is the soul?
What we believe about the soul determines to a large extent what we understand by death.
That is why there is so much talk about spiritualism within Christendom, because there is a misunderstanding of what exactly is the soul and spirit are?
Therefore this is something that is very important in our understanding of salvation.
There is no text that totally define the spirit or soul so what we will do to find the definition of these words is to match text up text.
Isaiah 28:9 whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? [Them that are] weaned from the milk, [and] drawn from the breasts.
28:10 for precept [must be] upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, [and] there a little:
And from this conclude the meaning the words used.
We must see things through a historical eye, before we proceed however.
Our western society is built on 3 foundations.
Roman law and government
The system of the jury, Senate, Courts-separation of power –legislative, judiciary branch and executive branch-all Roman origin.
Greek philosophy and Logic
Analysis to take apart-that is why they viewed the soul, spirit and the body as three independent aspects of man. And were to be treated as such.
The atom that which cannot be cut.
Hebrew Religion
One God
Philosophy is an effort for man to understand God and Himself. Within philosophy there is what is called anthropology. What is a man philosophically?
The Greek had an idea of what a man is. They thought of the body of man as a prison, and inside this prison was a good soul. Thus emerged the theory of the immortality of the soul. when the body dies the soul is released.
More Greek philosophy
Why is it I want to do good, but I do evil? The body is evil and the soul is good and the conflict between right and wrong is as a result of the conflict of his good soul and his evil body. Made sense right. The good soul would escape at death. But this of course Greek and not biblical
Although this is not scriptural because God declared the body very good. The Greeks seemed to have been heading in the right direction however as you will find out as we proceed that the conflict within man is not so much between his soul and his body, but his spirit and his body.
Hebrew philosphy
The Hebrew belief was totally opposite of this---the body was a temple not defiling degrading like a prison. The soul could not live independently of the body as a matter of fact they believed that the two were so woven together that neither could survive without the other. The soul too ceases to exist when the body dies.
But within Christendom there is this belief that the soul of man is immortal, but this again is not biblical.
eccl 12:7 then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
The spirit of course returns to God. But what exactly return to God.
Spirit comes in three forms in the bible.
- -The spirit of God, (his mind and his breath)
- the spirit of man, and
- the Holy spirit.
You know who the Holy Spirit is, so let’s go on to discuss the spirit of God vs spirit man.
So, whenever you see the word spirit in scripture ask yourself which one is this? Otherwise you can draw ridiculous conclusions.
Consider Gen 2:7 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.
Picture the man with all his organs in place and limbs, but he is not a living soul until he receives the breath of life. The bible does not say God put a soul in the man rather that the man became a living soul after receiving the breath. The bible does not teach that we have a soul, but rather that man is a soul.
Job27:3 All the while my breath [is] in me, and the spirit of God [is] in my nostrils;
So we understand that it is the spirit of God that was put in man that made him a living soul. Therefore going back to the text in ecclesiastics therefore should be understood that it is the Spirit of God that returns to Him. Not the spirit of man.
James 2:26 for as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
If a man from the American‘s most wanted bursts through the door with a gun and he has his eyes fixed me to take my life. There isn’t a decent bone in this man’s body. Question!! Does he have the spirit of God in Him?
Isn’t he alive? Walking right?
Of course he does right.
In him we live and move and have our being. God is the source of life. God might not approve how he is using his spirit bout He has given it anyway.
Next question
Does this man have the Holy Spirit?-of course not.
But just before he could swing the machete suffers a heart attack and dies.
What happened to the spirit that at was in him?
It went back to God who gave it. This is not personality, it is not the soul, it is not the spirit of the man, but simply the spirit of God that goes back to Him who gave it.
There is nothing in scripture that confirms that there is something about man that returns to God when he dies. Everybody has the spirit of God, good and bad within them that are alive, and as the scripture says once we die it returns to God.
Or are we to contend that this man has gone to heaven like Enoch or Elijah?
Which interesting enough did not leave their body behind? Every record of a person going to heaven, they do not leave their body behind.
Let’s move on to the soul. Similarly let’s match scripture upon scripture.
Let’s start with Gen 2:7 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.
Gen 1:30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein [there is] life, [I have given] every green herb for meat: and it was so.
Although it is not clear here the word used to describe the animals is living soul.
Rev 16:3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead [man]; and every living soul died in the sea.
Rev 8:8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
8:9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
The soul spoken of here in the waters are animals, Birds, dogs, bugs are souls. Man does not have a special claim on the word soul. I hope this is clear. Animals are souls. Because they express emotions
This is a prophecy by the way that the day will come when the sea will become red and poisonous as the blood of a dead man. The red tide in Florida
Let’s rap up soul.-Greek word-psyche- psychology is not the study of how man thinks but how he feels. That is what we have in common with the animal kingdom. Sure you have seen animals express emotions.
Contrary to the belief of the Greeks the bible never links immortality and the soul together. The bible does not teach this. Even though you will show some people this text they will not budge from their belief in the immortality of the soul. They will reject that animals are souls.
Ezekiel 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
Can a soul die? Of course. Although it can. it does not have to die.
James 5:20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
The next text I’m about to read it of utmost importance, pay attention here
Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put [him] to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see [his] seed, he shall prolong [his] days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
What does it say was made an offering for sin?
You see our Lord never complained about what men did to his body, what brought a cry of anguish from our Lord was what the father did to him. When he could not see his father, he cried out in his soul, in his feelings, I can’t understand it, my god my God why has thou forsaken me.
Not an agony of his flesh, but an agony of his soul.
53:11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, [and] shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
53:12 Therefore will I divide him [a portion] with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
It was the gift of our Lord's soul that saved the human family.
Satan’s attempts to pollute every truth that the Lord has laid down. Sabbath, Soul, tongues, spirit
Consider these texts as I make the case for th4 soul being the feeling center of man.
Matthew26:38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. (feeling-soul)
Luke1:46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
Luke1:47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
Luke2:35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
Foretaste of that which would happen at the cross, the agony of what Mary would feel.
Luke21:19 in your patience possess ye your souls. The scripture is here telling us that we should not panic
Conversion of the soul is therefore a complete change about how we feel. Whether it is towards the world, God, right , bible, wrong etc.
Change of ideas because we come to understand his Love for us rather than, wanting to destroy us.
Worship;---Our total feelings about God change when we start to recognize exactly what God has done.
The greatest things about life is not that of satisfying the flesh but rather the spirit. Drunkards change, smokers change, selfish rich change because their spirit is satisfied.
What I once hated I love and what I once love now I hate.
God is a soul
Heb10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if [any man] draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
Doesn’t he express feelings of hurt, or anger, don’t we grieve him,
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Now we shall make the case that the spirit is the mind, mental, intellectual part of a being.
1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
What are to understand from this?
Don't believe every wind of doctrine that someone comes up with, but try them against scripture.
Compare these two texts conveying the same idea.
Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Change your mind, recommit daily.
Next- Nice text
Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak.
This is after Jesus had finished praying and found his disciples sleeping after he had asked them to keep his company. Truly the disciples wanted to stay up with him but they were simply too tired to do so. They mentally committed to staying awake but they could not because of physical limitations.
Acts19:21 After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome.
What does it mean to purpose in the spirit? Paul made his mind
1 Cor2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
we are not thinking like those in the world. Because we are striving to be like the Lord. God has given us His mind so that the things of God can be revealed to us.
Col 2:5 For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.
What is Paul saying?
Did Paul spirit leave his body behind walking around, so that his spirit could be with them.
If your thought is so polluted this is what you will come up with, however if you believe the bible you will know that what Paul is saying is that he is thinking of you.
But doesn’t the bible say that angels are spirits, because they lack physical bodies?
Any being that possess self-determining thought is a spirit, therefore you are a spirit, angels are spirits and God is a spirit.
Although animals are called souls, they are not spirits, because although they can emit emotions, they cannot possess self-determining thought.
Animals are not capable of higher learning; you cannot teach an animal Algebra.
Why are animals thought not to have self-determining thought?
That idea comes from a long-standing debate about animal consciousness and cognition—and it’s more nuanced than a simple yes or no.
Historically, thinkers like René Descartes argued that animals were essentially biological machines, reacting to stimuli without true awareness or intention. He believed only humans had minds capable of reason and self-reflection.
But modern science has challenged that view. Many researchers now recognize that animals do have conscious experiences, and some even show signs of self-awareness, like recognizing themselves in mirrors or demonstrating empathy and problem-solving. However, the concept of self-determining thoughts—the ability to reflect on one’s own thinking, make abstract plans, or act based on personal values—is still considered uniquely human by many scholars.
Why? Because animals generally lack language-based reasoning, which is thought to be key to forming complex, self-directed thoughts. Without language, it’s hard to know if an animal is thinking about its own thoughts, or just reacting to its environment in sophisticated ways.
That said, the line is blurring. Some animals, like great apes, dolphins, and certain birds, show behaviors that hint at deeper cognition. So the real question might not be if animals have self-determining thoughts—but which animals do, and to what extent.
Is God a spirit?
Of course because he is an intelligent being.
What does the bible mean when it says that we should Worship the Lord in Spirit and in Truth.
John 4:24
1 Thes 5:235:23 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.
Modern language.
I pray that God will preserve you physically, mentally, emotionally blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I know that I shouldn’t hate my mother but I do. Collision of soul and spirit.
The mental institutions near genius, but emotionally confused.
Not much spirit but always happy.
Being able to love doing right.-
Psalm 1Blessed is the man whose delight is in the law
Not ignorant of the misinterpretation
Although this belief about spirits being ghost has been around for a long time see Mark 6:49 and Luke 24:37.
Even Jesus speaks into it although it is not luke 24:39, becasue it was a tradition.
Having therefore the understanding of the three units, soul body and spirit. The devil should not be able to fool us when he tries to impersonate dead relatives.
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