Hi jER,
Here are a few emails of Ray's that I think will answer most of your questions on body, spirit, and soul.
http://www.forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,240.0.html --------
Dear Waylan:
It is true that we all speak of "THE soul" as if there is a separate entity inside of our body that is called "the soul." Not true. Without the spirit there is NO SOUL. Without the body there is NO SOUL. Take a blue piece if transparent plastic or cellophane. Place it half way over a same size piece of yellow cellophane. You will have blue on one side, yellow on the other, and GREEN in the middle. The blue is the body, the yellow is the spirit, and the GREEN IS THE SOUL. Notice that there is NO SOUL without the blue body and the yellow spirit. Separate the blue and yellow cellophane and the GREEN soul disappears. This is exactly how the human soul must be combined with a body and spirit, or IT DOES NOT EVEN EXIST. They are very closely related and appear to overlap, but there are distinction between soul and spirit. Understood? Good.
God be with you,
Ray
http://www.forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,1675.0.html ---------
Dear John:
Yes, there is a spirit in man (AND ALL ANIMALS). Nothing can live without "spirit." Spirit IS life (Ecc. 8:8; Ecc. 12:7; Luke 23:46; I Cor. 2:11; etc.). There is no consciousness in our spirit alone. There is only consciousness (soul) when man's spirit is combined with a body. God retains our spirit until resurrection when He puts our spirit into a new body and we once again become conscious or receive back the quality of "soul." We are said to have new "spiritual" bodies, not that we are made "spirits."
God be with you,
Ray
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Did only - Jesus’ body die (or, did his soul cease to be - while His Spirit returned to the Father)?
Is God not Spirit and was Christ not flesh? Does, God and Christ have a soul?
Is the comforter, the Spirit of Christ which He sent after, ascending?
Why was the Spirit given, afterwards? But not during the physical presence of Christ?
Jesus died, body and soul, His spirit did return to the Father until He was resurrected.
Luke 23:46 And crying with a loud voice, Jesus said, Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit. And when He had said this, He breathed out the spirit.
Jesus Christ and the Father are One.
John 10:30 "I and the Father are one!"
God's spirit is the Holy Spirit, Christ is the same Spirit. While on earth in the flesh Christ was filled with the Holy Spirit.
John 4:24 God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
While Jesus was alive on earth He repersented the Father in every way, as they were One.
It was by His death that we were reconciled to God and by His rersurrection are we given hope of a resurrection to life also.
Rom 5:10 For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
1Co 15:20 But now Christ has risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruit of those who slept.
v. 21 For since death is through man, the resurrection of the dead also is through a Man.
v. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all will be made alive.
v. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first-fruit, and afterward they who are Christ's at His coming;
Now with Christ having prepared the way, all can receive life. In this age only the very few receive the ernest or downpayment of God's Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13-14), through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which is Christ(and the Father, because they are One) that lives in us.
John 15:26 And when the Comforter has come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He shall testify of Me.
I hope this helped with your questions
mercy, peace, and love
Kat