Man As Spirit, Soul, and Body (Chapter 4)

Man As Spirit, Soul, and Body (Chapter 4)
By John Woodward
Undated

TRICHOTOMY IN REDEMPTIVE HISTORY

The Context of Biblical Redemption

The study of redemptive history examines the topic of man's makeup through identifying major biblical and theological stages in the sequence of salvation and their implications on the body, soul, and spirit. This approach will include the exegesis of relevant passages that relate to the issue of man's makeup. The basic stages identified below include creation, the fall, the new birth, sanctification, physical death, and bodily resurrection.

The principle of progressive revelation will be germane to the interpretation of biblical passages examined. Heard noted the importance of understanding this concept:

"It would be out of harmony with the "analogy of faith" if the tripartite nature of man were fully described in those [more ancient] books of the Bible which only contain implied hints of the plurality of the Godhead. All we shall see of the subject will confirm this view of the harmonious way in which doctrines and duties, the nature of God, and the nature of man, are unfolded together. " [1 ]

In Bampton Lectures at Oxford, Thomas Bernard confirmed this understanding, clarifying that progressive revelation terminated at the completion of the Bible:

"In speaking, therefore, of the progress of doctrine in the New Testament, I speak of a course of communication

50

from God which reaches its completion within those limits, constituting a perfected scheme of divine teaching, open to new elucidations and deductions, but not to the addition of new materials." [2]

Biblical theology unfolds with increasing detail and scope from the earliest writings in the Bible to its conclusion. The study of man's makeup, especially his immaterial aspects, requires careful consideration of this principle.

Creation

The Bible affirms man's unique status in creation as made in God's image (Gen 1:26,27). The theological implications of this truth are many and varied. Some have argued for trichotomy as a reflection of God's triune nature. (There may be a parallel, but this paper will not use the doctrine of the trinity as a proof for trichotomy.) The creation text that most directly relates to the issue of man's makeup is Gen 2:7. "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."

The material used in man's creation was the dust of the ground. The Hebrew term for "dust" here, adamah , is related to the name given to the first man--Adam. The phrase "breath of life" is literally breath [neshama] of "lives" [hayim]. This use of the plural implies a distinction of soul and spirit, but is not explicit. (The Hebrew plural may have an abstract usage as in Gen 2:9, where the tree of life is literally the tree of "lives.")

51

The text does reveal the dignity of man; his creation was distinct from the method of creating other living creatures. As Delitzsch put it, "The spirit of man is an immediate inspiration of God, the personal transmitted into the bodily form. . . " [3] Man became a living "soul" [nephesh], which by synecdoche represents the whole living person. The creation of a distinct spirit in man is consistent with God's nature as a spirit (John 4:24) and Paul's endorsement of the quotation, "we are His offspring" (Acts 17:28). God is also called "the Father of our spirits" (Heb 12:9). Although the first man was directly created by God from dust through the breath of God's Spirit, Genesis does not reveal the way Adam's descendants would acquire their immaterial parts. Some theologians favor the view that the soul is directly created by God for each child (creationism) others, that it is passed on through the parents (traducianism).

The Fall

In Gen 2:16,17 God warned Adam about the consequences that would follow any violation of God's law:

"And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.'"

No other created being on earth was given this moral test. The exercise of spiritual and moral volition corresponds to the faculty of conscience in man's spirit. This is one

52

aspect of man's status as made in God's image.

In this test of obedience lay the real superiority of Adam over every living creature. Thus the contingence of evil could have been avoided only in one way; by denying to man the pneumatical faculty altogether; freedom to choose the good and to refuse the evil, is involved in the very definition of what a spirit is. [4]

When Adam and Eve violated God's solitary prohibition, they plunged the human race into sin and misery. God pronounced His curse upon the serpent, the woman, the man, and the earth (Gen 3:14-19).

The examination of the parts of human makeup leads to a relevant question: In what way did man die at the fall? If one takes the warning of God precisely, the body did not "die" on the day of Adam's transgression. ("Day" [yom] can be translated "period of time," but there is no hint in the context of anything other than a literal day.) Although the body was rendered mortal and separated from potential access to the tree of life, Adam lived to the age of 930 (Gen 5:5). The Hebrew of God's warning in Gen 2:17 is moth tamuth ("dying you shall die"). The emphatic grammar points to an immediate consequence on the day of Adam's sin, followed by related effects.

Since the body did not die on the day of man's fall, what part of him did die? The soul (identified primarily with the faculties of mind, will, and emotions) was affected by original sin, yet was still alive and functioning. This leads to the deduction that man's spirit was the object of the consequence of the immediate "death" spoken of in

53

Gen 2:17. Prov 20:27 states, "The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD, Searching all the inner depths of his heart." This lamp was darkened by the fall. Since many references to man's spirit occur between the fall and redemption, it should not be assumed that man's fallen spirit ceases to exist prior to regeneration (a view which John Wesley held).

Wayne Grudem, in his arguments against trichotomy, implies that the spirit of an unbeliever is not specifically dead because it is mentioned in Scripture (Deut 2:30), and is still active (Ps 78:8). [5] Yet, death needs to be defined in a scriptural manner; it essentially denotes separation. At death the soul separates from the body (2 Cor 5:7) and at the "second death" the unsaved are separated from God's heaven (Rev 20:14). Admittedly, because man is unified in personhood, his spiritual death affects every area of his life (total depravity), yet this does not negate the specific locus of death on the day of Adam's fall (his spirit). Thus spiritual death is a separation of man's spirit from the life of God. This effect of sin is documented in passages such as Isa 59:2: "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you . . ." (cf. Matt 8:22; Eph 2:1,5; Rev 3:1). Thus, man's spirit--his faculty of communion with God--was cut off from its source of life, like a cut flower. This consequence is summarized in Rom 5:12: "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the

54

world, and death through sin , and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned." Apart from Christ, man's spirit is dormant toward the life of God--"dead" (cf. 1 Tim 5:6). The bonding between spirit and soul has distorted the soul's functions as well. Herbert Lockyer noted,

"Man's whole being is corrupted--his spirit is darkened Eph 4:17,18; 1 Cor 2:14); his soul is debased (Jer 17:9; Eph 4:19); his body is diseased and death-ridden (Rom 7:24). . . Sin brought a schism into man's nature, the lower dominating the higher." [6 ]

Another effect of the fall is the upsetting of the government of man's constitutional nature. As Adam was to take dominion over the created order, he was designed to rule the appetites of his body. The spirit, as his organ of communion with God, was to express itself through the soul, and through the body. Spiritual death, however, subjected mankind to what Luther called "the bondage of the will." [7] A conflict between conscience and choice would be a common feature of man's experience as fallen beings (Gal 5:16; Rom 7:7-24). Regarding man's inner government, T. Austin-Sparks wrote,

"It was in the upsetting of this order that function was affected fatally, and man became other than God had intended him to be. . . Instead of allowing his spirit to bring God in [at the moment of original temptation] man acted independently. . . Then the spirit of man, being so seriously violated, ceased to be the link between himself and God. Fellowship with God, which

55

is always spiritual, was destroyed. and the spirit sank down into subjection to man's soul. " [8]

Regeneration

The Greek term for regeneration is paliggenesia , which is used to describe the new life the Holy Spirit gives to the believer at salvation: "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Tit 3:5). This concept is usually conveyed by the verb gennao or anagennao--"to beget" or "to beget again" (John 1:13; 3:3-8; 1 Pet 1:23; 1 John 2:29; 4:7; 5:1,4,18). Jas 1:18 describes this act of birth by the verb apokueo--"to bear or bring forth." As Berkhof defined it, "Regeneration is that act of God by which the principle of the new life is implanted in man, and the governing disposition of the soul is made holy." [9] The trichotomist believes that this governing disposition is resident in the organ known as the human spirit.

Regeneration is that aspect of conversion that affirms the miraculous way God reverses the primary spiritual effect of the fall and implants new life. This new life is identified as "created" by God (Eph 2:10), and it results in the believer being a "new creation" (2 Cor 5:17; Gal 6:15). One's view of man's constituent parts affects one's interpretation of the negative results of the fall

56

and the positive dynamic of the new birth. Dichotomists emphasize that regeneration affects the whole person. Scripture affirms positive benefits to the soul, including the faculties of mind (Col 3:10), the will (Phil 2:13), and the emotions (Matt 5:4; 1 Pet 1:8). However, these benefits do not rid the believer of the sin principle, i.e., "the flesh" (Gal 5:17).

Jude 13 warns against false teachers, identifying them as unsaved--awaiting the punishment of hell. These individuals are described as ". . . sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit" (Jude 19). Since the original uncial Greek manuscript did not differentiate upper from lower case, the decision on rendering pneuma Spirit (for the Spirit of God) or spirit (for the spirit of man) is an editorial one. The Greek text has pneuma ma exontes. The definite article is not used with pneuma . English translations render pneuma "Spirit," corroborating other texts which indicate that the Holy Spirit only indwells believers (Eph 1:13). This, however, does not rule out that Jude may have been describing these false teachers as not having a human spirit that was rightly functioning, i.e., made alive. It is significant that the word "sensual" in verse 19 is the adjective for soul--psuchikoi. Pember commented on the significance of this contrast:

"psuchikoi pneuma ma exontes , scarcely "the Spirit." The preceding psuchikoi makes the contrast between the human soul and spirit so obvious and natural that, if Jude had meant the Holy Spirit, he would surely have guarded this meaning by prefixing the article to pneuma. However, it does not seem necessary to press the sense further to understand that, in the men described, the God-consciousness

57

is stifled [removed] by sensuousness. Even in their case the spirit may still be a potentiality, though as regards present influence it is as good as dead. " [10 ]

These false teachers are spiritually dead, like ". . . late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots" (Jude 12).

The believer, however, is spiritually alive through regeneration, yet his body is still mortal--subject to sickness, aging, and death. Its susceptibility to convey the temptations of the flesh and the world system earns it the title of "this body of death" (Rom 7:24). If regeneration's effects on the body are less pronounced than its effects on the soul, it is not unlikely that the soul is less affected at regeneration than the spirit. If Scripture indicates that man's spirit is the locus of his communion with God (John 4:23,24; Phil 3:3), it logically follows that its "death" at the fall would correspond to its being "made alive" at regeneration" (Eph 2:1,5).

The source of this change is spiritual union with (but not assimilation by) the Holy Spirit. "But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him" (1 Cor 6:17). He also gives subjective assurance of this reality: "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God" (Rom 8:16). Christ is involved in this work as the "life-giving spirit" in contrast to Adam, a living soul (1 Cor 15:45).

58

Sanctification

1 Thes 5:23 presents a clear picture of the three parts of man in relation to sanctification,

"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Non-trichotomists draw attention to the concept of "entire," oloklaros , and dismiss the significance of the terms Paul used to describe man. This text, however, is one of most explicit ones in the New Testament epistles on the topic of biblical anthropology. Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's commentary notes the importance of these terms:

"All three, spirit, soul, and body, each in its due place, constitute man 'entire.' The 'spirit' links man with the higher intelligences of heaven, and is that highest part of man which is receptive to the quickening Holy Spirit (1 Cor 15:47). In the unspiritual, the spirit is so sunk under the lower animal soul . . . that such are termed 'animal' (E. V. "sensual, having merely the body of organized matter, and the soul the immaterial animating essence), not having the Spirit." [11]

The sequence of the spirit, soul, and body also seems significant. Heard noted,

"The order. . . spirit , soul , and body , seems to point to the work [of sanctification] being progressive , as well an entire work. The Divine Spirit enters and dwells in our spirits first. From thence he gets the mastery over the desires of the mind, and lastly over the desires of the flesh." [12]

59

Another text relevant to man's makeup as it relates to sanctification is Heb 4:12.

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit , and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. "

Here the role of the Scriptures is illustrated, which also describes the distinction between man's soul and spirit. Some trichotomists have interpreted the verse as proving that the soul and spirit can be separated from each other. (Charles Hodge's criticism of trichotomy is aimed at this more crude expression of it. [13]) Although that reading is possible, it is not required by the Greek, nor is it essential to prove trichotomy. The text probably describes the dividing of the soul and spirit together. Thiessen quoted Alford's comments on this text:

"The logos pierces to the dividing, not of the psuche from the pneuma, but the psuche itself and the pneuma itself; the former being the lower portion of man's immaterial part, which he has in common from the brutes . . .the latter the higher portion, receptive to the Spirit of God. . . both which are pierced and divided by the sword of the spirit, the Word of God." [14 ]

The allusion seems to be that of the priest cutting open an animal for sacrifice; the knife would penetrate through the joint to the inner bone marrow. The parallel structure of soul and spirit is consistent with this concept. The joint is external to the marrow as the soul is conceptually external to the spirit in man.

60

Other commentators confirm the validity of the distinction of soul and spirit in this text:

"[The Word of God] penetrates into the deepest and most hidden parts of a man's life and dissects his lower animal life with its desires, interests, and affections, from his higher spiritual life with its aspirations for spiritual communion with God, just as a two-edged sword cuts through the joints and marrow of a physical body." [15]

Although he rejects a trichotomy that would separate the two parts of man's immaterial nature, Lenski proposed,

"Where, as here, [Heb 4:12] spirit and soul are distinguished, the spirit designates our immaterial part as it is related to God, as being capable of receiving the operations of the Spirit of God . . . The spirit ought to rule supreme; wholly controlled by God's Spirit, man ought to be pneumatikos . Sin enabled the psuche to control so that man became psuchikos , his bodily appetites having sway." [16]

The soul and spirit are set apart to God at conversion (positional sanctification--Heb 10:10) and are summoned to demonstrate righteous attitudes, words, and actions as an evidence of new life in Christ (progressive sanctification--Heb 10:14).

The significance of trichotomy serves to clarify this doctrine of sanctification. The precise concepts relating to the spirit and soul determine one's understanding of the inner struggle for righteousness and God's provision for experiential holiness. In his treatment of sanctification, Heard criticized the ambiguity inherent in

61

a non-trichotomous model of man.

"The application of the atonement as a sanctifying power is on this wise. There is in the regenerate pneuma a striving after holiness, as well as thirst after God. The spirit, when quickened, is that seed of God which is said by one apostle to be incorruptible (1 Pet 1:23), and by another that it cannot sin (1 John 3:9). . . When the Holy Spirit of God quickens this spirit in man, and draws its desires upwards to Him, then the conflict [of flesh against spirit]. . .begins. Evangelical preachers who describe man as made up of two parts only, body and soul, and who say, correctly enough, that the soul, as well as the body, is desperately wicked, are therefore in a dilemma--how can a good thing come out of evil? Can a leopard change its spots, or an Ethiopian his skin?" The psuche . . .is poisoned and impure; can it send forth out of the same place sweet water and bitter? " [17]

In contrast to this ambiguity is the advantage of acknowledging the spirit/soul distinction. Heard continued,

"How a heart that is desperately wicked can obey godly motions is as unexplained as how a deaf man can hear or a lame man walk. Let but the distinction between psuche and pneuma be seen, and all is clear and consistent. The psuche is like the flesh, prone to evil, and remains so, yea, even in the regenerate. But the pneuma or godlike in man is not prone to evil. . .Its tendency is naturally upward to God, as the tendency of the body and soul is outward and earthward. Regeneration then, is the quickening of this pneuma, and sanctification is the carrying on of what conversion began." [18]

Sanctification was a major concern for the apostle Paul when he was inspired to write 1 Corinthians. Living in a corrupt society, the church there had fallen into many ethical problems and some heretical teachings. In the second and third chapters, the apostle identifies three categories of people: spiritual, carnal, and soulish (or soulical). The spiritual man is not only regenerated but lives in

62

harmony with the indwelling Holy Spirit.

But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For "who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ. And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ (1 Cor 2:15-3:1).

The spiritual man's thoughts are under the domain of God's revelation. Paul illustrated the necessity of divine revelation with a comparison to man's makeup. The role of the human spirit is specified:

For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God (1 Cor 2:11-12).

The context goes on to rebuke the Corinthians for their neglect of spiritual growth, identifying a second class of people:

"I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?" (1 Cor 3:2-3).

The word "carnal" is sarchikoi, literally "fleshly." The concept of flesh, when used ethically, denotes the fallen part of man which is conditioned to function independently of God. "Flesh" is closely associated with the "body of sin" (Rom 6:6) and involves the thoughts, attitudes, beha- viors, and words that are in opposition to God's Holy Spirit (Gal 5:17). As the believer walks in the control and power of the Spirit of God (Gal 5:16), he will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Gal 5:19-24). This discernment is essential for progress toward spiritual maturity (Heb 5:12).

63

The third category of people in 1 Corinthians is that of the natural (soulish/soulical) person:

"These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. "(1 Cor 2:13-14).

The English language does not convey the precision of the Greek here. "Natural" is the rendering of psuchikon , (soulical). The lack of a the English adjective "soulical" to correspond to spiritual (pneumatikon), and physical (somatikon), has contributed to the bias against trichotomy among English writers. Latin (and related languages) retains the original clarity with adjectives corresponding to spirit (spiritus) and soul (anima).

Richard Trench recognized the implications of the adjectives of "soulish" and "carnal" on man's makeup:

"The psuchikos of Scripture is one for whom the psuche is the highest motive power of life and action; in whom the pneuma , as the organ of the divine Pneuma , is suppressed, dormant, . . . whom the operations of this divine Spirit have never lifted into the regions of spiritual things. (Rom 7:14; 8:1; Jude 19)." [19]

The primary reference to the natural or soulical man is to one who is unregenerate, yet the believer is still prone to soulish or carnal ways of living.

James used the adjective of soul in his discussion about the two types of wisdom by which man can operate.

64

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual , demonic. (Jas 3:13-15)

Here "sensual" is a translation of psuchika . Thus, fleshly wisdom is related to the soul of man instead the divine wisdom the Spirit of God accessed through his spirit (Jas 3:17,18). Therefore, the spirit of man is the organ for the more noble functions in the regenerate. As Heard noted,

"[Many preachers who are dichotomists], to use an illustration from physiology, seem to understand the function of spiritual-mindedness, but not to have discovered the organ which discharges that function. . .Function and organ are co-relative terms in physiology; they must also be in psychology." [20 ]

Thus the soulical person is governed by the psuche: "The sensuous nature is subject to fallen man's appetite and passion (as though made up of nothing but psuche)."[21]

Another example of the role of trichotomy in sanctification is the definition of "old man" as the object of co-crucifixion with Christ. Rom 6-8 contains a systematic, detailed treatment of the doctrine of sanctification. Foundational to this understanding is what the believer is to "know" concerning his union with Christ: "knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin" (Rom 6:6). Whereas many interpret this as positional truth only, the nature of the believer's

65

crucifixion with Christ will directly affect one's understanding of the basis and conditions of sanctification. Trichotomy allows for an organ in man (the spirit) that is actually changed at conversion.

"At the new birth (regeneration), the unregenerate spirit or old man is crucified and replaced by the regenerate spirit or new man (new nature). . . This is the logical deduction of Rom 6:3-7 where we learn that the old man was crucified resulting in death. The same passage supports a new life or new man as a result of resurrection with Christ." [22]

One's interpretation of this co-crucifixion is foundational to "reckoning" on it in daily life (Rom 6:11). Reformed writers like Martin Loyd-Jones and John Murray have also argued convincingly for a precise definition of "old man" that is distinct from "sin," "flesh," "old ego," or "sin nature." Loyd-Jones wrote,

"I trust that this distinction between the 'old man' and the 'body of sin' is clear. It is most important. That is why I have contended so much against the idea that the 'old man' means the 'old nature,' and that the 'old man' and the 'body of sin' are one and the same thing. If you believe that, you will still be in bondage. . . You do not die to that old man; the old man is not going through the process of dying; he has died, and he has been buried, he has gone once and forever, he is finished. You are a new man in Christ." [23]

John Murray likewise affirmed,

"It is a mistake to think of the believer as both an old man and a new man or as having in him both the old man and the new man, the latter in view of regeneration and the former because of remaining corruption. That this is not Paul's conception is made apparent here by the fact that the 'old man' is represented as having been

66

crucified with Christ and the tense indicates a once-for-all definitive act [aorist tense]. . . "[24 ]

Murray maintains this distinction yet defines the old man as "the old self or ego, the unregenerate man in his entirety in contrast to the new man as the regenerate in his entirety." [25] Whereas the clarifications of Murray and Loyd- Jones regarding the "old man's" death are beneficial, their dichotomist orientation seems to shift the ambiguity from the "old man" to how this "new man" struggles with sin in his soul (1 Pet 2:11; Rom 7:14-24). Nevertheless, their precision on the "old man" as distinct from the "flesh" is welcome. This insight was influential in David Needham's research on the implications of the believer's identity in Christ. In Appendix B of his Birthright , Needham gives a thorough treatment of the terms "old man" and "flesh" concluding that they are not synonymous. The "old man" was crucified with Christ; the "flesh" continues as a source of antagonism to the things of God. [26]

Another example of how the trichotomous model of man clarifies the doctrine of progressive sanctification is the interpretation of 1 John 3:9, which states: "Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin , because he has been born of God" (1 John 3:9). This is a puzzling text for commentators

67

because earlier John stated: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). Without going into detail about the antinomian lifestyle of their false teachers (1 John 2:26; 3:7), John warned that the true believer would demonstrate his faith through love and good works (1 John 5:1,2). Yet, the text of 1 John 3:9 indicates a more radical trait of the believer: ". . . he cannot sin , because he has been born of God. In his sequel to Birthright Needham reasons,

"But what did John mean by "cannot sin"? When John used the word "cannot," I believe he was trying to communicate a critical point. Sinning. . . is so utterly irrational [for the regenerate]--so stupid--no one in their right mind would even consider sinning a reasonable behavior. . . Sinning would still be reasonable if one-half of your essential nature were sinful. But nowhere in John's epistle did he suggest that a Christian was a "two-dispositioned" person." [27]

For the trichotomist, the "seed" of God's Spirit would have its locus in the regenerate human spirit; sin would henceforth not originate from the believer's spirit, but from the flesh. Because of this, Paul could declare "For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man" (Rom 7:22).

Although Needham quotes sources both for and against trichotomy, he eventually affirms a distinction in man's immaterial, inner makeup:

"All of us are used to functioning with "levels of self.". . .It is not therefore so strange to affirm that for the believer there is a deeper level of self than either of these [conscious mind and unconscious mind]--spirit. . . No, I am not two people, but there are most certainly levels to my personhood. There is a deep level of self (inner man) and my more shallow level." [28]

68

The trichotomist would identify this "deep level" as spirit and the more "shallow level" as soul. David Kerr confirms that this distinctive use of spirit is represented throughout Scripture:

"In both Testaments it is man's spirit which is the spring of his inmost thoughts and intents, and the child of God must be renewed in spirit if he is to serve God acceptably (Ps 51:10 ff.; Gal 5:22; 1 John 4:13)." [29 ]

The role of the body in sanctification requires it to be used as "an instrument of righteousness" (Rom 6:13). Paul exemplified this through disciplining his body, making it the slave of his inner person (1 Cor 9:27). The authority of sin was broken through the believer's identification with Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. The result of this new spiritual relationship is that the body of sin should be rendered inoperative as a tool for sin (Rom 6:6). These cautions about the physical body are not due to its material nature (as in Greek dualism), but because of the effects of the fall.

Physical Death

It has been noted in the evaluation of monism that the soul and spirit separate from the body at physical death; this proves that man has more than one part. Paul stated his hope in Phil 1:21-23,

"For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ , which is far better."

69

Paul anticipated being in God's presence immediately following death:

"So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord" (2 Cor 5:6-8).

Heard stated that dichotomy seems to imply the false teaching of soul sleep. In contrast, he presented a rationale for conscious existence in the intermediate state:

"We have described the three parts of man's nature, as three kinds or degrees of consciousness. There is sense-consciousness, or the animal body; self-consciousness, or the rational soul; God-consciousness, or the Spirit [spirit]. We have also seen that it is conceivable, that any two of these forms of consciousness could exist without the presence and co-operation of the remaining third; the first and second without the third; or the second and third without the first. As two chords in music will make harmony, but not less than two, so either the animal or the rational, or the rational and the spiritual, will combine to sustain what we call life or consciousness in man. " [30 ]

Thus, after the fall man existed with his spirit separated from the life of God; after death he exists as soul and spirit separated from the body.

Various references point to man's conscious existence after death. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus vividly describes this (Luke 16:19-31). Even with allowance for symbolic elements in the parable, the story affirms man's conscious existence after death. Hebrews includes a vision of the redeemed in heaven as "the spirits of just men made perfect" (Heb 12:23). Without the "body of sin" and the environment of a world system hostile to God, believers

70

are blessed with perfected sanctification. Although the genre is apocalyptic, Rev 6:9,10 teaches the conscious existence of believers after death:

"When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, 'How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? ' "

Dichotomists draw attention to the use of "souls" in this passage, whereas "spirits" are referred to in Heb 12:23.

This, however, does not contradict trichotomy; both the soul and spirit form man's immaterial nature. There is no evidence that they are ever separated. On the other hand, the connotation of these terms is consistent with the meanings affirmed by trichotomists. In Hebrews, the writer mentions "spirit" because of the association with God and the assembly of the Firstborn; in Revelation the context is that of martyrdom, which would more closely relate to the body and therefore the soul.

Bodily Resurrection

Whereas the resurrection is chronologically future, it belongs in the context of redemption history because it has been revealed in the past, and because it is an accomplished fact in the mind of God (Rom 8:30). The resurrection of the just and the unjust is promised throughout Scripture (Dan 12:2; John 5:28,29; 1 Thes 4:13-18; Phil 3:20-21). The resurrection of the body indicates that man is a unified being; the intermediate state is abnormal.

71

The predictions about the believer's resurrection in 1 Cor 15:35-55 include important references that relate to the makeup of man:

" . . . The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body " (1 Cor 15:42-44).

The mortal body is called "natural" translating soma psuchikon (soulical body); the resurrection body is called "spiritual" translating soma pneumatikon (spiritual body).

Why is the mortal body described as "soulical"? Pember observed, ". . . while the soul is the meeting-point of the elements of our being in this present life, the spirit will be the ruling power in our resurrection state." [31 ]

Adam and Christ are also contrasted:

And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit . However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual . The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly (1 Cor 15:45-48).

Adam was identified by "soul" (living being); Christ was identifying as a "life-giving spirit." As made spiritually alive by Christ (the last Adam), the believer becomes conformed to the image of Christ even to glorification. According to verse forty six, the former state was "natural" (to psuchikon). This confirms the other passages that identify the condition of man on earth as primarily under

72

the sway of the soul, rather than the spirit (1 Cor 2:14; Jas 3:15; Jude 19). The resurrected body is spiritual, radically changed by Christ--the "life-giving spirit."

The soulical nature of man supplies the center of this present body of humiliation; the spirit will be the center of the resurrection body. [32] Heard stated,

"The resurrection body is thus spiritual, not carnal, and if spiritual, then the spirit and not the animal nature, which we lay in the grave, is to be regarded as the nucleus around which it will gather." [33 ]

Austin-Sparks noted that the resurrection unto life,

" . . . is that of a spiritual body, the consummation or full fruit of a spiritual life. In light of this, how important it is to know the difference between soul and spirit; between religion as a thing of the soul, and true spirituality as from Christ within, Who alone is the 'hope of glory.'" [34]

Summary

Thus the distinctions between man's spirit, soul, and body are relevant to the exposition of many Scripture passages. The implications from biblical word studies are confirmed and expanded by the exegesis of relevant Scriptures. This model of anthropology illumines the meaning of man's creation, fall, regeneration, sanctification, and eventual glorification. Having briefly traced the implications of trichotomy through redemptive history, the next chapter will note its place in church history.

1. J. B. Heard, The Tripartite Nature of Man , 40.

2. Thomas D. Bernard, The Progress of Doctrine in the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1949), 39.

3. Delitzsch, A System of Biblical Psychology , 95.

4. Heard, The Tripartite Nature of Man , 156.

5. Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 447.

6. Herbert Lockyer, All the Doctrines of the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1964), 145.

7. J. D. Douglas, ed., The New International Dictionary of the Christian Church [NIDCC], Revised ed., (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978), s.v. "Luther," by Carl S. Meyer, 610.

8. Austin-Sparks, What is Man? , 22,24.

9. Berkhof, Systematic Theology , 469.

10. Pember, Earth's Earliest Ages , 77.

11. Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary on the Whole Bible , Revised ed.,(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1961), 1339; cf. Gordon Fee, God's Empowering Presence, The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul , 66.

12. Heard, The Tripartite Nature of Man , 76.

13. Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979), 2: 50.

14. Thiessen, Introductory Lectures in Systematic Theology , 227.

15. Thomas Hewitt, The Epistle to the Hebrews , Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, vol. 15, ed., R. V. G. Tasker (London: Intervarsity Press, 1974), 90

16. R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Paul's Epistles to the Thessalonians (Minneapolois, MN: Augsburg, 1964), 367.

17. Heard, The Tripartite Nature of Man , 217.

18. Ibid., 218.

19. Richard C. Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1963), 269.

20. Heard, The Tripartite Nature of Man , 18,19.

21. Thayer, "Psuchikos," Greek-English Lexicon , 678.

22. Charles R. Solomon and H. David Clark, Gems and Jargon (Lakewood CO: Cross-Life Expressions 1980), 9.

23. D. Martin Loyd-Jones, Romans: The New Man , vol. 6, Romans (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1972), 78.

24. John Murray, The Epistle to the Romans (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1968), 1:220.

25. Ibid., 219

26. David C. Needaham, Birthright (Portland, OR: Multnomah Press, 1979), 239-63

27. David C. Needham, Alive for the First Time (Portland, OR: Multnomah, 1995), 91.

28. Ibid., 106-07.

29. David H. Kerr, "Spirit," in Baker's Dictionary of Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1960), 493.

30. Heard, The Tripartite Nature of Man , 268.

31. Pember, Earth's Earliest Ages , 75.

32. Heard, The Tripartite Nature of Man , 84.

33. Ibid., 342-43.

34. Austin-Sparks, What is Man? , 98.

by John B. Woodward

www.gracenotebook.com

copyright 2000

View Comments | Add Comment

Grace Fellowship is an international discipleship, counseling, and training training ministry. GFI does not charge for counseling, but is supported through tax deductible contributions. (In Canada, through http://www.CrossWaystoLife.org.) To request resources or inquire about hosting a conference, please contact us.

Grace Notes editor - Dr. John Woodward,
Grace Fellowship International.
President of GFI - Dr. Charles Solomon,
P.O. Box 368, Pigeon Forge, TN 37868 USA. Phone: 865-429-0450.
Home page: http://www.GraceFellowshipIntl.com
International tracts: http://www.SolomonPublications.org
Distance Education: http://www.GFICounselingInstitute.com
John's book: http://www.BiblicalPsychology.net
Photos: http://www.KodakGallery.com/gfi
Children's Ministry: http://www.CarawaySt.com
GFI Bookstore: 1-888-66GRACE (toll free in USA)

Subscribe ...

Subscribe to receive Grace Notes for free!

You may also wish to read ....

Next article by date ...

The Resurrection Life by John Woodward

Similar Titles ...

Man As Spirit, Soul, and Body (Chapter 1) by John Woodward
Man As Spirit, Soul, and Body (Chapter 2) by John Woodward
Man As Spirit, Soul, and Body (Chapter 3) by John Woodward
Man As Spirit, Soul, and Body (Chapter 5) by John Woodward
Man As Spirit, Soul, and Body (Chapter 6) by John Woodward
Man As Spirit, Soul, and Body (Chapter 7) by John Woodward

Other suggested publications by John Woodward ...

The Light of the World by John Woodward
Descending the Staircase of Humility by John Woodward
The Dimensions of the Cross, Part 1 by John Woodward

Biblical Counseling Series
Theological Papers Series