Our Soul, Spirit, and Body & Understanding Why God Says He Has a Soul in Isaiah 42:1.

Bible Highlighter · Jun 21, 2023

Our Soul, Spirit, and Body & Understanding Why God Says He Has a Soul in Isaiah 42:1.

Isaiah 42:1
”Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.”

Matthew 12:18
”Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.”

What is the soul?

The soul is one's mind, will, and emotions.

The Mind Being a Part of the Soul:

The soul is of three parts—the mind, the will, and the emotion. This is clearly and definitely proved by the Word of God. Proverbs 2:10 gives us the spiritual ground to prove that the mind is a part of the soul. This verse says, “Wisdom will enter your heart, / And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.” Because knowledge is a matter of the mind, this proves that the mind is a part of the soul. Proverbs 19:21 and 24:14 also indicate that knowledge and wisdom are related to the soul. In addition, Psalms 139:14 says, “My soul knows it well.” Since to know is a matter of the mind, this also proves that the mind must be a part of the soul. Psalms 13:2 speaks of bearing concern in the soul. This concern must be something considered in the mind. Lamentations 3:20 says, “My soul remembers them well,” indicating that the soul can remember things. By these verses we can be clear that the mind as the organ to know, to consider, and to remember is a part of the soul.

The Will Being a Part of the Soul:

The second part of the soul is the will. Job 7:15 says, “My soul would choose,” and 6:7 says, “My soul refuses.” To choose and to refuse are both decisions and functions of the will. These passages prove that the will must be a part of the soul. First Chronicles 22:19 says, “Now set your heart and your soul to seek after Jehovah your God.” Just as we set our mind to think, this verse says that we set our soul to seek. This is, of course, to make a decision. That the soul makes a decision also proves that the will is a part of the soul. Numbers 30:2 says, “When a man vows a vow to Jehovah or swears an oath to bind himself by pledge...” The term to bind oneself,which occurs eleven times in this chapter, literally means “to bind one’s soul.” To bind the soul is to make a decision. This chapter in Numbers deals with vows made to the Lord. Since we must make a decision to bind our soul to vow to the Lord, this also proves that the will must be a part of the soul. It would be good for the brothers and sisters, especially the young ones, to remember all these verses. They should pick up the burden to learn this.

The Emotion Being a Part of the Soul:

The emotion comprises many things, including love, hatred, joy, and grief. Song of Songs 1:7 and Psalms 42:1 show us that to love is a function of the soul. This proves that within the soul there is the organ, the function, of the emotion. Second Samuel 5:8, Psalms 107:18, and Ezekiel 36:5 show us that hating, loathing, and despising are also in the soul. Despising in the soul is the hatred of the soul. Since these are emotions, this also proves that the emotion must be a part of the soul.

Joy is a great part of the emotion. Isaiah 61:10 and Psalms 86:4 tell us that joy is in the soul. This again proves that the emotion is a part of the soul. Deuteronomy 14:26 and Jeremiah 22:27 tell us that the soul desires. According to the better translations and Strong’s or Young’s concordances, desire in Jeremiah 44:14 and set their heart in Ezekiel 24:25 are literally lift up the soul. These verses tell us that the desire of the emotion is something in our soul. In addition, 1 Samuel 30:6, Judges 10:16, and Job 30:25 speak of bitterness, misery, and grief in the soul.

The verses of the Scriptures above are the ground to say that within the soul there are three parts—the mind as the leading part with the will and the emotion. These are the best verses to prove this, but they are not the only ones. If we study the entire Scriptures, it is hard to find anything other than these three parts in the soul. These three parts comprise all the functions of the soul.

Source:
THE SOUL HAVING THREE PARTS
(Note: I do not believe everything this author teaches or believes; I merely agree with this portion of his article that I quoted here).

Bible Highlighter · Jun 21, 2023

Paul says there is a natural body, and a spiritual body:

"It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." (1 Corinthians 15:44).

Paul says we are to keep three things blameless to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

"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." (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

One question we should ask ourselves is how do we keep all three of these things blameless?

How is that applicable in our daily walk with Christ?

Bible Highlighter · Jun 21, 2023

I would like to add that the the word "soul" is something that is not only for a being who is a living flesh and blood person only, too.

The Bible describes God having a soul:

Leviticus 26:11
And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you.
Leviticus 26:30
And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.
Isaiah 42:1
Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
Zechariah 11:8
Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me.
Matthew 12:18
Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
Hebrews 10:38
Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

The Bible describes how Jesus's soul was in the realm of the dead:

"Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." (Acts of the Apostles 2:27).

The Bible describes the souls of men after they were slain or killed for the word of God:

9 "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? "

(Revelation 6:9-10).

I hope this helps someone today;
And may God bless you all in drawing closer to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Bible Highlighter · Jun 21, 2023

sawdust said:
In this instance your opinion doesn't help, as you seemed to be implying in the post I quoted, in order for God to have a mind, will and emotions, He had to have a soul.

I have always believed this and I still believe this. My thoughts on this have not changed.

sawdust said:
Yet it seems, according to your later post, He does not have to have a soul.

Either I did not word it correctly (due to a grammar error), or you are misreading what I said.
A soul is a being’s mind, will, and emotions.

God the Father always had a soul, and always will have one.
This is not in any way related to the Incarnation or related to His connection to the Son.

sawdust said:
Ergo, your insistence that God the Father had to have a soul is false.

Nope. God the Father has a soul and the soul is His mind, will, and emotions. It is the core of one’s being self conscious existence and personality. So when God delights in His soul, He is delighting In the core of who He is.

sawdust said:
God is a Spirit just as the scripture declares and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:24

We are to keep all three things blameless in this life according to Paul. This is the soul, spirit, and body.

sawdust said:
You then go on to talk about us as spirit, soul and body as if our nature declares God's nature. And no, it doesn't make sense what you say.

The Bible says we are created in God’s image. If God is triune (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), then we are also triune (i.e., we have a soul, spirit, and body). I did not say we have the same nature as God. We were born into sin or with a sin nature due to Adam (i.e., being born by the male seed) whereas Jesus was born of the seed of the woman (Whereby the sin nature is not passed down). Jesus Christ came into the flesh (1 John 4:3). Jesus is God, and He came down from Heaven. God is eternal and His nature is always good, loving, pure, and holy. There is no darkness in God (1 John 1:5).

sawdust said:
The body does not have the capacity to think for itself, it is governed by autonomous, reflexive and instinctive systems. It is the sin nature in the body that tempts the mind. This is why there is a war within. It is not a battle within the soul but a battle between the soul and the flesh. The sin nature acts as our own personal internal serpent. This is why the scripture says the mind set on the flesh is against God and doesn't say the mind itself is against God.

Romans 8:5-8
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

It has been a long time since I did this study, and I lost my previous write-up. I will have to get back to you on this one after doing some more research. But it may be a while, I am currently involved in another deep study and personal write-up that is not attached to this forum.

sawdust said:
I also notice in one of your earlier posts (#214) you are still declaring you think we are saying the Father "takes possession of Jesus' soul" even though twice you have been corrected on this. This is now the third time you are being corrected. How can we have any confidence in your willingness to listen to the thoughts of others when you have to be told the same thing three times?

But God the Father (without Jesus) does not have a soul according to you.

You said, I quote:

”Yes, it's the Lord Jesus Christ speaking. Not all reference the Messiah because not all speak to/about his humanity. The Messiah had to be a man in order to be a substitute for men. The soul of God is in the word, the word is the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Quote by: sawdust.

Source.

You also said, I quote:

”God has a soul. That soul is in the word. That word is the Lord Jesus Christ. The soul of God is uncreated, uniquely begotten. The Father can speak of "My soul" because the Father and Son are one.” Quote by: sawdust.

Source.

The way I understand these statements is that the Father is speaking as having a soul because the Son has a soul and the Father does not have a soul without the Son or that Jesus is speaking through the Father (even though the Father is complimenting the Son).

However, there is no mention of this kind of trickery or this “other level of top secret understanding” unless you can produce a verse that proves your case.

Isaiah 42:1 is clearly God the Father speaking about His Son if you were to read Matthew 12:18 in context of Matthew 12.
God the Father is talking about His soul, and not the Son’s soul because they are one.
You have not offered any sufficient biblical proof to show otherwise. Just because they are one does not mean the Father does not have His own soul that is unique or distinct from the Son. The soul is described as being the mind, will, and emotions. We see a distinction between God the Father’s will and the will of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Clare73 · Jun 21, 2023

Bible Highlighter said:
I would like to add that the the word "soul" is something that is not only for a being who is a living flesh and blood person only, too.
The Bible describes God having a soul:

Leviticus 26:11
And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you.

Leviticus 26:30
And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.

Isaiah 42:1
Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

Zechariah 11:8
Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me.

Matthew 12:18
Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.

Hebrews 10:38
Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

The Bible describes how Jesus's soul was in the realm of the dead:

"Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." (Acts of the Apostles 2:27).

The Bible describes the souls of men after they were slain or killed for the word of God:

9 "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? "
(Revelation 6:9-10).

I hope this helps someone today;
And may God bless you all in drawing closer to the Lord Jesus Christ.

And the NT which is the fulfillment and completion of the OT?

Which suggests the difficulty of distinguishing between soul and spirit of Heb 4:12:
emotions associated with the soul (Mt 26:38), with the spirit (Jn 13:21),
rejoicing in God associated with the soul (Ps 35:9), with the spirit (Lk 1:47).

So in the NT we can separate body and spirit,
but soul and spirit can only be distinguished.

Would it be the same way with God's soul and Spirit?

Bible Highlighter · Jun 21, 2023

Clare73 said:
And the NT which is the fulfillment and completion of the OT?

Which suggests the difficulty of distinguishing between soul and spirit of Heb 4:12:

Thank you for the verse. It is true. The Word of God can divide asunder our soul and spirit.

Clare73 said:
emotions associated with the soul (Mt 26:28),

You mean, Matthew 26:38. But yes. I agree.

Clare73 said:
with the spirit (Jn 13:21),
rejoicing in God associated with the soul (Ps 35:9), with the spirit (Lk 1:47).

All great verses in this study.

Clare73 said:
So in the NT we can separate body and spirit,

I would have to do my research into that more to confirm this.

Clare73 said:
but soul and spirit can only be distinguished.

Yes, it appears that they can be distinguished but not separated (like the body perishing leaving the soul, and spirit).

Clare73 said:
Would it be the same way with God's soul and Spirit?

God is a Spirit (John 4:24).
I take this to mean that God exists as a Spirit being.
Yet, God the Father says He delights in His soul in Isaiah 42:1.
So I take this to mean that God also has a soul, as well.
I understand the soul as the core of one’s being.
The spirit portion would be the manifestation of God either in the spirit realm or our physical world.
God revealed His back-parts to Moses in Exodus 33.
I know this is Exodus 33 because we have 33 bones in the back of our spine.
Anyways, God is unique from His creation in many ways, but He also made us in His image.
Yet, we existed differently in the fact that we were created, and God was not created.
We exist differently in that we existed only with having a natural body.
God did not exist from eternity’s past with a natural body. Yes, there was the Incarnation, but that was later. God did not need to partake of the Incarnation for His existence to be complete like us.

I understand the soul and the spirit well. Humans have a natural body, and a spiritual body according to Paul (1 Corinthians 15:44).
Both the soul and spirit can express emotions.
But I need to do more of a study on the natural body, especially in relation to the soul and spirit.
Also, Jesus was born of the seed of the woman, unlike the rest of humanity.

In fact, Hebrews 7:26 says this of Jesus:
“For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;”

Yes, Jesus had flesh and blood like we do. Jesus had to have the same flesh and blood body we do to die in our place for our sins. But He was separate from sinners and undefiled, and made higher than the heavens, though.

We know that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41).
We are told by the apostle Paul, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2 Corinthians 7:1).

I don’t believe Jesus ever needed to cleanse His flesh and spirit like we do because He is God, and separate from sinners.

But a deeper study into the dynamics of the flesh or natural body in relation to the soul, and spirit would be an interesting study indeed.

Some oddly suggest that a soul is only exclusive to humans. So when Scripture mentions about God having a soul, they believe this is in reference always to Jesus speaking (Even if it is the Father speaking like in Isaiah 42:1). This to me is problematic because there is no mention that a soul is exclusive to humans or natural creatures only. There is no mention how when God the Father refers to His soul He is only doing so because of the Incarnation or because of His Son having a soul.

In my view, articles like Gotquestions do not appear to understand this subject very well.
One problem in the article is that they appear to allegorize God having human characteristics like a hand, etcetera.
I do not believe an allegory (a metaphor of God’s hand) had protected Moses, but it was actually the hand of God.

Does God have a soul? | GotQuestions.org

Does God have a soul? If human beings are created in the image of God, and human beings have souls, does that mean God has a soul?

www.gotquestions.org

sawdust · Jun 21, 2023

Bible Highlighter said:
I have always believed this and I still believe this. My thoughts on this have not changed.

Either I did not word it correctly (due to a grammar error), or you are misreading what I said.
A soul is a being’s mind, will, and emotions.

God the Father always had a soul, and always will have one.
This is not in any way related to the Incarnation or related to His connection to the Son.

Nope. God the Father has a soul and the soul is His mind, will, and emotions. It is the core of one’s being self conscious existence and personality. So when God delights in His soul, He is delighting In the core of who He is.

We are to keep all three things blameless in this life according to Paul. This is the soul, spirit, and body.

The Bible says we are created in God’s image. If God is triune (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), then we are also triune (i.e., we have a soul, spirit, and body). I did not say we have the same nature as God. We were born into sin or with a sin nature due to Adam (i.e., being born by the male seed) whereas Jesus was born of the seed of the woman (Whereby the sin nature is not passed down). Jesus Christ came into the flesh (1 John 4:3). Jesus is God, and He came down from Heaven. God is eternal and His nature is always good, loving, pure, and holy. There is no darkness in God (1 John 1:5).

It has been a long time since I did this study, and I lost my previous write-up. I will have to get back to you on this one after doing some more research. But it may be a while, I am currently involved in another deep study and personal write-up that is not attached to this forum.

But God the Father (without Jesus) does not have a soul according to you.

You said, I quote:

”Yes, it's the Lord Jesus Christ speaking. Not all reference the Messiah because not all speak to/about his humanity. The Messiah had to be a man in order to be a substitute for men. The soul of God is in the word, the word is the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Quote by: sawdust.

Source.

You also said, I quote:

”God has a soul. That soul is in the word. That word is the Lord Jesus Christ. The soul of God is uncreated, uniquely begotten. The Father can speak of "My soul" because the Father and Son are one.” Quote by: sawdust.

Source.

The way I understand these statements is that the Father is speaking as having a soul because the Son has a soul and the Father does not have a soul without the Son or that Jesus is speaking through the Father (even though the Father is complimenting the Son).

However, there is no mention of this kind of trickery or this “other level of top secret understanding” unless you can produce a verse that proves your case.

Isaiah 42:1 is clearly God the Father speaking about His Son if you were to read Matthew 12:18 in context of Matthew 12.
God the Father is talking about His soul, and not the Son’s soul because they are one.
You have not offered any sufficient biblical proof to show otherwise. Just because they are one does not mean the Father does not have His own soul that is unique or distinct from the Son. The soul is described as being the mind, will, and emotions. We see a distinction between God the Father’s will and the will of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Unfortunately you have broken my post apart to the point you have completely missed the point I was making and have failed to answer my question.

I have always said God has a soul, that soul is in the word, that word is God the Son. The Father and Son are One.

There is no such thing as "the Father without the Son", it is nonsensical. And "Jesus does not speak through the Father". The Son speaks from His Deity through His humanity which, is why we can understand God. To hear God the Son, is to hear God the Father, they are One. Is.42:1 is not God the Father expressing His delight in God the Son. It is God the Son (YAHWEH) expressing the Fathers delight in Jesus the man. God can say "My soul" because he has a soul but that soul is in the Word. God (Deity) is Spirit. The Father is Deity only, He does not express Himself in any other way which, is why we could never comprehend His thinking. 1 Corinthians 2:16 The Son is Deity and humanity and His word is made more sure because He walked among us as a man without the power of His Deity as to have some form of advantage over us. If he had retained any of His own power, He could not have been tempted, nor would He have been like us in every way except without sin.

Bible Highlighter said:
The way I understand these statements

And I keep telling you you're understanding is wrong but that doesn't seem to stop you at all.

Personally I don't think there is anything left to discuss. You have a nice day.

Bible Highlighter · Jun 21, 2023

sawdust said:
Unfortunately you have broken my post apart to the point you have completely missed the point I was making and have failed to answer my question.

I have always said God has a soul, that soul is in the word, that word is God the Son. The Father and Son are One.

There is no such thing as "the Father without the Son", it is nonsensical. And "Jesus does not speak through the Father". The Son speaks from His Deity through His humanity which, is why we can understand God. To hear God the Son, is to hear God the Father, they are One. Is.42:1 is not God the Father expressing His delight in God the Son. It is God the Son (YAHWEH) expressing the Fathers delight in Jesus the man. God can say "My soul" because he has a soul but that soul is in the Word. God (Deity) is Spirit. The Father is Deity only, He does not express Himself in any other way which, is why we could never comprehend His thinking. 1 Corinthians 2:16 The Son is Deity and humanity and His word is made more sure because He walked among us as a man without the power of His Deity as to have some form of advantage over us. If he had retained any of His own power, He could not have been tempted, nor would He have been like us in every way except without sin.

And I keep telling you you're understanding is wrong but that doesn't seem to stop you at all.

Personally I don't think there is anything left to discuss. You have a nice day.

Isaiah 42:1 is not Jesus speaking of the Father’s delight in the man Christ Jesus. That’s too overly complicated. That makes no sense. That would be like saying that there are triple agents (spies) in the Bible without any proof by Scripture. There is no indication in the context that this is so at all. This is completely fabricated unless you can prove that by the context. But even if you cannot prove this by the context, you still win in your own mind because you have invented your own rule that says that the soul is in the Word and that Father has this soul because they are one. Again, the burden of proof is on you to prove that a soul has to be human only in order for it to exist as a soul whereby you have to force this kind of interpretation.

The Bible describes a soul as having a mind, will, and emotions. That is the core of what a soul is. It is the core of your self conscious being that makes decisions, and thinks, etcetera. God has that! Yet, you are overcomplicating things to fit some kind of hidden narrative.

sawdust · Jun 22, 2023

Bible Highlighter said:
Isaiah 42:1 is not Jesus speaking of the Father’s delight in the man Christ Jesus. That’s too overly complicated. That makes no sense. That would be like saying that there are triple agents (spies) in the Bible without any proof by Scripture. There is no indication in the context that this is so at all. This is completely fabricated unless you can prove that by the context. But even if you cannot prove this by the context, you still win in your own mind because you have invented your own rule that says that the soul is in the Word and that Father has this soul because they are one. Again, the burden of proof is on you to prove that a soul has to be human only in order for it to exist as a soul whereby you have to force this kind of interpretation.

The Bible describes a soul as having a mind, will, and emotions. That is the core of what a soul is. It is the core of your self conscious being that makes decisions, and thinks, etcetera. God has that! Yet, you are overcomplicating things to fit some kind of hidden narrative.

I don't have to prove what you believe or your misunderstanding of what I believe. You don't understand what I'm saying and therefore think it's complicated and makes no sense. There are those who can understand what I've said. Like I said, there is nothing more to discuss.

Bible Highlighter · Jun 22, 2023

sawdust said:
I don't have to prove what you believe or your misunderstanding of what I believe. You don't understand what I'm saying and therefore think it's complicated and makes no sense. There are those who can understand what I've said. Like I said, there is nothing more to discuss.

No. We are to speak in accordance to what is written (the same spirit of faith), which is not what you are doing.
Your belief is not clearly written in God’s Word.

2 Corinthians 4:13
”We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;”

If you believe your belief is clearly defined according to what is written, then you should earnestly contend for the faith.

Jude 1:3 says,
”Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”

This faith comes by hearing the word of God (i.e., the Bible).

Romans 10:17
”So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

So then, the ball is in your court to prove to us that what you believe is in the Scriptures.
If you don’t want to explain it, we know you are not earnestly contending for the faith, and we know that you are not speaking according to what is written In God’s Word. You would just be speaking your own thoughts (Which is not the Word of God).

sawdust · Jun 22, 2023

Bible Highlighter said:
Your belief is not clearly written in God’s Word.

You are not even understanding what I believe. I have been explaining it but you don't see it. I'm not going to keep saying the same thing over and over. God is a Spirit, go and learn what that means.

sawdust · Jun 22, 2023

Bible Highlighter said:
Your belief is not clearly written in God’s Word.

There are many things in God's word that are not clearly written. It's why Jesus spoke in parables and why we are told to study the word. The scripture tells you plainly that God is a Spirit. So where, how and why can God speak of "My soul" when He is clearly not a soul? I have told you where, in the Son; I have told you how, uniquely begotten and I have told you why, to know God.

Bible Highlighter said:
So then, the ball is in your court to prove to us that what you believe is in the Scriptures.
If you don’t want to explain it, we know you are not earnestly contending for the faith, and we know that you are not speaking according to what is written In God’s Word. You would just be speaking your own thoughts (Which is not the Word of God).

As for these comments? See post #11

Bible Highlighter · Jun 22, 2023

sawdust said:
You are not even understanding what I believe. I have been explaining it but you don't see it. I'm not going to keep saying the same thing over and over. God is a Spirit, go and learn what that means.

Insults are the way to uplift oneself. Anyways, I understand John 4:24 in that God is a Spirit. I have already explained that here in this thread. It means God is a Spirit being. God existed from eternity’s past as a spiritual being. God at His core is a spiritual being. God is uncreated. Unlike mankind, we existed with a beginning and man was created, and man began with a physical body. While men have a spirit, they are not a Spirit like God is.

I also understand what you believe. You believe the soul of God is in the word, the word is the Lord Jesus Christ. You believe Isaiah 42:1 is Jesus speaking about the Father delighting in Jesus the man. I know you believe but It does not make many sense in light of God’s Word and I asked for you to explain with the Bible what you are saying. However, there are no words that match up with the exact words that you have stated.

Bible Highlighter · Jun 22, 2023

sawdust said:
There are many things in God's word that are not clearly written. It's why Jesus spoke in parables and why we are told to study the word.

But the answers are in Scripture, and we are to speak in accordance to what is written.

“according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken;” is what Paul said
(See again: 2 Corinthians 4:13).

sawdust said:
The scripture tells you plainly that God is a Spirit. So where, how and why can God speak of "My soul" when He is clearly not a soul?

God has different parts or aspects to Him just as we do. Paul says we are to keep three things blameless: The soul, spirit, and body.
The Bible defines a soul as attached with one’s mind, will, and emotions. God has these things! God the Father does not need the Son to have a mind, will, and emotions (i.e., a soul).

Your question is: So where, how, and why can God speak of “My soul” when He is clearly not a soul?

See, this is your false line of thinking or reasoning. Nowhere does the Bible think like you in that God is a soul. God has a soul. Yet, you think that the Bible needs to say that, “God is a soul” and yet that is silly because that would be like saying, God is a mind, will, and emotions. The proper way to understand this is that God has a soul, meaning…. God has a mind, will, and emotions. That’s what a soul is. The Bible attaches a mind, will, and emotions to one’s soul. You have created an imaginary rule that says “God is not a soul” and you need to resolve it somehow by being imaginative yet again with a few verses tacked on that do not really say what you are saying.

Bible Highlighter · Jun 22, 2023

sawdust said:
I don't have to prove what you believe or your misunderstanding of what I believe. You don't understand what I'm saying and therefore think it's complicated and makes no sense. There are those who can understand what I've said. Like I said, there is nothing more to discuss.

I understand perfectly what you are saying, but it is not in Scripture. It is not clearly written in God’s Word. I know others do believe in your same fairy tale, but it is not clearly spoken of in Scripture. It is only one’s imagination trying to fill in the gaps of what Scripture does not say. No verse says, “God is not a soul” whereby you have to do some kind of apologetics on using your own imagination yet again to explain things.

Bible Highlighter · Jun 22, 2023

The reason why folks think only humans can have souls is because Genesis 2:7 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 soul.” They think a soul is one that can only be living based on this verse and this erroneous thinking. The Bible describes God as having a soul, too. Nothing in Genesis 2:7 restricts other beings from having a soul. Man is simply a living soul in the sense that he has flesh, blood, in the natural world. There is no verse that says only man can have a soul.

sawdust · Jun 22, 2023

Bible Highlighter said:
The reason why folks think only humans can have souls is because

Do you think I believe only humans have souls?

Clare73 · Jun 22, 2023

Bible Highlighter said:
Thank you for the verse. It is true. The Word of God can divide asunder our soul and spirit.
You mean, Matthew 26:38. But yes. I agree.
All great verses in this study.
I would have to do my research into that more to confirm this.
Yes, it appears that they can be distinguished but not separated (like the body perishing leaving the soul, and spirit).
God is a Spirit (John 4:24).
I take this to mean that God exists as a Spirit being.
Yet, God the Father says He delights in His soul in Isaiah 42:1.
So I take this to mean that God also has a soul, as well.
I understand the soul as the core of one’s being.
The spirit portion would be the manifestation of God either in the spirit realm or our physical world.
God revealed His back-parts to Moses in Exodus 33.
I know this is Exodus 33 because we have 33 bones in the back of our spine.
Anyways, God is unique from His creation in many ways, but He also made us in His image.
Yet, we existed differently in the fact that we were created, and God was not created.

We exist differently in that we existed only with having a natural body.
God did not exist from eternity’s past with a natural body. Yes, there was the Incarnation, but that was later. God did not need to partake of the Incarnation for His existence to be complete like us.
I understand the soul and the spirit well. Humans have a natural body, and a spiritual body according to Paul (1 Corinthians 15:44).

The spiritual body being the physical resurrection body--immortal, incorruptitble, glorious.

Both the soul and spirit can express emotions.
But I need to do more of a study on the natural body, especially in relation to the soul and spirit.
Also, Jesus was born of the seed of the woman, unlike the rest of humanity.

In fact, Hebrews 7:26 says this of Jesus:
“For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;”

Yes, Jesus had flesh and blood like we do. Jesus had to have the same flesh and blood body we do to die in our place for our sins. But He was separate from sinners and undefiled, and made higher than the heavens, though.

We know that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41).
We are told by the apostle Paul, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2 Corinthians 7:1).

I don’t believe Jesus ever needed to cleanse His flesh and spirit like we do because He is God, and separate from sinners.

But a deeper study into the dynamics of the flesh or natural body in relation to the soul, and spirit would be an interesting study indeed.

Some oddly suggest that a soul is only exclusive to humans. So when Scripture mentions about God having a soul, they believe this is in reference always to Jesus speaking (Even if it is the Father speaking like in Isaiah 42:1). This to me is problematic because there is no mention that a soul is exclusive to humans or natural creatures only. There is no mention how when God the Father refers to His soul He is only doing so because of the Incarnation or because of His Son having a soul.

In my view, articles like Gotquestions do not appear to understand this subject very well.
One problem in the article is that they appear to allegorize God having human characteristics like a hand, etcetera.
I do not believe an allegory (a metaphor of God’s hand) had protected Moses, but it was actually the hand of God.

Does God have a soul? | GotQuestions.org

Does God have a soul? If human beings are created in the image of God, and human beings have souls, does that mean God has a soul?

www.gotquestions.org

Mark Quayle · Jun 22, 2023

Bible Highlighter said:
I do not believe an allegory (a metaphor of God’s hand) had protected Moses, but it was actually the hand of God.

I'm not going to say you are wrong about GotQuestions on this subject, because I haven't read them much, but to me it seems, we usually look at such things backwards. They may have been saying, like I do, that God has the real hand, and our use (or understanding) of him saying it is his hand is at best allegorical/metaphorical.

God doesn't answer to form. If we draw a picture in our mind of God's hand protecting Moses, we need to keep in mind, or habitually keep the attitude, that God is not like us.

I think this is often why theologians speak in terms of metaphor and allegory. They are not, all who speak that way, saying that God has no hands, but that we don't know what we are talking about when we say he does. They find they must think in terms of function, rather than human body part.

Bible Highlighter · Jun 22, 2023

Clare73 said:
The spiritual body being the physical resurrection body--immortal, incorruptitble, glorious.

I take Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 15 to refer to faithful believers being raised as a spiritual body in the Rapture. This is where Raptured saints will be like that of angels. However, there is also a flesh and blood bodily resurrection. Paul says there is a natural body, and a spiritual body. Jesus distinguishes between the two resurrections (One being spiritual, and the other being natural).

Matthew 22:29-32
29 ”Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,
32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

The words in blue is in reference to the saints receiving spiritual bodies like that of angels in Heaven in the Rapture.
Scripture talks about how angels are immortal —- which explains Paul saying we will put on immortality in 1 Corinthians 15.

The words in red above is in reference to the resurrection from the dead (i.e., the flesh and blood bodily resurrection).

This is what Martha talked about when speaking with Jesus.

”Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” (John 11:24).

The Jews only knew of the physical bodily resurrection, and not the spiritual body resurrection (Which takes place in the Rapture).
The Rapture is a mystery revealed by the apostle Paul.

The Jews knew of things like…. The valley of dry bones coming back to life (with flesh coming upon them).

See Ezekiel 37:1-14 here at Biblehub.

Ezekiel 37 - Biblehub

Our Soul, Spirit, and Body & Understanding Why God Says He Has a Soul in Isaiah 42:1.

Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.

Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.

Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.

Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.

Blood-bought

Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.

Well-Known Member

Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.

Well-Known Member

Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.

Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.

Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.

Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.

Well-Known Member

Blood-bought

Monergist; and by reputation, Reformed Calvinist

Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.

Similar threads