Members rudywoofs (Pam) Posted October 13, 2006 Members Posted October 13, 2006 What's the difference between *soul* and *spirit*? Or is there a difference? I always had in my mind that the *soul* was the the inner being that was characteristic of each creature...what makes you YOU. Because even animals have souls, I think. The *spirit* is something I can't put my finger on...except in a rather mystic way..but I am not sure that is right. Can God speak to both one's soul and to one's spirit? Quote Pam Meddle Not In the Affairs of Dragons; for You Are Crunchy and Taste Good with Ketchup. If we all sang the same note in the choir, there'd never be any harmony. Funny, isn't it, how we accept Grace for ourselves and demand justice for others?
Dr. Shane Posted October 13, 2006 Posted October 13, 2006 Soul is more like rhythem and blues while Spirit is more of a contemporay Christian style. Quote Pastoral Family Counselor... Find me at www.PostumCafe.com Author of Peculiar Christianity
cricket Posted October 13, 2006 Posted October 13, 2006 Pam, Perhaps this will help in your quest for understanding: Genesis 2:7 And Jehovah Elohim formed Man, dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and Man became a living soul. I'm not 100% certain, but I believe the Adventist teaching on the definition of soul and spirit is generally summed up in: Dust (Body) + Breath (Spirit) = Living Body (Soul) Regards, conigue reale Quote
Pockey Posted October 14, 2006 Posted October 14, 2006 Genesis 2:7 And Jehovah Elohim formed Man, dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and Man became a living soul. Dust (Body) + Breath (Spirit) = Living Body (Soul) Yes, I agree! The body without the spirit is dead. James 2:26. The spirit of God is in my nostrils." Job 27:3 Quote
Yong T Tay Posted October 14, 2006 Posted October 14, 2006 Quote: "I always had in my mind that the *soul* was the the inner being that was characteristic of each creature...what makes you YOU. Because even animals have souls, I think." Rudywoofs, You are right in regard to soul, it is your being or person or mind or entity or real "self". All your decisions are made by your soul. It lives in your brain. Spirit on the other hand is the life force, the energy(power) that make you alive or conscious. It is your emotional "self" such as being happy or sad. It is the driving force that make you want to do something. The spirit is the adviser to your soul and it lives in your heart. The third part of yourselves is your physical body. It is the hardware that carried out the desire of the soul. It is the servant of the soul and lives all over your whole body. The soul, the spirit and the body live together and die together as one entity. yongttay Quote
David Koot Posted October 14, 2006 Posted October 14, 2006 What's the difference between *soul* and *spirit*? Or is there a difference? Hi Pam, I would answer that on three levels: first, the words themselves, as they occur in the Bible (Greek/Hebrew). Secondly, there is the Greco-Roman concept of soul and spirit, which deeply influenced Western civilization. Thirdly, there are idiomatic meanings for both words. No little confusion may result from the mix of these various meanings! The words themselves as they occur in the original, simply mean: "soul" is a living creature, regardless of species. "spirit" is the breath which every living creature has. The breath or spirit does not have any existence separate from the living creature. It is described in the Bible as being in the nostrils. Nothing complicated about it. Then came the Greeks. They developed the concept of the soul and spirit having a separate existence from the body, and surviving bodily death. Paul used the words in his epistles, which Greeks were familiar with, but corrected their meaning along Old Testament lines. (Kittel, Theological Dictionary, article 'psuche.') And, of course, we finally have the idiomatic meanings today, ranging from the Greco-Roman concepts, to music, to morale. In the Bible, 'soul' often is used in a larger, idiomatic sense as well, to describe the emotions and desires of the heart, and 'spirit' is often used to speak of one's morale. Dave Quote
Moderators John317 Posted October 14, 2006 Moderators Posted October 14, 2006 What's the difference between *soul* and *spirit*? Or is there a difference? I always had in my mind that the *soul* was the the inner being that was characteristic of each creature...what makes you YOU. Because even animals have souls, I think. The *spirit* is something I can't put my finger on...except in a rather mystic way..but I am not sure that is right. Can God speak to both one's soul and to one's spirit? These words are used in different ways in the Bible. Basically the soul is the creature, the person, the self, the "I". The Bible also calls fish "souls." And in the Hebrew all the creatures God made are called "souls," or nephish. On the other hand, the spirit is often the same thing as the breath. However, the best way to find out what these words mean is to look them up in Strong's Concordance and see how the Bible uses them. There's nothing like doing the research and finding out the truth about things things for yourself. You will find that neither the soul nor the spirit of man is called immortal or eternal prior to the second coming and the resurrection. Nor are these things conscious entities apart from the breathing, living person. God speaks to our souls and spirits when he speaks to the spiritual part of our beings-- that this, to our minds and hearts. Without our minds, i.e., our brains, God has no way of communicating with us. That is why it is so important to keep our minds-- our central nervous system-- healthy and in good working order. Quote John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Members rudywoofs (Pam) Posted October 14, 2006 Author Members Posted October 14, 2006 Quote: the best way to find out what these words mean is to look them up in Strong's Concordance and see how the Bible uses them. There's nothing like doing the research and finding out the truth about things things for yourself. okay. I do not have a strong's dictionary but I have websters. I will look things up for myself. I never meant to be a bother. Quote Pam Meddle Not In the Affairs of Dragons; for You Are Crunchy and Taste Good with Ketchup. If we all sang the same note in the choir, there'd never be any harmony. Funny, isn't it, how we accept Grace for ourselves and demand justice for others?
D. Allan Posted October 14, 2006 Posted October 14, 2006 Quote: I do not have a strong's dictionary but I have websters. I will look things up for myself. I never meant to be a bother. You're no bother, woofs. Besides, those who have Strong's should help those who have Webster's. I read that, or something like that, somewhere... Keep looking up. Quote dAb O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!
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