Man: The Essential Nature of Man

The Essential Nature of Man

What does Scripture mean by “soul” and “spirit”?
Are they the same thing?

1. Dichotomy – Man is made up of two parts: 1) Body and 2) Spirit/Soul
   1. Scripture seems to use “soul” and “spirit” interchangeably
      1. John 12:27, 13:21. Jesus is troubled in soul/spirit.
      2. Luke 1:46-47. Mary’s soul/spirit rejoices.
   2. Scripture says that the “soul” or “spirit” depart at death.
      1. Scripture never says that their “soul and spirit” departed at death.
   3. Man is either “body and soul” or “body and spirit”
      1. Matthew 10:28
      2. 1 Corinthians 5:5
2. Trichotomy – Man is made up of three parts 1) Body and 2) Spirit and 3) Soul
   1. Soul is our will, spirit is alive after conversion Romans 8:10
   2. 1 Thessalonians 5:23
   3. Hebrews 4:12
3. Scripture speaks of an immaterial part of man that can exist without his body
   1. Breathed into his nostrils the breath of life
   2. Luke 23:43 – Paradise
   3. 2 Corinthians 5:8 – absent from the body…
   4. John 11:25, 6:51 – We are eternal
4. Where do our souls come from?
   1. Creationism – God creates a new soul for each person and sends it to that person’s body before birth.
      1. Knit me together in my mother’s womb – Psalm 139:13
      2. Isaiah 42:5  – Look up
   2. Traducianism – The soul as well as the body of a child are inherited from the baby’s mother and father at the time of conception.                                                                                                                                                                                             
      1. Genesis 1:27 – made in the image of God, the ability to create other human beings like ourselves.
      2. We reproduce according to our ‘kinds” – Genesis 1:24 – by making souls.
      3. Explains how the sins of the parent are passed on to that of the child.
5. Application
   1. Are you aware that you are more than just a physical body, that you have a nonphysical part that might be a soul or spirit?
      1. At what times to you especially become aware of the existence of your spirit?
   2. When you are praying or singing praise to God, is it enough simply to sing or speak words, without being aware of what you are saying without really meaning it?
      1. If you really mean the words with your whole being, then what aspects of your person would be involved in genuine prayer and worship?
   3. Read 2 Corinthians 7:2. Since Scripture encourages us to grow in holiness in our bodies as well as our spirits, what specifically would it mean for you to be more obedient to that command?
6. Ontological Argument
   1. It is possible that a maximally great being exists.
   2. If it is possible that a maximally great being exists, then a maximally great being exists in some possible world.
   3. If a maximally great being exists in some possible world, then it exists in every possible world.
   4. If a maximally great being exists in every possible world, then it exists in the actual world.
   5. If a maximally great being exists in the actual world, then a maximally great being exists.
   6. Therefore, a maximally great being exists.