CHAPTER 8 – The Human Body, Soul, and Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah). AMP
I know there is much discussion – agreement and disagreement on the following study. Just how important to a human being is their having ALL their parts i.e. a body, a soul, AND a spirit? Can a human be complete without one part of their being? Notice in the preceding Scripture that we humans must be found “complete!” We absolutely know that God the Holy Spirit put together the innards of our physical body at our conception and also the spirit that God the Holy Spirit forms in us at that time helps us to become a complete living person with a physical body, a soul/personality, and a supernatural spirit. The Bible has much to say about this. Let’s see if we can make heads or tails of this controversy. Let’s start with the human body:
Psalms 139:13-15 {King David speaking} For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well. 15 My {skeletal} frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery] {because I was formed from the dust of the earth. AMP
Genesis 2:7 Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath {for physical life and} or spirit of life {for spiritual life}, and man became a {complete} living being {/person/ soul depending on the translation}. [1 Cor 15:45-49.] AMP
I believe that most Christians do NOT have as much and as clear knowledge about God and His role in ALL of His Creation as we should have. Almost every Christian knows John 3:16 by heart but we pay little attention to the first part of the verse – “For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world{/kosmos – the universe i.e. ALL of His creation}. AMP I believe the Bible must be taken in this context to have a better understanding of God and His love and work in His creation!!! This is another study and I will not do much with it now.
I believe the Genesis 2:7 Scripture reveals God the Holy Spirit’s role in nature – including the process of photosynthesis – to not only give man the breath of life, but also all of the other creatures who need the breath of life – oxygen – to live.
Psalms 104:30 When You send forth Your Spirit and give them breath {in physical reproduction}, they {Your creatures} are created, and {they live and} You replenish the face of the ground. AMP
Psalms 104:29 When You hide Your face, they are troubled and dismayed; when You take away their breath {from Your creatures}, they die and return to their dust. AMP
Genesis 2:7 also shares with us that God the Holy Spirit gives all naturally conceived humans a spirit which makes that individual a complete person. This is VERY important to know and understand as much as we can about how this ALL works! I also believe other creatures have a “spirit” formed by God the Holy Spirit in their zygote which enables them to function by instinct – “an inherent capacity of an organism to make a complex and specific response to environmental stimuli without involving reason.”
2 Peter 2:12 But these [people]! Like unreasoning beasts, mere creatures of instinct, born [only] to be captured and destroyed, railing at things of which they are ignorant, they shall utterly perish in their [own] corruption [in their destroying they shall surely be destroyed], AMP
The Human Body:
Scripture also compares the members/parts of the human body to the members of the Body of Christ – His Church:
1 Corinthians 12:12-27 For just as the body is a unity and yet has many parts, and all the parts, though many, form [only] one body, so it is with Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). 13 For by [means of the personal agency of] one [Holy] Spirit we were all, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, baptized [and by baptism united together] into one body, and all made to drink of one [Holy] Spirit. 14 For the body does not consist of one limb or organ but of many.
15 If the foot should say, Because I am not the hand, I do not belong to the body, would it be therefore not [a part] of the body? 16 If the ear should say, Because I am not the eye, I do not belong to the body, would it be therefore not [a part] of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, where [would be the sense of] hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where [would be the sense of] smell? 18 But as it is, God has placed and arranged the limbs and organs in the body, each [particular one] of them, just as He wished and saw fit and with the best adaptation. 19 But if [the whole] were all a single organ, where would the body be? 20 And now there are [certainly] many limbs and organs, but a single body. 21 And the eye is not able to say to the hand, I have no need of you, nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
22 But instead, there is [absolute] necessity for the parts of the body that are considered the more weak. 23 And those [parts] of the body which we consider rather ignoble are [the very parts] which we invest with additional honor, and our unseemly parts and those unsuitable for exposure are treated with seemliness (modesty and decorum), 24 Which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so adjusted (mingled, harmonized, and subtly proportioned the parts of) the whole body, giving the greater honor and richer endowment to the inferior parts which lack [apparent importance], 25 So that there should be no division or discord or lack of adaptation [of the parts of the body to each other], but the members all alike should have a mutual interest in and care for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the parts [share] the suffering; if one member is honored, all the members [share in] the enjoyment of it. 27 Now you [collectively] are Christ’s body and [individually] you are members of it, each part severally and distinct [each with his own place and function]. AMP
The Human Soul:
To me, the human soul/self/personality is part of one’s body. While the naturally conceived human is created by God and the Bible shares that God possibly created my soul, I have trouble with my soul being anything more than who I am – myself/my personality/me. . For whatever reasons, the Bible translators do not give a clear definition for soul as seen by the following verse as found in different translations.
Jeremiah 38:16 So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, saying, “As the Lord lives, who made our very souls, I will not put you to death, nor will I give you into the hand of these men who seek your life.” NKJV
Jeremiah 38:16 So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, As the Lord lives, Who made our lives, I will not put you to death or give you into the hands of these men who seek your life. AMP
Let me share an example of what I believe is your soul. This may not sound right, but please think about this. You are sitting a half block from a street corner and a person starts walking across the street at the corner and by his bodily appearance, it appears to be Joe but because of the distance, I cannot be sure. Joe is walking, talking, and gesturing with another person. As he talks and gestures to that person, I can clearly discern by his actions that it is my friend Joe.
The Human Soul and Spirit:
We now come to two very controversial parts of a human’s makeup. I believe the human soul and spirit are TWO separate entities:
Hebrews 4:12 For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart. AMP
The human spirit which resides in a person for their life span does NOT belong to that person! It is formed by God at each person’s conception, and it returns to God upon their death as His possession. The forming and placing of one’s spirit in a human body is a monumental occurrence i.e. on the level of creation itself and is of utmost importance in each naturally conceived human being.
Zechariah 12:1 THE BURDEN or oracle (the thing to be lifted up) of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus says the Lord, Who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him: AMP
Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then shall the dust [out of which God made man’s body] return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to God Who gave it. AMP
What is the purpose of a person’s spirit? I believe the purposes of the human spirit are twofold. I believe the human spirit is used by God for man to be able to communicate with Him even BEFORE one is “Born Again:”
1 Corinthians 2:10-16 Yet to us God has unveiled and revealed them by and through His Spirit, for the [Holy] Spirit searches diligently, exploring and examining everything, even sounding the profound and bottomless things of God [the divine counsels and things hidden and beyond man’s scrutiny].
11 For what person perceives (knows and understands) what passes through a man’s thoughts except the man’s own spirit within him? Just so no one discerns (comes to know and comprehend) the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have not received the spirit [that belongs to] the world, but the [Holy] Spirit Who is from God, [given to us] that we might realize and comprehend and appreciate the gifts [of divine favor and blessing so freely and lavishly] bestowed on us by God.
13 And we are setting these truths forth in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the [Holy] Spirit, combining and interpreting spiritual truths with spiritual language [to those who possess the Holy Spirit].
14 But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated {They do NOT have any intellectual clue as to God, His spirituality and His Kingdom!}.
15 But the spiritual man tries all things [he examines, investigates, inquires into, questions, and discerns all things], yet is himself to be put on trial and judged by no one [he can read the meaning of everything, but no one can properly discern or appraise or get an insight into him].
16 For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart. [Isa 40:13.] AMP
And one’s spirit is an eternal record of the individual’s total and complete life from conception to death used by God for that person’s complete history and judgement.
John 3:18 He who believes in Him [who clings to, trusts in, relies on Him] is not judged [he who trusts in Him never comes up for judgment; for him there is no rejection, no condemnation — he incurs no damnation]; but he who does not believe (cleave to, rely on, trust in Him) is judged already [he has already been convicted and has already received his sentence] because he has not believed in and trusted in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [He is condemned for refusing to let his trust rest in Christ’s name.] AMP
Let’s review. I know there are MANY different thoughts and opinions about the human body, soul, and spirit, but I will give my simple definitions for body, soul, and spirit. The human body is the material part of our being and is made up of our visible and invisible physical parts from our feet to the hairs on one’s head. ALL normal humans have bodies that have the SAME physical characteristics – skin, color of one’s skin, bones, head with brain, hair, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, our internal organs, private parts, arms, hands, feet, legs, etc.
Psalms 139:13-15 {King David speaking to God – Your Holy Spirit….} did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery]. AMP
There is considerable debate about a person’s soul and spirit. Simply put, I believe one’s body and soul are separate but function as one entity. I believe a person’s soul is each individual’s personality which includes their intellect and the intent of their spiritual heart – it is what makes each one of us individually different one from another. Many Christians believe one’s soul is immortal/lives forever. I do NOT believe this!
Ezekiel 18:4 {God speaking} Behold, all souls are Mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine; the soul that sins, it shall die {but one’s spirit does NOT die and returns to God thus making soul and spirit different and separate!}. [Rom 6:23.] AMP
Ezekiel 18:20 The soul that sins, it [is the one that] shall die. The son shall not bear and be punished for the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear and be punished for the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him only, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon the wicked only. AMP
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, NIV
Romans 6:23 For the wages which sin pays is death, but the [bountiful] free gift of God is eternal life through (in union with) Jesus Christ our Lord. AMP
I believe it all depends on what the human soul actually is and what the resurrected body is like – does it have a soul? I believe it is radically different! While we might look similar to what we were before our death, we will have a spiritual supernatural “glorified body” capable of doing things that we never even thought of.
1 Corinthians 15:42-44 So it is with the resurrection of the dead. [The body] that is sown is perishable and decays, but [the body] that is resurrected is imperishable (immune to decay, immortal). [Dan 12:3.] 43 It is sown in dishonor and humiliation; it is raised in honor and glory. It is sown in infirmity and weakness; it is resurrected in strength and endued with power. 44 It is sown a natural (physical) body; it is raised a supernatural (a spiritual) body. [As surely as] there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. AMP
Our resurrected personality will be quite different from who we even was as a “new creation.” The Bible states that the body and the soul do go together, but it is God Who can separate and destroy BOTH body and soul. Please not that each naturally conceived person’s spirit belongs to God and is IMMORTAL!!!
Matthew 10:28 And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather be afraid of Him {God} who can destroy both soul {personality} and {physical} body in hell (Gehenna). AMP
Ecclesiastes 12:7 {Upon one’s death} Then shall the dust [out of which God made man’s body] return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to God Who gave it {at their conception. The human spirit is for communing with God the Holy Spirit [cf. 1 Corinthians 2:9-16] and to give God a complete record of every nanosecond of one’s life as a record for one’s judgement [cf. John 3:18]}. AMP
Many Christians believe their soul and their spirit are inseparable or even one and the same. I do NOT believe this!!! At your conception, God the Holy Spirit incorporated your spirit into but separate from your physical body {your body – Psalms 139:13; your spirit – Zechariah 12:1}, and your spirit returns to God upon your/my death. God is the lifelong owner and possessor of the spirit of each naturally conceived human being.
Hebrews 4:12 For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life {which is mortal} (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts {intellect} and purposes of the {spiritual} heart {which are part of one’s soul}. AMP
Zechariah 12:1 THE BURDEN or oracle (the thing to be lifted up) of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus says the Lord, Who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him {at his/her conception}: AMP
Ecclesiastes 12:7 {Upon one’s death} Then shall the dust [out of which God made man’s body] return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to God Who gave it {at their conception. The human spirit is for communing with God the Holy Spirit [cf. 1 Corinthians 2:9-16] and to give God a complete record of every nanosecond of one’s life as a record for one’s judgement [cf. John 3:18]}. AMP
Hebrews 12:9 Moreover, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we yielded [to them] and respected [them for training us]. Shall we not much more cheerfully submit to the Father of {our and animal [Ecclesiastes 3:21]} spirits and so [truly] live? AMP
As I have been sharing, each naturally conceived human baby has two distinct and separate natures – a physical nature and a spiritual nature. This is the only translation that mentions the two natures together.
Genesis 2:7 Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath {from the God created process of photosynthesis giving man oxygen to have a physical nature and} or spirit of life {from God the Holy Spirit giving man life for a spiritual nature}, and man became a living being. [1 Cor 15:45-49.] AMP
Man MUST take into consideration God’s part in the reproduction process of ALL of His creatures in creation. The Bible does not share much about God’s reproductive work in all of His creation, but we must not put God in a box. Somehow in an IVF baby the physical breath of life comes into it giving it physical life but the spirit of life cannot come into it because it does not have a God formed spirit to receive it. I know this statement will cause MUCH discussion but please pray it through!
Scripture is not too clear about the physical nature and the spiritual nature, but let’s try to clear up any confusion: to be a complete human, man MUST have a SPIRIT!!! All naturally conceived humans have a God formed spirit. An IVF generated baby/person is a counterfeit – an imitation incomplete human without a human spirit thus unable to communicate with God on spiritual things!!! Pray and think about the following Scriptures.
Job 33:4 [It is] the Spirit of God that made me [which has stirred me up], and the breath of the Almighty that gives me {physical} life [which inspires me]. AMP
John 6:63 {Jesus speaking} It is the Spirit Who gives {spiritual} life [He is the Life-giver]; the flesh conveys no benefit whatever [there is no profit in it {without the spirit}]. The words (truths) that I have been speaking to you are spirit and life. AMP
As I was praying and thinking about the above texts, I realized the uniqueness of man in all of God’s creatures is his spirit and his intellect as represented in the redeemed by the sound mind of Christ. The combination of these two enables redeemed man to worship and serve God in His Kingdom work here on earth.
At the beginning of this study, I used the Scripture from Isaiah 55:11 where God the Father is speaking, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord.” Educated man has a tendency to elevate himself ABOVE God thus literally putting God in man’s BOX to manipulate Him to fit one’s own thoughts and beliefs even to the point of believing there is NO God. Let’s use the sound mind of Christ to try to give the complete context of James 2:26 its proper meaning when used with John 6:63.
James 2:26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. NASU
John 6:63 {Jesus speaking} It is the Spirit Who gives {spiritual} life [He is the Life-giver]; the flesh conveys no benefit whatever [there is no profit in it {without the spirit}]. The words (truths) that I have been speaking to you are spirit and life. AMP
Can you now see and understand the necessity for a human to have a spirit?
As I was praying over, studying and thinking about the Scriptures used in the last portion of this booklet, I realized they were prophetic in nature and had come to fruition in 1978 when an infertility clinic produced the first In Vetro Fertilization offspring. IVF babies do NOT have a spirit which enables one to communicate with God. They CANNOT be saved/redeemed!!! These subsequent IVF babies become people that are described in:
Revelation 17:8 “And the inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been recorded in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world will be astonished when they look at the beast, because he [once] was, but [now] is no more, and he is [yet] to come.” [Dan 7:3.] AMP
This Scripture reveals that these IVF people were NOT foreknown nor preplanned by God! They are illegitimate and Satan’s ultimate modern victory by producing counterfeit imitation incomplete humans who cannot spiritually worship and serve God. Follow along and as you read the rest of this booklet, you will see all of this fall into place.
Lastly, we have a very damning Scripture that shares with us that IF our body does NOT have a “spirit,” it is dead/lifeless. I believe this does NOT mean it is physically dead, but that it cannot function in God’s spiritual realm!
James 2:26 for just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. NASU
To me, this Scripture can have two meanings. The “spirit” can be equated to the “breath of life” without which one does physically die or is already physically dead.
James 2:26 “Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.” NLT
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 being. NKJV
Psalms 104:29 When You hide Your face, they are troubled and dismayed; when You take away their breath {and their spirit returns to God}, they die and return to their dust. AMP
Or as I study the above Scripture, IF the IVF baby is without a human spirit and is spiritually dead/lifeless, that person cannot commune with God the Holy Spirit to come to have spiritual faith in God to do foreordained ministry/works for God thus making them spiritually dead/lifeless – separated from God!
1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned {unable to know the difference} and estimated {unable to judge} and appreciated {unable to grow in knowledge}. AMP.
I believe one’s human spirit enables us to communicate with God the Holy Spirit Who initiates our spiritual faith in God. Without a human spirit, we are spiritually dead/lifeless to God and unable to have spiritual faith in Him to be saved.
John 16:8 And when He {God the Holy Spirit} comes, He will convict and convince the world {unsaved sinners} and bring demonstration to it about sin and about righteousness (uprightness of heart and right standing with God) and about judgment: AMP
John 3:5-7 Jesus answered, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a man is born of water and [even] the Spirit, he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God. [Ezek 36:25-27.] 6 What is born of [from] the flesh is flesh [of the physical is physical]; and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not [do not be surprised, astonished] at My telling you, You must all be born anew (from above). AMP