What the Bible means when it speaks of body, soul and spirit.
The Bible deals a lot with these three aspects of our human existence. They are, after all, what we are and how we function.
There is little disagreement that the body means our flesh. It is the material container our spirits reside in and relate to the physical world through.
There is also little disagreement the spirit is the eternal, non-physical portion of us that continues when the earthly flesh dies. There should also be little disagreement that our spirits are fully capable of thinking, remembering, and so on without any flesh.
That leaves the soul. What is it?
Good question since this gets into an area where there is not a lot of clarity and vast numbers of differing opinions. Therefore just an opinion will be ventured and each should feel free at the own discretion to study and come to one’s own conclusions.
There are two other terms than body and spirit used in the Bible. Those being mind and soul.
Some try to say they are the same thing. But a study of the different words used and contexts do not seem to allow that to be true. Although similar they are distinctive from each other.
Mind seems to imply just the thinking and decision making process that takes place within our brains. It seems to be more of a descriptive term for the process of thinking.
While soul also carries the meaning of thinking, it further carries the meaning of feelings, personality, and the whole being of a person, including the body and spirit. And is spoken of as being an eternal part of a person that departs with the spirit.
Therefore, while the spirit is a complete part of us by itself the soul is not complete when the body perishes. And seems to become complete again when we are given glorified bodies.
Now couple to this the issue that as born-again believers we struggle in the war between the old and new natures. The old nature is contained in the flesh. The new nature is contained in the spirit. And the battleground of the war is the mind.
That really seems to provide a good argument the mind is the interaction of the flesh and the spirit in the brain. After all, who has not been aware at times of extreme struggle within us to the point we seem like separate individuals fighting it out for control?
But how is this possible? What brings together the flesh and spirit to make it all function as a single being?
This is where the soul comes in. It is what makes it all possible. It is the tie that binds us into single beings. But how the soul works and that bond is formed is not really explained in the Bible.
Think about it. God is triune in composition. Christ is God and Man co-joined. What co-joins Christ so that he is all man, all God, and both at the same time? His soul?
Christ’s spirit is 100% God. His flesh is 100% man. If his soul is a mix and merge of God and man would that not make him truly all God, all Man, and both at the same time?
And are we not in the image of God and the likeness of Christ? Would that not explain why we get glorified flesh bodies in eternity? Because our nature is to be a triune being of body, spirit, and soul?
Food for thought. Not a salvation issue. Just a curiosity many think about and none really absolutely know the answer to.
