“May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through
and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thess. 5:23).
God's Word is precious. It is meant to be studied, enjoyed,
and rightly divided with the Holy Spirit’s help. This is a worthwhile and God
honoring pursuit. Some topics will be easy to understand while others challenge
and reward us.
One such topic is that of the essence of mankind. Several
months ago we considered “The Spiritual Reality” (see http://eugenechristianchurch.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Spiritual%20Reality).
In those articles we learned of the reality of a spiritual world. Mankind
relates to the spiritual world by having a minimum of 2 different natures
(called a dichotomy): spiritual (soul/spirit) and physical. Meanwhile, some
argue that we have 3 natures: soul, spirit, and body, called a trichotomy.
There are two primary passages that seem to teach a
trichotomy (1 Thess. 5:23; Heb. 4:12). People who hold to this view believe
that a person’s soul includes their emotions, intellect and will. “They
maintain that all people have such a soul, and that the different elements of
the soul can either serve God or be yielded to sin. They argue that man’s
spirit is a higher faculty in man that comes alive when a person becomes a
Christian (Rom. 8:10). The spirit of a person then would be that part which
directly worships and prays to God” (John 4:24) (Grudem, Systematic Theology,
p. 472).
If these were all the passages on this topic, there would
not be much debate. However, there are several more passages and arguments that
support the dichotomy view.
First, several places in the Bible use the word “soul”- (compare
John 12:27 with 13:21; Heb. 12:23 with Rev. 6:9) and “spirit” interchangeably
or in parallel to one another (Isa. 26:9; Luke 1:46-47).
Second, some passages state that at death, the “soul”
departs while others state the “spirit” departs (Gen. 35:18; Psa. 31:5; Isa.
53:12; Luke 12:20; John 19:30; Acts 7:58). Nowhere does Scripture say that both
a person’s spirit and soul departed.
Third, man is said to be either “body and spirit” or “body
and soul” (Matt. 10:28; 1 Cor. 5:3, 5; 7:34; James 2:26).
Fourth, both the “spirit” and the “soul” can sin (2 Cor.
7:1, 34; 1 Pet. 1:22; Rev. 18:14). This creates an issue for those who hold to
a dichotomy since they hold that the “spirit” is free from sin.
The arguments for a trichotomy help us to understand
passages where both soul and spirit are used together. In those cases they are
more than likely used as synonyms.
Jack Cottrell said, “Man as a unity of body and spirit is
unique. Unlike angels, we are bodies; unlike animals, we are spirits. Thus, man
as a unity of body and spirit is uniquely equipped to occupy a distinctive
place in the universe, and to fulfill his responsibilities and tasks in
relation to God and to the world. With regard to the material world, our bodies
make us one with and thus can relate to it comfortably and use it for our
needs. At the same time our spirits equip us to rule over the world and have
dominion over it. On the other hand, regarding what is above us (God), because
we are spirit we have a kinship with God and can relate to Him as persons in
worship and fellowship” (The Faith Once For All, p. 147). This is the
essence of man.
In His service,
Matt
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