Some people think that the spirit is the same as the soul. This is what we read in the dictionary. Another meaning of "spirit" in the dictionary is "soul."
But upon serious reflection we can discover that the soul is distinct from the spirit.
The soul and spirit are different in source, in function and in destiny, although they have similarities. The similarities are that they are both invisible and both are inside of the human being. But they come from different realities, they operate differently, and their destination is different.
While it is true that all things come from God because he created all things, the spirit comes directly from God. The truth is that our spirit is begotten of God. God does not create our spirit, he begets it, he makes it to be born from him. But the soul is created by God, like he created the human body. When God created the human body he created the soul along with it because the body cannot function without a soul. A body without a soul is dead.
The function of the soul is to make the body live. That is why it is also called the principle of life. Without the soul, the body is just plain matter, like meat in the market. But with the soul the body breathes. In this sense all living animals and plants have souls.
On the other hand the function of the spirit is to make the soul live. That is why the spirit is the breath of life. The spirit caused the soul in man to live. That is its function, to make the soul live. When the spirit goes back to God, the soul dies, and the body also dies. It becomes a corpse. A soul cannot act separately from the body. But the spirit can act independently of the soul or body.
So the function of the soul is to make the body live and the function of the spirit is to make the soul live and operate.
The destiny of the soul is to praise God, and the destiny of the spirit is to enjoy God. This is the experience of every person who becomes a Christian in adult life: He praises God and he feels joy in God. In heaven by our body we will be able to sense God, by our soul we will be praising God, and by our spirit we will be enjoying God.
But upon serious reflection we can discover that the soul is distinct from the spirit.
The soul and spirit are different in source, in function and in destiny, although they have similarities. The similarities are that they are both invisible and both are inside of the human being. But they come from different realities, they operate differently, and their destination is different.
While it is true that all things come from God because he created all things, the spirit comes directly from God. The truth is that our spirit is begotten of God. God does not create our spirit, he begets it, he makes it to be born from him. But the soul is created by God, like he created the human body. When God created the human body he created the soul along with it because the body cannot function without a soul. A body without a soul is dead.
The function of the soul is to make the body live. That is why it is also called the principle of life. Without the soul, the body is just plain matter, like meat in the market. But with the soul the body breathes. In this sense all living animals and plants have souls.
On the other hand the function of the spirit is to make the soul live. That is why the spirit is the breath of life. The spirit caused the soul in man to live. That is its function, to make the soul live. When the spirit goes back to God, the soul dies, and the body also dies. It becomes a corpse. A soul cannot act separately from the body. But the spirit can act independently of the soul or body.
So the function of the soul is to make the body live and the function of the spirit is to make the soul live and operate.
The destiny of the soul is to praise God, and the destiny of the spirit is to enjoy God. This is the experience of every person who becomes a Christian in adult life: He praises God and he feels joy in God. In heaven by our body we will be able to sense God, by our soul we will be praising God, and by our spirit we will be enjoying God.
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