Have a Heart? -- How so?

[Eyelog]

In some ways it is difficult to distinguish in great detail the difference between the human spirit, the soul, the Heart and the Mind, as these terms are used in Scripture. These words are translations of the Greek in the NT:

Human spirit - pneuma
Human soul - psuche
Human heart - kardia
Human mind - nous
Human understanding - dianoia
Human will - Though we like to talk about humans having free will or having a faculty of the will, Scripture does not seem to identify a separate faculty called the will. But that does not mean people do not will things. The Bible certainly acknowledges that people do ‘will,’ ‘intend,’ ‘desire’ and ‘wish’ things, using the verbs, “Thelo” and “Boulomai”. We ‘choose’ things, using verbs like “Haireomai” and “Eklegomai”.

I theorize that these various faculties or abilities/powers of the human being tend to function in a range, or on a continuum, from the largely unconscious spiritual realm (on the left) to the self-awareness of consciousness in the Mind (in the middle), and extending into the Mind’s awareness of its Body and the physical realm in general (on the right), like this:

Heaven - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - World
ß-------Spiritual Function-----|-----Mental Function----|-----Physical Function---------à
ß-----------------------Unconscious---------|-----Conscious----------|---Unconscious----à
Spirit ..............Soul............ Heart ..............Mind................................ Body
(Eyelog ã2010)

However, some would say that the heart, soul, spirit and mind are all the same thing, the inner human. Some might align spirit and soul, in distinction from heart and mind, equating the latter two.

What's your take, and what scriptural basis do you have for saying so?

[Noeb]

What's your scriptural basis for your theory?

[Eyelog]

What's your scriptural basis for your theory?

When Adam was formed from the dust of the earth, he was made in the image of God, three in one: soul, spirit and body. Genesis 1:26; 6:3. As descendents of Adam, we too bear that image of God, having soul, spirit and body. 1 Thessalonians 5:23. God has a soul. E.g., Ge 49:6; Lev 26:11, 30; etc. Clearly, there is the HS. Clearly Jesus is His body, but He also seems to operate, at least figuratively, with a body of sorts:

Genesis 3:8
And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.

Exodus 33:11
And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.

Exodus 33:20
And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

Exodus 33:22
And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by.

Exodus 33:23
And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

Exodus 34:5
And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there.

Deuteronomy 23:12-13
... For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp....

Ezekiel 1:27
And saw ... the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward....

Ezekiel 8:2
Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward....

Habakkuk 3:3-4
God ... had horns coming out of his hand.

Maybe you can find some better scripture to show He has a body, though we can't likely view it, as He dwells in unapproachable light. The throne, He who sits on it, and His right hand Scriptures may be figurative or representational in dreams and visions as well.


Now, Jesus, being made a human in the image of His Father, when He was born of the virgin, He had a soul, a spirit and a body. So, we are made with the same general faculties as Jesus had. Then, once we are born again and regenerate, our spirit is enlivened to the Spirit of Christ. So, like Jesus, we are indwelt by the Spirit of the Lord, and potentially able to operate in His Spirit, by His Spirit, or through His Spirit.

Paul said, “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1. That cleansing is surely part of the needed exchange of the Old Self for the New which the Born Again are commanded to accomplish. Ephesians 4. [I know, Colossians 3 makes some believe that is past tense, even though in that passage we are instructed to put off and put on many, many things in this lifetime.]

Anyway, did Paul mean to leave out a cleansing of the soul?

And how are we supposed to cleanse our “spirit” of all defilement?

What is our spirit?

The famous Hebrews 4:12 verse adds to the spirit and Soul the concept of the Heart:

“12For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul (psuche) and spirit (pneuma), of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart (kardia).”

The need for the thoughts and intents of the Heart to be judged shouldn’t surprise us, though, because Jesus said the Heart is that place in which good and evil is stored, and from which we do good or evil. Matthew 6:21; 12:34-37; 15:10-11, 17-20; Mark 7:18-23; Luke 6:45; 12:34.

Generally, we tend to think of the Soul as the overall person, and we tend to think of the spirit, Heart, Conscience and Mind as being contained within the Soul. However, the eternal Soul does not include the Body, because, for example, Jesus distinguishes them, saying, “fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28. Also, Solomon points out that at death “the dust [body] will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. Ecclesiastes 12:7.[i]

In any case, postulating that the Soul (psuche) is the sum of our parts (apart from the Body), how does it relate to our spirit, Heart, Conscience and Mind? Our Soul and spirit are divided by the Word (logos), so that “the thoughts and intentions of the Heart (kardia)” may be “judged” by the Word. Hebrews 4:12. Thus, the Soul, spirit and Heart very likely are not the same thing, but that does not mean the spirit and Heart cannot be contained within the Soul.

Examining the various things the human spirit is described as doing, in both the old and new testaments, we can conclude the spirit (pneuma) is at least our consciousness of all that is knowable to us in our Soul, whether that consciousness be more or less limited or complete. Our spirit also seems to receive spiritual insight through the Holy spirit, as Jesus did when he knew the thoughts of men. (“aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves” Mark 2:8.)

An example of the spirit being aware of the contents of our Heart and also having insight from the Holy Spirit is Romans 8:16, where Paul says it is with our spirit that we testify to God that we are children of God. The regenerate spirit, then, is not only conscious of the contents of our Soul and spiritual things concerning it, but is able to communicate with God. Indeed, our spirit is what is regenerated when we are born again. (“10If Christ is in you, … the spirit is alive because of righteousness.” Romans 8:10).

This separation of the spirit from the Soul seems to allow a sort of self-consciousness, in which the conscious self (the implicit “I” of all consciousness), is introspective and self-reflective of the contents of our Soul.[ii] We know this with some certainty based on these sorts of verses:

11For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 1 Corinthians 2:11.

"I listened to the reproof which insults me, And the spirit of my understanding makes me answer. Job 20:30.

Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, "Why are youreasoning about these things in your hearts? Mark 2:8.

We can see it is our spirit (pneuma) which is “aware” of the thoughts of the Heart, but it is the Heart (kardia) and the Understanding (dianoia)that has the thoughts. Yet, because the spirit of a person identifies so closely with the thoughts of its Heart and Mind, in that those thoughts belong to the self, it is almost as if our Heart, Mind and spirit are the same, especially in terms of our emotions.[iii]

From that angle, the spirit of a person is sort of separated or alienated from the self/Soul and its contents. Our spirit acts like an observer of the Soul and its contents, an observer of its self. It’s a sort of overlay of self-awareness over the Heart, Mind and Understanding, keeping itself somewhat aloof, ultimately, from the self’s own thoughts and actions, even as it observes them. 1 Corinthians 2:11 (11For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?).

As we experience life, it seems our spirit is the “I” in all of our perceptions and thoughts. In the moment, we may experience no ‘self-consciousness’, but upon reflection in our spirit, we immediately distinguish our self from our thoughts and actions. We recognize that the self can change what it thinks upon, believes and does.

Despite this alienation, the spirit’s awareness is certainly capable of participating in motivating our thoughts, intents and actions, which arise primarily from within our Heart. For example, Exodus 35:21:

“Everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him came and brought the LORD'S contribution for the work of the tent of meeting and for all its service and for the holy garments.”

Based on this ability of our spirit, it may be that when we Walk in the Spirit, our human spirit is the conduit through which the power of the Spirit flows, by-passing the conflicting hopes of our heart of Hearts.

Continued to next post.

[Eyelog]

Continuation from last post by Eyelog.


Now, as the spirit, Soul and Heart are apparently distinct (Hebrews 4:12), we must wonder if the Heart (kardia), Mind (nous) and Understanding (dianoia) are the same or distinct. We don’t get so much help from the verses that mention both the Heart and Mind. For example, does Jeremiah 17:10 distinguish the Mind from the Heart?

"I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.”

The Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word for Mind is nous:

“Then He opened their minds (nous) to understand (verb suniemi) the Scriptures” Luke 24:45

“… be transformed by the renewing of your mind (nous)” Romans 12:2;

“… walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind (nous), 18being darkened in their understanding (noun dianoia), excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance (agnoia) that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart (kardia) … that you be renewed in the spirit (pneuma) of your mind (nous)” Ephesians 4:23.

We see here another Greek term for the Mind, Dianoia, translated as the Understanding, but also as Mind. For example,

"YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART (kardia), AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL (psuche), AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH (ischus), AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND (Dianoia); AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." Luke 10:27 (NASB).

The dianoia, like the nous, is the faculty of Understanding, the conscious Mind.

There are other terms out there in Scripture that complicate this matter, like the Conscience (suneidesis). Is that just our spirit or the Holy Spirit? Or, is the Conscience our reasoning over our memories in our Mind?

We moderns are also compelled to believe we have a faculty called the “will” as well. Where does that fit in? So, trying to understand fully our so-called spiritual anthropology beyond the distinctions of Soul, spirit and Body is not simple. It requires ongoing study, and even debate. But in this thread, we are not after a debate.

To the contrary, we are attempting to lay out only as much as we need in order to understand what faculties Jesus and we share. We seek an understanding of the parts of a person so we can better focus our efforts on becoming like Christ. This requires we lay the foundation for what we will and will not include in our rough and ready understanding of our Soul and its contents.

Having faith and believing are deeper human processes than are consciously thinking and understanding, and surely deeper than merely giving mental assent. Yet, the Heart functions mentally (in conscious thought). For that reason we might infer that the Mind is part of the Heart. Being conscious in thought and understanding, the Mind would be the most shallow aspect of the Heart.

In turn, that portion of the Heart we sometimes refer to as our ‘heart of hearts’ would be the deepest aspect of the Heart. Indeed, it is our belief and faith that seem to have the most profound impact on our spiritual life, and which form how we think, and in turn act. This, of course, comports quite clearly with Jesus’ parable of the sower.

In the parable of the sower, the soil of varying qualities is the Heart. Matthew 13:19; Luke 8:12, 15. You have the hard packed soil, the rocky soil, the thorn-infested soil, and the good soil, from which springs an exponentially large crop from the seed of faith that is the Word. The hard packed soil does not allow the Word to be understood by the Mind, and if the Mind does not understand, the Word cannot take root in the Heart: “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand (suniemi - verb) it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.” Matthew 13:19.[vii]

That said, from our purely practical perspective, we can observe that the Mind connects or interfaces with our Body, and through the Body it interfaces with the physical world, a point I think Watchman is making.[viii] If that were not so, then we could not hear or read the Word and understand it.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Mind seems to interface with the deepest aspects of the Heart. If that were not so, then the Word that is heard with the Body and understood in the Mind could not be “sown in his heart.” If the Word is not, via the Mind, sown in the Heart, we would not be able to hope in the promise of eternal life, causing us to believe (pisteuo) on Jesus in our Heart and be saved. Romans 10:9; Ephesians 2:8. [But a bad Heart can prevent the Mind from comprehending or understanding the logos, by perverting thought itself.]

For we have observed that saving belief only occurs in the Heart (kardia) and never in the Mind (nous/dianoia), though we would certainly be conscious of the faith of our Heart in our spirit, and be able to testify thereof to both, God and other people.

Not only do the contents of the Heart impact the contents of the Mind and the actions of the Body, but our hope, faith and love in our Heart seem to impact our spirit and Soul, which each seem to function on the spiritual plane of existence. This is to say the Heart connects to or interfaces with the spiritual aspect of our existence.

When Lazarus went to Abraham’s Bosom and the rich man to Hades, no doubt they went to spiritual locations, in the form of their Souls, which contained their spirits, Minds and Hearts. They were certainly without their physical bodies, though each apparently continued to be able to see and speak, presumably in a spiritual way we don’t altogether understand. Luke 16:22-23. But when Jesus comes again, the dead in Christ shall rise, and at that point their spirits and Souls will be reunited with glorified physical Bodies and they will meet Him in the air. The same fate awaits those Saints who are still physically alive at His coming. 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.

Those who are alive or dead without Christ after the Millennium will be raised bodily, judged and be thrown into the lake of fire, apparentlywithout glorified Bodies, but bodily nevertheless. (“there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.” Acts 24:15. See also, Revelation 20:11-15). Otherwise, God would not be “able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28.

So, the deepest part of the Heart is the innermost part of our Soul, and is revealed by the Word through the Holy Spirit who searches it (Hebrews 4:12). In turn, the heart of our Heart, along with the conscious mind within our Heart, along with their contents, as they are combined with our overt actions, are the bases upon which we will be eternally judged. Jeremiah 17:10; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 2 Corinthians 5:10. (Obviously, the regenerate will be counted righteous and not go to hell, but the quality of their ‘resurrection’ is definitely at stake. Hebrews 11:35; 1 Corinthians 3:14; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 2 John 1:8.)

In light of these observations from Scripture, we can at least conclude that these five faculties appear to function in a range, or on a continuum, from the largely unconscious spiritual realm (on the left) where our Soul and deepest aspect of our being, our Heart of hearts, seems to be, to our conscious understanding in the Mind (in the middle), and extending into the Mind’s awareness of its Body and the physical realm in general (on the right). The spirit, then, seems to shadow these faculties of the soul, reflectively aware of them, like this: [ix]

Heaven & Hell .................................................. .................................................. .......................World
<-------Spiritual Function-----|-----Mental Function----|-----Physical Function----------->
<-----------------------Unconscious---------|-----Conscious----------|---Unconscious---->
<-----------------------Heart-------------------Mind-------------Body----------------->
<-------------------------------human Soul------------------------------------------->
<-------------------------------human spirit------------------------------------------>



Though we moderns like to talk about humans having “free will” or having a ‘faculty of the will,’ Scripture does not seem to identify a separate faculty called the ‘will.’[x] But that does not mean people do not will things. The Bible certainly acknowledges that people do ‘will,’ ‘intend,’ ‘desire’ and ‘wish’ things, using the verbs, “Thelo” and “Boulomai”. We ‘choose’ things, using verbs like “Haireomai” and “Eklegomai”. It’s just that we are doing those sorts of activities consciously in the Mind.

At the same time, whenever we are consciously willing, our deeper motivations in the mostly unconscious and preconscious Heart are controlling why, as well as the manner in and to which, we consciously will one thing instead of another, and why we decide, choose, resolve, and determine this or that. Accordingly, the power of our Heart’s contents is one of the most important principles we must understand if we are to exchange the Old self for the New. For, therein lies our treasure. Matthew 6:21.

While the Word does not say we have a faculty solely devoted to willing, desiring, choosing, intending and wishing things, but all of those are functions of the Mind, which is the most peripheral sub-faculty of the Heart, we do seem to have a faculty called the Conscience (Suneidesis). As we examine its functioning, we can see that the Conscience, too, is a sub-faculty of the mostly unconscious Heart.

The job of the Conscience is to bring from our Heart to our conscious Mind and spirit our judgments of our own behavior and that of others.[xi] It is a source of information separate from both our spirit and our conscious Mind.[xii] It automatically makes judgments according to our innermost values, and those values can be changed through our own sinful conduct, outside influences, and especially by the influence of the Holy Spirit who indwells us. Romans 9:1; 14:1; 1 Corinthians 8:7-12; 10:28;-29; 1 Timothy 4:2; Titus 1:15.

In addition, the Conscience is said to hold a record of sins we have committed, unless we cleanse it through receiving forgiveness from God.[xiii]Through this record of wrongs, the Conscience acts as a check against the viewpoints of the conscious Mind. When we receive conviction of God’s view of things in our Heart by His Spirit, we become conscious of that right judgment through the Conscience. (“David's conscience bothered him because he had cut off the edge of Saul's robe.” 1 Samuel 24:5; “the Helper … when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” John 16:7-8; “our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spiritand with full conviction” 1 Thessalonians 1:5.)

On the other hand, we can sear our Conscience or harden our Heart and in turn our spirit in such a way that we are no longer sensitive to sin, no longer evaluate it as sin, or we are no longer listening to our Conscience.[xiv] When we are hardened and obstinate at Heart, we become hard in our spirit as well, or vice versa. (3"I listened to the reproof which insults me, And the spirit of my understanding makes me answer.” Job 20:3; “… the LORD your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate …” Deuteronomy 2:30).

One thing we can be certain of is that besides the conscious hopes and motivations in our Mind, we seem to have some pre-conscious and subconscious hopes, beliefs, desires and expectations. Whether they are in our ‘unconscious Mind’ or in the deepest part of our ‘Heart’, our Heart of hearts, is simply just a matter of nomenclature, semantics. Jesus talks a lot about the Heart, sometimes referring to conscious thoughts. But He also seems to refer to the underlying motivations of our conscious desires, attitudes and actions. He speaks of treasures being stored up in the Heart.

By the "heart," does Jesus just mean the Mind?

Or is the conscious Mind the most superficial or surface level of our Heart?

Does it even matter?

Of course not. We just need to clearly refer to the storehouse of our deepest faith, hope, desires and expectations, apart from their conscious cousins in the Mind. Then we can have that rough and ready understanding of the Heart and Mind we need in order to exchange the Old Self for the New at the deepest level, making complete and consistent exchange possible in the conscious Mind and Body.

That's all for now.

[Watchman]

In some ways it is difficult to distinguish in great detail the difference between the human spirit, the soul, the Heart and the Mind, as these terms are used in Scripture. These words are translations of the Greek in the NT:

Human spirit - pneuma
Human soul - psuche
Human heart - kardia
Human mind - nous
Human understanding - dianoia
Human will - Though we like to talk about humans having free will or having a faculty of the will, Scripture does not seem to identify a separate faculty called the will. But that does not mean people do not will things. The Bible certainly acknowledges that people do ‘will,’ ‘intend,’ ‘desire’ and ‘wish’ things, using the verbs, “Thelo” and “Boulomai”. We ‘choose’ things, using verbs like “Haireomai” and “Eklegomai”.

I theorize that these various faculties or abilities/powers of the human being tend to function in a range, or on a continuum, from the largely unconscious spiritual realm (on the left) to the self-awareness of consciousness in the Mind (in the middle), and extending into the Mind’s awareness of its Body and the physical realm in general (on the right), like this:

Heaven - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - World
ß-------Spiritual Function-----|-----Mental Function----|-----Physical Function---------à
ß-----------------------Unconscious---------|-----Conscious----------|---Unconscious----à
Spirit ..............Soul............ Heart ..............Mind................................ Body
(Eyelog ã2010)

However, some would say that the heart, soul, spirit and mind are all the same thing, the inner human. Some might align spirit and soul, in distinction from heart and mind, equating the latter two.

What's your take, and what scriptural basis do you have for saying so?

This is one of my favorite topics, and you've nailed it. I'll jump in later, perhaps. But for now I'm a lot more interested in what others think about this. Our constitution and function, as people, is something that scripture talks about quite a bit...but not much is taught about it. Excellent post!

W

[logos7]

Not sure if I understood the question, but if I did, I believe that the human being consist of three parts; the body (flesh), the mind (spirit), and the soul (the heart)


I believe this because we are told that we wrestle not agains flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12); and also that at Jesus 2nd Comming our vile bodies shall be change and be fashioned like His glorious body. (Philippians 3:21) And we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1).

While we our told And be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Ephesians 4:23 And of course Romans 12:2 states this same principal.

While Jesus was in the Garden of Gethesemane, He said His soul was sorrowful unto death (Matthew 22:37-38; 14:33-34).
Upon entering Jerusalem. Jesus also made this statement, Now is my soul troubled. (John 12:27). I know this doesn't connect the heart and soul but I believe when we look at Jesus statements in John 14:1, 27; that is when He told His disciples let not your heart be troubled, it would easily compared to His soul being trouble.

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.
I Thessalonians 5:23

[Eyelog]

Not sure if I understood the question, but if I did, I believe that the human being consist of three parts; the body (flesh), the mind (spirit), and the soul (the heart)


I believe this because we are told that we wrestle not agains flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12); and also that at Jesus 2nd Comming our vile bodies shall be change and be fashioned like His glorious body. (Philippians 3:21) And we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1).

While we our told And be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Ephesians 4:23 And of course Romans 12:2 states this same principal.

While Jesus was in the Garden of Gethesemane, He said His soul was sorrowful unto death (Matthew 22:37-38; 14:33-34).
Upon entering Jerusalem. Jesus also made this statement, Now is my soul troubled. (John 12:27). I know this doesn't connect the heart and soul but I believe when we look at Jesus statements in John 14:1, 27; that is when He told His disciples let not your heart be troubled, it would easily compared to His soul being trouble.

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.
I Thessalonians 5:23

I am impressed with your analysis. If those were the only Scriptures to consider, I would say your view would have to be correct. This is not to say your view is not correct. Other Scripture might further support your conclusion or complicate the matter. I know that many Christians view their spirit as different from their mind. They talk as if one's spirit seems to go deeper than the conscious mind. For example, "I just knew in my spirit that Bob was in trouble." What's that kind of talk all about? If the spirit is the mind, then the person is saying they were conscious in their mind that Bob was in trouble. It seems people are trying to say something a bit deeper and more profound, whether they be correct or wrong. Certainly, they are attempting to report their subjective experience of the difference between their conscious mind and their spirit.

Well, of course, we need to ultimately resort to Scripture, but it is both interesting and informative to see how contemporary American Christians happen to express these things.

So far as the heart and soul, we do get an awful lot of Scripture that works as interchangeable between mind and heart as your spirit and mind comparison. I have a post in this thread listing much of it. But, I think your analysis of Jesus being troubled in his soul and the disciples troubled in their hearts is very insightful.

As I said in the OP, sometimes it is easy to see all these words being used as substitutes for each other. It gets to the point where one may want to throw their hands up and say, it's all just the inner man, and the terms are simply interchangeable, meaning Heart, Soul, spirit, Mind.

Complicating matters a bit further, we also have a faculty called the conscience, or Suneidesis. Where does that fit in?

Ultimately, having not yet presented my own view in totality, nor having quoted much scripture yet, I am going to say the following:

1. The interchangeability in use of these terms needs to be accounted for.
2. The reason why so many different terms are used needs to be accounted for.
3. The nuances of the differences between the terms need to be isolated via an exhaustive review of scripture.
4. One must not be dogmatic about this, either at the outset of such an investigation, nor having studied it carefully.
5. We must ask the Holy Spirit to guide us and teach us, in all humility. For, insight into this is obviously not something those who do not seek will find.

Thanks for your great post!

[Eyelog]

Some take the view that we are spirit, soul and body, and heart and mind are faculties of the soul. They cite scripture like the following:

Job 7:11
“Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
Isaiah 26:9
At night my soul longs for You, Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently; For when the earth experiences Your judgments The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
1 Corinthians 15:45
So also it is written, “The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:23
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.


While these are good Scriptures to add to our understanding of our spiritual anthropology, only a fairly exhaustive review of the use of all the terms for the faculties, in terms of how they are used in context, can reveal a more complete understanding of what the Bible reveals about what we are and how we function.

[Watchman]

... only a fairly exhaustive review of the use of all the terms for the faculties, in terms of how they are used in context, can reveal a more complete understanding of what the Bible reveals about what we are and how we function.

Bolded the operative term! The words, soul, spirit, body, heart, etc., are used extensively in scripture. Some of them are used almost interchangeably, and some have multiple meanings. This should be a great thread if folks will stick with it!

W

[Watchman]

Actually, this very thread should be one of the most viewed, and most participatory threads on this board at this time. If we understand our constitution, our relationship with God re: that constitution, and how He designed us to function cooperatively with Him (ie koinonia), then we are well on our way to growing into the Head...into the full stature of Christ.

W

[Watchman]

Well crud, since nobody else is jumping in, I'll offer a bit.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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 soul.

Paul tells us we are triune. Moses tells us that God formed Adam's body, then blew his spirit into him, thus forming (by their mixture) a living soul. Lest anyone doubt God blew man's spirit into him:

Job 33:4 The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

What say ye?

W

[Colight]

I would rather have doctrine than a heart..

Jeremiah 17:9

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

[Watchman]

I would rather have doctrine than a heart..

Jeremiah 17:9

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Ezekiel 36:26-27 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

[Eyelog]

I would rather have doctrine than a heart..

Jeremiah 17:9

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

I get you!

Of course, the question is, what is the correct doctrine of the heart, soul, mind, spirit, conscience and body?

Hope you will add some insight into this discussion. Thanks for the input!

[Zack702]

I took the premise and made a event chain, thinking on each subject.

soul.jpg
Exodus 35:21
And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD's offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.