“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”
(1 Thess. 5:23, emphasis mine). Even though God’s Word clearly teaches that we are three-part beings, very few Christians practice a functional understanding of spirit, soul, and body in their everyday lives!
Most people actually believe that they’re only made up of body and soul. They confuse soul and spirit as being basically the same thing. Therefore, on a day-to-day level, they only acknowledge a physical part and an emotional, mental, inner part (commonly called “personality”).
Even Strong’s Concordance fails to distinguish all three!
The Greek word for “spirit” is “pneuma” and is defined as being
“the immortal soul.” I don’t mean to criticize anyone’s work, but my study of God’s Word has revealed a very distinct difference between spirit and soul. Therefore, I disagree with this particular definition of the word “pneuma.” Your spirit is your innermost part, not your “immortal soul.”
Your body is obvious. It’s the physical part of you that can be seen in a mirror. If you were talking to me face to face, you’d be seeing my body.
However, you’d be speaking to my soul, which is my mental, emotional part. Some people define “soul” as being your “mind, will, and emotions.” While that’s certainly true, it’s incomplete because your conscience should also be included. Your soul is what most people call their “personality.”
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