Body & Soul - Spirit
I bought a new Reformation Study Bible, edited by R.C. Sproul, and was reading Genesis 2 and the various comments and notes this morning. A brief article on page 10 discusses the composition of a human person.
"Each human being in this world consists of a material body animated by an immaterial personal self. Scripture calls this self a 'soul' or 'spirit.'"
While the article argues for the traditional understanding of a dichotomous composition, there are many believers who argue for a trichotomous composition. Most of the discussion of this issue that I have read leaves my head spinning. There is much confusion about it. Some distinguish between mind, body and soul, other use body, soul and spirit. The first issue, though, is whether people are dichotomous or trichotomous.
Sproul or the writer of the article says that "a 'trichotomous' view of man as body, soul, and spirit is incorrect." I want to both agree and disagree with this apparently traditional evaluation. The source of my waffle comes from the fact that the word "man" is not well defined (or must me refined). Clearly, the Bible divides humanity into two groups: the saved and the lost, believers and unbelievers, covenant keepers and covenant breakers. Thus, there are two types of people that must be considered.
Genesis clearly reveals that man was created in the image of God. Exactly what that image is or what it means has been discussed for aeons. My take on it, following Van Til, is that since God is a Trinity, a trichotomous being whose various distinctions do not violate His unity and wholeness, man has a similar analogical trichotomous composition.
I want to argue that both believers and unbelievers are trichotomous but unbelievers have an empty or unrealized element. Clearly, unbelievers are not whole, not complete. Someone has said that all people have a God-sized hole in them, and that they are not complete until God fills that hole. This lobbies for the fact that the Holy Spirit is dispatched to believers for the purpose of salvation, which amounts to the wholeness of believers in Christ. Believers are yoked with Christ through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. That yoke is composed of human spirit (or soul) and Holy Spirit.
Unbelievers are not constitutionally different than believers, and are therefore trichotomous. However, only two of their three cylinders are firing, to borrow an engine analogy. Two of their three cavities are filled -- body and soul -- and the third cavity is devoid of the Holy Spirit.
It seems to me that this fundamental difference between believers and unbelievers accounts for the traditional confusion about this issue. I've never read anything like the explanation I have provided, but that doesn't mean that it isn't out there. I am interested in your response to this post.
Phil
posted by PARoss @ 11:21 AM
2 Comments:
Interesting topic. I have posted a reply and an invitation over at my blog. Thanks!
Restoration of the Body of Christ
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The most important prayer request for all Christians must now be the restoration of God's temple, the Body of Christ. Nothing on the earth is more important than that the Assembly of God becomes built up according to the pattern of God's word, so that we all are ready when Jesus comes.
When God was so strictly with that the tabernacle (Exodus 25:9) and the temple of the old covenant became built according to the pattern, so that the workers must get special education through God's Spirit (Exodus 35:30-35, 36:1-2), then he must be still more strictly with the real temple, the Assembly of God. All that the Bible teaches about Assembly of God constitutes the pattern for the Assembly of God.
Revival is a hackneyed word. Many have used this word to gather people around themselves, instead of around Jesus. And people think any revival is not coming. They refer to 2 Thess. 2:3 and tell about the great Apostasy. But this Apostasy has taken place a very long time ago. The entire
Christendom was lead astray by false shepherds and preachers, which preached false doctrines. Since then, God's people have been slaves under many denominations and churches. And the great Apostasy is still today continuing. The great Apostasy is NOW!
Rev. 18:4-5 is an extremely powerful revival message from the Lord. He commands his people to leave the great Babylon. This must take place before Jesus comes. After Jesus has come, then God's people are home at the Lord, and there is no Babylon. In the churches they never have preached the truth of the Assembly of God (the pattern). God's people must be released from all denominations and churches, the great Babylon.
As in the days of Lot, it is now. Lot was not interested to leave Sodom. God sent two angels to rescue him, and they must persuade him to leave Sodom. When he yet lingered, they took him at his hand and led him out of the city. One of the angels said to him: "Flee for your life sake and do not see you backwards..." Genesis 19:15-17.
Just like as Lot, God's people today is not interested to leave the great Babylon. They are spiritual to sleep and do not want to be disturbed. They do not know that their churches and enominations are founded on
false doctrines, and are false copies of the Assembly of God. They do not know in what they are members.
"If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John 1:7. But most of those who profess them are Christians do not walk in the light. They are walking in the spiritual darkness of the church, and are averse to light. They have a sort love and fellowship that does not endure the light.
Have you really struggled in prayer before the Lord to find the truth about the assembly, the Body of Christ? This has been my continuing prayer request during more than 40 years. What I have written about churches and denominations and about the Assembly of God, it is a study of the Bible and answers to prayers, and not criticism.
Very few Christians have obeyed this revival message of the Lord, and left the great Babylon. Before Jesus comes all Christians must obey this command of the Lord. Otherwise God will judge them as partakers in the sins of the great harlot, and they must share her plagues.
Welcome to visit my Site.
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What is Living Faith?
None be saved by law-deeds, Gal. 2:16,
and none be saved without faith-deeds. Matt. 7:21-23.
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God's Law and God's Gospel
http://www.algonet.se/~allan-sv/PAGE15.HTM
The Trinity
http://www.algonet.se/~allan-sv/PAGE66.HTM
What is a revival? How does a revival rise?
http://www.algonet.se/~allan-sv/PAGE86.HTM
The Body of Christ, the most valuable that exists on the earth,
but the people lack knowledge
http://www.algonet.se/~allan-sv/PAGE91.HTM
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge
http://www.algonet.se/~allan-sv/PAGE92.HTM
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ
Allan Svensson, Sweden
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