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Body, Spirit and Nefesh: How A Human Is Built
Posted by Christian on April 26, 2009 at 5:18am in Torah Studies
Taken from the webpage and article written by Bryan T. Huie
http://www.herealittletherealittle.net/index.cfm?page_name=the-Dead
Body - Spirit - Soul (colloquial English translations)
Basar - Ruach - Nefesh (Biblical Hebrew terms)
Soma - Pneuma - Psuche (NT Greek approx. equivalents)
The Bible teaches that there are three distinct parts to man: (1) body, (2) spirit, and (3) soul (I The. 5:23). These three are interrelated, but different.
(1) The body is the fleshly part of man: skin, bones, and organs. The body is composed of the same physical elements that make up the earth; that's why it is called "dust" (Gen. 2:7). When a person dies, their body eventually decays and reverts back to its component elements (Gen. 3:19). In the Old Testament, the Hebrew noun basar is the primary word translated "body" or "flesh," while the Greek words soma ("body") and sarx ("flesh") are most commonly used in the New Testament.
Through the miracle of resurrection, God brings back to life those who have died. The Bible tells us that the bodies of those resurrected will be of two kinds: renewed mortal bodies such as that of Lazarus (John 11:1-45) and the host of Israelites (Eze. 37:1-14), or enhanced spiritual bodies such as the one Yeshua received at his resurrection (I Cor. 15:39-54).
The difference in these two types of bodies is one of quality. There are six instances of resurrection recorded in the Bible prior to Yeshua's: the widow's son from Zarephath (I Kings 17:17-23); the Shunammite's son (II Kings 4:17-37); the widow's son from Nain (Luke 7:11-16); the daughter of Jairus (Matt. 9:18-25; Mark 5:22-42; Luke 8:41-55); Lazarus (John 11:1-45); and the saints raised in Jerusalem when Yeshua died on the cross (Matt. 27:50-53). However, although they all preceded Yeshua, he is called the firstborn from the dead (Col. 1:18; Rev. 1:5) and the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep (I Cor. 15:20). This is because he is the only human ever to be brought back to life and given an immortal body. This won't occur again until the resurrection of the saints at the last trumpet (I Cor. 15:50-54).
(2) The human spirit is the nonphysical part of man. It is the human counterpart to the Holy Spirit, which is God's mind (I Cor. 2:9-16). Combined with the brain, the spirit gives us consciousness. It is referred to in the Scriptures as the "mind" (Deu. 30:1; I Chr. 22:7; Psa. 26:2; 73:21) or "heart" (Gen. 6:5; Job 17:4; Dan. 2:30; Mark 7:21; Heb. 4:12). "Spirit" comes from the Hebrew word ruach and the Greek word pneuma. These words can also mean "breath" or "wind," things which, like the spirit, can be felt but not seen (John 3:8).
A good way to picture the relationship between the body and the spirit is to draw a comparison to a computer system. The human body is like computer hardware (CPU, motherboard, hard drive, speakers, monitor, etc.) and the human spirit is like computer software (operating system, word processing, spreadsheet, web browser, etc.). Just as computer hardware without software is worthless, computer software can only function when working in combination with the hardware.
So also it is with the human body and spirit. When a person dies, their spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecc. 12:7; Matt. 27:50; John 19:30; Acts 7:59). The body without the spirit is dead (Jam. 2:26). Without a living human body (either mortal or spiritual) to interact with, the human spirit is unconscious, in a state similar to sleep. This is why the Bible so often speaks of death being like sleep. At the time of resurrection, God sends the spirits of the dead back to inhabit their bodies once again (Eze. 37:10; Luke 8:55).
(3) The soul is the combination of flesh and spirit. It is the whole person; their character, nature, disposition, temperament, and personality. Man does not have a soul, man IS a soul, as the Scriptures clearly tell us:
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 [ nephesh]. (RWB)
I CORINTHIANS 15:45 So also it is written, "The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL [psuchen]." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. (NASB)
The word most commonly translated "soul" in the Old Testament is the Hebrew noun nephesh and its variant forms. This word is also often translated "life." The corresponding Greek word psuche is translated "soul" in the New Testament.
A soul is not something that can be separated from a person. Man is a soul. God creates a human spirit within every man (Zec. 12:1). When God puts a spirit within a person, they become a living soul. When a person dies, that spirit is taken back by God (Ecc. 12:7; Psa. 104:29).
The Bible plainly teaches that souls can die:
EZEKIEL 18:4 "Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul [ nephesh] who sins shall die. (NKJV)
EZEKIEL 18:20 "The soul [nephesh] who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. (NKJV)
NUMBERS 31:19 "And as for you, remain outside the camp seven days; whoever has killed any person [nephesh], and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day." (NKJV)
EZEKIEL 13:19 And will ye profane Me among My people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls [nephashot] that should not die, and to save the souls [nephashot] alive that should not live, by your lying to My people that hear your lies? (RWB)
I PETER 3:20 . . . When once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls [psuchai], were saved through water. (NKJV)
Most Christians accept the Greek belief that man has a dual nature; spiritual and physical. To these dualists, death is the separation of the immortal soul from the mortal body. However, the Scriptures above and many others clearly show that both the soul and the body are mortal and can die. The soul is extinguished at death, and the body begins to decay. The spirit, which was initially given by God, returns to Him. But since the spirit cannot function without the body, the spirit has no consciousness in death.
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