Can you define a human according to the Bible?

Question

What does the Bible say about how we are created. What makes up a person. What is a soul? What is a spirit? What is the difference? Who/What can tell the difference and how?

Answer 1

Read the creation account in Genesis chapters one and two. As for the nature of man, I believe one of the best verses to reference is I Thessalonians 5:23, where Paul prays "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely (or wholely)..." , he then goes on to describe what a man is entirely, or wholly: "and may you spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ"
So we see from this the entire man is spirit, soul and body.
We are firstly spirit, as this is the highest and noblest component of a man, the part of us that is most like God. "God is spirit (as to His essential nature)" And those who worship Him must worship Him in (the sphere of) spirit and truth" (John 4:24)
We possess a soul. The soul is often set in contrast to the spirit and is always set forth as the lower and lesser element in man's constitution. It is the intermediate inner part of a person that has interaction with the spiritual and the physical. It is the seat of "self" or "ego"; it is the part of us that makes us completely unique and distinct from any other being. It is the "I" "Me" "My" of us.
The spirit in a person must be born again by faith in Christ to be restored to proper relationship to God. Until that happens we are spiritually dead, cut off from the eternal life God alone possesses.
The soul in man needs to be renewed after the spirit has been born again. It needs to change the way it thinks, the way it feels and most importantly, what it chooses. It needs to be brought into subjection to the influence of the spirit and exercise dominion over fleshly influences.
The primary agent which God gives us to distinguish between the spirit and the soul is the word of God (the Scriptures).
"For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of SOUL AND SPIRIT, and of both joints and marrow, and is ABLE TO JUDGE THE THOUGHTS AND INTENTS OF THE HEART (Hebrews 4:12)
The body is the least, yet by no means insignificant in God's purposes. Indeed it is our bodies we are to "Offer as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God which is our reasonable spiritual service" (Romans 12:1)
It is the resurrection of the body that will complete the process of our salvation. "Who (Jesus) will transform the body of this humiliation into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that he has to subject all things to Himself" (Philippians 3:21)

Answer 2

created:
god took dust, formed it into a man, then breathed the breath of life into him.
the woman was created from the rib of the man, then had the breath of life put into her (Genesis)

Soul/ Spirit:
we are living souls. living spirits. without it, we die. the bible actually doesnt mention a soul/spirit living on after death. it says that death has no conscienouness. meaning, when u die, u dont know it.

the difference?... none. its like saying iced tea or cold tea... same difference.

you cant tell a difference. there is no difference.

if you want, actual scriptures to back this up with, feel free to email me. im at work, so i dont have the bible with me (hehehe, i would be amused at msyelf if i did)

Answer 3

God made the first man, Adam out of the dust of the earth and then blew his own breath into him giving him life. God gave all mankind souls which live on after the flesh dies. God is spirit and when we receive Christ as savior,the holy spirit comes to reside in us.

Answer 4

We are the image bear of God... unique in creation. And the only creature specially created and molded. Unlike everything else that was spoken into existence we were molded and shape and created differently.

Answer 5

Full of sin.