Understanding of Soul and Spirit....
Hebrews 4.12 says the two can be divided,
It does, however, the issue to discuss is whether the "soul" in view refers to an immaterial aspect as many view it to be. I will suggest to you that it does not.
In view is the separation of the soul (the person as a whole in the physical body, which is comprised of the spirit and the flesh) and the spirit (which is the immaterial aspect of man's make-up), and in view is...death.
Hebrews 4:12
King James Version (KJV)
12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The "joints and marrow" points to the concept, I believe, of basically the body as "joined" and "that which is within."
As a further point to support a view that physical death is in view, I would point out that this is basically a concluding statement that follows about a chapter and a half of the example of the Children of Israel...dying in the Wilderness.
And they died because they rejected the Word and will of God.
this leads me to believe they are the same until you are born again, at which time there is division and the spirit in you is now made alive by the Spirit of God..
The New Birth is the spiritual resurrection of the dead spirit of man, not a dividing asunder.
Men have no life associated with their spirit until Regeneration takes place.
We are "added to," lol, not taken away from in the New Birth. And nothing is ever said about "the soul" in relation to New Birth.
1 thes. 5.23, I pray God your whole spirit , soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ...
That is about the only verse in all of Scripture one can look to to try to prove a trichotomy of man.
And one has to overlook an entire Bible filled with verses that we can see the context is clearly speaking of the entire person as a whole when they are called souls. Here are a few examples which are at the higher end of the list, which cannot be debated as to meaning:
Genesis 12:5
King James Version (KJV)
5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
Genesis 46:15
King James Version (KJV)
15 These be the sons of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob in Padanaram, with his daughter Dinah: all the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty and three.
Genesis 46:25-27
King James Version (KJV)
25 These are the sons of Bilhah, which Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and she bare these unto Jacob: all the souls were seven.
26 All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob's sons' wives, all the souls were threescore and six;
27 And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.
Exodus 12:4
King James Version (KJV)
4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
Acts 2:41
King James Version (KJV)
41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Acts 7:14
King James Version (KJV)
14 Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.
Acts 14:21-22
King James Version (KJV)
21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch,
22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
And one more:
Acts 27:37
King James Version (KJV)
37 And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls.
I will just make the point that when God created man He formed his body, and breathed life into him, and man became a living soul (person). He was not given a soul, but was made a soul (living person).
Should we not take that into consideration when we seek to understand the Word of God as a whole? And the difference we will see if we do understand this is that we will not indulge in imposing into a context an eternal perspective, particularly in the Old Testament, where the context as a whole deals with man in the physical plane.
Hence, when a "soul goes into the grave," or pit, or goes to "sleep" with his father, in view is physical death, not commentary on what became of the immaterial aspect of man.
... 1 cor. 2.14,15 .. But the Natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God for they are follishness unto him., neither can he know them, because they are Spiritually discerned..
This passage is primarily a context of the Revelation of the Mystery of the Gospel of Christ. Paul makes the point that the Gospel is the Hidden Wisdom of God in a Mystery, not the wisdom of even the rulers of the earth. The rulers were ignorant of it, because it was hidden wisdom, and that this wsdom is revealed to men by the Spirit of God. Just as Christ speaks of the Comforter bringing conviction upon unbelievers, even so here, the natural man (the unregenerate) cannot perceive the spiritual things of God, so it must be revealed to him by the Spirit. That is the only way God has ever revealed spiritual things.
But he also makes the point no man was privy to it, twice very clearly.
Here...
1 Corinthians 2
King James Version (KJV)
1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation.
He also clarifies this is the Hidden (unrevealed) Wisdom of God with a quote:
9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
And he shows how this Hidden Wisdom is revealed:
10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
There is really nothing relevant to trying to determine if the "soul" is a reference to the person as a whole, or whether it is a reference to another immaterial aspect of man's make-up. And I will say that it is still proper to call the spirit a "soul," because it is the spirit of man that is the person. We see "souls" in Heaven, which is why some people think that when a person dies their "soul" goes to Heaven. Properly it is when a person dies, "That soul" goes to Heaven.
And even today when a shipwreck occurs, the people on board are referred to as souls, just as Luke refers to those on a ship.
Anyway, I know not many are going to take the time to look at this issue, but, if you simply word-search "soul" and "souls" on
Biblegateway, it makes for an interesting study. See if the texts do not make more sense understanding them, as the above references make clear, as a reference simply to the person.
God bless.
