What are your views of the trichotomy of our being? Do you believe that we are what some passages say body, soul, and spirit? Or do you believe that soul is synonymous with spirit?
Please provide Scripture and biblically aligned reason/explanation to back your positions.
And...is this an important issue, why or why not?
Body = Physical vessel / tangible / synonymous with the Flesh (its what was corrupted by the fall of Adam and is what mankind is born into. Man is born into sin, through the bloodline descent of Adam. In an unregenerated man, the Body/Flesh DOMINATES the actions of the soul. The soul tends to gratify the lusts of the flesh. Man's decision making tends to always be SELF serving.
Soul = the feelings, emotions, and decision making. The inner person. The "Soul that sins shall surely die" Ezekiel 18v20. Its the
soul that is at stake in terms of your eternal salvation. It is your soul that makes a decision as to whether to live by the flesh or by the Spirit, as we will see in the scriptures below.
Spirit = The incorruptible God nature that is birthed within a human being through the second birth (born again). God said to Adam, that should he eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, then in that day you shall surely die
(para). We know that Adam's body did not die on that day. It was a Spiritual death. No longer was Adam being led by the Spirit.
[h=1]Romans 8New King James Version (NKJV)[/h] [h=3]Free from Indwelling Sin[/h]8
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,[SUP][
a][/SUP] who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
<this decision is made by the soul. Prior to conversion the soul by default gratifies the flesh. Now that we have Jesus Christ (the second Adam), and now that Jesus Christ has defeated sin in the flesh, we have a new Master. We no longer need to gratify the flesh. We are now free to serve Him by being led by the Spirit and setting our minds on the things of the Spirit> [SUP]2 [/SUP]For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. [SUP]3 [/SUP]For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God
did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, [SUP]4 [/SUP]that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. [SUP]5 [/SUP]For those who live according to the flesh
set their minds <soul decision> on the things of the flesh, but those
who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. [SUP]6 [/SUP]For to be
carnally minded <soul decision> is death, but to be
spiritually minded <soul decision> is life and peace. [SUP]7 [/SUP]Because the
carnal mind <soul> is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. [SUP]8 [/SUP]So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
<those who decide to follow and gratify the flesh. a soul decision>
[SUP]9 [/SUP]But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit,
if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. [SUP]10 [/SUP]And if Christ
is in you, the body
is dead because of sin
<see Romans 6v4>, but the Spirit
is life because of righteousness. [SUP]11 [/SUP]But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
<now we see a total reverse in the order of things. Up to this point, man was ruled by his flesh. Soul decisions followed the lusts of the flesh. Now a change has occurred. IF the Spirit of Christ dwells in you, the power of the flesh to dominate has been dealt with, through Jesus defeating sin in the flesh on the cross (see Romans 8v3 above). We are now free once again. Given the opportunity of free will once again. We have the CHOICE now. What do you choose to serve? The flesh or the Spirit. Your soul makes this decision. Free will restored.>
Sonship Through the Spirit
[SUP]12 [/SUP]Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. [SUP]13 [/SUP]
For if you live according to the flesh you will die <brethren - meaning those who call themselves Christian brothers>; but if
by the Spirit you
put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. [SUP]14 [/SUP]For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
<so there are those being led by the Spirit - these are the sons of God. Those who are being led by the flesh are__________>
Your soul is the one which receives eternal life (and a new body to go with it eventually, a body that is not corrupted), or your soul goes to hell. That is for whom Jesus died. You are set free. Now that you have new birth, how do you choose to live out the life that Jesus has purchased?