In the beginning of the book of Genesis, God said, “let us make man after our image. “ What did he mean? Surely, he had no intention of making humans divine. He had no intention of escalating mankind to a higher plane than what he was made in the beginning. There are those televangelists who teach that we are all little gods. Of course, this is nonsense. We do not have the power or authority or omnipresence of the Almighty. This cannot be a misprint or misinterpretation of the Scripture that we are made in the image of God. However, there are aspects of our nature that reflects the image of God.
We are a triune individual in which all three of what we are function together for the best possible result. We need every part of ourselves to live in this universe. We need every part of ourselves to take advantage of salvation that leads to eternity with God. Each part of us complements the other parts. Together we are a whole individual dealing with our environment.
In the Old Testament the Hebrew word used for soul is best translated life or person or self. That Hebrew word Nephesh used 756 times. For a common understanding we can think of it meaning “the man himself.” It is a place of appetites and desires. In addition, Exodus 21:23 speaks of living being, part, life for life. So characteristically this means that a human being is a living being. It is never use of the dead person. However, even the Old Testament teaches that believers are in the presence of God now and when resurrected in glory. In the New Testament the word psyche is used in the immaterial part of a person. Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, “men can kill the body, but are not able kill the soul.” Scripture refers to lust that wars against the soul.
The word spirit in reference to a person means the essential or activating principal or animating force within them. The Hebrew word in the Old Testament is ruah that occurs 377 times and has been translated as breath, wind, or spirit. It stands for the center of life and is sometimes synonymous with soul. But in this case, it is in regard to what animates him. When a person dies his spirit leaves the body. Other words for ruah are used in Scripture to indicate vitality, vigor, moral or courage, temper or anger, the basic disposition or temperament, the moral character, the dominant impulse or attitude. More than 80 times this word refers to the Holy Spirit. In the New Testament the Greek word is pneuma as wind. The spirit is that which gives life to the body. Hebrews 12:23 indicates that a righteous person’s spirit after death lives on as an independent being in heaven. Therefore, this is the immaterial part of a person’s personality. In at least one case it means a person’s true self. It is the source of one’s insight and emotions and will. After being born again through salvation a person’s spirit is made alive to God and sensitive to the Holy Spirit which if allowed governs the attitudes of the mind. This is what causes a person to think along spiritual lines. When an individual’s spirit is submitted to Christ, they become capable of meekness and gentleness toward others.
We all know that we have a body, but there are 14 Hebrew words translated body in the Old Testament. In many of those cases it refers to a part of the person such as their back or belly. It can even mean a bone skeleton. The Hebrews at the time of Jesus did not have an actual concept of the physical body like we do today. They did not seek to differentiate between the body and spirit. One of those Hebrew words is basar for flesh that comes closest to our thinking of the body. In the New Testament, the usual word for body is soma. It occurs 145 times. In this case, in the New Testament there is more of the distinction between body and spirit. However, it’s usually used in a figurative sense as of the whole man, even the body of sin, plus referring to the church. Often the Bible refers to the word of lust covering a range of desires such as sexual passion. Naturally, it includes the idea of a strong desire. In fact, that strong desire can become an excessive strong craving. It can also be on the opposite that God is a consuming thought or desire for all that is good and right. He gives us the image for truly godly zeal. The most common use is that of forbidden desires as mentioned in Romans 1:24 in which God’s permits the unredeemed person to wallow in their lust. James tells us that this is the cause of sin that leads to death in a downward trend. James also mentions passion, and pleasure that could lead to quarrels and conflicts among believers.
We are to serve God as a complete entity being a body soul and spirit. Anything short of this is robbery to us for divine relationship in this life and the next.
Christian Writer 