Human : Body, Soul And Spirit

 These three terms – Body, Soul and Spirit – are words that most of us have heard before, yet many do not understand what they truly mean.

In this teaching, we will explore the meaning of each (Body, Soul and Spirit), and how these 3 states came into existence.

We will also examine the 3 terms: Formed, Made and Created, and understand their relationship with “Body, Soul and Spirit”.

Sections in this Biblical Teaching:

1) What are we made up of?

2) Body – Formed

3) Soul – Made

4) Spirit – Created

5) Conclusion

1) What are we made up of?

We as human beings are composed of a range of Chemical Elements by mass. (Body)

– The human body is approximately 70% water (H2O).

– Around 99% of our bodies are made up of six elements: Oxygen, Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Calcium, and Phosphorus.

– Of the remaining mass, about 0.75% is composed of five elements: Sodium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sulfur, and Chlorine.

– The remaining elements of the body exist in trace amounts (very tiny amounts).

All of these Elements can be found in the Earth’s Crust.

The Bible says that we “Christians” are:

– Formed of the Earth

– Made of Soul

– Created of Spirit

(Isaiah 43:3) For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour:…

(Isaiah 43:7) Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

Formed, Made and Created are not synonymous, they all have different meanings.

(1 Thessalonians 5:23) And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Neither is Body, Soul and Spirit synonymous, they are each distinct from one another.

Most humans (Natural man) only have 2 of those 3 parts. Body and Soul.

(Genesis 2:7) And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Dust + Breath of Life = A Living Soul {All living Organisms}

Physically, humans are no greater than Animals.

Natural man can operate only by 5 senses. Everything a natural man can learn or understand comes through the senses of: Sight, Hearing, Smelling, Touch and Taste.

Humans “attain” Spirit when they confess Jesus Christ as Lord, and believe with their heart that God raised him from the dead.

2) Body – Formed

As I mentioned before, all of the Elements that make up the Human Body, can be also found in the Earth’s Crust.

The Bible says that God formed man from the earth:

(Genesis 2:7) And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

This is how our human bodies were “put together”. God used the elements of the earth, or “dust of the ground” to shape this marvellous body we have.

יצר

yâtsar

yaw-tsar’

through the squeezing into shape; to mould into a form; especially as a potter; figuratively to determine (that is, form a resolution): – X earthen, fashion, form, frame, make (-r), potter, purpose.

The word “formed” in the Bible is translated from the Hebrew word “yâtsar”.

Yâtsar means “to fashion/mould out of something that already exists”.

From Genesis 2:7: “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground…”

The word “man” here is “âdâm”.

אדם

‘âdâm

aw-dawm’

To show blood (in the face), that is, flush or turn rosy: – be (dyed, made) red (ruddy).

That is, a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.)

The meaning of the name/word Adam is: ‘Man; earth; to be red’.

Our Physical bodies all return to the earth one day. This is a natural law.

(Ecclesiastes 3:20) All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

(Genesis 3:19) In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

When we die, the physical bodies go back to the earth.

This goes for all living organisms, humans and animals alike.

3) Soul – Made

The Body is a “Host” or “Vessel” for the Soul.

Once God formed the Body, he “made” the body into a “Living soul” by breathing the “Breath of Life” into it.

(Genesis 2:7) And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

The words “soul” is translated from the Hebrew word “nephesh”.

נפשׁ

nephesh

neh’-fesh

Properly a breathing creature, that is, animal or (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental): – any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature.

The soul is what gives a body life, it’s vitality.

The phrase ”breathed into his nostrils” is the figure of speech condescensio.

God put life into Adam, making him a living soul.

“‛âśâh” is the Hebrew word for “made”.

עשׂה

‛âśâh

aw-saw’

A primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application: – accomplish, advance, appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth, bruise, be busy

“‛âśâh” is “a substance required or which the thing made consists”.

The soul is nothing more and nothing less than what gives a body life.

It is sometimes referred to as someone’s “Life-force” or “The spirit of a man”.

Soul is not Spirit, and has nothing to do with whether you are a Christian or not.

Once someone is breathing, living, they have a soul.

(Genesis 1:30) And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

The word “life” here is “soul”, translated from “nephesh”.

This verse says that all living things have a soul.

(Genesis 1:20) And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

(Genesis 1:21) And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

(Genesis 1:24) And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

In both verses 21 and 24, the word “creature” here is again “soul”, translated from “nephesh”.

The Hebrew word “Chai/Chay” means “moving” life or “moving” soul.

חי

chay

khah’ee

Alive; hence raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year), strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine singular and masculine plural) life (or living thing), whether literally or figuratively.

In the above verses, the word “living” is translated from “chai”.

“Nephesh Chai” is always used in the Bible as a living soul, in contrast to a “dead” or perished soul.

Where is the soul located in man?

(Leviticus 17:11) For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

The Bible tells us that the soul is in the blood.

Thus, soul life is passed on from parent to offspring through their bloodlines.

God does not need to breathe soul again into every newly born creature. It’s passed on through the generations.

Soul life is not immortal; it is either passed on through generations, or perishes when a person dies.

4) Spirit – Created

We have looked at what all living organisms are composed of. Body and Soul.

So what is Spirit about?

Let’s look at the first verse of the Bible:

(Genesis 1:1) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

“To create” means, “to bring something into existence from nothing” or “to bring something into existence which never existed before”.

In Genesis 1:3, God did not create light, it already existed before this point.

(Genesis 1:3) And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

God only called “light” into existence/focus here.

—————

This Topic explains more about what in the first verses of Genesis:

Genisis 1:1 – What happened in the Beginning of Time? (Click here)

—————

Let’s see what God “created” in these “7 days of his work”.

(Genesis 1:21) And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Here is where God is now finally creating something new.

Their physical bodies were formed out of the waters and the earth, but what is new here, is “Soul”.

This is the first time God created “Soul life”.

God then uses this new “Life Force” called Soul, to “Make” all living creatures.

Let’s look at these three verses to explain a little more:

(Genesis 1:24) And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

(Genesis 1:25) And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

(Genesis 1:26) And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Paying close attention, God does not “Create” again here, he simply Forms and Makes these new types of life.

But why?

This is because Soul was already created in verse 21, and didn’t need to be created again.

Let’s see what God does next.

(Genesis 1:27) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Here we can see that God is ending his “days of work” by finally creating 1 new thing.

This is, creating man in his own image.

What is God? What is his “image”?

(John 4:24) God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

God is Spirit.

“Genesis 1:27” is where God creates Spirit in Man. His image.

Thus, finally man became Body, Soul and Spirit.

The animals did not get a Spirit, only Man.

Spirit is what we Christians use to “communicate” with God. We use it in prayer and manifestations.

As seen later in Genesis, Adam and Eve lost that “Spirit Connection” with God through their sin.

Thus, the generations of Adam (natural man) also do not have that Spirit.

However, because of what Jesus Christ has done for us, we are able to receive that Holy Spirit again, and have connection with God.

In the older scriptures of the Bible, before Christ’s accomplishment, what those Prophets of God had, was “Spirit upon”, something different from what Christians have today.

It was not permanent as ours is now.

Our Spirit is what goes to heaven when Jesus Christ returns, not Body or Soul.

5) Conclusion

To Conclude, we have seen that:

All living things are:

– Formed of the Earth

– Made of Soul Life

Christians also have something “extra”, they are:

– Created of Spirit

The Physical Body returns to the earth (dust) upon dying.

The Soul is passed on (shared) through progeny from Parent to Child, or it perishes at death.

Our Spirit returns with God at the time of Lord Jesus Christ's return.

So lets look forward to the return of our wonderful Lord and Savoir Jesus Christ, and let's try to “save as many souls” as we can, by bringing them into the truth of God’s word!

If you're asking "How Does One Become A Christian?"

This is an important question that most people simply do not pay attention to.

They usually simply accept the words and rituals of any local Pastor or Priest they visit, and believe that by following their given instructions, they will be led into a life of Christianity.

Of course, who better to go to for Spiritual Advice; a Pastor or Priest, not so?

Well, the problem is, most Biblical Teachers today are either false, or wrongly informed on what they are teaching. So it’s hard to blame an individual for seeking a reputable Biblical authority for all the answers to a Christian lifestyle.

In this teaching I will attempt to explain as clearly as possible, how to become a Christian, and how to live a Christian lifestyle. My teaching is not so much my own opinion on this Topic, but what the Bible (God’s word) clearly points out for us.

 

Sections in this Biblical Teaching:

1) What is a Christian?

2) Why can we become Christians?

3) How does one become a Christian?

4) Why was Baptism by Water Practiced in the Bible?

5) How to live a Christian lifestyle?

1) What is a Christian?

 

A Christian is a person who is “Born again” of God’s spirit/seed, at which time you receive the gift of Holy Spirit.

A normal person is born only of Body and Soul. When you become a Christian, you are now Body, Soul and Spirit.

(Ephesians 2:1) And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

(Ephesians 2:12) That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

All of us are initially born by “corruptible seed”, and was legally owned by the adversary (Satan).

God originally gave ownership of this world to Man (Adam)

(Genesis 1:28) And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Adam and Eve sinned in “Genesis 3”, handing over authority of the world to Satan.

We can see that Satan later Tempts Jesus in Luke 4, offering him the world if he obeyed Satan.

(Luke 4:6) And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

(Luke 4:7) If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

When one becomes a Christian, that person is born again of God’s “Incorruptible Seed”, and is no longer owned by Satan.

2) Why can we become Christians?

We have the ability at this point in time to become a Christian, because God lovingly sent his only begotten son as a sacrifice to atone for our sins.

(John 3:16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

(1 Corinthians 15:3) For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

(1 Peter 3:18) For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

(Hebrews 9:28) So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

(Hebrews 10:12) But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

Without Jesus Christ, we would not have been able to receive the gift of Holy Spirit (Christ in you).

Jesus Christ was that “Mystery” which God hid since the beginning of the world, that would redeem man from sin.

If Satan had known this Secret, he would have never driven the people to Crucify Jesus.

(Colossians 1:26) Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

(Colossians 1:27) To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Right now we live in the Grace Administration.

There are 7 Administrations or Time Periods of God’s “Time Table”.

Before the Grace Administration, the Gift of Holy Spirit was not available. One could not become a Christian and be surely saved from the wrath of the adversary.

(Followers of God long ago only had “Spirit upon” which could be lost if they strayed away from God’s Word.)

We should be thankful that we live in this Glorious time of God’s Grace.

(John 1:17) For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

(Ephesians 2:4) But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

(Ephesians 2:5) Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved; )

(Ephesians 2:6) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

3) How does one become a Christian?

Contrary to popular belief, becoming a Christian has nothing to do with being Submerged in water or any other Ritualistic practice.

Here is what the Bible says about becoming Born again (saved):

(Romans 10:9) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

(Romans 10:10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

That’s it! – [Note those 2 IMPORTANT Verses and confess it with your heart]

“confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus” – You can confess this Vocally with your mouth, or Mentally Confess this in your mind.

It isn’t really just about saying the words, but actually “Believing” what you say.

“believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead” – You must believe with all your heart, that God raised Jesus from the dead as payment for our sins.

Believe this without a doubt in your mind, and:

“thou (you) shalt be saved.” – You will become a Christian from that point on, receive the gift of Holy Spirit and no longer belong to the Adversary (Ruler of this world – Satan)

It isn’t always that easy for everyone to believe this with the innermost of their heart, some people would have grown up in different backgrounds, cultures and religions, so it’s hard for some to accept this truth of God, and it will take time, willingness and love to reach to the point of truly believing in what God and Jesus Christ has done for us.

A good start is by reading God’s word more often and living a Christian lifestyle.

Eventually everything about God and the Bible slowly begins to make sense, and it is then easy to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

4) Why was Baptism by Water Practiced in the Bible?

The practice of Baptizing people by water is still widespread in the world today.

This originated very long ago in Pre-Christian eras, but was “publicized” by John the Baptist (a truly great man of God), who Baptized believers of God with water.

The purpose of John the Baptist was to prepare everyone for the coming of the Messiah (Jesus Christ).

(Mark 1:4) John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

John cleansed the Israelites from the 400 years of sins, accumulated prior to his coming.

This was all, to cleanse and prepare those believers for what Jesus would soon make available, Baptism by Holy Spirit, which is, becoming a Christian.

(Acts 19:2) He (Paul) said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

(Acts 19:3) And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.

(Acts 19:4) Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

(Acts 19:5) When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

(Acts 19:6) And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost (Spirit) came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

“spake with tongues, and prophesied.” – 2 of the 9 Gifts of Holy Spirit. They were not able to do this before that day.

As Paul, (the leader of the Christian Church at that time) explained, baptism by water was only for repentance of sins (is does not give you Holy Spirit).

He then added that you should instead believe on Jesus Christ (as described in Romans 10:9-10).

5) How to live a Christian lifestyle?

 

A lot of people today call themselves Christians, but they do not live the type of lifestyle expected of a Born again believer.

Most of these people are probably not true “Born again Christians”, but simply carry the title “Christian” because they attend a Church.

We Christians must be positive examples unto others, so that they in turn can admire our righteous walk, realize the Truth of God’s word and become a Christian themselves.