Much confusion about the difference between spirit and soul. Many seem to use the names interchangeably, but they are very different. Understanding the difference makes the Gospel of Jesus Christ more easily understood. To me this is the essence of Christianity.
Thessalonians 5: 23-24
23 Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. 24 God will make this happen.
When your body begins it's formation in your mother's womb, God couples that body with a soul. The soul is the mind, the source of emotions, and your "personality".
Think of the yourself as a sphere, with the soul being a sphere within the sphere of the body. Inside the soul is another sphere where God places your spirit. Your spirit lives because God places a part of himself, the Holy Spirit within your spirit as a source of nourishment and support. The soul with the spirit is the concept of being made "in the image" of God as we are all when children. Like a seed, the child's spirit is nourished by the Holy Spirit for a time until maturity.
As our body grows and matures, our soul is exposed to the world. When/if we reject God, and choose the Enemy's seductions, the Holy Spirit departs and our spirit dies--even though our body and soul continue. When the body dies, that soul, without a live spirit departs for a terrible place.
If we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and follow him, we are "born again". In other words, our spirit is reborn and the Holy Spirit returns to us to nourish and support our spirit, allowing and helping our soul and personality to mature toward a holy life over time. When our body dies, our soul, with a live spirit, is taken to Heaven.
John 3: 5-7
5 Jesus replied, "I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7 So don't be surprised when I say, 'You must be born again.'
When Adam rejected and rebelled against God's commands, his body did not die, but his spirit did. We inherit the rebellious nature of Adam, but Christ paid the price and penalty for our rebellion and offers all that follow him, a new spiritual life.
1 Corinthians 15:22
John 3: 5-7
5 Jesus replied, "I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7 So don't be surprised when I say, 'You must be born again.'
When Adam rejected and rebelled against God's commands, his body did not die, but his spirit did. We inherit the rebellious nature of Adam, but Christ paid the price and penalty for our rebellion and offers all that follow him, a new spiritual life.
1 Corinthians 15:22
22 Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.
Unfortunately, not all will accept Christ...
Matthew 7:13-14
13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life , and only a few find it"
