Differencce between spirit and soul?

What is the difference between a spirit and a soul?

@vivify


The human spirit is the "organ" in man that can directly touch God.
The soul is the seat of the mind, emotion, and will.

What God breathed into man's nostrils was the spirit. The combination of the breathed out spirit into man and the body caused man to become a living soul.

"Jehovah God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul." (Gen. 2:7)

Something very close to God yet not exactly God Himself was breathed into man's nostrils. When the body formed of the dust of the ground and this breathed out spirit came together, man became a living soul.

@vivify said
What is the difference between a spirit and a soul?

“Spirituality” is ok for atheists because it allows them to feel spiritual.

Souls are for people who believe in souls. Soul is a word which doesn’t translate into a warm cosy feeling about your inner thoughts like spirit does.

@sonship said
@vivify


The human spirit is the "organ" in man that can directly touch God.
The soul is the seat of the mind, emotion, and will.

What God breathed into man's nostrils was the spirit. The combination of the breathed out spirit into man and the body caused man to become a living soul.

[b]"Jehovah God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into h ...[text shortened]... rmed of the dust of the ground and this breathed out spirit came together, man became a living soul.

Is the "Holy Sprit" a type of spirit then? Something that connects people to God?

The notion of a soul is more of a locus of control for other people, helpful or otherwise, to have some influence over the possessor of said putative soul.

In contrast to a soul, a spirit seems freer and uncontrollable.

@vivify

Is the "Holy Sprit" a type of spirit then? Something that connects people to God?

The Holy Spirit is God Himself.
Today the Holy Spirit is God in a man Jesus as the Third Person of the Triune God.
The Holy Spirit is God.

The human spirit which became damaged by the fall of man into sin, can be made alive by God the Holy Spirit.

"That which is born of the Spirit [capital S] is [human small s] spirit." (John 3:6).

"That which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

No verse in the Bible says man is born again in his soul.
But man is born again in his human spirit.

This time in the new birth the human spirit is made alive because of justification and the imputation of righteousness.

"If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the [human] spirit is life because of righteousness." (Rom. 8:10)

The damaged and comatose human spirit can be resurrected, enlivened, and made divine life because of us receiving Christ Himself as our righteousness.
The spirit of man is made life because of justification and Christ being made to us our very righteousness.

When our human spirit is born again from its deadened state now the Holy Spirit which is God Himself WITHIN us bears joint witness that we have a life and organic intimate union with a heavenly Father God.

"The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God," (Rom. 8:16)

"Abba, Daddy" we can now call this God of the universe. "Papa" and "Abba Father" we can intimately call out to Him and the Holy Spirit bears witness JOINTLY with our human spirit that we are His intimate loving offspring. Through being born anew in our human spirit we are now just God's creatures. But now we become His children with His communicable divine life implanted into our being.

There is much, much more.

@vivify

Is the "Holy Sprit" a type of spirit then? Something that connects people to God?

It is SOMEONE. The something is a wonderful SOMEONE - Jesus Himself.

And with Jesus, IN Jesus is the Father, is God.
In Jesus is God.
In God is Jesus.

God can join to the human spirit.

"He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit" (1 Cor. 6:17)

That literally means when you are born again part of your being IS CHRIST JESUS.

@vivify said
What is the difference between a spirit and a soul?

I think both terms refer to the same thing [the capacities we have, as humans, that make us individuals and able to interact with each other] but religionists like to use them differently because the gap between them conjures up, in their minds, some substance to their ideology.

What is the difference between a spirit and a soul?

To learn the difference between my soul and my spirit I had to learn to come to the word of God prayerfully. Exercising my "praying organ" so to speak, the word of God becomes living and helps a man distinguish between his soul and his spirit.

Here is where it says that:

"For the word of God is living and operative and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow, and able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Heb 4:12)

The Holy Spirit enlivens the word of God to the praying reader. And he learns that the discerning of his soul from his spirit is accomplished. For the living word of God penetrates deep into his being down even to the division of his soul from his spirit.

With patience, practice, and perseverance the human spirit is detected distinct from the seat of the mind, emotion, and will which is the totality of the human soul.

Also, like the marrow of the bone is inside the bone, so the human spirit is within the human soul as a deeper realm. The word of God taken in properly with the mixing of it with prayer and faith pierces to this division. One can learn to strengthen his spirit.

Is the "Holy Sprit" a type of spirit then? Something that connects people to God?

Again God is the Holy Spirit. God's put something in man that very much matches Himself called the spirit of man. In the new birth of being born again the Holy Spirit is joined to the human spirit lifting it up out of its damaged and comatose state.

In this lifting, resurrecting, and re-enlivening of the human spirit the Holy Spirit the Person of God and the human spirit become one mingled and united spirit-

"He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit" (1 Cor. 6:17)

From the inside out then, from the spirit outward to the soul, and outward still to the human body God works to sanctify, and make holy your whole being spirit and soul and body.

Look at these series of sentences written by Paul. Pay careful attention to each one taking nothing for granted.

"Always rejoice,
Unceasingly pray,
In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God concerning you.
Do not quench the Spirit;
Do not despise prophecies,
But prove all things. Hold fast to what is good;
Abstain from every form of evil.

And the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thess. 5:16-23)

Each word here is important.
Each exhortation is related to strengthening the human spirit which in the Christian is united with the Holy Spirit to be one spirit.

Here are directives which help the Christian not to quench the Holy Spirit but allow it to do His work to make holy your whole being from the center to the circumference in preparation for one to meet the Lord Jesus Christ.

I would conclude that Paul then says that God, the God of peace, is faithful to our cooperation and will do it.

"Faithful is He who calls you, who also will do it." (v.24)

@sonship

I again made a a bad typo.
May the Lord help me to be more careful.

I INTENDED to write this:

"Through being born anew in our human spirit we are [NOT] just God's creatures. But now we become His children with His communicable divine life implanted into our being."

I had written "now" rather than what I meant to write - not.

Before being born of God yet we are surely God's creatures. But being born again we have the authority to be intimate, family related, SONS of children born of the Father when we receive the available and alive Lord Jesus.

His Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we have this deeper, more personal relationship with God.

"The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God." (Rom 8:16)

This is a sister passage really, with John 1:12,13. Read it aloud with a fully, fully opened mind and heart.

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God, to those who believe into His name,

Who were BEGOTTEN . . . not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." ( John 1:12,13)

Receiving the Lord Jesus into our spiritual being give us the authority to be intimately involved children of a begetting Daddy God!

This birth divine is not because our parents were Christians - "not of blood".
This divine birth is not because of the will power of the fallen man - "nor of the will of the flesh.
This divine birth is also not of the will power of even the originally good created man - "nor of the will of man".

But this regeneration, this rebirth is of God - " . . . but of God". The begetting God miraculously enlivens the innermost part of our being - our human spirit.

Before being born of God yet we are surely God's creatures. But being born again we have the authority to be intimate, family related, SONS of children born of the Father when we receive the available and alive Lord Jesus.

His Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we have this deeper, more personal relationship with God.

"The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God." (Rom 8:16)

Because a man born again has Jesus living within him in His form as "life giving Spirit" Paul writes his very last and most important word in 13 epistles to Timothy.

"The Lord be with your spirit" (2 Tim. 4:22a)

Ie. "Timothy WHATEVER you do, always remember this - the Lord Jesus Christ IS with YOUR spirit."

Okay let's quote the other part too to make it complete.
Paul's last written word in the New Testament:

"The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you." (2 Tim. 4:22)

Ie. "Timothy, with your human spirit is the Lord Jesus Christ. As a result His life is with you and in you. And His life becomes to you GRACE. So the Lord be with your spirit and His empowering, His enabling, His energizing, His living and moving be with you - "GRACE be with you.".

When the comatose human spirit is reborn through Jesus Christ a THIRD dimension is added to the TWO dimensional life. And a person has now to STRENGTHEN that part because it is been hitherto underused.

Paul called this ream "the inner man" and prayed that the Christians would be energized and strengthened INTO that realm.

" I bow my knees before the Father . . . that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man . . ." (See Eph. 3:14-16)

You become born again. But you are not use to the reborn human spirit.
The apostle's prayer for such is God would STRENGTHEN them INTO their regenerated "inner man".

@Kevin-Eleven

The notion of a soul is more of a locus of control for other people, helpful or otherwise, to have some influence over the possessor of said putative soul.

In contrast to a soul, a spirit seems freer and uncontrollable.

The soul of a person is the combination of their mind, their emotion, and their will.

Soul = the mind, emotion, and will.
Everybody has a soul regardless of their beliefs.

I would like to say that the human spirit being "uncontrollable" I would re-examine in light of the Bible. The New Testament speaks of the worshipping believers that their spirit is not totally with subjection (uncontrollably).

"For you can all prophesy one by one that all may learn and all may be encouraged.

And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.

For God is not a God of confusion but of order." (1 Cor. 14:31-33)

1.) To prophesy here is not limited to future prediction. It means simply to speak for God with God present with you.

2.) Paul wanted all the believers to prophesy one by one for much mutual edification and encouragement.

3.) This is to be done orderly. Chaotic speaking for God is uncharacteristic of normal Christian functioning. The human spirit being released and exercised in the act of prophesying "is subject to the prophets".

That means there is self control in using your regenerated spirit to prophesy.

4.) Since God is not an author of confusion in a Christian meeting Paul exhorts the worshippers - "And the spirits of the prophets are SUBJECT to the prophets."