In each blog, I often reference many different topics that I've already covered (or will soon cover), and maybe you've missed. Please review my blogs to read more...
CLICK HERE! for an index to previous blogs.
________________________
What is the Soul?
Heb 4:12 For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul [G5590 - psuche] and Spirit [G4151 - pneuma], and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
No doubt, many of you have read the verse above many times!
Here we have one instance of God's inspired Word pointing out the distinction between "soul" and "spirit". Yet, it is almost universally the case that when the soul is spoke of, the spirit is intended in our English use of the word!
The English use of the Greek word: psuche - "soul" all, erroneously, refer to various aspects of the spirit!
For example, psychology has to do with the mind, not the soulish sensations.
Psychic, instead of bearing its true meaning, soulish or sensual, denotes pneumatic, or spiritual.
(Note: [G4151 - pneuma, breath, or spirit] is where we get our English word "pneumatic"... as in my collection of air tools)
This isn't something we should just pass by and glance at, but something we must detect and identify if we ever wish to get to the Truth on the subject of the soul!
__________________
Human Traits
Throughout Scripture, there are human traits which define our inner man... our soul.
I won't list all of the passage references, but some of those traits should give us a better sense of what belongs to our inner man... our soul.
The following are some of those traits ascribed to our soul as found in Scripture:
Knowledge, thought, memory, love, joy, delight, hunger, thirst, desire , affliction, bitterness, distress, impatience, mournfulness, sorrow, grief, abhorrence, hate, and instructive expression.
__________________
Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of [1] the dust of the ground, and [2] [God] breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and [3] man became a living soul [H5315 - nephesh].
[1] body formed of the soil... (btw, not "dust")
[2] God's gives His Spirit... "breath of life"
[3] man becomes a "living soul"
The body is nothing but flesh and bones... formed from the soil of the ground.
Gen 3:19 In the sweat of your face shalt you eat bread, UNTIL you return unto the ground [H127 - adamah, soil]; for out of it [the soil] were you taken: for dust [H6083 - aphar, clay, earth, mud] you are, and unto dust [H6083] shall you return.
Notice the Hebrew word for soil... "adamah" from which Adam was created.
[H120 - adam] is also the Hebrew word used for "mankind".
Our bodies, our flesh and bones, are nothing but a cadaver, or a carcass, until God places His Spirit, His "breath of life" within that cadaver.
When He places His Spirit, His "breath of life" into that lifeless body, "we" become a living soul [Hebrew: nephesh].
Paul conceives of the man as "an undivided whole" consisting of three components:
1 Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole [1] spirit [G4151- pneuma, breath, air] and [2] soul [G5590 - psuche, vitality, inner man] and [3] body [G4983 - soma, slave] be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is exactly what we also find above in Genesis 2:7.
Example: Whole House of Israel
Here's a good example found in the resurrection of the whole house of Israel at Jesus' Second Coming:
Eze 37:5-10 Thus says the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath [H7307 - ruach] to enter into you, and you shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath [H7307 - ruach] in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD.
So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.
And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath [H7307 - ruach] in them [they were just lifeless carcasses].
Then said He unto me, Prophesy unto the wind [H7307 - ruach], prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind [H7307 - ruach], Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds [H7307 - ruach], O breath [H7307 - ruach], and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
In other words, the person as viewed from the standpoint of his sensations, or experiences.
The soul is the result of that union... body + God's Spirit ("breath of life") = soul... we live!
Note that these are NOT three distinct entities. The soil was there before - it already existed.
The Spirit was given by God - it already existed, and IS the energy which causes life.
Ecc 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the Spirit shall return unto God Who GAVE it.
When this union is dissolved by death, the consciousness ceases to exist until resurrection:
Psa 146:4 His breath goes forth, he returns to his earth; IN THAT VERY DAY his thoughts perish.
The "soul" was not added to these... it is the effect - the result of the union of the previous two.
For example, the flame of a candle.
The wax, and the wick are already present.
The oxygen is already present.
The flame is the result of the previous two. The flame of the candle cannot exist without the other two entities... not to mention, someone must take an action to light that flame.
Perhaps a better example would be found in our televisions.
The instrument, or hardware is the body. The electricity is the energy, or force which represents God's Spirit, and the illumination, color, sound, and motion produced by the union of the hardware and electricity represents the soul.
___________________
This one inspired verse alone (Gen 2:7) is a perfect record of the formation of man by the One who has created us. Man is of the soil, his life is of God's Spirit, and he became a living soul apart from the addition of anything else.
Take away God's Spirit - no soul... no me.
Take away the body - no soul... no me.
The soul ceases to exist:
Eze 18:4 Behold, ALL souls are Mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine: the soul [nephesh] that sins, it shall die.
Psa 78:50 ... He spared not their soul [nephesh] from death...
Isa 53:12 ... He hath poured out his soul [nephesh] unto death...
It ceases - upon death, we will be in the state of the "unseen" and "imperceptible" [hades], but fear not!
You can be sure:
Joh 5:28-29 Marvel not at this: for the hour IS COMING, in the which ALL that are in the graves [NOT all that are currently in Heaven or in hell] shall Hear His voice, and shall come forth...
___________________
Matter
All matter - so far as we can apprehend by our human senses - has three forms:
[1] solid, [2] liquid, and [3] gaseous.
We are aware of the distinct qualities of each of these, yet we may fail to grasp their significance.
Spirit is never expressed in terms of liquids, or solids. It is always associated with air... sometimes, it is figuratively expressed by the same name as "wind".
In Hebrew, Greek, and Chaldee (the Scriptural languages of inspiration) the same word is used for "wind" and "spirit".
Our English translations consistently speak of Spiritual things as "physical" which is, by interpretation - "soul'ish". Far too often in our translations the two are interchanged and the so-called Spiritual becomes confused with the soul'ish.
The soul is not figured by the gaseous, but by the "liquid". It may be poured out:
Job 30:16 And now my soul [H5315 - nephesh] is poured out upon me...
It is like a "watered" or "soaked" garden:
Jer 31:12 Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together... their soul [H5315 - nephesh] shall be as a watered garden
It is stated to be represented in the human body by the blood:
Lev 17:14 For it is the life [H5315 - nephesh] of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life [H5315 - nephesh] thereof...
(Note: nephesh is mistranslated as "life" above...)
The body itself is the solid portion... "matter" in its highest form. Yet, by itself apart from its connection with the blood (liquid) and breath (air, gaseous) the human frame is but soil... the clay of the ground. It quickly decomposes and returns to its native element when it is deprived of either blood or breath.
According to Scripture, the blood IS, that is - represents the soul.
In contrast with both the body and the breath, blood is a fluid. At the same time, it is also the medium of communication between the body and the breath.
Air, or oxygen, is of no use to the body except through the blood. It is the blood that transports oxygen throughout the body.
Neither is the body of any use except through the blood.
Our blood is what maintains, and joins the two together. It is not composed of distinct materials, but is the joint product of the body and the air.
God is the "Great Potter". He "forms" the clay... us.
Rom 9:21 Hath not the Potter [God] power over the clay [us], of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?
____________________
This is a basic description in which you should be able to get the basic idea.
Obviously, there's a LOT more to this... to me, it's very interesting Scriptural detail, but you may not find those upcoming posts on "Body, Spirit & Soul" to be very interesting.
I'm going to post future parts just to make it all available for reference.
Some of these excerpts are from my personal notes copied from 30+ years of studying... some of these notes are direct copies of various sources - I do not claim to have authored every word of this... it's just a mass collection I've tucked away over the years for my own personal studies... I didn't consider a bibliography at the time I directly copied small excerpts from various authors. Also, any emphasis (underlines, bold text, all CAPS, etc.) noted above was only meant to capture my personal attention as I studied...
CLICK HERE! for an index to previous blogs.
________________________
What is the Soul?
Heb 4:12 For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul [G5590 - psuche] and Spirit [G4151 - pneuma], and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
No doubt, many of you have read the verse above many times!
Here we have one instance of God's inspired Word pointing out the distinction between "soul" and "spirit". Yet, it is almost universally the case that when the soul is spoke of, the spirit is intended in our English use of the word!
The English use of the Greek word: psuche - "soul" all, erroneously, refer to various aspects of the spirit!
For example, psychology has to do with the mind, not the soulish sensations.
Psychic, instead of bearing its true meaning, soulish or sensual, denotes pneumatic, or spiritual.
(Note: [G4151 - pneuma, breath, or spirit] is where we get our English word "pneumatic"... as in my collection of air tools)
This isn't something we should just pass by and glance at, but something we must detect and identify if we ever wish to get to the Truth on the subject of the soul!
__________________
Human Traits
Throughout Scripture, there are human traits which define our inner man... our soul.
I won't list all of the passage references, but some of those traits should give us a better sense of what belongs to our inner man... our soul.
The following are some of those traits ascribed to our soul as found in Scripture:
Knowledge, thought, memory, love, joy, delight, hunger, thirst, desire , affliction, bitterness, distress, impatience, mournfulness, sorrow, grief, abhorrence, hate, and instructive expression.
__________________
Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of [1] the dust of the ground, and [2] [God] breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and [3] man became a living soul [H5315 - nephesh].
[1] body formed of the soil... (btw, not "dust")
[2] God's gives His Spirit... "breath of life"
[3] man becomes a "living soul"
The body is nothing but flesh and bones... formed from the soil of the ground.
Gen 3:19 In the sweat of your face shalt you eat bread, UNTIL you return unto the ground [H127 - adamah, soil]; for out of it [the soil] were you taken: for dust [H6083 - aphar, clay, earth, mud] you are, and unto dust [H6083] shall you return.
Notice the Hebrew word for soil... "adamah" from which Adam was created.
[H120 - adam] is also the Hebrew word used for "mankind".
Our bodies, our flesh and bones, are nothing but a cadaver, or a carcass, until God places His Spirit, His "breath of life" within that cadaver.
When He places His Spirit, His "breath of life" into that lifeless body, "we" become a living soul [Hebrew: nephesh].
Paul conceives of the man as "an undivided whole" consisting of three components:
1 Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole [1] spirit [G4151- pneuma, breath, air] and [2] soul [G5590 - psuche, vitality, inner man] and [3] body [G4983 - soma, slave] be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is exactly what we also find above in Genesis 2:7.
Example: Whole House of Israel
Here's a good example found in the resurrection of the whole house of Israel at Jesus' Second Coming:
Eze 37:5-10 Thus says the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath [H7307 - ruach] to enter into you, and you shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath [H7307 - ruach] in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD.
So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.
Then said He unto me, Prophesy unto the wind [H7307 - ruach], prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind [H7307 - ruach], Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds [H7307 - ruach], O breath [H7307 - ruach], and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
And..
... Here's the kicker:
Eze 37:14 And shall put My Spirit [H7307 - ruach] in you, and you shall live...
It is the union of the soil of the ground (our bodies) and God's Spirit that create the soul... the personification - the ego - the inner man - me... the real me.
It is the union of the soil of the ground (our bodies) and God's Spirit that create the soul... the personification - the ego - the inner man - me... the real me.
In other words, the person as viewed from the standpoint of his sensations, or experiences.
The soul is the result of that union... body + God's Spirit ("breath of life") = soul... we live!
Note that these are NOT three distinct entities. The soil was there before - it already existed.
The Spirit was given by God - it already existed, and IS the energy which causes life.
Ecc 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the Spirit shall return unto God Who GAVE it.
When this union is dissolved by death, the consciousness ceases to exist until resurrection:
Psa 146:4 His breath goes forth, he returns to his earth; IN THAT VERY DAY his thoughts perish.
The "soul" was not added to these... it is the effect - the result of the union of the previous two.
For example, the flame of a candle.
The wax, and the wick are already present.
The oxygen is already present.
The flame is the result of the previous two. The flame of the candle cannot exist without the other two entities... not to mention, someone must take an action to light that flame.
Perhaps a better example would be found in our televisions.
The instrument, or hardware is the body. The electricity is the energy, or force which represents God's Spirit, and the illumination, color, sound, and motion produced by the union of the hardware and electricity represents the soul.
___________________
This one inspired verse alone (Gen 2:7) is a perfect record of the formation of man by the One who has created us. Man is of the soil, his life is of God's Spirit, and he became a living soul apart from the addition of anything else.
Take away God's Spirit - no soul... no me.
Take away the body - no soul... no me.
The soul ceases to exist:
Eze 18:4 Behold, ALL souls are Mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine: the soul [nephesh] that sins, it shall die.
Psa 78:50 ... He spared not their soul [nephesh] from death...
Isa 53:12 ... He hath poured out his soul [nephesh] unto death...
It ceases - upon death, we will be in the state of the "unseen" and "imperceptible" [hades], but fear not!
You can be sure:
Joh 5:28-29 Marvel not at this: for the hour IS COMING, in the which ALL that are in the graves [NOT all that are currently in Heaven or in hell] shall Hear His voice, and shall come forth...
___________________
Matter
All matter - so far as we can apprehend by our human senses - has three forms:
[1] solid, [2] liquid, and [3] gaseous.
We are aware of the distinct qualities of each of these, yet we may fail to grasp their significance.
Spirit is never expressed in terms of liquids, or solids. It is always associated with air... sometimes, it is figuratively expressed by the same name as "wind".
In Hebrew, Greek, and Chaldee (the Scriptural languages of inspiration) the same word is used for "wind" and "spirit".
Our English translations consistently speak of Spiritual things as "physical" which is, by interpretation - "soul'ish". Far too often in our translations the two are interchanged and the so-called Spiritual becomes confused with the soul'ish.
The soul is not figured by the gaseous, but by the "liquid". It may be poured out:
Job 30:16 And now my soul [H5315 - nephesh] is poured out upon me...
It is like a "watered" or "soaked" garden:
Jer 31:12 Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together... their soul [H5315 - nephesh] shall be as a watered garden
It is stated to be represented in the human body by the blood:
Lev 17:14 For it is the life [H5315 - nephesh] of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life [H5315 - nephesh] thereof...
(Note: nephesh is mistranslated as "life" above...)
The body itself is the solid portion... "matter" in its highest form. Yet, by itself apart from its connection with the blood (liquid) and breath (air, gaseous) the human frame is but soil... the clay of the ground. It quickly decomposes and returns to its native element when it is deprived of either blood or breath.
According to Scripture, the blood IS, that is - represents the soul.
In contrast with both the body and the breath, blood is a fluid. At the same time, it is also the medium of communication between the body and the breath.
Air, or oxygen, is of no use to the body except through the blood. It is the blood that transports oxygen throughout the body.
Neither is the body of any use except through the blood.
Our blood is what maintains, and joins the two together. It is not composed of distinct materials, but is the joint product of the body and the air.
God is the "Great Potter". He "forms" the clay... us.
Rom 9:21 Hath not the Potter [God] power over the clay [us], of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?
____________________
This is a basic description in which you should be able to get the basic idea.
Obviously, there's a LOT more to this... to me, it's very interesting Scriptural detail, but you may not find those upcoming posts on "Body, Spirit & Soul" to be very interesting.
I'm going to post future parts just to make it all available for reference.
Some of these excerpts are from my personal notes copied from 30+ years of studying... some of these notes are direct copies of various sources - I do not claim to have authored every word of this... it's just a mass collection I've tucked away over the years for my own personal studies... I didn't consider a bibliography at the time I directly copied small excerpts from various authors. Also, any emphasis (underlines, bold text, all CAPS, etc.) noted above was only meant to capture my personal attention as I studied...
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