what is the difference between the soul and spirit?

Question

Elaborate on the responsibilities of the soul and spirit. What is in control of the other?

Answer 1

Genesis 1:26-27 declares, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.”

These verses indicate that there is something distinct about humanity from all the other creations. Human beings were intended to have a relationship with God, and as such, God created us with both material and immaterial aspects. The material aspects are obviously those that are tangible: the physical body, organs, etc. and are considered to only exist as long as the person is alive. The immaterial aspects are those which are intangible: soul, spirit, intellect, will, conscience, etc. These characteristics are considered to exist beyond the physical lifespan of the individual.

All human beings possess both material and immaterial characteristics in their existence. It is clear that all mankind has a body, containing flesh, blood, bones, organs and cells. However, it is the intangible qualities of mankind that are often debated. What does Scripture say about these? Genesis 2:7 - states that Man was created as a living soul. Numbers 16:22 - And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation? This verse names God as the God of the spirits that are possessed by all Mankind. Proverbs 4:23 - Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. This verse indicates that the heart is central to Mankind’s will and emotions. Acts 23:1 - And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. Romans 12:1 - I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. It can be seen that there are various aspects of the immaterial part of humanity, and that all human beings share both material and immaterial qualities. This list of references just scratches the surface.

So, while much of the discussion of the immaterial aspect of humanity focuses on the soul and spirit, Scripture outlines far more than those two. Somehow, the aspects mentioned above (soul, spirit, heart, conscience, and mind) are connected and interrelated. The soul and spirit, though, definitely are the primary immaterial aspects of humanity. They likely comprise the other aspects. With this is mind, is humanity dichotomous (cut in two, body / soul-spirit), or trichotomous (cut in three, body / soul / spirit). It is impossible to be dogmatic. There are good arguments for both views. A key verse is Hebrews 4:12, “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, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” This Scripture tells us at least two thing about this debate. (1) The soul and spirit can be divided. (2) The division of soul and spirit is something that only the Word of God can discern. We can be sure that as human beings, we possess a body, a soul, a spirit, and much more! However, rather than focusing on these aspects, it is better to focus on the Creator, because of Whom we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14).

Answer 2

This format does not allow to fully treat the subject.
Suffice it to say the human spirit is dead - separated from the Life of God through sin.
Only through the New Birth Jesus spoke of in John chapter three can the spirit be made alive again to God. Once this has occurred, the proper course of action is to bring the soul - the seat of the mind/will/emotions/appetites into subjection to the spirit. This is the process of sanctification.

Answer 3

A spirit is your presence, A being, The thing that travels to heaven, or hell. Or the thing you see in a haunted house.
A soul is everything about you, The good and the bad.. Your rights and wrongs, Love and hatred..

Your spirit is in control as that is, your beings presence.. Which controls the soul.

Answer 4

The soul is you yourself who is liv ing while the spirit is the soul in your body when your body flesh will die and cease to breath. Ones you cease to breath your spirit will go away from your body. The spirit will be taken cared of by God until the judgement time whetehr you will go to heaven or hell.
jtm

Answer 5

The soul and the spirit are the same thing unless you are meaning the holy spirit which comes into your life when you take god as your saviour. Your soul works as a conscience i think

Answer 6

There are apparent distinctions between them, yet some Biblical authors seem to use the words interchangeably, so it is difficult to answer your question authoritatively.

Spirit: Greek word "pneuma" defined as wind, breath, things which are commonly perceived as having no material substance; by extension: spirit, heart, mind, the immaterial part of the inner person that can respond to God; spirit being: (evil) spirit, ghost, God the Holy Spirit

Soul: Greek word "psuche" defined life, soul; heart, mind; a person; the immaterial (and eternal) part of inner person, often meaning the animate self, which can be translated by pronouns: “my soul” = “I, myself”

Each word has its distinctive uses, but both can refer to the "inner person."

The 5 Volume New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology has this:

Of interest is the contrast of soul and spirit, as expressed in 1 Thess. 5:23, with its tripartite division of man. Here it is not a contrast between soul and body, but between spirit, soul and body. The spirit in this context, as in Philo and Platonism, means the higher side of man, possibly something not far removed from Philo’s hegemonikon. Soul thus means life, i.e. the fact of being alive, and the aspect of man which has to do with willing and emotion. In a similar way, in 1 Cor. 2:14 Paul contrasts the anthropos psychikos and the anthropos pneumatikos, man enlightened by God’s Spirit. The former is animate man, filled with soul in the sense of life-force (“a living soul”, Gen. 2:7; cf. 1 Cor. 15:45), the natural man, in contrast to the spiritual man. The spirit here referred to is (in distinction from that in 1 Thess. 5:23, see above) God’s Spirit, not some higher spiritual power which is part of man’s make-up even as natural man. In this contrast with spirit, soul does not refer to a different anthropological category, but to a different mode of existence.

... From the "Soul"--psuche--New Testament uses entry.

It refers to 1Th 5:23 where these 2 words are in some way contrasted, along with body: "Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again."

Also, we have Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires."

Here, the writer apparently says that the sword of the Word is able to separate indistinguishable entities, thus implying a very strong similarity between the meanings.

... It is certainly reasonable to say that no simplistic explanation on this question can have validity. Soul carries with it the "life force" and spirit, on the simplest level relates to breath, the primary meaning of the word.

Answer 7

the differnce i think is that the soul is something personal like youll say MY soul and spirit is something more universal like the spirit of all living things

Answer 8

We have a soul, When we invite Jesus Christ into our life, then WE have The Holy Spirit,and The Holy Spirit will act as our guide, convict us of our sins, and be our comforter.

Answer 9

when you are born and alive, you have a soul already.
but when you believe in God,He gives you the spirit (which is grieving when you are doing sins)

If you die, your soul and spirit separate in your body.
spirit goes back to God, while your soul will be judge

Answer 10

-Man is a soul.
(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.
(Acts 27:37) . . .Now, all together, we souls in the boat were two hundred and seventy-six.

-Animals also called souls.
(Numbers 31:28) . . .And as a tax for Jehovah you must take away from the men of war who went out on the expedition one soul out of five hundred, of humankind and of the herd and of the asses and of the flock.
(Leviticus 24:18) . . .And the fatal striker of the soul of a domestic animal should make compensation for it, soul for soul.. . .

-Soul has blood, eats, can die.
(Jeremiah 2:34) . . .Also, in your skirts there have been found the blood marks of the souls of the innocent poor ones. Not in the act of breaking in have I found them, but [they are] upon all these.
(Leviticus 7:18) . . .However, if any of the flesh of his communion sacrifice should at all be eaten on the third day, the one presenting it will not be accepted with approval. It will not be put to his account. It will become a foul thing, and the soul that eats some of it will answer for his error.
(Ezekiel 18:4) . . .Look! All the souls—to me they belong. As the soul of the father so likewise the soul of the son—to me they belong. The soul that is sinning—it itself will die.

-Life as a person or creature is soul.
(John 10:15) . . .just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I surrender my soul in behalf of the sheep.
(Leviticus 17:11) . . .For the soul of the flesh is in the blood, and I myself have put it upon the altar for YOU to make atonement for YOUR souls, because it is the blood that makes atonement by the soul [in it].

-Life-force activating souls called “spirit.”
(Psalm 146:4) . . .His spirit goes out, he goes back to his ground; In that day his thoughts do perish.
(Psalm 104:29) . . .If you conceal your face, they get disturbed. If you take away their spirit, they expire, And back to their dust they go.

-When one dies, control of life-force returns to God.
(Ecclesiastes 12:7) . . .Then the dust returns to the earth just as it happened to be and the spirit itself returns to the [true] God who gave it.


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