What does the Bible say about the Soul (Spirit)?

Sadly, because this thread is bare of responses to the question, it kind of shows many brethren are not up on this topic from The Bible. I guess for many it causes too much confusion, when it should not. But for the Grace of God, here go I...


1. Hebrews 4:12 reveals that God created us with 3 Parts - a soul, a spirit, and a flesh and bone body.

Our flesh body is a separate dimension and operation than our spirit and our soul. This is shown by 2 major Scripture proofs. The first is with Ecclesiastes 12:5-7. There Solomon reveals that a "silver cord" exists, that when it is severed at flesh death, our flesh goes back to the earthly elements where it came from, but our spirit goes back to God Who gave it.

And in Matthew 10:28, Lord Jesus told us to not fear those who can kill our flesh body, but not our soul. So that means our 'spirit' and 'soul' both continue after death of our flesh. It points to our spirit and soul as being linked together.


2. In John 3:6, Lord Jesus said that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of The Spirit is spirit. By that He was emphatically pointing to the existence of two dimensions of existence, this earthly dimension in which we now dwell, and then the Heavenly dimension of Spirit where God and the angels dwell. Thus belief in the existence of both an earthly existence, and a heavenly existence, is taught in God's Word. The problem many have is with not understanding about that heavenly dimension of Spirit.


3. The Hebrews 11:3 reveals those 2 different dimensions, when it said that the worlds were framed by The Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. That underlined part is about a law of Physics dealing with thermodynamics which declares that matter can neither be created nor destroyed, but only change its state between a solid, liquid, gas, or vapor. That verse is saying material matter did not... create itself. Since the whole universe is part of our earthly dimension we live in, it is of material matter, even the ether of space between planets and galaxies represents this material world of matter.

That means then, that the material universe had... to have been created by a 'different' dimension than matter. Per God's Word, that would have be the dimension of Spirit, and specific means God Himself, for as Apostle John said, "God is a Spirit" (John 4:24). This is also what Lord Jesus was saying in John 3:6 when He said that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of The Spirit is spirit, thus pointing directly to the two different dimensions of existence.


4. The 1 Peter 3:18-20 Scripture reveals that Christ's raised flesh body was "quickened by the Spirit". That suggests Christ's flesh was transfigured to a Spirit body type so it could go into that other dimension of Spirit, which is called Heaven. Christ Jesus at His resurrection then in that quickened Spirit body went to the "spirits in prison" who had died back to the time of the flood of Noah. And Jesus preached The Gospel to those spirits of the dead. In the next 1 Peter 4 chapter, we are told the reason why Jesus preached The Gospel to the dead; it was so the dead would be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. This reveals that man's 'soul sleep' tradition is false.


5. Recall the Ecclesiastes 12:5-7 Scripture again that shows our 'spirit' part goes back to God when our flesh body dies. Some men, no doubt influenced by man's false 'soul sleep' tradition, believe that idea of "spirit" there in Eccl.12 just means a 'life giving FORCE' that goes back to God, and nothing more. Some even equate it with life force that exists within plant life even. But that is not... how that idea of "spirit" in Eccl.12 is meant.

In 2 Corinthians 5, Apostle Paul explained that if our earthly house were dissolved, we still have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. He was using the idea of a 'house' or dwelling to point to our flesh body which our soul/spirit dwells in. But then Paul points to another "house" that is different, if our flesh 'house' were dissolved and no more. That other house is made up of spirit, and is of that other dimension, the dimension of Spirit.

Paul was pointing to our 'spirit' body that dwells inside our flesh and is attached to it like Eccl.12 showed about the "silver cord". With 2 Corinthians 5, Paul revealed our 'spirit' part is actually about an outward body image likeness for that other dimension, the heavenly. It is actually another type of body that we already have, dwelling within our flesh. And it leaves our flesh body when our flesh dies, going back to God. Some call it the soul, but the soul in reality is what makes us individuals, our person.


6. The dimension of Spirit permeates through all the material world. It is invisible to the naked eye, yet it still exists. It is not limited to space or time, as space and time are actually creations of this material world. Per 2 Corinthians 12, Apostle Paul spoke of one he knew that was caught up to the third heaven, and heard words not lawful to utter. Per Acts 14, Paul was once stoned and thought to be dead. But he revived when the Apostles stood over him. Mostly likely Paul was being modest and was speaking of himself in 2 Corinthians 12, which points to a near death experience (NDE).

Recall Eccl.12 again about that "silver cord". It points that flesh death happens when that "silver cord" is severed. What if not severed with a traumatic experience, like what Apostle Paul had with his spirit "caught up" to the third heaven? Paul even said that he did not know whether he was in the body, or out of the body. Now Paul would not have even mentioned that kind of 'out of the body' idea unless he understood something about the different parts like our spirit vs. our flesh.

How do we communicate with God? Is He invisibly right next to us when we pray, or an angel messenger hears our prayer and takes it up to Him in Heaven? I agree both of those ideas are plausible. But our 'spirit' inside our flesh actually serves as a line to Him when He hears our prayers. That dimension of Spirit doesn't have the limitations this material world has.

I recall when I was in the military overseas in Europe, and I was sitting on a spare bed in a friend's barracks room next to mine. And tears started running down my face. He looked at me and asked if I was OK, and I actually kind of laughed, because I didn't have a clue why I was crying and what emotion it was that had come over me. The next day, my father had reached me through the autobon phone system via the Red Cross, and told me my grandmother had died, and the last thing she said was, "where's David?" She died in a hospital back in the United States, and I was in Spain in Europe. Thus that world of Spirit does not have the limitations of this material world.

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In Revelation 1, Apostle Paul said he was in The Spirit on The Lord's Day. Many brethren struggle with trying to understand what John meant, but later in Rev.4:2, Rev.17:3, and Rev.21:10, John was "carried away in the spirit" with being shown visions from Christ involving future events. How does that work with John seeing those visions? did Jesus put up a temporary TV screen in front of John so he would seen those things? No, John saw those vision via his 'spirit' part that dwells inside the flesh body. That is also how God's prophets received His Word via The Holy Spirit, and still how The Holy Spirit works through us today. Like Apostle Paul had said in Acts 17:27 that God is actually "... not far from every one of us". That is meant in the sense of our 'spirit' being able to connect with His Spirit.

In 1 Corinthians 15, Apostle Paul taught what body type the future resurrection is. He said it is to a "spiritual body". That is about our 'spirit' part. Paul also called it the "image of the heavenly" in that chapter. It is a body type for the heavenly dimension, it's that simple. That is what our 'spirit' part is. It is not our individual person, but only a body type for the heavenly order for our person to get around in. Whether here in the earthly dimension, or in the heavenly dimension with Jesus, it requires a body type for our soul (person) to get around in. That's what our 'spirit' part is, a "spiritual body". Paul was showing us in 2 Cor.5 that we already have that other "house" from God, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

One last thing about 'spirit'. There was a type of chemical photography developed many years ago called Kirilian photography, a type of photography that picks up coronal magnetic fields around an object, what some call auras. Experiments were done where a live plant was first photographed, and then a leaf torn off the plant, and then another photo taken. The first photo showed the leaf existing within a coronal field. And the second photo, after the leaf had been torn off and removed, still showed an existing coronal field as if something of that leaf was still there attached to the plant, even though no material leaf was actually there. Amputees often complain about a missing limb hurting, or itching, etc., when no material limb is there anymore.


7. The 'soul' part -- it is often confused with our 'spirit' part. The two parts are different though, even though both are linked together and both are of the realm of Spirit. It is our "mortal" soul that must put on "immortality" through Faith on The Blood of Jesus Christ shed upon His cross, along with His resurrection from the dead. Our soul part is our 'person', what make us individuals. And it is from our soul where our beliefs and thoughts dwell. It is the condition of our soul which determines having eternal life through Faith on Jesus Christ. The wicked dead that will also be raised at Christ's coming, which Lord Jesus called the "resurrection of damnation", will appear in their spirit body also at Christ's return, but for them, it is "this mortal" part Paul mentioned that will not have put on "immortality" through Faith on Christ Jesus. And thus they will be subject to the "second death" of being cast into the "lake of fire" after Christ's "thousand years" reign. That "mortal" part is about the soul, the person. It is mortal and in a liable to perish condition until the person through Faith believes on Jesus Christ and then in final puts on "immortality" at His coming.

From a year ago: "Discovering The Soul" on Christianity Haven.

The Soul is the seat of passion. Soul is part of identity.

Given someone was a Denver Broncos fan, they may have worn a lot of Denver Broncos paraphernalia. Man wore a Broncos T-Shirt advertising that part of his identity is "Broncos Fan." When the Broncos win, he rejoices....in his soul. He feels good. When the Broncos lose, he laments....in his soul. He feels sad.

Was someone a Democrat or Republican? With their soul, they may have loved one political party or the other. During elections season, they have signs outside of their house advertising that they are a Democrat or Republican, and are promoting the party. When the party wins or does well......in their soul....they rejoice. When the party loses.....they lament.... in their soul.

Identity politics would be demonic. It divides people.

Love The Lord your God with all your Heart and SOUL and Strength and Mind. Someone loving God with their soul....they were transformed, and are a new person in Christ. They rejected the world and things of the world. They have a new identity as a "Child of God."