the spirit and the soul?

Question

What is the difference between the two?

Answer 1

This is what is written in Hebrew 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.”

As the verse states, the soul and the spirit can be separated by the Word of God. This implies that they are not one and the same. The spirit does not have flesh and bones, while the soul is the wholeness of one's being. In Genesis 2:7, this is what is stated:

“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”

“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.”

A living soul is the totality of the combination of the dust of the ground and the spirit or the breath of life that came from God.

Answer 2

The souls of individuals were created for companionship with God (the Whole). The pattern that God used to create souls was the pattern of God's own Spirit. The spirit is life. From the spirit, the mind builds patterns. From the mind, the physical creation is the result. This is how the spirit, the mind, and individuality, became the pattern for souls. This is how cause, action, and effect became the pattern for everything. First there was the spirit (the first cause); then there was the action which withdrew spirit into itself; then there was the resulting individuality of God.

The spirit of the individual existed before their soul was created. The spirit keeps the knowledge of its identity with God. The soul has the ability to experience the activities of the mind in a manner separate from God.

Answer 3

Your soul is your whole being. Your spirit is either the spirit of God, or Holy Spirit that resides within you once you have been saved, or the spirit of the world, which is unholy, and which resides in you before you are saved. You are in danger of this spirit coming back into you if you turn your back on Christ and on God, and begin to live a worldly life again. The word of God IS a two-edged sword that can divide soul from spirit. God knows even the intent of the heart.

Answer 4

"The word spirit is used in several ways in the scriptures. Probably the basic use has to do with the conscious intelligent individual entity that had an existence previous to mortality. That is, all forms of living things - man, beast, and vegetation - existed as individual spirits, before any form of life existed upon the earth. The spirit is in the likeness of the physical body, as demonstrated in Gen. 2: 5.

Every person is a son or a daughter of God, having been born as a spirit to Heavenly Parents previous to being born to mortal parents on the earth (cf. Heb. 12: 9). Thus each one of us is a dual being: an immortal spirit body, clothed with a body of flesh and bone.

As defined in scripture, the spirit and the body constitute the mortal soul (cf. Gen. 2: 7). A spirit can live independent of a body, but the body cannot live without the spirit (cf. James 2: 26). In the resurrection, the immortal spirit is reunited with the same body of flesh and bone it possessed as a mortal, with two major differences: The union will be permanent, and the body will not be subject to aging and death."

Answer 5

the Bible is clear and should always be the source of all answers.

the body is of course physical; see Genesis 2:7; 3:19; Psalm 103:14; Ecclesiastes 3:20

the soul (nephesh) is a living, breathing creature, God's creation, as humans it is who we are as an individual made in His image with free will. God can remember souls but all souls die and can only be resurrected by God on the future "day of judgement"; see Genesis 1:24, 30; 2:7; Ezekiel 18:4; 1 Corinthians 15:45; 1 Peter 3:20; John 5:28; John 6:40

the spirit is the life force that animates all living creatures; there is only one spirit and it comes from God and when you die, that life force/spirit leaves you and returns to God; see Ecclesiastes 3:19; Genesis 7:22; Psalm 104:29; 146:4

on occaision 'spirit' is used in the sense of 'attitude' like spirit of wickedness/rebelliousness. also sometimes it is used in describing an invisible being; 'wicked spirit'. but in connection to individual human lives it is explained in those Scriptures above.

agape!

Answer 6

THE “SPIRIT” IDENTIFIED

Let us now consider the Bible’s use of the term “spirit.” Some people think that “spirit” is just another word for “soul.” However, that is not the case. The Bible makes clear that “spirit” and “soul” refer to two different things. How do they differ?

Bible writers used the Hebrew word ru′ach or the Greek word pneu′ma when writing about the “spirit.” The Scriptures themselves indicate the meaning of those words. For instance, Psalm 104:29 states: “If you [Jehovah] take away their spirit [ru′ach], they expire, and back to their dust they go.” And James 2:26 notes that “the body without spirit [pneu′ma] is dead.” In these verses, then, “spirit” refers to that which gives life to a body. Without spirit, the body is dead. Therefore, in the Bible the word ru′ach is translated not only as “spirit” but also as “force,” or life-force. For example, concerning the Flood in Noah’s day, God said: “I am bringing the deluge of waters upon the earth to bring to ruin all flesh in which the force [ru′ach] of life is active from under the heavens.” (Genesis 6:17; 7:15, 22) “Spirit” thus refers to an invisible force (the spark of life) that animates all living creatures.

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.

Answer 7

Your soul is the very being of who you are and what sets you apart from others. Your spirit is the ability to be in tune with people on a deep level. Your spirit will discern right from wrong... good from evil... Your spirit is the little voice that keeps you from danger and the unknown. Borders on conscience. Your spirit is your character and is God given. Your soul is who you are.

Answer 8

The Spirit is quickened by the Spirit. The soul is the person inside the body, that whena person is born of the Spirit the new born spirit blends with persons soul. A person is whole again; body, soul & spirit. Jesus said we must be born of His Spirit to enter the Kingdom of God.

According to Hebrews 12:9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh who correct us, & we gave them reverence: Shall we not much rather be in subjectiion to the Father of spirits (Our heavenly Father) & live?
(First we are born of our earthly parents, then born of God (Father of spirits)). Some people think that we are born of the spirit first then born of the flesh, but that is an unbiblical concept.

The soul of a person also decides to follow after the Spirit or fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

Also consider 1Thes.5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit, soul & body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. So, if we are whole we are spirit, soul & body. Meaning we follow after the Spirit first from our spirit man, deciding to by our soul & our body submit to Gods righteousness.

Answer 9

Scripturally the terms soul and spirit are used interchangeably. One poster gave an exception in Genesis where the term soul is used to be synonym for the created man when god breathed life into him. But, for the most part both spirit and soul, when referring to man, refers to that part of our essence that is eternal and not corruptible by death.

In Christ

Answer 10

It appears that the soul and Spirit are separate.
The soul probably means Mind.
1 Th 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.