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This concept has proven to be a very difficult subject, even for Bible scholars; but it is one that we should all at least be aware of, even if it may prove difficult to understand. We are unique creatures in all of God’s creation, and these three parts make us so. Acknowledging them, and trying to understand them, will help us to better understand one another. Even more importantly, it will help us to better understand the lost person that God may be trying to reach through us.

Read Genesis 2:7; then consider the following and all of the associated verses:

1. From our study verse, Genesis 2:7, what can we tell about the elements that God used to create man?
   1. ANSWER: We see that we are made from the same basic elements as the earth. We are literally one with the earth, and our physical bodies will someday return to the earth, and will ultimately become dust.
2. As also found in Gen. 2:7, what did God do once he had created man from the dust of the earth?
   1. ANSWER: God breathed into man’s nostrils "the breath of life".
3. What does 1 Thessalonians 5:23 tell us about the various parts of a human being?
   1. ANSWER: Its exhortation references that we are made up of body, soul and spirit.
4. Again, our reference verse, Gen. 2:7, told us that God breathed "the breath of life" into man, and furthermore, that man became a living soul (or "living being", depending on the translation that you are reading). As part of its discussion regarding the Word of God, what does Hebrews 4:12 suggest regarding this subject?
   1. ANSWER: Hebrews 4:12 indicates that the word of God can divide "soul and spirit", judging the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. It is able to do something that we cannot, namely, it can separate the soul from the spirit.
5. Regarding the "parts" of man, what can we learn from reading Matthew 10:28, Matthew 12:18, Matthew 16:26, John 3:5, John 4:24, Luke 12:19-20, and Romans 12:1?
   1. ANSWER: We clearly observe in these passages that God’s word tells us that Body and Soul are two distinct parts of a person; the third being our spirit.
6. From the above verses and numerous other verses in both the Old and New Testament, we know that there are many references to both soul (the Hebrew word is nephesh) and spirit (the Greek word is pneuma). We also know from our studies that the "person", i.e., the human being as God created him or her, is a unity of body, soul, and spirit; each supplements the other and describes the various aspects of each of us. We would not be a whole person without any one of these three pieces. So let’s further examine how soul and spirit are defined in God’s word. Look up the following scriptures related to the soul and note what each group of verses tells us.
   1. Psalm 107:5-9, Proverbs 27:7, Jeremiah 31:12, Jeremiah 31:25, and Matthew 6:25
      1. ANSWER: These verses indicate to us that our soul is the part of our existence that is our physical life — breathing, being hungry, being weary, needing food, water, clothing, and so on.
   2. Psalm 42:2-3, Psalm 33:20, Proverbs 21:10, 1 Samuel 1:10, Acts 14:2, and Acts 15:24
      1. ANSWER: These verses convey to us that our soul is the nexus of our emotion and desire.
7. Does a person have a soul? (see Genesis 2:7) Be careful how you answer.
   1. ANSWER: No, strictly speaking, a person does not HAVE a soul. A person IS a soul, a living being.
8. What do the following scriptures tell us about "spirit": Acts 7:59, 1 Corinthians 5:5, 1 Corinthians 7:34, Hebrews 12:23, Matthew 9:32-33, Matthew 12:18, Matthew 26:41, and Matthew 27:50?
   1. ANSWER 1: They tell us that spirit is an integral part of our make-up. It is something that is separate and distinct from both our body and our soul. Yet, it is also used interchangeably with both of these at times throughout the Bible.
   2. ANSWER 2: We see that Spirit is the life-giving force that causes us to be rational, thinking, human beings; it is that what provides us with a free will.
   3. ANSWER: Finally we see that it is a supernatural being, the agent of the soul; it is our energy, enthusiasm, and our peculiar characteristics of mind and temper.

So, while difficult to understand conceptually, we can see that our unique combination of body, soul and spirit is what makes us special within God’s creation. Did you note the various verses which told us God is a soul and a spirit? When He also took on the bodily form of man, He became Jesus the Messiah, the Christ. For us, He gave up His life, His spirit; and He was sacrificed so that we could have eternal life with Him. And, the most marvelous blessing of all is that we will experience that eternal life in a new, resurrected, body with a restored and renewed soul, full of God’s Holy Sprit.

Celebrate God’s great gift to us this week with someone who doesn’t know Christ as their savior. Thanks for studying with us.

In Christ,

Wes

[2010]

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