Define the terms Soul and Spirit

[Tinker Grey]

These terms have been used, IME, by different preachers in different ways and even sometimes differently by the same preacher depending on a topic.

How do you define them?

Thanks.

 

[ephraimanesti]

These terms have been used, IME, by different preachers in different ways and even sometimes differently by the same preacher depending on a topic.

How do you define them?

Thanks.

There are probably many many definitions for soul and spirit--and quite possibly all are correct or, perhaps, incorrect.

i would define them as soul being the essence of a person--his/her mental and emotional being--and spirit as that which connects him/her with God and which should be in control of the individual's life, the soul being subservient to it.

A GREATFUL SON OF GOD,
ephraim

 

[chosenpath]

Soul is your physical body or flesh.

Spirit is the life force breathed into us by God.

Genesis 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 being.

Psalm 84:2
My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Mark 26:41
Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak."

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God [is] living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

 

[AV1611VET]

These terms have been used, IME, by different preachers in different ways and even sometimes differently by the same preacher depending on a topic.

How do you define them?

Thanks.

QV please.

 

[Tinker Grey]

For consistency of this thread, AV1611VET, please repost the information.

Thanks.

 

[AV1611VET]

For consistency of this thread, AV1611VET, please repost the information.

The doctrine is known as Tripartitism. It teaches that man is a trichotomy, or a three-part being.

Notice these five passages of Scripture:

Originally Posted by Genesis 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.
​

Originally Posted by Mark 12:30

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
​

Originally Posted by 1 Thessalonians 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.
​

Originally Posted by Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
​

Originally Posted by 1 John 5:8

And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
​

Of the five passages --- we use the Thessalonians passage, because it is the easiest to remember.

And we define these terms as such:

• body = soma = gives us world-consciousness through empirical data
• soul = psyche = gives us self-consciousness through our emotions
• spirit = pneuma = gives us God-consciousness through illumination of God's Word

That is Tripartitism in a nutshell.

 

[Tinker Grey]

Thanks

 

[solarwave]

Well I don't much about spirit but Ill give it a shot. Soul I would call your consicousness, memories, emotions, characterstics. Like a spiritual brain. You dont have a soul, you are a soul. Spirit I don't really know, when someone in the bible asks for double someone else's spirit when the first person dies. Sorry for the vagueness there, this is a rushed post.

 

[ebia]

These terms have been used, IME, by different preachers in different ways and even sometimes differently by the same preacher depending on a topic.

How do you define them?

Thanks.

Generally I wouldn't use the word soul at all - the corresponding hebrew/greek words don't crop up that often in scripture and the English word 'soul' carries (at least in the modern world) a whole load of baggage that is completely alien to the scriptural words it is used to translate. Better to avoid it altogether.

Spirit has kind of the opposite problem - the English word lacks all the different connotations of the original - breath/life/wind/... Eugene Peterson suggests we would be better off if we didn't have the word spirit in English either, and I'm coming round to his point of view. But if I did use it, it could mean any of a whole load of different things depending on context.

We're inclined to think that because we use the same words that appear in our (translated) bible we are thinking in biblical concepts, when actually the connotations those English words carry for us are completely different from the connotations the original words carried for the biblical authors.