Spirit v's Soul

okgirl

Hi
I am in real need for a very simple answer to this without quotations from the Bible. My 9yr old has asked me to explain the difference between his spirit and his soul. How can I explain this is a very simple way without confussing him? I think it is a subject that a lot of adults cannot explain or underastand completely. Is it really a personal belief? Are they the same? To me your soul is the part of God within you it is the morals and way your lve your life. Your conscience is part of it. Your spirit on the other hand is.....see I too am confussed

Puck

okgirl wrote: »

Hi
I am in real need for a very simple answer to this without quotations from the Bible. My 9yr old has asked me to explain the difference between his spirit and his soul. How can I explain this is a very simple way without confussing him? I think it is a subject that a lot of adults cannot explain or underastand completely. Is it really a personal belief? Are they the same? To me your soul is the part of God within you it is the morals and way your lve your life. Your conscience is part of it. Your spirit on the other hand is.....see I too am confussed

There is division over the precise definition even in Christian circles, however I'm not sure anyone believes that a soul is "part of God within you". Not to belittle your beliefs, just letting you know the Christian view since you are posting on the Christianity board.

Some people believe that soul and spirit are one and the same and people are made of body and soul/spirit, others believe that humans have a body and a soul and a spirit.

My view is that humans are souls, they have spirits, they have bodies. What I mean is that my soul is me, when I say "my hand" or "my head" or "my body" or "my spirit", the "my" part of that is the soul (i.e. me).

I think on ships you might see a sign that reads something like 250 SOB for instance - this stands for 250 Souls On Board, which is the capacity of the ship. It doesn't mean that they can fit 250 disembodied spirits on the ship, but 250 human beings.

I'm afraid if you want to have a more specific answer you will have to allow the Christians to explain their beliefs on the soul and the spirit with reference to the Bible, since this is where we get our beliefs.

JimiTime

okgirl wrote: »

Hi
I am in real need for a very simple answer to this without quotations from the Bible. My 9yr old has asked me to explain the difference between his spirit and his soul. How can I explain this is a very simple way without confussing him? I think it is a subject that a lot of adults cannot explain or underastand completely. Is it really a personal belief? Are they the same? To me your soul is the part of God within you it is the morals and way your lve your life. Your conscience is part of it. Your spirit on the other hand is.....see I too am confussed

Condensed down:

My Soul = My Life, my personhood. I am a living Soul = I am a living person. Its What I am.

My Spirit = my concience and personality, encompassing my heart and mind. Its Who I am.

okgirl

Jimi time, thanks for the very simplistic explanation. It is on the lines of what I was thinking but just touched on the subject with the 9yr old again and he wanted to know if when he turned around did it mean his spirit turned too. I think he has a vision of a person in spirit form shadowing him and tbh if he feel comfortable with a spirit guide to protect him that is fine with me. But it is not his spirit. Out of the mouths of babes I suppose.....curious little minds that need guidance. thanks again

sHnaCk

You cannot discuss spirit and soul apart from the biblical view for the following reasons... to provide a secular view would be a lie

The word spirit refers only to the immaterial facet of man. Mankind has a spirit, but we are not a spirit. However, in Scripture only believers, those who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, are said to be "spiritually alive" Unbelievers are "spiritually dead". The spirit is the element in man which gives him the ability to have an intimate relationship with God. Whenever the word spirit is used, it refers to the immaterial part of man including his soul.

The word soul refers not only to the immaterial part of man but the also material part. Unlike man having a "spirit," man is a soul. In its most basic sense, the word soul means "life." Man is naturally evil, and his soul is tainted as a result. The life principle is removed at the time of physical death. Whenever the word soul is used, it can refer to the whole person, alive or after death.

The "soul" and the "spirit" are similar in the manner in which they are used in the spiritual life of the believer. They are different in their reference. The "soul" is man's horizontal view with the world. The "spirit" is man's vertical view with God. It is important to understand that both refer to the immaterial part of man, but only the "spirit" refers to man's walk with God. The "soul" refers to man's walk in the world, both material and immaterial.

PDN

I'm afraid there's a few different views coming through on this, so I hope you end up with something that will help you explain things to your daughter.

Basically Christians believe mankind to be either bipartite (two parts) or tripartite (three parts).

The bipartite belief is that you have your body (one part) and then your soul (the other part which comprises everything apart from your body that makes up the real you). In this belief the soul and the spirit are often seen as being the same.

The tripartite belief is that you have a body, a soul (the mind, will and emotions) and also a spirit (the part of you that was created solely to share fellowship with God). The spirit within us is dead and inactive because of sin, and only comes alive when we enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ.

I personally believe the tripartite view is more biblical as certain Scripture verses make a distinction between soul and spirit.

studiorat

As an atheist, I see soul as an emotional entity and spirit as an entity of the mind, broadly speaking of course. In your soul is what you feel your spirit is what you know!

Naturally I only use these, as only purely descriptive terms, we don't really have a soul

Enough for a nine year old anyway!