The metaphorical use of the word ‘kardia’ dominates New Testament knowledge, and it covers the whole range of activities that takes place within one’s inner self. In Hebraic thought the heart is the seat of the emotions – and according to general trichotomist views the soul is the seat of the mind, will and emotions. Take your remark of the heart being the spirit, for example. I found that the three part view provides easy answers to some questions, but inevitably created serious problems elsewhere. Since then I have studied the topic much more and compiled an extensive resource on it. Then I saw something in the Bible, and more…, and ended up with a 50 page or so chapter on the topic. When I wrote my doctoral thesis in 2007, I started to give the three part definition. This is a topic that simply can not be dealt with adequately in the limited extent of a blog. Here are a few images which I found online which seem to show what I am saying in a graphic representation of our three parts: We will see tomorrow why this study is important (It helps us understand what Paul is talking about in Romans 7). Though we may desire to do something else, and now have the ability through the Spirit to actually live differently, the body of sin drags us down into death and destruction with it (Rom 7:24). Yet due to the force of habit, addiction, bad choices, or just plain ignorance, we often choose instead to life through the flesh, which results in sin. The old, dead spirit of man is replaced by the Holy Spirit of God.Īs a result, the soul of believer can choose to walk in the Spirit or walk in the flesh (Gal 5:16-26). Once a person believes in Jesus for eternal life (this is a function of the soul), God sends the Holy Spirit to regenerate, indwell, baptize, and seal the new believer. And since their body is corrupted with sin, the soul cannot obey God through the flesh either. In the present age, unbelievers have a soul which often seeks to do good, and wills to do good, but since they do not have the Holy Spirit, they cannot do anything to please God. When that happens, each person will once again be as God intended and planned, perfect in body, soul, and spirit so that we can live and function as a whole, united person. The Bible also says that in the future resurrection, we will be given glorified and incorruptible bodies (1 Cor 15:52). In the Hebrew Scriptures, God promised to give a new spirit to His people (Ezek 36:26), which we now know was the “Holy Spirit” that came at Pentecost (Acts 2). This is what Paul refers to as “the flesh.” What Happens to the Three Parts of a Human in Regeneration? Yet because of the corruption of sin, the body produced only sin and death. The body, however, was only dying, and so the soul could function through the body. The spirit, which was dead, could do nothing for the soul. Yet the soul, the animating principle of a person, can only function through the spirit or through the body. Nevertheless, they remained “alive” because their soul remained. When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, they died spiritually and sin corrupted their body, so that it too began to die.
What Happened to the Three Parts of Humanity in the Fall? Neither the body nor the spirit can function on its own both look to the soul for direction and action. As such, the soul serves as the command center for the person. It is the animating principle of a person, and is responsible for imagination, memory, reason, and emotions. It interacts with God and the spiritual realm through its own set of “senses,” things like faith, hope, and prayer. It touches the material world through the five senses of sight, smell, hearing, taste, touch. The body is the physical side of a person. Though distinct, the three parts of a person work together to live, exist, and interact with God and creation. Much like the divine Trinity, the three parts of a human make one being. This is called the “tripartite” nature of man. The Bible seems to present humans as consisting of three parts: body, soul, and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23 Hebrews 4:12).
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