Man's Soul
December 6, 2017
David Cloud, Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061
866-295-4143,
fbns@wayoflife.org
The following is from the new Believer’s Bible Dictionary, which is available in print and eBook editions from www.wayoflife.org.

Believer's_Bible_Dictionary_200_308
The word soul has various meanings in Scripture. (Every Bible word must be defined by its context.) Sometimes soul refers to biological life in general. In this sense, the Hebrew word translated soul (nephesh) is used for animals (Ge. 1:20-24). But animals are never said to have a soul like man has a soul. Sometimes soul refers to the whole man (Ge. 2:7; Le. 17:12). Often, though, it refers to the immaterial part of man that exists beyond death.

The Soul Is the Immaterial Part of Man that Exists after Death. O.T. examples of the soul as an immaterial part of the man are seen in Ge. 35:18 and 1 Ki. 17:21-22. In Ge. 35:18, Rachel’s soul departed when she died. In 1 Ki. 17:21-22, the boy’s soul departed when he died and returned when he was raised from the dead. In the N.T., the word “soul” is also used to describe a spiritual part of man distinct from his body (Mt. 10:28; 1 Th. 5:23; Re. 6:9).

The Characteristics of the Soul. The soul thinks (Ge. 49:6); it can sin (Le. 4:2); it can love God and keep His commandments (De. 6:5; 10:12; 11:13); it can meditate upon God’s words (De. 11:18); it can love a friend (1 Sa. 18:1-3); it can trust in God (Ps. 57:1; 63:1); it can be chastened with fasting (Ps. 69:10). The soul is particularly associated with man’s feelings and desires. The soul can be hungry (Is. 29:8), can experience romantic love and friendship (Ge. 34:3; 1 Sa. 18:1-3), can be discouraged because of difficulty (Nu. 21:4). The soul can be “anguished” (Ge. 42:21), “dried out” (Nu. 11:6), “grieved” (Ju. 10:16; Job 30:25), “cast down” (Ps. 43:5). The soul can “lust” (De. 12:15), “long” (De. 12:20), and “thirst for God” (Ps. 42:2).

What is the Difference between Soul and Spirit? The “soul” is used in close association with the “spirit” (Job 7:11; Isa. 26:9). In some cases the “soul” appears to be be a synonym for the “spirit.” The same is true for the heart. The soul is closely associated with the heart. It appears that the heart is part of the soul. They are used together 27 times (De. 4:9, 29; 6:5; 10:12; 11:13, 18; 13:3; 26:16; 30:2, 6, 10; Jos. 22:5; 1 Ki. 2:4; 8:48; 2 Ki. 23:3, 25; 1 Ch. 22:19; 2 Ch. 6:38; 15:12; 34:31; Psa. 13:2; 24:4; 84:2; Pr. 2:10; 24:12; Je. 4:19; 32:41). Sometimes heart and reins are used to describe man’s inner being (Je. 11:20; 12:2; 17:10; 20:12). These terms appear to be used interchangeably at times to refer to the inner man. But the N.T. makes a plain distinction between soul and spirit. It says that man has both a soul and a spirit (1 Th. 5:23), and the soul can be divided from the spirit (He. 4:12). It appears from Hebrews 4:12 that the spirit is “inside” the soul as the marrow is inside the joints or bones. The soul is the “outer part” of the inner, immaterial man. As we have seen, the soul is the part of man that relates to the world. It lusts, hungers, loves, joys, fears, sorrows. It is emotional and therefore unstable (Psa. 119:25, 28, 81, 109). The spirit of man is also affected by emotions (2 Co. 2:13), but the spirit of man is the deepest part of man; it is that which communes with God. The spirit is where the Lord dwells in the believer and where He communes with us (Ro. 8:16; 2 Ti. 4:22). It is with the spirit that we seek God (Is. 26:9). It is by the spirit that we search the heart (Ps. 77:6; 1 Co. 2:11). The spirit is the wellspring of man’s being. “We may use the illustration of three concentric circles: The outer circle refers to the body. Our body is our outer part containing the five senses with which we contact all the things of the physical, material realm. The middle circle refers to the soul. The soul is our inner part containing the mind, emotion and will with which we contact all the things of the psychological realm. The inner circle refers to the spirit. The spirit is the innermost part with which we contact God and substantiate all the things of the spiritual realm” (Tom Smith, What Is the Difference between the Soul and Spirit of Man? holdingtotruth.com).

There are two important applications to this teaching. First, God intends for man to walk in the spirit so that man’s spirit, surrendered to God’s Spirit, controls his soul and body. The heart and the soul affect the spirit (Pr. 15:13), but the spirit should control the heart and the soul. See Ps. 42:5; Pr. 23:19. Consider the example of Mary’s praise (Lk. 1:46-47). It could be said that Mary’s rejoicing spirit moved her soul to praise God. “Mary lived and acted in her spirit, which directed her soul” (“What Is the Difference between the Soul and the Spirit?” Bibles for America, Feb. 2, 2014). Second, the Word of God can cut through man’s being, through the turmoil of the soul, to bring peace by His presence in the spirit (2 Ti. 4:22).

It also appears that
soul and spirit point to a major difference between the natural body and the resurrection body. The natural body is largely soulish, whereas the resurrection body is spiritual (1 Co. 15:45). This means that the resurrection body is totally oriented to the spirit. The natural body has a spirit within the soul, but the spirit is often overwhelmed by and controlled by the soul. The resurrection body will be oriented in an entirely different manner so as to be completely dominated by the spiritual realm. [See also Death, Heart, Hell, Immortal, Mind, Spirit.]



- Receive these reports by email
- www.wayoflife.org

______________________

Sharing Policy: Much of our material is available for free, such as the hundreds of articles at the Way of Life web site. Other items we sell to help fund our expensive literature and foreign church planting ministries. Way of Life's content falls into two categories: sharable and non-sharable. Things that we encourage you to share include the audio sermons, O Timothy magazine, FBIS articles, and the free eVideos and free eBooks. You are welcome to make copies of these at your own expense and share them with friends and family. You may also post parts of reports and/or entire reports to websites, blogs, etc as long as you give proper credit (citation). A link to the original report is very much appreciated as the reports are frequently updated and/or expanded. Things we do not want copied and distributed are "Store" items like the Fundamental Baptist Digital Library, print editions of our books, electronic editions of the books that we sell, the videos that we sell, etc. The items have taken years to produce at enormous expense in time and money, and we use the income from sales to help fund the ministry. We trust that your Christian honesty will preserve the integrity of this policy. "For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward" (1 Timothy 5:18). Questions? support@wayoflife.org

Goal:Distributed by Way of Life Literature Inc., the Fundamental Baptist Information Service is an e-mail posting for Bible-believing Christians. Established in 1974, Way of Life Literature is a fundamental Baptist preaching and publishing ministry based in Bethel Baptist Church, London, Ontario, of which Wilbert Unger is the founding Pastor. Brother Cloud lives in South Asia where he has been a church planting missionary since 1979. Our primary goal with the FBIS is to provide material to assist preachers in the edification and protection of the churches.

Offering: Offerings are welcome if you care to make one. If you have been helped and/or blessed by our material offerings can be mailed or made online with with Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or Paypal. For information see: www.wayoflife.org/about/makeanoffering.html.



Bible College
Information
Way of Life Literature
Publisher of Bible Study Materials
Way of Life Literature
Publisher of Bible Study Materials
Way of Life Bible College