nature of humans

nature of humans

Now Im not talking about sin nature here. we all know what that is.

What Im referring to is the very constitution of the human make up.

There are basically three different views on this subject as far as Chistianity is concerned.


The most popular view would be called Dichotomism (Bipartite). This would say that humans are made up of a body(flesh) and a soul.

Another view would be called Trichotomism which would say that we are made up of a body-soul and a spirit.

The former would make no distinction between the soul/spirit and would consider them the same, where the ladder would make a definate distinction and would say the soul and spirit are indeed not the same thing.

The third may not be worth mentioning and talks about body/soul dualism and is not biblical.

I came across this study as a byproduct of my study of the humanity of Christ. Now although Dichotomism seems correct to me in theory I came across this verse in thessalonians which looks to support Trichotomism.

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.

So i was wondering what others thought of this (or maybe you do not think of this at all).
 
Gen 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.


God made man in His own image- He is tripartite- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Your verse gives biblical support for the tripartite man. below ( red emphasis mine)is another that also makes a distinction between soul and spirit. Without an understanding of the tripartite man one cannot fully comprehend the work of regeneration which occurred at the new birth. This understanding is key to knowing ones place in God's family and walking in the reality of the work He has done in us.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
 
Yes I saw that verse also. So where does that leave us.

body-flesh
soul-eternal being
spirit-Gods spirit in us
I can go with that for sure

what about unregenerate man ?
body-flesh
soul-eternal being
spirit- ?
heres where I get stuck.

Or am I not even close ?
 
Gen 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.


God made man in His own image- He is tripartite- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Your verse gives biblical support for the tripartite man. below ( red emphasis mine)is another that also makes a distinction between soul and spirit. Without an understanding of the tripartite man one cannot fully comprehend the work of regeneration which occurred at the new birth. This understanding is key to knowing ones place in God's family and walking in the reality of the work He has done in us.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

That's a good answer my son and we must go to the Word .



I am sorry but all these theories are man made and what we must do is go to the scripture and see what the Word of God says .... not man . God's Word is true and amen .
 
I only have a few minutes this Am but here goes-

Gen 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Man's body did not die that day nor his soul but he indeed experienced spiritual death. God is Spirit and man could no longer commune with the Father.

Likewise Jesus talked of a new birth not of body or soul but of spirit:
Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.


At the new birth God places new spiritual life in us as prophesied by Ezekiel:
Eze 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
Eze 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Eze 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Eze 36:28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

Eze 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:

When we are born again we receive this new life literally being transformed into a new creation:
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

This man is created in God's image and is pure, holy and sinless:

Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

1Jn 5:18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

This becomes confused if we do not separate the soul from the spirit.
God gives us a new inner man (spirit).
God gives us a resurrection , uncorruptable body at the resurrection.
He is the Savior of our soul:
Heb 10:39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

The soul of man (mind, will, emotions, intellect) must be renewed (made new) in it's thinking. Man must begin to think like God or come into agreement with His Word.
This can only happen as the indwelling Holy Spirit gives revelation to our spirit:
Eph 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Our mind receives that revelation and believes and finally our body follows the renewed thoughts of our mind translating into godly action.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Literally we are made new in the spirit (or life force)of our thinking:
Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

God is a Spirit and we commune with Him in our born again spirit, this can only occur after one is born again.:)
 
This is a passage which allows me to take true comfort in Deuteronomy 29:29 and 1 Corinthians 4:5. However, we must know that all scripture is “Profitable for Doctrine – 2 Timothy 3:16”. Giving that this passage will probably never find human consensus, such only shows us the unsearchable wisdom of God.

Romans 11:33. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

As assumption goes, here is mine:

My understanding of the words soul and spirit as used in Hebrews 4:12 and 1 Thessalonians 5:23 is such; soul by implication is spirit (psuche – GSN5590) and spirit (pneuma – GSN4151) can imply rational soul, Holy Spirit and etc.

At birth all are given a soul, a soul that is unregenerate as being a seed of Adam. Through the grace of God, this unregenerate soul receives a new birth (new spirit) and thus become a regenerated soul; a soul enhanced by the Holy Spirit. A soul enhanced by the Holy Spirit, yet not Glorified (received by Jesus into eternity), contains both the Holy Spirit and that which is carnal (flesh). Thus we may conclude that the separation of the soul and spirit in Hebrews 4:12 is the division of carnal flesh (soul) and the Holy Spirit (spirit). Thus the soul is one, yet an enhanced soul is soul+spirit.

If you find this to be very confusing, we share a common state. However, if we have received God’s grace, the new birth provided by His son, we need not to worry about the confusing details. God’s wisdom will sort through it all, we have the simple task of just having faith in the solution He has provided (Jesus).

Good Day and God Bless
 
I do not mind if we disagree on that.:)




Gen 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.

It was not until God breathed a spirit into man that he became a living soul.
 
If you find this to be very confusing, we share a common state. However, if we have received God’s grace, the new birth provided by His son, we need not to worry about the confusing details. God’s wisdom will sort through it all, we have the simple task of just having faith in the solution He has provided (Jesus).

Not confusing, This would be the traditional view of the matter
 
I only have a few minutes this Am but here goes-

Gen 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Man's body did not die that day nor his soul but he indeed experienced spiritual death. God is Spirit and man could no longer commune with the Father.

Likewise Jesus talked of a new birth not of body or soul but of spirit:
Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

At the new birth God places new spiritual life in us as prophesied by Ezekiel:
Eze 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
Eze 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Eze 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Eze 36:28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

Eze 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:

When we are born again we receive this new life literally being transformed into a new creation:
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

This man is created in God's image and is pure, holy and sinless:

Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

1Jn 5:18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

This becomes confused if we do not separate the soul from the spirit.
God gives us a new inner man (spirit).
God gives us a resurrection , uncorruptable body at the resurrection.
He is the Savior of our soul:
Heb 10:39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

The soul of man (mind, will, emotions, intellect) must be renewed (made new) in it's thinking. Man must begin to think like God or come into agreement with His Word.
This can only happen as the indwelling Holy Spirit gives revelation to our spirit:
Eph 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Our mind receives that revelation and believes and finally our body follows the renewed thoughts of our mind translating into godly action.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Literally we are made new in the spirit (or life force)of our thinking:
Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

God is a Spirit and we commune with Him in our born again spirit, this can only occur after one is born again.:)


Good points. Now I agree here on this We as Christians (new born spiritually) are flesh/soul/spirit. Scripture is clear

To understand your statement are you saying that unregenerate man is also flesh/soul/spirit (with the spirit unquickened) that would make sense to me.
 
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