What Does Spirit, Soul, and Body Mean?
To describe the two, the Bible uses the terms spirit or soul interchangeably. For example, Jesus said that those who kill the body are destroying the soul, too, and will be thrown into hell for eternity. He was not being technical, but he was communicating the same message. Although we are all spiritual, our bodies are the means by which we communicate with this world. We must be wary of people who can destroy our spirit as well as our bodies.
The seat of personality is the soul
The soul is a non-physical aspect of a human being responsible for a person’s individual personality. Most people believe that the soul continues to live after the physical body dies. The English word “soul” is psyche. It comes from Latin anima, which can be translated as “spirit”. Greek philosophers and later Christians also considered the soul an important feature of human life. This concept has been adopted by many religions and philosophical systems.
The body is the medium of communication with the physical world.
If we view the human body as a separate entity, we can compare it to a windmill and an tenement. The wind is the power behind the windmill’s huge arms. Similarly, the spirit’s weight can move a light body. The body and spirit interact on a subatomic level, and we can see these interactions in Job’s parable.
There is no pre-existent soul in the NT
Traditional Christianity holds that there is no preexistent soul. Hebrews 9:27 states that man is created once and then dies. The soul exists after death, but is separate from the body. Hebrews 11:29-30, however, states that man’s soul is eternal and is resurrected at the end of his life. It is this idea that unites traditional Christianity and the Old Testament.
In the NT, there is no intermediate existence
The term “intermediate existence” was coined to describe a stage in a believer’s life that lies between death and the resurrection. After parousia, a new bodily existence begins. Although the Bible doesn’t mention the term “intermediate existence”, it is inferred from key passages regarding eschatology, resurrection belief, and other relevant passages. The following are some examples of passages that support the concept of intermediate existence.
The NT doesn’t promote spiritual growth
The argument that there is no spiritual growth in the NT is flawed on many levels. A Christian must be able address the whole person in order to be effective. This article has addressed four key NT texts that support this position. This matter is not covered by scripture, but it is important to keep in mind. This means we need to be able to comprehend the scripture’s mandate to develop our inner selves.