44+The+Nature+of+Humanity
· Anthropology ·
Lecture Forty Four: The Nature of Humanity
TH330 Systematic Theology I · Moody Bible Institute · Dr. Richard M. Weber
I. The Immaterial Aspect of Humanity
Luke 23:43. “Jesus answered [the thief on the cross], ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.’”
Acts 7:59. “While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’”
2 Cor 5:8. “We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” (Cf. Rev 6:9)
“Scripture is very clear that we do have a soul that is distinct from our physical bodies, which only can function somewhat independently of our ordinary thought processes (1 Cor 14:14; Rom 8:16), but also, when we die, is able to go on consciously acting and relating to God apart from our physical bodies.” (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 483)
II. The Origin of Souls
A. Pre-existentianism
B. Traducianism
Passed on from our parents…”easy way to explain sin”.
Gen 1:27. “…God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him…”
Gen 1:24. “And God said, ‘Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.’ And it was so.”
C. Creationism
Ps 127:3. “Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him.”
Zech 12:1. “The Lord … forms the spirit of man within him…” (Cf. Isa 42:5, NASB)
Heb 12:9. “[W]e have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!”
“In conclusion, it seems hard to avoid the testimony of Scripture to the effect that God actively creates each human soul, just as he is active in all the events of his creation. But the degree to which he allows the use of intermediate or secondary causes (that is, inheritance from parents) is simply not explained for us in Scripture. Therefore, it does not seem profitable for us to spend any more time speculating on this question.” (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 486)
III. The Components of Human Nature
A. Monism
Denying that there is any immaterial part. No spiritual aspect. They interpret scripture about “souls” merely as “life”
Gen 35:18; Ps 31:5; Luke 23:43, 46; Acts 7:59; Phil 1:23-24; 2 Cor 5:8; Heb 12:23; Rev 6:9; Rev 20:4
B. Dichotomy
Two component parts: Body/soul Material/Immaterial
Most evangelicals are here (Grudem)
C. Trichotomy
Rom 8:10. “[I]f Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.”
John 4:24. “God is spirit and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” (cf. Phil 3:3)
IV. The Unity of the Human Person
Gen 2:7. “[T]he Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
V. Arguments Favoring Dichotomy
A. Scripture Uses “Soul” and “Spirit” Interchangeably
“Soul” = nephesh (Hebrew) and psyche (Greek)
“Spirit” = ruach (Hebrew) and pneuma (Greek)
1. John 12:27 (NASB). “Now my Soul has become troubled…”
John 13:21 (NASB). “When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit…”
2. Luke 1:46-47. “And Mary said: ‘My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”
- Tricotomist might say “Hebrew parallelism?”
3. The Dead Are Called Either “Spirits” or “Souls”
a. Examples of “Spirits”
Heb 12:23. “…You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect,…”
1 Pet 3:19. “[Jesus] went and preached to the spirits in prison…”
b. Examples of “Souls”
Rev 6:9. “…I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain…”
Rev 20:4. “…I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God.”
4. Human Beings Are Described As “Body and Soul” or “Body and Spirit”
a. Example of “Body and Soul”
Matt 10:28. “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
b. Examples of “Body and Spirit”
James 2:26. “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”
1 Cor 7:34. “[The unmarried woman’s] aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit.”
2 Cor 7:1. “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” (Cf. 1 Cor 5:5, NASB)
5. Both “Soul” and “Spirit” Are Described as Capable of Sin
2 Cor 7:1. “…[L]et us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit…” (Cf. Deut 2:30; Isa 29:24; Dan 5:20; 1 Cor 7:34)
Ps 78:8. “They would not be like their forefathers – a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him.”
The spirit is the one that goes before God/interacts….
Prov 16:18. “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”
6. “Spirit” and “Soul” Are Said To Do the Same Things
John 13:21. “…Jesus was troubled in spirit…”
Prov 17:22. “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” (Cf. Acts 17:16 NASB)
Mark 2:8. “…Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking…”
1 Cor 2:11. “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him?...” (Cf. Rom 8:16)
Ps 25:1. “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;” (Cf. Ps 62:1)
Ps 103:1. “Praise the Lord, O my soul…” (Cf. Ps 146:1)
Luke 1:46. “Mary said, ‘My soul glorifies the Lord.’”
1 Sam 1:15. “[Hannah said,] “I was pouring out my soul to the Lord.”
Ps 42:1, 2, 5. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God… “ (Cf. Deut 6:5; Mark 12:30; Ps 35:9; 119:20, 167; Isa 61:10)
“[It appears that] ‘soul’ and ‘spirit’ are both terms used of the immaterial side of people generally, and it is difficult to see any real distinction between the use of the terms.” (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 476)
VI. Arguments Favoring Trichotomy (and Responses)
A. 1 Thess 5:23. “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Matt 22:37. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
Mark 12:30. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
B. Heb 4:12. “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
It doesn’t say we are dividing them from each other. It penetrates from the very depths of who you are.
C. 1 Cor 2:14-15, NASB. “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.”
Greek – psychikos (“soul-ish”) and pneumatikos (“spiritual”)
“Paul is not talking about different parts of man at all, but about coming under the influence of the Holy Spirit.” (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 479)
D. 1 Cor 14:14. “[I]f I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.”
VII. A Tentative Conclusion
“Although the arguments for trichotomy do have some force, none of them provides conclusive evidence that would overcome the wide testimony of Scripture showing that the terms soul and spirit are frequently interchangeable and are in many cases synonymous.” (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 481)