Introduction to Spirit, Soul, and Body Series

Introduction to Spirit, Soul, and Body

According to the Bible, God formed man in His image and likeness, and through His Spirit, the breath of human life began. God made man distinct from all the rest of His creation, including the animals, as God is the Supreme head in the tri-unity, a group of three closely related members known as the Trinity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Man has three parts, Spirit, soul, and body. Apostle Paul writes: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely, and may your spirit, soul, and body be preserved complete without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” —1Thessalonians 5:23(NASB). Note that the conjunction “AND” indicates that God himself, without ambiguity that the three, the Spirit, the soul, and the body, are distinct from one another, yet many disregards this true word of God, and their understanding could lead to lost souls.

Part 1: The Spirit of Mankind

Part 2: Soul: Mind, Emotion, and Will

Part 3: Interchangeably Use for Flesh

Some people believe that humans only consist of two parts. These are the body and Spirit. They combined the Spirit and the soul as one entity called dichotomy. The soul mingles with the desires and appetites of the flesh and mind and has the flexibility to get along with the Spirit. The Spirit is quite different from God. He can give life, “breathed into nostrils the breath of life” (Gen. 2:7), thereby sharing only to humanity the other spiritual nature of the child of God as we know that there are two natures in the child of God. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6).

A simple statement made by Jesus and yet very powerful in its meaning. The flesh is our physical body no matter what others may say that flesh only evolves in the natural mind of humans, but it will not define precisely what it means and make it more confusing to less mature believers. Flesh involves the body as a whole, the brain that holds our thoughts. When we think of the flesh, we think of our physical bodies. When Adam disobeyed God and sin entered the world, we became in the likeness of Him, meaning his human desire was born into us. The Spirit of God turns into the Spirit of man until such time comes that we regain that lost glory by having a close relationship with Him that gives life.

The Spirit, the soul, and the Spirit live within the body and yet may experience conflicting interests, as written in Galatians 5:17—”For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They conflict with each other”. In order not to be confused with this doctrine, one must be equipped with the accurate word of God and not the word coming from someone whose mind is focused only on the blessings and not on the Blesser.   This alone can give the believer actual knowledge and understanding concerning God’s workmanship. Knowledge and understanding will eventually give us the wisdom to live in peace and joy.

Continue to Read Part 1: The Spirit of Mankind