A gracEmail subscriber asks: "What is your understanding of man as body, soul and spirit?" * * * This subject is one about which many believers have (to them) clear ideas, make absolute distinctions and teach with uncompromising vigor. After 50 years of Bible study, I still find it inhabiting a largely gray area of Scripture teaching. These differences of opinion will surely remain until we all see God face to face and understand fully. Nor is the subject one of central importance. The fuzzy gray understanding is adequate for a saving relationship with God and for maturing in the likeness of … [Read more...]

A gracEmail subscriber asks: "What is your understanding of man as body, soul and spirit?" * * * The words most commonly translated as "spirit" in the Scriptures of both Old (Hebrew: ruach) and New (Greek: pneuma) Testament are also the words for "wind" and "breath." When someone dies, the "spirit" (breath, life-force) returns to God who gave it (Psalm 104:29-30; Acts 7:59). There is no reason to suppose from this that the disembodied "spirit" is conscious or even self-consciousness -- certainly not that it is death-proof/immortal. On the other hand, the Risen Jesus Christ lives in … [Read more...]

A gracEmail subscriber asks: "What is your understanding of man as body, soul and spirit?" * * * The New Testament uses the words "soul" and "spirit" in more nuanced ways but it never contradicts what we have seen already in Genesis. The New Testament generally uses "soul" (Greek: psyche for a "person" or "self." This word speaks of a person as a unified, whole being with emphasis on life or vitality. To "save" or "lose" one's soul is to save or lose oneself (Mark 8:35). This repeats what we found in Genesis 2:7 earlier. Sometimes "soul" (psyche) stands in contrast with "body" (soma), in … [Read more...]

A gracEmail subscriber asks: "What is your understanding of the human being as body, soul and spirit?" * * * The Bible is not crystal clear about this topic although the dogmatism of some teachers might suggest otherwise. For that reason, I like to begin with the scene described in Genesis 2:7, which says: "Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.” If we close our eyes and visualize this little story of 26 words, we get the picture. We watch as God scoops up clay from the ground like a potter. … [Read more...]