What is a "soul?"

[Alive]

God also has a heart.

Gen. 6:5 (NAS95S)   Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ⁶ The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

[Retrobyter]

15 minutes ago, Alive said:

Is a 'body' a container?

Sorry--I am feeling mischievous 

Shalom, Alive.

I'll add to the mischief: No. We ARE our bodies! There's no part of us that is contained within us (unless you start talking about organs and fluids)!

[Alive]

I tend to think in terms of principle and ask myself questions in that vein.

What was God communicating to us when He told us that He made us in His image?

[Alive]

Gonna take a break. My body has a wicked sinus headache.

Later, fellas.

[Retrobyter]

2 minutes ago, Alive said:

God also has a heart.

Gen. 6:5 (NAS95S)   Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ⁶ The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

Shalom, again, Alive.

As the word "leeV" is used here as the word "libow" (with a dotted "bet"), it grieved Him to "His CORE!" It's not talking about an organ; it's talking about the core of His being! He was THOROUGHLY grieved!

[David1701]

50 minutes ago, Josheb said:

Does God have a soul?

If my understanding of "soul" is correct, then God does not have a soul in the way that we do.  Our thinking and emotions can change, depending upon circumstances (internal and external); whereas, God does not change.  I suppose you could say that God has an immutable soul.

[Retrobyter]

11 minutes ago, David1701 said:

If my understanding of "soul" is correct, then God does not have a soul in the way that we do.  Our thinking and emotions can change, depending upon circumstances (internal and external); whereas, God does not change.  I suppose you could say that God has an immutable soul.

Shalom, David1701.

LOL! Ironically, you're both right and wrong! I don't think your understanding of "soul" is correct; nevertheless, God the Word, who BECAME FLESH, Yeshua` the Messiah ("Jesus the Christ"), IS a soul - an "air-breathing creature!" Not only that, but since Jesus Christ, "the same yesterday, today, and forever," is therefore "immutable," then He IS an "immutable soul!"

[Frits]

1 hour ago, Josheb said:

Yet most hold God does not have a body. Christian doctrine has long held God is noncorporeal. 

Hi Josheb,

Here I cannot go along with that 'Christian' doctrine, that God has no body.
Stephen testified that the Most High does not dwell (or will dwell!) in what is made with hands.

'Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands'
(Act.7:48)

But where does God the Father live, where's His Body?  He dwells IN the Son Jesus Christ.
The Son forms the Body of God, with all Christians who are born again and baptized with the Holy Spirit.  In the fulness of time, there will be a great multitude of Christians who are completely fulfilled with the Spirit of God.  There then He lives in, that is His majestic and honorable Body, that consists of people.

The Lord Jesus said of the dwelling of God the Father in of these beloved holy people:

'In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.' (John 14:2)

What does it take for the Christian to become part of the Body of God the Father, to be a chosen 'house' in which the Most High God can dwell by His Spirit? Answer: Love to Jesus Christ, love to the word of truth.

'Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.' (John 14:23)

God bless you all!

(For me here in Europe it's time to go to sleep now.)

Edited December 20, 2020 by Frits

[Charlie744]

5 hours ago, Frits said:

When the spirit leaves the body, the body is dead. 

"For as the body without the spirit is dead" (James 2:26a)

Soul and spirit continue to exist together in the unseen world, either in hell (hades) or in the Kingdom of God with the Lord Jesus.

"We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." (2Cor.5:8)

Frits, I believe almost all contend, or apply this to mean that immediately after death one is with the Lord (assuming he is saved). Is tea that also your view? And secondly, how can the Soul AND the Spirit exist when the Soul is a product of the earth and His Spirit breathed into that earth? 

I believe Paul is saying he would RATHER be with God than on the earth — we ALL would want that.... but I don’t think anyone wants to die- most are fearful of this event. Charlie 

[Frits]

13 hours ago, Charlie744 said:

Frits, I believe almost all contend, or apply this to mean that immediately after death one is with the Lord (assuming he is saved). Is tea that also your view? And secondly, how can the Soul AND the Spirit exist when the Soul is a product of the earth and His Spirit breathed into that earth? 

I believe Paul is saying he would RATHER be with God than on the earth — we ALL would want that.... but I don’t think anyone wants to die- most are fearful of this event. Charlie 

Hi Charlie,

Of course, the will to die does not belong to us, we all want to stay with our loved ones.  Me too.
But Paul is referring to the glory of Christ Jesus and he would like to rejoice in that after a hard time of service on earth.
Dying is no reason for the born-again Christian to be afraid of. The holy angels will continue to accompany him into the glory of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. (2Tim.4:18) There is no intermediate station for this Christian, he does not see death and does not enter hades when he dies.  He lives because God's word Jesus Christ made him alive, and he lives even though he died.  (John 11:25)
As for the statement that the soul is the "product of the earth" and the Spirit of God, I do not subscribe.
The soul does not dependent on the earth, because the soul of God Himself already existed before there was any mention of the earth.  The human soul is also not dependent on 'earth' or 'the earth'.
The spirit and soul belong together as a whole, and are located in the heavenly realms. There the believing child of God already has a personal spiritual body.
 When a person is spiritually dead "through trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2: 1), spirit and soul are in the "shadow of death", that is, in darkness.
The Lord Jesus, as you know, came to us to deliver us from this darkness, to raise us up to eternal life through His preaching.  On the day that we hear the Lord Jesus and take hold of Him, become our mind and soul transferred in the light of His Kingdom.

"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son"
(Col.1:13)

In addition, I think to suppose that the soul is the 'product' of spirit and earth, is ment in order that the place and the final destination of man is always 'earthly' on the earth.  The thought is, man was created on the earth and he should stay there.  You can even have 'all the kingdoms of the world', as long as you don't make a claim to heaven!  (Luke 4: 6.7)
But that is exactly what I intend to, I will follow the Lord Jesus in heaven.
Are you coming too, Charlie?

God bless you.
 

Edited December 21, 2020 by Frits