Are the Soul and the Spirit One and the Same? FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Are the Soul and the spirit one and the same?

“I believe, as majority of the people do, that the soul and the spirit are one and the same. But, one of the members of your Church told me that they are different. Is our soul also our spirit?”

“THE IGLESIA NI CRISTO” ANSWERS

The Bible teaches that the soul is different from the spirit. This is what the Holy Scripture says in Hebrews 4:12:

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning that thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Revised Standard Version)

Man’s whole being is composed of spirit, soul, and body as taught by Apostle Paul in I Thessalonians 5:23:

“May the God who gives us peace make you holy in every way and keep your whole being—spirit, soul, and body—free from every fault at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Today’s English Version)

(1) The body – the flesh created from dust:

“And the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” (Genesis 6:3 New King James Version)

“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 being.” (Genesis 2:7 NKJV)

(2) The Soul – the inner nature, inner person, inner man:

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day.” (II Corinto 4:16 RSV)

“Therefore we do not despair,o but even if our physical body is wearing away, our inner person is being renewed day by day.” (New English Translation)

“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our B inner man is C being renewed day by day.” (New American Standard Updated Edition)

(3) The Spirit – the breath of life:

“All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.” (Genesis 7:22 KJV)

“All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils.” (Job 27:3 KJV)

“As long as I have life within me, the breath of God in my nostrils.” (Job 27:3 New International Version)

Thus, the soul and the spirit are not one and the same. The Bible teaches us that “soul” is the “inner person” or the “inner nature” and “spirit” is the “breath of life.”


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