Where is my Indwelling Spirit?

[tonychanyt]

I'd like to hear your opinion on what I said. What I learned years ago is that throwing bible verses isn't effective because there are other verses that can be used for the argument or against it, that's tribalism. Look at the tribalism in forums always two camps. We have bible knowledge in our brains but is it in our hearts? But you won't understand what I posted because you're coming from a position of ignorance. You haven't looked into my information and what if God gave us a glimpse? Peace.

See my response

 

[Above & Beyond]

It's true that Adam's soul was pure and undefiled by sin before the fall. But that's not what "living soul" means in Genesis 2. The "living" here refers to natural life, the Hebrew word nephesh refers to the breath of life. Adam was made a living thing, as opposed to the formerly dead and inanimate lump of matter previously. God took the dust of the earth, formed it, then breathed into it and made it alive, a living, breathing creature.



I don't subscribe to tripartism. I would generally affirm that human beings are comprised are both material and immaterial; the immaterial being, for example, our mind, our soul, our spirit, etc; but these aren't discrete "parts" in some kind of anthropological schema. It's simply that human beings are fully physical and material creatures with an immaterial dimension. The "soul" or "spirit" are words used to describe that. But I don't view myself as having a soul and having a spirit and these are two distinct things, nor do I view myself as having a body and having a soul and these are entirely separate things. I am simply a human being, a living, breathing, animated creature with awareness, moral capacity and culpability and therefore endowed with reason (a "rational soul" as opposed to merely an "animal soul" like say a dog or cat have). Created in God's image to have relationship with Him, which has been broken and marred by sin and death by the fall, i.e. by Original Sin.

Also, while I doubt it was intentional on your part, I would be careful about an expression like "divinely human Person" as that is, as far as Christology is concerned, confusing.

Jesus Christ is truly and fully human and truly and fully God. As the Eternal Son and Word of the Father He is God, of the Father's own Essence and Being, homoousion with the Father as we confess in the Nicene Creed. In the Incarnation the Divine Person of the Son and Word united to Himself our human nature, was made truly, and fully human, of a rational soul and body; like us in all ways except sin. He wasn't a "divinely human Person"; He is a Divine Person who is also fully man. He is, therefore, called Theanthropos, God-Man. Fully God and fully human, without any confusion or separation in the undivided unity of His Person and Hypostasis.

As a Chalcedonian I confess it this way:

"Therefore, following the holy fathers, we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead* and complete in manhood**, truly God and truly human, consisting also of a rational soul and body; of one Being with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one being with us as regards his manhood; like us in all respects, apart from sin; as regards his Godhead, eternally begotten of the Father, but yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the birth-giver of God [Theotokos]; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one Person and Hypostasis, not as parted or separated into two persons, but one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ; even as the prophets from earliest times spoke of him, and our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the creed of the fathers has handed down to us." - Definition of Chalcedon, 451 AD

* aka Deity
** aka humanity



Not really. The difference between Jesus humanity and ours is that He was entirely without sin, that I understand. And I can even agree that the Lord, in His humanity, was grounded fully in God; by His love of His Father which was perfect, and which is why He was perfectly obedient in all things. I would also agree that, by the union with His own Divinity His humanity was special; insofar as we don't entertain any notion that His humanity was confused, intermingled, mixed, or otherwise lessened by His Divinity. That would lead us toward the heresy of Eutychianism which we need to avoid.

So I would need to better understand how you mean "the center and source of Jesus' humanity was God", do you mean it in the sense that Jesus was perfectly obedient to the Father out of the love which He had for His Father?



No, I'm not a divine human. While I do affirm the historic Christian teaching on Theosis, this is an at-work process of being conformed to the image of Christ. Lutheran pastor Jordan Cooper would argue that the Lutheran understanding of Theosis should be better called Christification. That the sanctifying work of the Spirit, which is at work now and will be complete on the Last Day when we are raised up bodily from the dead, is conformity to Christ. It is by our union to Christ and our being conformed tot he image of Christ that we are "sharers in the Divine Nature" and thus undergoing Theosis. Though this is probably a much larger topic that deserves a far better and fuller treatment elsewhere.

However, I would fully reject the idea that the believer "is now a divine human". The believer is a justified sinner, being sanctified, and has a mystical union to Christ through faith, by the power of the Holy Spirit. But he/she is not a "divine human". Not even the Lord Jesus Himself, who is Himself truly and really God, was a "divine human".



I reject the above as theologically in error.



I'm not a Calvinist, I'm a Lutheran.



He is Three Divine Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Our religion is Christianity.



Our religion is the Person and work of Jesus Christ, so it can't be evil.

-CryptoLutheran

ViaCrucis says... "It's true that Adam's soul was pure and undefiled by sin before the fall."

Not only is it "...true that Adam's soul was pure and undefiled by sin before the fall...", but this biblical fact utterly destroys your negative claim about human feeling.

What this tells us is exactly what I pointed out... That God created man in a condition that God declared was "...very good...".

Moving on...

ViaCrusis says... "But that's not what "living soul" means in Genesis 2. The "living" here refers to natural life, the Hebrew word nephesh refers to the breath of life. Adam was made a living thing, as opposed to the formerly dead and inanimate lump of matter previously. God took the dust of the earth, formed it, then breathed into it and made it alive, a living, breathing creature."

Actually... Your above speaking exposes utter ignorance of the reality the scripture in Genesis 2 is presenting regarding God breathing His breath into Adam and Adam becoming a living soul.

First...

The Hebrew word transliterated as "...nephesh..." is used to define many things in the Old Testament... It is used to define "...soul..." (475 times), to define "...life..." (117 times), to define "...person..." (29 times), to define "...mind..." (15 times), to define "...heart..." (15 times), to define "...creature..." (9 times), to define "...body..." (8 times), to define "...himself..." (8 times), to define "...yourselves..." (6 times), to define "...dead..." (5 times), to define "...will..." (4 times), to define "...desire..." (4 times), to define "...man..." (3 times), to define "...themselves..." (3 times), to define "...any..." (3 times), to define "...appetite..." (2 times), and to define other "...miscellaneous..." words (47 times).

So, before we go any further... Let me suggest that you should try not to be dishonest in your speaking in your effort to promote your vanity, which you did here by suggesting that "...nephesh..." can only mean "...the breath of life...".

Now... Moving on...

Back to exposing the further error of what you said...

As with all proper exegesis of biblical scripture, the related context to what we're reading must always be considered so that we gain a clear perspective of what is being presented... And regarding Genesis 2:7, related to "...and man became a living soul...", the context is "...Jehovah God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,...".

Now from a superficial view, a person reading this might just assume that the matter of "...life..." had to do with physical human life... Or, as you put it... "...Adam was made a living thing, as opposed to the formerly dead and inanimate lump of matter previously. God took the dust of the earth, formed it, then breathed into it and made it alive, a living, breathing creature."

But that is simply the conclusion of an untrained — in biblical Hebrew and biblical scripture in general — mind...

Here's why...

We know from scripture that physical life is possible apart from God breathing His breath into a creature He created from "...dead and inanimate lump of matter..."... All the other creatures were physically alive, and scripture says nothing about God breathing His breath into any of them... Only with Adam is it specifically pointed out that God breathed into him and he became a "...living soul...".

This alone tells us that there is something more particular taking place between God and man.

And then we have your thinking that because God "...then breathed into it and made it alive, a living, breathing creature."... it must mean that God breathed air into the lungs of Adam and started Adam's physical breathing, which made Adam physically "...alive...".

Thing is... In Ezekiel 37:5 we read... "Thus says the Lord Jehovah to these bones: I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live."

Nothing in the above scripture verse says that God needed to Himself breathe his breath into "...these bones..." so that they could "..live...".

Your problem, ViaCrusis, is that you don't really know what is told to us in the Bible, so you make uninformed conclusions.

Scripture tells us that God can "...cause breath (rûaḥ) to enter..." into dead creatures, and in doing so, make them physically living... But when

God "...breathed into [Adam's] nostrils the breath of life, and [Adam] became a living soul...", scripture is telling us that God did something completely different to just causing "...breath to enter into [Adam]..." so that Adam "...shall live."

The "...breath..." that God breathed into Adam — "...nᵊšāmâ..." — is not the same as the breath, — "...rûaḥ..." — that God caused "...to enter..." into the dead bones.

These are two completely different Hebrew words that mean two completely different things.

And so what exactly is Genesis 2:7 saying?

The first thing we need to recognize is that in Genesis 2:7 we are being told something very specific regarding God breathing "...into [Adam's] nostrils the breath of life, and man [becoming] a living soul."

And the first specific matter is God "...breathed into his nostrils...".

The Hebrew word translated as "...breathed..." is "...nāp̄aḥ...", and means, in this context, that God breathed something of Himself into Adam... And in this verse, we can see that what God breathed into Adam was "...the breath of life...".

Now this "...breath of life..." is a completely different Hebrew word to "...breathed....", it is "...nᵊšāmâ...", and it means, in this context, something that came out of God... As in, God breathed His breath into Adam's nostrils.

God didn't just "...cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live."

No... In Genesis 2:7 we read that God Himself breathed into Adam... Which defines God giving something of Himself to Adam... Which is actually what the Hebrew word "...nᵊšāmâ..." defines... God gave something of Himself to Adam.

And scripture does not tell us that God did this to any other creature that He created.

And if we read related biblical scripture, we can find out more about this matter...

Job 32:8... "But there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding."

And...

Zecheriah 12:1... "The burden of the word of Jehovah concerning Israel. Thus declares Jehovah, who stretches forth the heavens and lays the foundations of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him,...".

From these and other scripture verses, we can know that God breathing His breath into Adam was a matter of God giving Adam a "...spirit..."... God's breath in Adam was the essence of what became "...a spirit in man...".

And this is further confirmed here...

Ecclesiastes 12:7... "And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the breath returns to God who gave it."

(In the King James Version Bible, the Hebrew word translated as "...breath..." in the above verse is translated as "...spirit..."... And both are correct... It's just a matter of the translator's preference.)

And this is the significance of what is being said in Genesis 2:7, in relation to "...and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul."

God's breath that He breathed into Adam became Adam's (man's) spirit.

And the related context is, when God breathed His breath into Adam, Adam became a "...living soul...".

And here we come back to the Hebrew word, "...nephesh..."... Only now, we have a proper view of the related context... This related context being... God's breath breathed into Adam became Adam's (man's) spirit.

This is why we don't see this particular speaking with any other creature, as only man received God's breath to form our spirit).

So when we consider "...nephesh...", we need to consider it in the light of God's breath breathed into Adam, becoming Adam's spirit.

And so what is this "...soul..." that became "...living..." when God breathed His breath into Adam?

The definition of "...nephesh...", in the context of "...living...", is being, life, self, person, desire, appetite, emotion, and passion.

Good... But we know that a physical human body cannot function properly apart from having the faculties of the mind, emotion, and will.

And as I clearly explained in my earlier comment to you, these three human faculties, as scripture clearly tells us, are contained within the human "...soul...".

The human soul is made up of the mind, the emotion, and the will... And therefore... When a soul becomes "...living...", it means that the mind, emotion, and will of a person becomes "...living...".

The Hebrew word for "...living..." is "...ḥay...", and means alive, in a vital way... Meaning, in a way that has a purpose... In a way that a goal is being accomplished according to God's will... As only God's will has purpose.

And the key here regarding this "...living..." that man became after God breathed His breath into man... Is this... When God breathed His breath into man... Man became "...living..." because God is life...

John 1:1-4... "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . He was in the beginning with God. . . . All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not one thing came into being which has come into being. . . . In Him was life, and the life was the light of men."

This... "...and the life was the light of men."

And here, we read...

John 1:5... "And this is the message which we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all."

So we know that God is "...light...", and "...life was the light of men..."... Therefore, we can know that God is "...the life..." that was "...the light of men...".

And further, we know from scripture that God is Spirit and that it is the Spirit who gives life.

This all tells us that when God breathed His breath into man, thereby giving man a spirit... Man became living because man had received God's breath as our spirit... God's breath itself is what made man living.

Therefore... For man to be a "...living soul...", man must have the breath of God as our spirit.

Why?

Because, in God's eyes, the life that is necessary for man to be "...living..." is God Himself as life to man... And not just man breathing air so that physically man can be physically alive like any other animal.

God doesn't see "...living..." in the context of physical living, ViaCrucis... God sees "...living..." as being man and God joined in oneness... Because God sees only Himself as being "...living...".

This is why God said that in the day that Adam disobeyed God — turned away from oneness with God — he would die... Not physically... But spiritually... Which in God's eyes is to be dead.

God is Spirit, and those who relate to God do so in spirit and truth.

And this is why your speaking that I quoted way back at the beginning of this response was just silly nonsense... And only exposed you as being someone who is ignorant of the reality that biblical scripture actually reveals.

And unfortunately... As I briefly read through your speaking that followed, I quickly realized that you are just in error in most of what you said... Which I may address in any following responses, as the Lord leads.

On your part... Your need, if you truly want to know God... Is to go and do much, much more searching of the scripture before God, regarding the relationship between God and man's spirit... And learn what man's spirit is actually for... Because God gave man a spirit for a very specific reason... To know God.

And right now it seems that you are clueless as to having a spirit given to you by God, and what this spirit that God gave you is for.

Amen.

 

[Above & Beyond]

I’m not a brother. I’m a female.

Now, brother, you are not using discernment.

I had to smile at this... Yes, sister... Not only is he not using his discernment... Neither is he in his spirit as he presents his multitude of words, and in this exposes his lack of prudence/wisdom...

Proverbs 10:19... "When there are many words transgression does not cease, but he who restrains his lips is prudent."

May this person, sister, be taught by the Lord the need for humility.

Amen.

 

[Above & Beyond]

Excuse me then, sister.
To tell the truth, I did consider for a moment that you were a female.

Maybe that was discernment missed.

Really...

"...Maybe..."?

Shoot... You can't even apologize without trying to defend/justify yourself.

The Lord knows.

Amen.

 

[ViaCrucis]

ViaCrucis says... "It's true that Adam's soul was pure and undefiled by sin before the fall."

Not only is it "...true that Adam's soul was pure and undefiled by sin before the fall...", but this biblical fact utterly destroys your negative claim about human feeling.

What this tells us is exactly what I pointed out... That God created man in a condition that God declared was "...very good...".

Moving on...

ViaCrusis says... "But that's not what "living soul" means in Genesis 2. The "living" here refers to natural life, the Hebrew word nephesh refers to the breath of life. Adam was made a living thing, as opposed to the formerly dead and inanimate lump of matter previously. God took the dust of the earth, formed it, then breathed into it and made it alive, a living, breathing creature."

Actually... Your above speaking exposes utter ignorance of the reality the scripture in Genesis 2 is presenting regarding God breathing His breath into Adam and Adam becoming a living soul.

First...

The Hebrew word transliterated as "...nephesh..." is used to define many things in the Old Testament... It is used to define "...soul..." (475 times), to define "...life..." (117 times), to define "...person..." (29 times), to define "...mind..." (15 times), to define "...heart..." (15 times), to define "...creature..." (9 times), to define "...body..." (8 times), to define "...himself..." (8 times), to define "...yourselves..." (6 times), to define "...dead..." (5 times), to define "...will..." (4 times), to define "...desire..." (4 times), to define "...man..." (3 times), to define "...themselves..." (3 times), to define "...any..." (3 times), to define "...appetite..." (2 times), and to define other "...miscellaneous..." words (47 times).

So, before we go any further... Let me suggest that you should try not to be dishonest in your speaking in your effort to promote your vanity, which you did here by suggesting that "...nephesh..." can only mean "...the breath of life...".

I really don't understand the point of the ad hominem attacks.

At any rate, my problem isn't with an understanding of the soul as more than mere biological function--I think it is much more than biological function. The concept of the soul is, I think, difficult to pinpoint exactly; it is at once the animating principle of the body, the breath of life; but it carries with it human will. The soul is distorted, perverted, on account of the depraved passions of our flesh. It is not merely that we are souls with sinful bodies, as though only the material flesh has been injured by the fall; the very kind of life we have has been so distorted by sin. So that man is entirely sinful (aka Total Depravity). Within the human animal is a deep spiritual wound wherein the animal instincts themselves have been distorted and perverted and oriented toward sin. Theologians call this Concupiscence.

In the Lutheran tradition we use the Latin expression Homo incurvatus in se, or "man curved inward toward himself" or "the inwardly-curved man" to describe this condition. Though in the beginning created good, through the fall we have become, in all our desires, broken, twisted, all has been turned inward toward, oriented in such a way that we seek to serve ourselves and gratify our self-ward desire.

To heal this requires the full and total redemption and healing of the human person. This is the reason for the Incarnation, God becoming man; God the Son and Word uniting to Himself our own wounded and mortal humanity, in all its weakness, in order that by bringing it through death and resurrection He might destroy the power and tyranny of sin, death, hell, and the devil; and deliver us over from darkness to light.

Having, therefore been born again of God's grace through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, being renewed and justified by the Gospel, we have been united to Christ in His life, death, and resurrection. Here, now, through faith; but in the Age to Come also in full when even these old bones shall be raised up incorruptible in the resurrection of the dead at Christ's glorious appearing on the Last Day, and God makes all things new.

At present, therefore, we are simul iustus et peccator; simultaneously saints and sinners. Having been declared fully just on Christ's account by God's grace through the Gospel, that through faith we should receive the perfect and finished work of Christ and all His righteousness as an imputed gift, we stand blameless before God as holy. Holy not on account of ourselves, but on account of Christ; having been clothed with Christ as a white-clean garment (see e.g. Galatians 3:27). And yet the work of renewing us, healing us, is ongoing by the power and work of the Spirit sanctifying us.

So we are, day by day, being renewed by the Spirit, in accordance with God's promise to us, as stated by St. Paul the Apostle that "He who began a good work in you will continue that good work until the Day of the Lord Jesus". So that on the Day of Christ's return, when our bodies are raised up and this mortal flesh becomes immortal, when these decaying bones can no longer decay, and what was sown in dishonor is raised in honor, so shall it be said that death is swallowed up in victory.

So we have been born again, brought into the newness of Christ through faith by the power of the Holy Spirit and the grace of God which He pours abundantly upon us through the Gospel, we are invited to walk in new obedience not out of the fear of the Law's curse; but a new life borne of love. For, as it is written, "We love because He first loved us" for what God begets of love is love; and so calls us to a life of love: To love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, with all our strength; and to love our neighbor as our selves.

Yet this struggle between the old man, the old Adam who continues to cleave to us and drag us away from Christ by the destructive and sinful passions of the flesh; and the new man, the new humanity of Jesus Christ which we receive as grace through faith and by the power of the Spirit, nourished and sustained by the word of God is real. For though, as St. Paul says, with the mind we desire to serve God, yet the good we want to do we fail to do and the evil we don't want to do we do. This constant battle between the Spirit and the flesh, between the old man and the new man, between Adam and Christ marks our lives as Christains until the very end of this present life and age.

This is why we cannot rely on our feelings, or trust myself. I cannot trust my flesh, I cannot trust the old Adam whose instincts, whose feelings, whose abilities are distorted, ruinous, and craven would have me doubt the promises of God in Christ. I instead must look elsewhere, look to Someone else, to Christ and Christ alone; and the promise He says, the promise He makes, the word He declares. That He declares me His own, that He declares me forgiven, that He declares me holy, that He declares me righteous.

For I have no righteous, only the righteousness of Christ which is a gift.
I have no holiness, only the Holy Spirit who makes me holy by grace.
I have no good within myself, only the good which God declares of me on account of His own Beloved Son.
I have nothing of myself; but in Christ I have all things.
Of myself I am worthless kindling; but in Christ I am a king and priest in the kingdom of our Father, presented before the Father holy and blameless, righteous and clean, and called a saint of the Most High--as a beloved child, adopted into the Household of faith.

Now... Moving on...

Back to exposing the further error of what you said...

As with all proper exegesis of biblical scripture, the related context to what we're reading must always be considered so that we gain a clear perspective of what is being presented... And regarding Genesis 2:7, related to "...and man became a living soul...", the context is "...Jehovah God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,...".

Now from a superficial view, a person reading this might just assume that the matter of "...life..." had to do with physical human life... Or, as you put it... "...Adam was made a living thing, as opposed to the formerly dead and inanimate lump of matter previously. God took the dust of the earth, formed it, then breathed into it and made it alive, a living, breathing creature."

But that is simply the conclusion of an untrained — in biblical Hebrew and biblical scripture in general — mind...

Here's why...

We know from scripture that physical life is possible apart from God breathing His breath into a creature He created from "...dead and inanimate lump of matter..."... All the other creatures were physically alive, and scripture says nothing about God breathing His breath into any of them... Only with Adam is it specifically pointed out that God breathed into him and he became a "...living soul...".

This alone tells us that there is something more particular taking place between God and man.

And then we have your thinking that because God "...then breathed into it and made it alive, a living, breathing creature."... it must mean that God breathed air into the lungs of Adam and started Adam's physical breathing, which made Adam physically "...alive...".

Thing is... In Ezekiel 37:5 we read... "Thus says the Lord Jehovah to these bones: I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live."

Nothing in the above scripture verse says that God needed to Himself breathe his breath into "...these bones..." so that they could "..live...".

Your problem, ViaCrusis, is that you don't really know what is told to us in the Bible, so you make uninformed conclusions.

Scripture tells us that God can "...cause breath (rûaḥ) to enter..." into dead creatures, and in doing so, make them physically living... But when

God "...breathed into [Adam's] nostrils the breath of life, and [Adam] became a living soul...", scripture is telling us that God did something completely different to just causing "...breath to enter into [Adam]..." so that Adam "...shall live."

The "...breath..." that God breathed into Adam — "...nᵊšāmâ..." — is not the same as the breath, — "...rûaḥ..." — that God caused "...to enter..." into the dead bones.

These are two completely different Hebrew words that mean two completely different things.

And so what exactly is Genesis 2:7 saying?

The first thing we need to recognize is that in Genesis 2:7 we are being told something very specific regarding God breathing "...into [Adam's] nostrils the breath of life, and man [becoming] a living soul."

And the first specific matter is God "...breathed into his nostrils...".

The Hebrew word translated as "...breathed..." is "...nāp̄aḥ...", and means, in this context, that God breathed something of Himself into Adam... And in this verse, we can see that what God breathed into Adam was "...the breath of life...".

Now this "...breath of life..." is a completely different Hebrew word to "...breathed....", it is "...nᵊšāmâ...", and it means, in this context, something that came out of God... As in, God breathed His breath into Adam's nostrils.

God didn't just "...cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live."

No... In Genesis 2:7 we read that God Himself breathed into Adam... Which defines God giving something of Himself to Adam... Which is actually what the Hebrew word "...nᵊšāmâ..." defines... God gave something of Himself to Adam.

And scripture does not tell us that God did this to any other creature that He created.

That distinction would be, as I mentioned, the distinction between what classic theology would call the rational soul and the animal soul. A dog doesn't have a rational soul, man does.

Man does have a unique kind of life, because man is endowed with reason, with moral ability/culpability, etc.

But I simply see no reason to accept your treatment of Genesis 2:7, it seems like you are putting a lot into the text that simply isn't there. I simply don't see a reason to accept as the meaning in the text except what is in the text. I don't consider what you're doing to be good exegesis, but on the contrary, it appears to me to be blatant eisegesis.

I have no problem recognizing that there's something special about it. I don't have any trouble recognizing that the human soul is different and distinct compared to the soul of beasts and other creatures. I have no problem recognizing that the idea of the soul has complex and deeper dimensions. Etc.

I have a problem with the way you are using Genesis 2:7 to make the argument you are tyring to make, because it is making an assumption that I simply don't believe is acceptable based on the text itself.

And if we read related biblical scripture, we can find out more about this matter...

Job 32:8... "But there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding."

And...

Zecheriah 12:1... "The burden of the word of Jehovah concerning Israel. Thus declares Jehovah, who stretches forth the heavens and lays the foundations of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him,...".

From these and other scripture verses, we can know that God breathing His breath into Adam was a matter of God giving Adam a "...spirit..."... God's breath in Adam was the essence of what became "...a spirit in man...".

And this is further confirmed here...

Ecclesiastes 12:7... "And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the breath returns to God who gave it."

(In the King James Version Bible, the Hebrew word translated as "...breath..." in the above verse is translated as "...spirit..."... And both are correct... It's just a matter of the translator's preference.)

And this is the significance of what is being said in Genesis 2:7, in relation to "...and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul."

God's breath that He breathed into Adam became Adam's (man's) spirit.

And the related context is, when God breathed His breath into Adam, Adam became a "...living soul...".

And here we come back to the Hebrew word, "...nephesh..."... Only now, we have a proper view of the related context... This related context being... God's breath breathed into Adam became Adam's (man's) spirit.

This is why we don't see this particular speaking with any other creature, as only man received God's breath to form our spirit).

So when we consider "...nephesh...", we need to consider it in the light of God's breath breathed into Adam, becoming Adam's spirit.

And so what is this "...soul..." that became "...living..." when God breathed His breath into Adam?

The definition of "...nephesh...", in the context of "...living...", is being, life, self, person, desire, appetite, emotion, and passion.

Good... But we know that a physical human body cannot function properly apart from having the faculties of the mind, emotion, and will.

And as I clearly explained in my earlier comment to you, these three human faculties, as scripture clearly tells us, are contained within the human "...soul...".

The human soul is made up of the mind, the emotion, and the will... And therefore... When a soul becomes "...living...", it means that the mind, emotion, and will of a person becomes "...living...".

All human beings have that "living soul". Both the regenerate and the unregenerate.

The difference between the soul of the regenerate and the unregenerate is that one has faith and one doesn't. One person is born again--regenerate--and the other isn't.

My soul isn't a different kind of soul than any other human being has. But my soul is now being worked on by the Holy Spirit, God is in the process of renewing my mind, healing me working from the outside inward: by HIs grace through Word and Sacrament, the Holy Spirit working and strengthening and creating faith, and keeping me and preserving me, and so forth. So that I should not "be conformed to the pattern of this age, but be transformed by the renewing of [my] mind", that I should "have this same disposition in [me] that was in Christ Jesus". That I should take up my cross as the disciple of Christ, learning to die to myself, that my desires, my passions, be crucified. Through repentance I should mortify my flesh, and in faith trust upon Christ; and that the Spirit Himself shall quicken me and enliven me, to "be dead to sin and alive to God".

In light of my baptism, with which Christ baptized me in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit; I am the new creation of Jesus Christ. And in light of this, called to a life of faith, and a life of carrying my cross, a life lived walking in the way of God rather than in the way of my old flesh.

That is the daily struggle. The daily walk. That's discipleship.

But it has nothing to do with me having a different kind of soul, one that is "alive". The life I have isn't that my soul is a live; but that I have a new life from God by the Spirit, the life of Christ is mine by grace, as a gift. That I should be a new person.

...

And right now it seems that you are clueless as to having a spirit given to you by God, and what this spirit that God gave you is for.

Amen.

Sure, I'm clueless. Let's go with that.

In any event, may the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today.

-CryptoLUtheran

 

[oikonomia]

The 5 virgins had no oil (the Holy Spirit) when the bridegroom came.

The gifts of the Spirit are gifts we receive from the Spirit.

Let's say that I am wrong and that the parable of the ten virgins means this:
To be wise is to be forever saved.
To be foolish is to be forever lost.

Okay?
Still there is the New Testament exhortation for the WISE (saved) to not be foolish.
Especially concerning the Lord's coming, we should wisely use the time.

Look therefore carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise,
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Eph. 5:15-17)

So then, that's a win / win situation.
We're saved yet we still are advized to not be foolish but wise.

Praise Him.