Bulletin Articles
SPIRIT, SOUL, AND BODY
SPIRIT, SOUL, AND BODY
First, let me suggest that, for the most part, the Scriptures picture man as a “dual being.” I know that sounds strange after just citing a passage which shows a three-fold distinction, but hear me out. Generally speaking, there is an “inward man” and an “outward man” (cf. 2Cor.4:16). The “outward man” is further described as “our earthly house” (5:1), which refers to our fleshly body. And, “If our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” The “house not made with hands” is that “spiritual body” to which Paul referred in 1Cor.15:42-44 (cp. the “mansions” of Jn.14:2).
By contrast, our “inward man” is currently “at home in the body,” and therefore, “absent from the Lord” (5:6). However, it longs to “be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord” (5:8). And finally, our inward man can find itself “naked” – i.e., separated from any kind “habitation” or body (5:2-4). This describes physical death (cf. Jm.2:26).
These facts make it clear that man is basically a “dual being,” consisting of “inward man” and “outward man.” Now, let’s break this down further, and examine the makeup of each.
In Hebrews 4:12, the Bible says, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Here, the inward man is identified as “soul and spirit,” while the outward man is identified as “joints and marrow.” (Another term that is used for the outward man is “flesh and blood,” cf. 2:14). These verses show that both “inward” and “outward” man is further subdivided into two parts: “soul and spirit” (i.e., inward man), and “joints and marrow” (i.e., flesh and blood; the body; or outward man).
Now, let us pause, and draw some safe conclusions. The body, while made up of “joints and marrow” or “flesh and blood,” blends harmoniously into one single entity called the “outward man.” The “inward man,” while made up of “soul and spirit,” likewise blends harmoniously into a single entity. But consider this: at the point where flesh and blood unite, it may be difficult to tell where flesh ends and blood begins! I say that only to suggest what may also be true of soul and spirit. W. E. Vine, quoting another scholar, said this: “Soma, body, and pneuma, spirit, may be separated, pneuma and psuche, soul, can only be distinguished (Cremer).” And because of this, the words “soul” and “spirit” are sometimes used interchangeably (compare Mt.10:28 with Jm.2:26).
Next, I will TRY to distinguish between soul and spirit. The Bible says, “God IS Spirit” (Jn.4:24; cf. Lk.24:36-39); and that He is “the FATHER of spirits” (Hb.12:9). Based on this, I would suggest that the “spirit” is that part of the inward man which is made in the image of God (Gn.1:26-27), and distinguishes us from the animals. In this context, the word “soul” seems to refer to “that in which there is life; a living being” (Thayer). Hence, “soul” refers to “me” (my person), which animates my body; and “spirit” is that part of “me” which is made in God’s image. CAUTION: THIS PARAGRAPH CONTAINS SOME SPECULATION; SO, I URGE YOU TO CAREFULLY EVALUATE WHAT I HAVE JUST SAID IN LIGHT OF REVEALED TRUTH. I could be quite mistaken about the distinction between soul and spirit. But whatever that distinction is, it is clear that “soul and spirit” make up the “inward man” (1Th.5:23; Hb.4:12; cf. 2Cor.5:1-8).
To conclude, man is indeed made up of two parts: the inward man, and the outward man. Those two parts may be further divided into “soul and spirit” (inward man) and “joints and marrow” (or “flesh and blood,” i.e., the outward man). To deny these truths would reduce all of the Scriptures cited above to nonsense.
--Lanny Smith
