What's the difference betweenthe spirit & the soul?

Answer 1

Your soul has to do with your physical body. Gen. 2:7: “Jehovah God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul.” An important point here states that he (Adam) was not given a sould, but made into a living soul. You and I are living souls; flesh. When we die, our souls die. Josh. 11:11: “They went striking every soul [Hebrew, ne´phesh] that was in it with the edge of the sword.” The soul is here shown to be something that can be touched by the sword, so these souls could not have been spirits.

Spirit refers to what gives life to a body, without our spirit we are dead.The soul and the spirit are not the same. The body needs the spirit in much the same way as a radio needs electricity—in order to function. To illustrate this further, think of a portable radio. When you put batteries in a portable radio and turn it on, the electricity stored in the batteries brings the radio to life, so to speak. Without batteries, however, the radio is dead. So is another kind of radio when it is unplugged from an electric outlet. Similarly, the spirit is the force that brings our body to life. Also, like electricity, the spirit has no feeling and cannot think. It is an impersonal force. But without that spirit, or life-force, our bodies “expire, and back to their dust they go,” as the psalmist stated. James 2:26, "The body without spirit is dead." Psalm 104:29, “If you take away their spirit, they expire, and back to their dust they go.”

Answer 2

It is explained in Genesis 2:7, where God creates man. It says that God formed his body from the elements of the earth, and breathed into him his breath (also translated spirit - same Hebrew word), and he became a living soul.

Man was created with one part that came from the earth. That is the physical. It sees, touches and interacts with the physical realm - the earth. But he has another part that comes, not from the earth, but from the spiritual realm. That is his spirit, breathed into him by God. That part has contact with the spiritual realm - and with God.

When those two were united, the results was a living soul. That is the mind, emotions, and intellect. It is where the information from the body and the spirit as processed, and decisions are made. Man, like God - in whose image he was made - is a three-fold being.

In the Bible, when the soul and the body work together, that is known as "the flesh". When the spirit and the soul work together, that is known as "the heart". Hebrews 4:12 talks about the difference between the spirit and the soul saying that it is the difference between "the thoughts and the intents of the heart". It also says the things that is able to help you discern between the soul and the spirit is the Word of God - meaning the scriptures.

Answer 3

The soul (Hebrew: ne´phesh; Greek: psy·khe´) is the creature itself. The spirit (Hebrew: ru´ach; Greek: pneu´ma) generally refers to the life-force of the living creature or soul, though the original-language terms may also have other meanings. To illustrate:

Both are mentioned at Hebrews 4:12 which reads: “For the word of God is alive and exerts power and is sharper than any two-edged sword and pierces even to the dividing of the soul and spirit . . .” Here “soul” means the life of the fleshly physical organism and “spirit” means the mental disposition or heart attitude of the individual.

1 Corinthians 2:12 mentions the spirit of the world in contrast with God’s spirit. Clearly, Paul is referring to a heart attitude or mental inclination.

So the spirit is that which animates us so that we have life. The body needs the spirit like a cell phone needs electricity so that it may function.

Think of a cell phone. When you put the battery in, the stored electricity brings the cell phone to life, if you will. Without that battery, however, “my cell phone is dead”, yes? Similarly, the spirit is the force that brings our body to life. Also, like electricity, the spirit has absolutely no feeling and cannot think. The spirit has no personality - It is an impersonal force. But without that spirit, or life-force, we die.

So the soul refers to us (even as Adam “became a living soul” Genesis 2:7) and the spirit, depending on the context, is referring either to what animates us (as when God breathed into Adam the breath of life which animated him – Genesis 2:7) or is referring to our mental disposition as in Hebrews above.

Hannah J Paul

Answer 4

It truly depends upon which viewpoint you follow. That is from a biblical understanding. There are several viewpoints both with flaws in them. The one is called a dichotomy belief where man is made up of spirit and flesh. In this viewpoint spirit and soul are used biblically as meaning the same thing. In this viewpoint the spirit comprises that which is mind, intellect, will, personality, spiritual life and the body comprises that which houses the spirit. and is that which deals with the hunger, thirst, physical dynamics. The "trichotomy" theory defines man as made up of three parts: mind body and spirit. Here soul is defined as the mental aspects of the person and everything that comprises that aspects. Such as mind emotions will, intellect. Then the body is the physical aspects again and the spirit or heart of man comprises the seat of the ones will, where mind body and spirit are focused. There are many illustrations to bolster both viewpoints, Yet in the Old Testament the whole man was not dissected as such. Only in the New Testament is such prominent distinction is made. However truly the whole person no matter what viewpoint you believe is centered in activity of worshipping God. It makes no difference how we come to label how we are composed as long as we worship the LORD of Heaven and earth in Spirit and in Truth for these are the kinds of worshippers the Father seeks.

Answer 5

THE WHOLE SOUL BELONGS TO YOU.

THE SPIRIT BELONGS TO GOD.

Adam and Eve were created souls.

After Adam and Eve are born souls that life ends in death. The spirit returns to God.

The promise of salvation is resurrection of the soul.

Acts 2:27-31; Jesus was resurrected and David is still there.
Heb.9:27;
It is appointed unto man once to die and after this the resurrection
1Cor.15:2-28;51-53;
As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
The heavenly for the new heavens.
The earthly for the new earth 2Pet.3:13;

Answer 6

Very big differences. The soul is that which relates to this world, and consists of the mind, emotions and will. The spirit which came originally from the breath of God being breathed into man at creation is the eternal part of man and the part that relates to God. It is in our spirits that we are "born again". John 3:6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." The spirit of God cannot sin, so in our spirit we do not sin. I John 3:9 "...because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." It is the spirit of man therefore that goes to heaven to be with Christ because it is sinless. The soul on the other hand sins, and is the part of man that is judged. "The soul that sins it shall die." We live in the light of our souls and relate to the world around us. The spirit on the oher hand can only be accesed by one thing - faith.

Answer 7

Sometimes I think we confuse soul with spirit and vice versa. Some of us actually think it’s one and the same. In other words, there is no real difference between these two parts of us. Apparently, some of that thinking was present in the days of Jesus, too. Even Paul indirectly recognized how difficult it can be to tell the difference when he talked about the power of God:

Answer 8

You are a living soul and so are the animals and fish etc

Genesis 2:7
And Jehovah God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul.

Genesis 1:20-21,24
20 And God went on to say: “Let the waters swarm forth a swarm of living souls and let flying creatures fly over the earth upon the face of the expanse of the heavens.” 21 And God proceeded to create the great sea monsters and every living soul that moves about, which the waters swarmed forth according to their kinds, and every winged flying creature according to its kind. And God got to see that [it was] good...24 And God went on to say: “Let the earth put forth living souls according to their kinds, domestic animal and moving animal and wild beast of the earth according to its kind.” And it came to be so.



The spirit is the energy that we get from God and causes us to be alive. When we die our soul/body goes back to the ground and our spirit goes back to God.

Job 27:3
While my breath is yet whole within me,
And the spirit of God is in my nostrils

Psalm 104:29
...If you take away their spirit, they expire,
And back to their dust they go.

When Satan first decieved Eve he spoke the first lie, that she wouldn't die if she ate from the tree of knowledge of good and bad. She did die and so do we, although the lie has continued in the form of 'our body dies but something inside that contains our personality doesn't, and lives forever'. This isn't true, the Bible say's that when we die we die, that's it. Our hope is in the resurrection that will happen on earth after Armageddon, and we will live for eternity in paridise. Which is what Gods plan was right from the beginning.

Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10
5 For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, neither do they anymore have wages, because the remembrance of them has been forgotten...10 All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in She´ol, the place to which you are going.

2 Timothy 2:18
These very [men] have deviated from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already occurred; and they are subverting the faith of some.

Psalms 37:29
The righteous themselves will possess the earth,
And they will reside forever upon it.

To have this opportunity though you need to learn about both Jehovah God, and His only begotton son Jesus Christ.

John 17:3
This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.

Answer 9

It is called a spirit when it is free and not enclosed in a body cage. But soul is when it is connected to the body.

Answer 10

The sole has wings like an Angel. The spirit is grounded like a ghost. I hope this helps. xx

Holy Bible.