The Soul of God?

[Anthony Pritchard]

The Soul of God?

Among the many discussions concerning soul and spirit, a question occurred to me that at first seems unusual, but upon reflection may prove quite important:

Does God have a soul?

The question is not intended to be speculative. Rather, it arises from a continuing discussion regarding how God communicates with man and through what faculty man responds to Him.

Many theological systems place significant emphasis upon the soul. Some suggest that God's drawing, conviction, and illumination operate primarily through the soul while the spirit remains spiritually dead.

Before embracing such a conclusion, however, a simpler question should be asked:

If man's communion with God occurs through the soul, does God Himself possess a soul with which to commune?

God Is Spirit

When Christ spoke to the Samaritan woman, He made one of the clearest statements in Scripture concerning the nature of God:

"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." John 4:24

Notice what Jesus does not say. He does not say God is a soul. He does not say worship must be conducted through the soul. He says God is Spirit, and therefore those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.

The connection appears straightforward. If God is Spirit, then it would be expected that man's fellowship with God would occur in the realm of the spirit.

Indeed, this is precisely how Scripture repeatedly describes it.

Spirit to Spirit

Paul writes:

"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." Romans 8:16

The language is remarkably precise. God's Spirit bears witness with our spirit. The apostle does not say God's Spirit bears witness with our soul.

Again he writes:

"But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit." 1 Corinthians 6:17

Not one soul. One spirit.

The union is explicitly spiritual.

Likewise:

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Corinthians 2:14

The things under discussion are spiritual things. The discernment under discussion is spiritual discernment. The realm under discussion is spiritual.

The pattern is difficult to miss.

God is Spirit. Worship is in spirit.

The Spirit bears witness with our spirit. Union with Christ is one spirit.

The things of God are spiritually discerned.

Scripture repeatedly places man's relationship with God in the realm of the spirit.

Soul and Spirit Distinguished

The soul is certainly real, and Scripture clearly distinguishes it from the spirit.

Paul writes:

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 5:23

Likewise:

"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..." Hebrews 4:12

Soul and spirit are not identical.

Yet distinction does not require confusion of function.

The soul is the seat of personality, intellect, emotions, desires, and self-awareness. Through the soul we experience ourselves and the world around us.

In simple terms:

The soul is body-wise. The spirit is God-wise.

The soul is Body-Consciousness; the spirit is God-Consciousness.

Through the spirit man stands in relation to God.

This distinction helps explain why Scripture consistently moves into the realm of the spirit whenever worship, communion, union, witness, and spiritual discernment are discussed.

The Missing Text

This brings us to a significant observation.

While Scripture repeatedly describes spirit-to-Spirit communion, where is the passage describing soul-to-God communion?

Where does Scripture teach that God's drawing operates through the soul rather than through the spirit? Where does Scripture say that the soul receives spiritual realities independently of the spirit?

Scripture distinguishes soul and spirit. Scripture discusses the activities of the soul. Scripture discusses the activities of the spirit.

What Scripture does not do is assign spiritual communion with God to the soul.

That role consistently belongs to the spirit.

The Real Problem of Fallen Man

The importance of this distinction becomes even clearer when discussing salvation.

The lost man unquestionably possesses soul-life, or body-consciousness.

He thinks.
Reasons.
Chooses.
Plans.
Loves.
Hates.
Fears.
Remembers.
Imagines.
Regrets.

No one argues that the unbeliever lacks these capacities. Yet despite possessing all of them, he remains lost.

Why?

Because man's problem is not a lack of soul-life. His problem is separation from the life of God.

Paul writes:

"Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart." Ephesians 4:18

The problem is not alienation from soul-life. The problem is alienation from the life of God.

The issue is therefore spiritual. Likewise, salvation is not the acquisition of soul-life.

The sinner already possesses soul-life. Salvation is the reception of spiritual life from God.

This distinction requires an important clarification.

To say that man is spiritually dead does not mean that he lacks a spirit. Nor does it mean that the spirit has ceased to exist.

Death in Scripture is separation, not annihilation. The spiritually dead man remains body, soul, and spirit. His spirit exists, but it is separated from the life of God.

Jesus said:

"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." John 6:63

Paul likewise writes:

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:2

The life received is spiritual life. The death overcome is spiritual death. The contrast throughout Scripture is not soul-life versus spirit-life. Rather, it is spiritual death versus spiritual life.

The Implications

If the relationship between God and man is fundamentally spiritual, several conclusions follow.

The life that saves is spiritual life. The death that condemns is spiritual death.

The witness of God is spiritual. Union with Christ is spiritual.

Worship is spiritual. Discernment is spiritual.

And because God is Spirit, all communion with Him must ultimately be spiritual.

This does not mean the soul is uninvolved. When God works upon a man, his entire person is affected. His thoughts are engaged. His emotions are stirred. His will is confronted. His conscience is awakened.

But those effects do not change the nature of the relationship itself.

The relationship remains spirit to Spirit.

A Question Worth Asking

This brings us back to the title of this article.

Does God have a soul?

Scripture presents Him as Spirit.

If that is true, then the burden rests upon anyone claiming that man's communication with God occurs primarily through the soul.

For the biblical testimony consistently points elsewhere.

God is Spirit

Man possesses both soul and spirit. The soul makes man conscious of himself and the world around him. The spirit makes man conscious of God.

And when Scripture speaks of worship, communion, witness, union, discernment, life, and relationship with God, it repeatedly directs our attention not to the soul, but to the spirit.

Perhaps that is why Christ did not say,

"God seeks those who worship Him in soul and truth."

He said:

"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." John 4:24

The relationship between God and man is not presented as soul to soul. It is presented as Spirit to spirit.

God is Spirit. Man possesses both soul and spirit.

The soul makes man conscious of himself and the world around him. The spirit makes man conscious of God.

The soul relates man to creation. The spirit relates man to the Creator.

Therefore when Scripture speaks of worship, communion, witness, discernment, union with Christ, and the life of God, it consistently directs our attention not to the soul, but to the spirit.

Non anima ad animam, sed spiritus ad spiritum - Not soul to soul, but spirit to spirit.

~Tony

© A.K. Pritchard 2026 - Free to use with proper attribution.

 

[percho]

@Anthony Pritchard


1 Cor 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

Will those changed be soul men or spiritual men?

 

[Anthony Pritchard]

1 Cor 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

Will those changed be soul men or spiritual men?

I would say neither in the sense of an either/or.

We shall still be complete men, possessing body, soul, and spirit. The change described in 1 Corinthians 15 is primarily the transformation of the body from corruption to incorruption, mortality to immortality.

Paul contrasts the "natural" (psychikos, soulish) with the "spiritual" (pneumatikos) in the resurrection context, but he is not teaching that the soul ceases to exist. Rather, the whole man becomes perfectly suited to the life of the Spirit.

Even now, believers possess a soul and a spirit. The soul has not vanished because we have been born again. Likewise, in the resurrection, we will not cease to be soul-bearing men. We will be glorified men whose bodies are fully conformed to the spiritual life already possessed in Christ.

My article's point is simply that communion with God is Spirit to spirit. The resurrection will not make us less spiritual, but more so. The spirit will no longer commune with God through a mortal, corrupted body, but through a glorified one.

So I would say that those changed will be complete men, body, soul, and spirit, yet fully spiritual in orientation and perfectly fitted for eternal fellowship with God.

 

[Mike B]

Wow. Great post @Anthony Pritchard . That's a lot to chew on.

 

[percho]

I would say neither in the sense of an either/or.

We shall still be complete men, possessing body, soul, and spirit. The change described in 1 Corinthians 15 is primarily the transformation of the body from corruption to incorruption, mortality to immortality.

Paul contrasts the "natural" (psychikos, soulish) with the "spiritual" (pneumatikos) in the resurrection context, but he is not teaching that the soul ceases to exist. Rather, the whole man becomes perfectly suited to the life of the Spirit.

Even now, believers possess a soul and a spirit. The soul has not vanished because we have been born again. Likewise, in the resurrection, we will not cease to be soul-bearing men. We will be glorified men whose bodies are fully conformed to the spiritual life already possessed in Christ.

My article's point is simply that communion with God is Spirit to spirit. The resurrection will not make us less spiritual, but more so. The spirit will no longer commune with God through a mortal, corrupted body, but through a glorified one.

So I would say that those changed will be complete men, body, soul, and spirit, yet fully spiritual in orientation and perfectly fitted for eternal fellowship with God.

I agree with the OP and also believe God neither has a soul nor is soul.

However did God become a living soul?

Was, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us , that is Jesus, God sent his Son born of woman, born under law, brought forth of the virgin as a living soul, in the figure of Adam?

The soul who sins it shall die Ezek 18:20 and of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou dost not eat of it, for in the day of thine eating of it -- dying thou dost die.' Gen 2:17

Was it the living soul Jesus who died for our sins?

 

[Anthony Pritchard]

Was it the living soul Jesus who died for our sins?

Yes, Christ died for us as a complete man, possessing body, soul, and spirit, while at the same time remaining fully God.

For that reason, His suffering was not merely physical. Upon the cross He cried, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" This was more than bodily pain. As our Sin-Bearer, Christ experienced the forsakenness and judgment that sin deserves.

If death is understood as separation, then the cross involved more than the separation of spirit from body. The Father turned His face away from the Son as He bore our sins. Though the eternal union of the Godhead was not broken, Christ entered into the deepest experience of abandonment possible for the God-Man.

Thus Christ died for us as a complete man, body, soul, and spirit. His suffering was physical, emotional, and spiritual. He drank the cup to its dregs and bore the full weight of our redemption.

Therefore, I would not say merely that a soul died for our sins, nor merely that a body died for our sins, but that Christ died for our sins. The God-Man gave Himself for us.

 

[MangoX]

The Soul of God?

Among the many discussions concerning soul and spirit, a question occurred to me that at first seems unusual, but upon reflection may prove quite important:

Does God have a soul?

The question is not intended to be speculative. Rather, it arises from a continuing discussion regarding how God communicates with man and through what faculty man responds to Him.

Many theological systems place significant emphasis upon the soul. Some suggest that God's drawing, conviction, and illumination operate primarily through the soul while the spirit remains spiritually dead.

Before embracing such a conclusion, however, a simpler question should be asked:

If man's communion with God occurs through the soul, does God Himself possess a soul with which to commune?

God Is Spirit

When Christ spoke to the Samaritan woman, He made one of the clearest statements in Scripture concerning the nature of God:

"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." John 4:24

Notice what Jesus does not say. He does not say God is a soul. He does not say worship must be conducted through the soul. He says God is Spirit, and therefore those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.

The connection appears straightforward. If God is Spirit, then it would be expected that man's fellowship with God would occur in the realm of the spirit.

Indeed, this is precisely how Scripture repeatedly describes it.

Spirit to Spirit

Paul writes:

"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." Romans 8:16

The language is remarkably precise. God's Spirit bears witness with our spirit. The apostle does not say God's Spirit bears witness with our soul.

Again he writes:

"But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit." 1 Corinthians 6:17

Not one soul. One spirit.

The union is explicitly spiritual.

Likewise:

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Corinthians 2:14

The things under discussion are spiritual things. The discernment under discussion is spiritual discernment. The realm under discussion is spiritual.

The pattern is difficult to miss.

God is Spirit. Worship is in spirit.

The Spirit bears witness with our spirit. Union with Christ is one spirit.

The things of God are spiritually discerned.

Scripture repeatedly places man's relationship with God in the realm of the spirit.

Soul and Spirit Distinguished

The soul is certainly real, and Scripture clearly distinguishes it from the spirit.

Paul writes:

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 5:23

Likewise:

"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..." Hebrews 4:12

Soul and spirit are not identical.

Yet distinction does not require confusion of function.

The soul is the seat of personality, intellect, emotions, desires, and self-awareness. Through the soul we experience ourselves and the world around us.

In simple terms:

The soul is body-wise. The spirit is God-wise.

The soul is Body-Consciousness; the spirit is God-Consciousness.

Through the spirit man stands in relation to God.

This distinction helps explain why Scripture consistently moves into the realm of the spirit whenever worship, communion, union, witness, and spiritual discernment are discussed.

The Missing Text

This brings us to a significant observation.

While Scripture repeatedly describes spirit-to-Spirit communion, where is the passage describing soul-to-God communion?

Where does Scripture teach that God's drawing operates through the soul rather than through the spirit? Where does Scripture say that the soul receives spiritual realities independently of the spirit?

Scripture distinguishes soul and spirit. Scripture discusses the activities of the soul. Scripture discusses the activities of the spirit.

What Scripture does not do is assign spiritual communion with God to the soul.

That role consistently belongs to the spirit.

The Real Problem of Fallen Man

The importance of this distinction becomes even clearer when discussing salvation.

The lost man unquestionably possesses soul-life, or body-consciousness.

He thinks.
Reasons.
Chooses.
Plans.
Loves.
Hates.
Fears.
Remembers.
Imagines.
Regrets.

No one argues that the unbeliever lacks these capacities. Yet despite possessing all of them, he remains lost.

Why?

Because man's problem is not a lack of soul-life. His problem is separation from the life of God.

Paul writes:

"Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart." Ephesians 4:18

The problem is not alienation from soul-life. The problem is alienation from the life of God.

The issue is therefore spiritual. Likewise, salvation is not the acquisition of soul-life.

The sinner already possesses soul-life. Salvation is the reception of spiritual life from God.

This distinction requires an important clarification.

To say that man is spiritually dead does not mean that he lacks a spirit. Nor does it mean that the spirit has ceased to exist.

Death in Scripture is separation, not annihilation. The spiritually dead man remains body, soul, and spirit. His spirit exists, but it is separated from the life of God.

Jesus said:

"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." John 6:63

Paul likewise writes:

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:2

The life received is spiritual life. The death overcome is spiritual death. The contrast throughout Scripture is not soul-life versus spirit-life. Rather, it is spiritual death versus spiritual life.

The Implications

If the relationship between God and man is fundamentally spiritual, several conclusions follow.

The life that saves is spiritual life. The death that condemns is spiritual death.

The witness of God is spiritual. Union with Christ is spiritual.

Worship is spiritual. Discernment is spiritual.

And because God is Spirit, all communion with Him must ultimately be spiritual.

This does not mean the soul is uninvolved. When God works upon a man, his entire person is affected. His thoughts are engaged. His emotions are stirred. His will is confronted. His conscience is awakened.

But those effects do not change the nature of the relationship itself.

The relationship remains spirit to Spirit.

A Question Worth Asking

This brings us back to the title of this article.

Does God have a soul?

Scripture presents Him as Spirit.

If that is true, then the burden rests upon anyone claiming that man's communication with God occurs primarily through the soul.

For the biblical testimony consistently points elsewhere.

God is Spirit

Man possesses both soul and spirit. The soul makes man conscious of himself and the world around him. The spirit makes man conscious of God.

And when Scripture speaks of worship, communion, witness, union, discernment, life, and relationship with God, it repeatedly directs our attention not to the soul, but to the spirit.

Perhaps that is why Christ did not say,

"God seeks those who worship Him in soul and truth."

He said:

"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." John 4:24

The relationship between God and man is not presented as soul to soul. It is presented as Spirit to spirit.

God is Spirit. Man possesses both soul and spirit.
Drift Boss
The soul makes man conscious of himself and the world around him. The spirit makes man conscious of God.

The soul relates man to creation. The spirit relates man to the Creator.

Therefore when Scripture speaks of worship, communion, witness, discernment, union with Christ, and the life of God, it consistently directs our attention not to the soul, but to the spirit.

Non anima ad animam, sed spiritus ad spiritum - Not soul to soul, but spirit to spirit.

~Tony

© A.K. Pritchard 2026 - Free to use with proper attribution.

I really enjoyed the depth of this discussion. The question of whether God has a soul is not something I had previously considered in this context, yet you present it in a way that encourages serious reflection. Your use of multiple biblical passages gives readers plenty of material to examine and consider for themselves.

 

[Anthony Pritchard]

I really enjoyed the depth of this discussion. The question of whether God has a soul is not something I had previously considered in this context, yet you present it in a way that encourages serious reflection. Your use of multiple biblical passages gives readers plenty of material to examine and consider for themselves.

Thank you, MangoX. I appreciate you taking the time to read through it and for your kind comments.

The question had not occurred to me either until I began examining some of the assumptions often made regarding the soul and spirit. Once the question was asked, I found myself looking for explicit passages describing soul-to-God communion and was surprised by how consistently Scripture directs our attention to the spirit instead.

Whether others ultimately agree with my conclusions or not, my hope is simply to encourage careful examination of what the Scriptures actually say regarding the nature of our relationship with God.

Thank you again for reading and engaging with the discussion.

 

[37818]

Isaiah 42:1, Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

Matthew 12:18, Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.

 

[Anthony Pritchard]

Isaiah 42:1, Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

Matthew 12:18, Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.

Thank you for the references.

I do not dispute that Scripture contains several passages which refer to God's soul. My article did not assert otherwise.

The question raised in the article is not whether Scripture ever uses the expression "God's soul." The question is through what faculty communion between God and man is described as taking place.

The passages you cite speak of God's delight, God's affection, God's commitment, and God's disposition toward His people. They do not address the subject under discussion.

My question remains unchanged:

Where does Scripture describe man's communion with God as occurring soul-to-soul?

By contrast, Scripture repeatedly speaks of worship in spirit (John 4:24), the Spirit bearing witness with our spirit (Romans 8:16), union with Christ as one spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17), and spiritual discernment (1 Corinthians 2:14).

The issue therefore is not whether Scripture can speak of God's soul. The issue is that when Scripture discusses worship, communion, witness, union, discernment, and the life of God, it consistently directs our attention to the spirit.

That was the central argument of the article, and I believe it remains unanswered.

 

[Deacon]

The problem here is that the word, "soul" has not been defined.

Please pardon my devotional thoughts as I work them out here.

Other passages that speak of God's nefesh:

• Isaiah 1:14 — God says that his nefesh hates Israel's appointed festivals.
• Jeremiah 6:8 — God warns that his nefesh may become alienated from Jerusalem.

I enjoy Robert Alter's translation of the Bible (with textual commentary) - in fact, while reading from it this morning I was reminded me of this thread...(Jeremiah 7:11, "I, Myself have seen it, said the LORD").

Alter translates nefesh with a wide range of different meanings, “breath,” “throat,” “neck,” "a person," "a corpse," "appetite," "life," or simply the inner self. The word is not exactly equivalent to how we currently use the word, “soul.”
[confirm his definition נֶפֶשׁ in The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, electronic ed., 711–12. Leiden: E.J. Brill].

For Alter, nefesh primarily concerns life as experienced — breath, appetite, the living person, the self. Its meaning must be determined from context, rather than presumed to denote a soul separate from the body.

Now the word, "Myself" in Jer 7:11 is not 'soul, ' (Heb. nefesh), rather it's anaku, a word emphasizing the subject's self-ness.

We might call it "personhood," as said in the creed, "God in three persons, blessed Trinity."

When we say that God is a “person,” we do not mean that he is a human being rather that God has a “personality” and that he is a rational, self-aware being... and that's how we commonly define "soul".

Communication to mankind using this definition is: God/Self to human/self, Soul to soul; Person to person.


Rob

 

[Anthony Pritchard]

The problem here is that the word, "soul" has not been defined.

Please pardon my devotional thoughts as I work them out here.

Other passages that speak of God's nefesh:

• Isaiah 1:14 — God says that his nefesh hates Israel's appointed festivals.
• Jeremiah 6:8 — God warns that his nefesh may become alienated from Jerusalem.

I enjoy Robert Alter's translation of the Bible (with textual commentary) - in fact, while reading from it this morning I was reminded me of this thread...(Jeremiah 7:11, "I, Myself have seen it, said the LORD").

Alter translates nefesh with a wide range of different meanings, “breath,” “throat,” “neck,” "a person," "a corpse," "appetite," "life," or simply the inner self. The word is not exactly equivalent to how we currently use the word, “soul.”
[confirm his definition נֶפֶשׁ in The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, electronic ed., 711–12. Leiden: E.J. Brill].

For Alter, nefesh primarily concerns life as experienced — breath, appetite, the living person, the self. Its meaning must be determined from context, rather than presumed to denote a soul separate from the body.

Now the word, "Myself" in Jer 7:11 is not 'soul, ' (Heb. nefesh), rather it's anaku, a word emphasizing the subject's self-ness.

We might call it "personhood," as said in the creed, "God in three persons, blessed Trinity."

When we say that God is a “person,” we do not mean that he is a human being rather that God has a “personality” and that he is a rational, self-aware being... and that's how we commonly define "soul".

Communication to mankind using this definition is: God/Self to human/self, Soul to soul; Person to person.


Rob

I agree that nephesh (נֶפֶשׁ) must be defined by context and does not always mean what modern Christians mean by "soul." The standard lexicons give a broad range of meanings including life, living being, self, person, desire, appetite, and inner being (HALOT, 711-712; BDB, 659-661).

Where I would differ is in the conclusion drawn from that fact.

The question is not whether nephesh always refers to a separable immaterial substance. It clearly does not. The question is why Scripture repeatedly attributes nephesh to God.

In Isaiah 1:14, God says, "My soul (nephesh) hates your new moons and appointed feasts." In Jeremiah 6:8, God warns, "lest my soul (nephesh) depart from thee." In both cases the term communicates something about God's own inner life, affections, desires, and will.

HALOT notes that nephesh can refer to the "self" or "inner being," while BDB includes usages involving desire, emotion, and the seat of feelings. Thus, when Scripture speaks of God's nephesh, it is not presenting a mere grammatical substitute for the divine name. It is describing God as personally experiencing delight, hatred, grief, alienation, compassion, and desire.

I would also distinguish between personhood and soul. Personhood speaks to self-awareness and identity. The biblical use of nephesh often reaches into the realm of affections, desires, loves, hates, and the inward life of the one being described.

Therefore, while I agree that nephesh should not automatically be imported with every later theological assumption attached to the English word "soul," neither should references to God's nephesh be reduced to a mere synonym for personhood. The language is intended to reveal something real about God's own inner life and conscious experience.

If man is made in the image of God, then the existence of human soul-life is not evidence against such language being meaningful of God. Rather, it may be evidence that our own soul-life reflects, in a finite way, realities that ultimately exist in Him.

The references to God's soul do not teach that God possesses a soul exactly like man's. They do teach that what we call soul-life in man, namely consciousness, affection, desire, and inward experience, has its ultimate source and archetype in God Himself.

At the same time, Scripture is clear that God is Spirit (John 4:24), and that true worship is conducted in spirit and in truth. Thus, I would not argue that God possesses a human-like soul. Rather, the soul-language applied to God reveals genuine aspects of His inner life, while communication and communion with Him occur on the spiritual plane. The latter does not negate the former.

Sources:

HALOT, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, s.v. נֶפֶשׁ, pp. 711-712.
Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB), A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, s.v. נֶפֶשׁ, pp. 659-661.
John 4:24; Romans 8:16; 1 Corinthians 6:17.

 

[Ascetic X]

Matthew 22:37 - Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Jesus did not include “and with all thy spirit”.

I wonder what the difference is between heart, soul, and mind?

 

[Deacon]

Matthew 22:37 - Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Jesus did not include “and with all thy spirit”.

I wonder what the difference is between heart, soul, and mind?

“...with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matt 22:37–40)
“…with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30)
“…with all you heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind…” (Luke 10:27)

Matthew and the other synoptic Gospels use repetition and an accumulation of terms to emphasize the point.
That's not to say they are all the same or even that they are all different.
It doesn't imply that each human has three parts; the terms show aspects of a person.
The soul is not like a pocket watch, something we carry around - it's who we are, IMO.

There's some debate among dichotomists (two aspects of a human, material and immaterial) and trichotomists (who see spirit and soul as separate aspects). I've not been interested in that debate...although I have a book on my shelf written by an old friend that deals with this topic (never read!)

Rob

 

[Anthony Pritchard]

Matthew 22:37 - Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Jesus did not include “and with all thy spirit”.

I wonder what the difference is between heart, soul, and mind?

Great question!

That observation was really the point of my article.

I am not arguing that the soul is unimportant, nor that man is not properly described as a living soul. Rather, I am asking why Scripture consistently places worship, communion, witness, union, and spiritual discernment in the realm of the spirit.

Matthew 22:37 certainly teaches loving God with one's whole being. What it does not do is identify the soul as the primary faculty through which communion with God occurs.

So my question remains:

If communion with God is principally a function of the soul, where does Scripture explicitly teach that?

The passages that directly discuss communion between God and man consistently point me back to spirit and Spirit.

That is why I concluded:

The soul may describe much of man's inner life, but the relationship between God and man is consistently presented in Scripture as Spirit to spirit.

 

[Van]

I am addressing just a snippet of the Opening post:

Soul and Spirit Distinguished
The soul is certainly real, and Scripture clearly distinguishes it from the spirit.
Paul writes:
"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 5:23
Likewise:
"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..." Hebrews 4:12
Soul and spirit are not identical.
Yet distinction does not require confusion of function.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 is often used to support the contention that the Soul is not an aspect of the Spirit. Thus making humans tripartite or 3 part, rather just body and Soul/Spirit. The soul simply refers to the core attributes and attitudes of personhood, whether viewed as embodied in our physical body or our human spirit following separation from our body. If we translate "soul" as "mind" we have two separate parts with a shared mind and personhood.

And consistent with this view that the soul and spirit are united, we have Hebrews 4:12 indicating that our "old man" nature, part of our mind, soul and personhood, can be separated from our human spirit by the word of God.

The same Greek word, translated as "soul" is also translated as "heart" (referring to our core attributes) and "mind" (see Acts 14:2, Philippians 1:27 and Hebrews 12:3).