Spirit, Soul, Body - Why it is important for everyone to understand the differences

Every living person that ever existed is comprised of a spirit, soul and body. It is very important to fully understand the relationship of the spirit, soul, body in order to understanding topics such as Life, Death, Salvation, Heaven, Hell, Angels, Demons, Ghosts and the Spiritual Realm. Ultimately, our time on this earth is very short and therefore, we should make it a priority to understand our eternal destiny.

For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight). (2Co 5:4-7)

It is quite easy to relate to physical things. We see, touch, hear, taste and smell the effects of this physical word. We are always cognizant of our physical bodies. They demand to be fed, comforted, fixed and entertained. But how well are we in touch with the immaterial part of our existence. That is, we all know that there is something else within us that energizes and directs our otherwise still bodies. Most of us have seen the effects of death and the resultant condition of the body of the one that has died and we realize that the essence of the dead person is no longer in that still corpse of flesh.

As we see in the above verses from 2 Corinthians Chapter 5, our bodies are, in a sense, a burden to us. They limit us in time and ability and most importantly, in understanding spiritual matters. Although Christians have been given the earnest (or down-payment) of what the eternal spiritual life with Christ will be like, we have not yet experienced the full freedom of being unburdened by our bodies.

In the Bible, there are many references to the ‘spirit’ and ‘soul’ of a person. But, how does the spirit and soul relate to our salvation? Is the body saved or is just the soul and / or spirit saved? Can the fleshly body become saved? What really happens to us at the point of ‘death’ when our physical bodies stop working? Where does the soul go at death? Where does the spirit go? Could ghosts really exist? If so, whose ghosts are they? Is there a hell and is spiritual or physical? Is hellfire never ending or do we cease to exist? When one dies, does their soul go to sleep? For a Christian, will our physical bodies be resurrected? Will they even exist anymore after they turn back to dust? What really makes up a person? Are we just driven by electrical impulses within our bodies that simply ceases to exist when we die? How does the mind fit into the whole person? Is the mind just brain energy or perhaps is it, in some way, connected to our spirit and / or our soul? Are the soul and spirit separate entities or are they just two different words for the same thing? What defines life? When does life begin? Is it simply the joining of physical matter from the male and female that makes one become a person or is there more to creating life? How about animals? Do they have souls and spirits? If they do, what happens when they die?

In order to know the Lord in a deeper way, it is important that we ponder the above questions. We will find that understanding the differences between the body, soul and spirit are very important to a clear understanding the work of Jesus Christ, our salvation, and our ultimate destiny. Also, understanding the body, soul and spirit helps prevent us from being deceived with all sorts of beliefs about the spirit world. Let us together from the Bible see if we can discover the truths of who we are, where we come from and where we are going for eternity. For, we walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor 5:7):