The Body, Soul and Spirit.

There are a lot of misconceptions regarding what man is made up of. This is because there are so many beliefs and theories. All these are attached to different backgrounds, religion, culture and schools of thought. To understand the soul, body and spirit let us refer to what the scriptures say.

The bible confirms that man is made up of the body, soul and Spirit. Moreover, we are created in the image and likeness of God.

Genesis 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.

Let’s understand each in detail:

THE BODY

The body is the physical, fleshly outer appearance of man. The body of Adam was created out of the dust of the ground. Therefore, we were all formed out of the dust of the ground.

Genesis 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.

After the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, man lost the gift of eternal life. The curse of death befell man. Adam brought sin and death and so every man must die. It therefore follows that the body is temporal, mortal and after death it goes back to the ground.

Genesis 3:19. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

However, At the Rapture, The faithful and repented Christians in the New Covenant will escape physical death. This is because their bodies will be translated from mortal into immortal, from corruptible to incorruptible. Please see our teachings and sermons on the RAPTURE.

THE SOUL

As we have seen, man is actually a living soul (Genesis 2:7). God breathed life into the Body after creation. Our emotions, behavior, personalities, feelings, gifts, abilities and interactions are of the Soul. Our bodies just express them.  

The soul is eternal, immortal and it lives beyond the departure of the natural body. There is a popular saying that goes ‘’You are your soul and not your body’’. In the resurrection, the saints will be given new spiritual bodies. In addition, your new body will be tangible and will your new outlook into eternity.

As we have mentioned, the soul lives on after the body and let’s see an example:

Rachel, the wife of Jacob died while giving birth to Benjamin. The scriptures tell us that her soul departed.

Genesis 35:16-18. 16And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour. 17And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also. 18And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.

You shall love the Lord with all your Heart, with all your Soul and all your Strength.

Deuteronomy 6:5. And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

It’s the Soul that goes to Hell (Sheol) or Heaven.

Psalms 16:10. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Psalms 34:22. The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

THE SPIRIT

The spirit of man is not the same as the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not the same as the human Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes upon repented and faithful born-again believers at the Lord’s appointed time. An example is when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples at Pentecost Acts 2:2-4). Please see our teachings and sermons on the HOLY SPIRIT.

The Spirit is the invincible, none-physical part of a person. The Spirit is the innermost part of man and is what makes us human. At conception, God puts a human spirit in you and its what makes you human. Furthermore, all of God’s living creations have spirits including animals.

Ecclesiastes 3:19-22. 19For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. 20All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. 21Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? At death, the Spirit goes back to God who gave it.

Ecclesiastes: 12:7. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

I hope that you now have a better understanding of the Body, Soul and Spirit. Shalom.