I was trying to find the thread on this I couldnt find it so I will start this new one with this aritcle.
Soul and Spirit Whats the Difference?
by Wayne Jackson
Christian Courier: Questions
Tuesday, June 11, 2002
Description
What is the difference in the word soul, and that of the spirit, as these terms are used in the Bible? There is much interest in this question and, indeed, considerable confusion in the minds of many. This article contains a brief survey of the biblical data relative to this theme.
What is the difference between the spirit and soul of a human being?
There is no simple answer to this question because the words, soul and spirit, are employed in varying senses within the different biblical contexts in which they may be found. The following represents a very brief summary of some of these major uses.
The Soul
The Hebrew term for soul is nephesh, found more than 780 times in the Old Testament. Because of the variety of contextual meanings, it is not always rendered by the English word soul. The King James Version uses 28 different words by which to translate the original term. Nephesh, therefore, signifies different things, depending upon the passage in which it occurs.
Similarly, in the Greek New Testament, the original word for soul is psuche, found 103 times. Our modern word psychology derives from this Greek term.
Here are some uses of soul in the Scriptures.
A Person
Soul may signify merely an individual person. The prophet Ezekiel declared that the soul (i.e., the person) who sins will surely die (Ezek. 18:20), or, as Peter would write centuries later, eight souls were saved by water in the days of Noah (1 Pet. 3:20). See also Exodus 1:5.
Life
In some contexts, soul simply has reference to biological life, the animating principle that is common to both humans and animals. All creatures have life (see Gen. 1:30; cf. ASV footnote). The wicked king, Herod the Great, sought to take the life of baby Jesus (Mt. 2:20; cf. Rev. 12:11). In one of the visions of the Apocalypse, certain creatures of the sea were said to possess psuche, or life (Rev. 8:9).
The Mind
Soul can have to do with that aspect of man that is characterized by the intellectual and emotional (Gen. 27:25; Job 30:16). It is the eternal component of man that is fashioned in the very image of God (Gen. 1:26), and that can exist apart from the physical body (Mt. 10:28; Rev. 6:9).
The Spirit
In the Old Testament, spirit is ruach, found some 378 times in the Hebrew Old Testament, and literally meaning breath, wind, etc. The corresponding Greek term is pneuma, occurring 379 times in the New Testament (the original form being found in our English word, pneumonia). Again, though, as with soul, the word spirit may take on different senses, depending upon its contextual setting.
The Air We Breathe
Ruach can literally denote a persons breath. The queen of Sheba was breathless when she viewed the splendor of Solomons kingdom (see 1 Kgs. 10:4-5). The word can also signify the wind. For instance, some people, pursuing empty goals, are but striving after the wind (Eccl. 1:14, 17, etc.).
A Non-physical Being
The term spirit can be employed, however, in a higher sense. It also is used to depict the nature of a non-material being, e.g. God. God (the Father), as to his essence, is spirit (Jn. 4:24), i.e., he is not a physical or material being (Lk. 24:39; Mt. 16:17; cf. also the expression, Holy Spirit). Similarly, angels are spirit in nature though they are not deity in kind (Heb. 1:14).
A Person
Spirit can be used, by way of the figure of speech known as the synecdoche (part for the whole, or vice versa) for a person himself. John wrote: Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world (1 Jn. 4:1; emp. added). Note that the term spirits is the equivalent of false prophets in this text.
The Soul
Spirit may refer the inward man (2 Cor. 4:16) that is fashioned in Gods image (Gen. 1:26-27), and thus be a synonym of soul. A sacred writer noted that the spirit of man is the lamp of Jehovah (Prov. 20:27); this is an allusion to that element of man that distinguishes him from the beasts of the earth.
Daniel affirmed that his spirit was grieved within his body (Dan. 7:15), and Paul noted that it is mans spirit that is capable of knowing things (1 Cor. 2:11). Paul also affirmed that church discipline is designed to save a mans spirit in the day of the Lord (1 Cor. 5:5; see also, 1 Cor. 16:18; 2 Cor. 7:1; Jas. 2:26).
Attitude
Spirit sometimes stands for a persons disposition or attitude either for bad or good, e.g., the spirit of fear, etc. (2 Tim. 1:7), a meek and submissive spirit (cf. 1 Pet. 3:4), or a spirit of gentleness (Gal. 6:1).
Conclusion
From this brief discussion, then, it is readily apparent that the careful student must examine biblical words in their context. The context can override all other linguistic considerations, e.g., etymology and grammatical format. A Bible term, extracted from its original context, loses its divine authority.
One thing is for certain. An honest student cannot study the uses of soul and spirit in the documents of Scripture, and then conclude that humans are wholly mortal. And yet this is what skeptics contend, and some religionists allege as well (e.g., Jehovahs Witnesses and Seventh-day Adventists).
Soul and Spirit Whats the Difference?
by Wayne Jackson
Christian Courier: Questions
Tuesday, June 11, 2002
Description
What is the difference in the word soul, and that of the spirit, as these terms are used in the Bible? There is much interest in this question and, indeed, considerable confusion in the minds of many. This article contains a brief survey of the biblical data relative to this theme.
What is the difference between the spirit and soul of a human being?
There is no simple answer to this question because the words, soul and spirit, are employed in varying senses within the different biblical contexts in which they may be found. The following represents a very brief summary of some of these major uses.
The Soul
The Hebrew term for soul is nephesh, found more than 780 times in the Old Testament. Because of the variety of contextual meanings, it is not always rendered by the English word soul. The King James Version uses 28 different words by which to translate the original term. Nephesh, therefore, signifies different things, depending upon the passage in which it occurs.
Similarly, in the Greek New Testament, the original word for soul is psuche, found 103 times. Our modern word psychology derives from this Greek term.
Here are some uses of soul in the Scriptures.
A Person
Soul may signify merely an individual person. The prophet Ezekiel declared that the soul (i.e., the person) who sins will surely die (Ezek. 18:20), or, as Peter would write centuries later, eight souls were saved by water in the days of Noah (1 Pet. 3:20). See also Exodus 1:5.
Life
In some contexts, soul simply has reference to biological life, the animating principle that is common to both humans and animals. All creatures have life (see Gen. 1:30; cf. ASV footnote). The wicked king, Herod the Great, sought to take the life of baby Jesus (Mt. 2:20; cf. Rev. 12:11). In one of the visions of the Apocalypse, certain creatures of the sea were said to possess psuche, or life (Rev. 8:9).
The Mind
Soul can have to do with that aspect of man that is characterized by the intellectual and emotional (Gen. 27:25; Job 30:16). It is the eternal component of man that is fashioned in the very image of God (Gen. 1:26), and that can exist apart from the physical body (Mt. 10:28; Rev. 6:9).
The Spirit
In the Old Testament, spirit is ruach, found some 378 times in the Hebrew Old Testament, and literally meaning breath, wind, etc. The corresponding Greek term is pneuma, occurring 379 times in the New Testament (the original form being found in our English word, pneumonia). Again, though, as with soul, the word spirit may take on different senses, depending upon its contextual setting.
The Air We Breathe
Ruach can literally denote a persons breath. The queen of Sheba was breathless when she viewed the splendor of Solomons kingdom (see 1 Kgs. 10:4-5). The word can also signify the wind. For instance, some people, pursuing empty goals, are but striving after the wind (Eccl. 1:14, 17, etc.).
A Non-physical Being
The term spirit can be employed, however, in a higher sense. It also is used to depict the nature of a non-material being, e.g. God. God (the Father), as to his essence, is spirit (Jn. 4:24), i.e., he is not a physical or material being (Lk. 24:39; Mt. 16:17; cf. also the expression, Holy Spirit). Similarly, angels are spirit in nature though they are not deity in kind (Heb. 1:14).
A Person
Spirit can be used, by way of the figure of speech known as the synecdoche (part for the whole, or vice versa) for a person himself. John wrote: Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world (1 Jn. 4:1; emp. added). Note that the term spirits is the equivalent of false prophets in this text.
The Soul
Spirit may refer the inward man (2 Cor. 4:16) that is fashioned in Gods image (Gen. 1:26-27), and thus be a synonym of soul. A sacred writer noted that the spirit of man is the lamp of Jehovah (Prov. 20:27); this is an allusion to that element of man that distinguishes him from the beasts of the earth.
Daniel affirmed that his spirit was grieved within his body (Dan. 7:15), and Paul noted that it is mans spirit that is capable of knowing things (1 Cor. 2:11). Paul also affirmed that church discipline is designed to save a mans spirit in the day of the Lord (1 Cor. 5:5; see also, 1 Cor. 16:18; 2 Cor. 7:1; Jas. 2:26).
Attitude
Spirit sometimes stands for a persons disposition or attitude either for bad or good, e.g., the spirit of fear, etc. (2 Tim. 1:7), a meek and submissive spirit (cf. 1 Pet. 3:4), or a spirit of gentleness (Gal. 6:1).
Conclusion
From this brief discussion, then, it is readily apparent that the careful student must examine biblical words in their context. The context can override all other linguistic considerations, e.g., etymology and grammatical format. A Bible term, extracted from its original context, loses its divine authority.
One thing is for certain. An honest student cannot study the uses of soul and spirit in the documents of Scripture, and then conclude that humans are wholly mortal. And yet this is what skeptics contend, and some religionists allege as well (e.g., Jehovahs Witnesses and Seventh-day Adventists).