Are you Monistic, a Dichotomist or Trichotomist?

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Cright

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Please tell me why and back it up with a couple of your favorite verses that support your opinion.

I'd be amazingly suprised to find out anyone here in Ba is Monistic... I find it easily broken down. However, I'm not sure yet if I am a di or tri, and am studying.. just thought it'd be interesting to see what you all think. :D

Thanks,
Carina
 

Cright

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They are views that different people have on what kind of being we are.

Are we a 1 part being? (Monism) - our body, spirit, soul all combined, no part can live without the other.

Are we a 2 part being? (Dichotomy) - We have a physical body and a seperate non-physical part (soul/spirit/intellect/feelings) and one can exist w/out the other.

Are we a 3 part being? (Trichotomy) - We have a body, a soul and a seperate spirit.

**Note** just for the purposes of this conversation, lets NOT include The Holy Spirit of God in us. Just the parts that are ours before salvation.

:wave:
Carina
 
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mont974x4

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Put me down as a Trichotomist. In light of 1 Thessalonians 5:23 and Hebrews 4:12, as well as numerous OT references, I believe scripture is pretty clear on this point.


:thumbsup: yep yep :amen:
 
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aReformedPatriot

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Please tell me why and back it up with a couple of your favorite verses that support your opinion.

I'd be amazingly suprised to find out anyone here in Ba is Monistic... I find it easily broken down. However, I'm not sure yet if I am a di or tri, and am studying.. just thought it'd be interesting to see what you all think. :D

Thanks,
Carina

Dichotomy. Soul/Spirit are synonymous terms. We are our soul, which is eternal. And then there is the body. Hence I am a dichotomist. I think I had to write a paper about this matter 3 semesters ago. It was interesting to research and ponder the choices. I agree, Id be surprised to find a monist amongst the flock.
 
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Cright

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The Lords Envoy - do you still have the paper? I'd love to read it! I can PM you my email address. :)

Red - Thanks for the link!

Razorbuck - The Hebrews passage you mentioned... 4:12 (NIV) [FONT=&quot]12[/FONT][FONT=&quot]For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

I don't see this as saying that the soul/spirit are not of the same entity... because it compares with joints and marrow (which are of the same body).
It's also described as only being able to be seperated by the word of God, so it's harder to split than the joints and marrow which can be split by a double-edge sword.

This is actually one of the 1st verses that made me think that the "di" point of view is correct.

This is where I'm getting confused....
I think that we have a body made of many parts (arms, legs, joints, muscle), and an "inmaterial part" made up of the mind, spirit/soul, intellect, emotions etc.)
I also think that the bible uses the word spirit and soul interchangably to describe the inmaterial part of us.
What I don't understand is if the bible ALWAYS uses them interchangably, and if not, what is the difference between the two.

Since they are not tangeable it's hard to describe. If I could not see tendons and muscles, would I ever know the difference between them? If one includes more of an emotional process and one more of a knowledge/intelect process is the bible clear on that?

I have a feeling that they are slightly different, but still part of ONE inmaterial body, just like we have ONE physical body.

make sense?

Carina
[/FONT]
 
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The Lords Envoy - do you still have the paper? I'd love to read it! I can PM you my email address. :)

Red - Thanks for the link!

Razorbuck - The Hebrews passage you mentioned... 4:12 (NIV) [FONT=&quot]12[/FONT][FONT=&quot]For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

I don't see this as saying that the soul/spirit are not of the same entity... because it compares with joints and marrow (which are of the same body).
It's also described as only being able to be seperated by the word of God, so it's harder to split than the joints and marrow which can be split by a double-edge sword.

This is actually one of the 1st verses that made me think that the "di" point of view is correct.

This is where I'm getting confused....
I think that we have a body made of many parts (arms, legs, joints, muscle), and an "inmaterial part" made up of the mind, spirit/soul, intellect, emotions etc.)
I also think that the bible uses the word spirit and soul interchangably to describe the inmaterial part of us.
What I don't understand is if the bible ALWAYS uses them interchangably, and if not, what is the difference between the two.

Since they are not tangeable it's hard to describe. If I could not see tendons and muscles, would I ever know the difference between them? If one includes more of an emotional process and one more of a knowledge/intelect process is the bible clear on that?

I have a feeling that they are slightly different, but still part of ONE inmaterial body, just like we have ONE physical body.

make sense?

Carina
[/FONT]
It was one of my first papers I've ever written and so I think it sucks badly. But nonetheless I probably have it. PM me your address
 
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Razorbuck

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The Lords Envoy - do you still have the paper? I'd love to read it! I can PM you my email address. :)

Red - Thanks for the link!

Razorbuck - The Hebrews passage you mentioned... 4:12 (NIV) [FONT=&quot]12[/FONT][FONT=&quot]For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

I don't see this as saying that the soul/spirit are not of the same entity... because it compares with joints and marrow (which are of the same body).
It's also described as only being able to be seperated by the word of God, so it's harder to split than the joints and marrow which can be split by a double-edge sword.

This is actually one of the 1st verses that made me think that the "di" point of view is correct.

This is where I'm getting confused....
I think that we have a body made of many parts (arms, legs, joints, muscle), and an "inmaterial part" made up of the mind, spirit/soul, intellect, emotions etc.)
I also think that the bible uses the word spirit and soul interchangably to describe the inmaterial part of us.
What I don't understand is if the bible ALWAYS uses them interchangably, and if not, what is the difference between the two.

Since they are not tangeable it's hard to describe. If I could not see tendons and muscles, would I ever know the difference between them? If one includes more of an emotional process and one more of a knowledge/intelect process is the bible clear on that?

I have a feeling that they are slightly different, but still part of ONE inmaterial body, just like we have ONE physical body.

make sense?

Carina
[/FONT]
Paul is quite clear in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 that man is body, soul AND spirit. Hebrews says it takes the Word to separate soul and spirit, but it IS separable. I pulled the clutch in my truck this week. It took wrenches, sockets, a jack, much labor and not a little frustration to separate it from the engine, but that doesn't make a clutch an engine. Animals have a distinct personality (soul) but no spirit. (by which we can communicate with God)

Are we not created in the image of the Triune God?

Man is a tripartite being.

You might want to check out 1 Samuel 1:15 and Job 7:11 as well.
 
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JPPT1974

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They are views that different people have on what kind of being we are.

Are we a 1 part being? (Monism) - our body, spirit, soul all combined, no part can live without the other.

Are we a 2 part being? (Dichotomy) - We have a physical body and a seperate non-physical part (soul/spirit/intellect/feelings) and one can exist w/out the other.

Are we a 3 part being? (Trichotomy) - We have a body, a soul and a seperate spirit.

**Note** just for the purposes of this conversation, lets NOT include The Holy Spirit of God in us. Just the parts that are ours before salvation.

:wave:
Carina


Thanks for explaining Carina
Now I understand!:thumbsup: :amen:
 
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Cright

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Razorbuck,

I have a question for you... but before I begin, I just want to let you know that I'm still totally on the fence with this issue. I lean one way, then another, it usually ends up that at the end of the day I believe in certain parts of both, or won't admit to having a stance on anything.

So as we go further, I'm truly trying to get to the heart of the matter, and not trying to debate you personally!

So.. here's the quesiton...

Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?" Ecclesiastes 3:21 (NIV)

Doesn't this verse indicate that animals do have a spirt (and of course from Genesis we know that they do have souls.. it's in there several times).

I don't know the greek used for spirit in this verse, and I guess that could be throwing me off too.. I don't know.

Thanks,
Carina
 
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Cright

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Job 7:11
11 "Therefore I will not keep silent;
I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit,
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

Again, I don't know the original language here for spirit and soul (I need to get somemore resources at my fingertips!) but this shows the spirit and soul both speaking (in one fashion or another) out of a feeling (anguish/bitterness) from their inmaterial being (spirit/soul).

So I could read it 2 ways... either as someone describing the similar feelings in 2 parts of them, or the other as saying something once, and then repeating the same thing as clairification using different but similar words.

There are many verses that one person will use for one side of the di/tri arguement that I could see being used for the opposing persons arguement. :sorry:
 
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aReformedPatriot

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Job 7:11
11 "Therefore I will not keep silent;
I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit,
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

Again, I don't know the original language here for spirit and soul (I need to get somemore resources at my fingertips!) but this shows the spirit and soul both speaking (in one fashion or another) out of a feeling (anguish/bitterness) from their inmaterial being (spirit/soul).

So I could read it 2 ways... either as someone describing the similar feelings in 2 parts of them, or the other as saying something once, and then repeating the same thing as clairification using different but similar words.

There are many verses that one person will use for one side of the di/tri arguement that I could see being used for the opposing persons arguement. :sorry:

This is an example of Hebrew Synonymous Parrallelism. Synonymous parrallelism is a litereary device used where a single thought is developed in subsequent lines. For example,

I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit,
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

These two lines in Job are saying the same thing and are parallel. Hence synonymous parallelism. The Magnificat:

Luk 1:46 And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord,
Luk 1:47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

Synonymous parallelism.

Psa 100:1 A Psalm for giving thanks. Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
Psa 100:2 Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!

Of course there is the opposite form of parallelism known as antitheitcal parallelism:

Pro 15:17 Better is a dinner of herbs where love is
than a fattened ox and hatred with it.

Here the two lines contrast with each other.

Anyways, I think parallelism is clearly seen. I also think the terms are synonymous. Above it was argued that the spirit is the part of us which communes with the Lord. [FONT=&quot]If the soul is to be differentiated from the spirit, why then can the soul do everything the spirit can do? Trichotomist’s maintain that the soul contains the emotions, intellect, and will. Yet scripture says, the spirit too can experience emotion (cf. Acts [/FONT][FONT=&quot]17:16[/FONT][FONT=&quot]) and share our intellect (cf. Mark 2:8). It is then no surprise that trichotomists have trouble identifying what exactly the difference between soul and spirit are. Furthermore, Matthew [/FONT][FONT=&quot]10:28[/FONT][FONT=&quot] defines the whole person as simply “body and soul.” The spirit is not mentioned, adding to the defense that “soul” and “spirit” are one and the same.[/FONT]
 
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