Theologies - Clover

104
1. DICHOTOMY
Man as a Twofold Being
ARGUMENTS FOR ARGUMENTS AGAINST
God breathed into man but one principle – a
living soul (Genesis 2:7).
The immaterial part of man (the soul)
is viewed as an individual and conscious
life, capable of possessing and animating a
physical organism (body).
Two Views Concerning the
Constitution of Man
The terms "soul" and "spirit" seem to be used
interchangeable in some references (Genesis
41:8 and Psalms 42:6; Matthew 20:28 and
27:50; John 12:27 and 13:21; Hebrews
12:23 and Revelation 6:9).
"Spirit" (as well as "soul") is ascribed to brute
creation (Ecclesiastes 3:21; Revelation 16:3).
Body and soul are spoken of as constituting
the whole person (Matt. 10:28; 1 Cor. 5:3; 3
John 2).
Consciousness testifies that there are two
elements in man's being. We can distinguish
a material part and an immaterial part, but
the consciousness of no one can distinguish
between soul and spirit.
The Hebrew text is plural, "Then the Lord God formed man
of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life (lives); and man became a living being."
Paul states that man has both a spirit and a soul, which are
housed in a physical body (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
Hebrews 4:12 speaks of the separation of the soul from the
spirit. If they were the same, they could not be divided.
The term "spirit" or "soul" may be used for animal "life"
or animation, but never in the unique sense in which
human spirit or soul is used. Human spirits continue
beyond physical existence, unlike the animals, and human
spirits are in relationship with the divine spirit of God.
(Matt. 17:3; Acts 7:59; Gal. 6:8; 1 Thess. 5:23; Rev. 16:3).
The spirit, soul, and body are spoken of as constituting
the whole person (Mark 12:30; 1 Cor. 2:14; 3:4; 1 Thess.
5:23).
It is the spirit of man that deals with the spiritual realm.
The soul is the dimension of man that deals with the mental
realm, man's intellect, the sensibilities, and the will-the part
that reasons and thinks. The body is the part of man that
contacts or deals with the physical realm. Hebrews 4:12 does
literally speak of the separation of the soul from the spirit (1
Thess. 5:23; cf. John 3:7; Rom. 2:28-29; 1 Cor. 2:14; 14:14).
(House, Charts, 81)
(continued, page 106)