The Components of Human Being

Regarding the components of human being, some hold “substance dualism” or holistic dualism. This view sees a person as a bipartitle unity of an immaterial, undying soul/spirit and a body/dying material. On the other hand, some are of the view that human is composed of three essential elements, so it is called trichotomism. Based on 1 Thessalonians 5:23, they hold that human being is consisting three discrete parts- (1) a physical body (passions); (2) a rational soul (reason, emotion, will), and (3) an immortal spirit that can relate to God. So a parson consists of two immaterial substances and one material substance.

Yet one question must be asked: do the terms such as soul, spirit, and heart yield separate meaning that can dichotomize one from another? Or do they speak the meaning referring to the same reality, but used interchangeably? Careful word study of the usage in the bible gives warrant to the latter question. Why? The biblical words such as “soul” “spirit” “heart” “body” and “flesh” are used interchangeably, referring to the same reality.

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water (Ps. 63:1). Here Psalmist use “soul” and “flesh” in poetic parallelism refer to the same reality.

Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul (Job 7:11, cf. Isa.26:9) here the words are also used in parallelism referring to the same reality.

When we compare John 12:27 with 13:21, and Hebrew 12:23 with Revelation 6:9, the terms “soul” and “spirit” are used interchangeably. And the followings are the texts in which the term soul, spirit and heart are used as quasi-synonyms:

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb. 4:12).

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might (Deut. 6:5).

In addition, the terms “heart” and “flesh” are also used as quasi-synonyms: My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Ps. 73:26). 

All things considered, the biblical usage nevertheless allows us to identify soul and spirit with the person’s inner life, and body with the outward, material vessel. Soul and spirit appears to be two aspects of human’s inner nature. Here are biblical-theological conclusions concerning the constitution of the human being.

1.      Functional Aspect: the Bible see human being functionally a unified whole. So the terms such as spirit, soul, heart and body are used to denote the entire person. The “soul” can be seen the self who thinks, wills and feels; and “spirit” that communicates God, thus, executes moral judgments. And the word “body” usually means the material instrument through which soul/spirit functions.

2.      Relational Aspect: we cannot dichotomize the components of human beings. Soul, spirit, heart and body are the best seen as the entire person engaging and interacting with one another as well as other human beings.

3.      Ethical Aspect: it is wrong to assume that our body is evil substance whereas the soul alone is to be considered good. The body is not a prison for the soul. Both human body and soul are substantially good.

4.      Essential Aspect: essentially human being is a complex unity. It is unity in complexity that includes material body and inner immaterial soul/spirit or heart. We can assume this view as holistic dualism. It is in fact clear that we can distinguish (but not polarize or dichotomize) material and immaterial components of human being. Daniel 7:15 reads, “I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body” [KJV]. And Matthew 10: 20 clearly distinguish body and soul: “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.” “Thus, soul/spirit and body are substances, each with distinguishing qualities.”

The Bible clearly teaches that our material body will decay, but immaterial soul/spirit is being renewed by the indwelling Spirit. In this present time, Christ’s redemption touches inner transformation. At His second coming, the dead will be raised and there will be total transformation of material body (Rom. 8:10, 23 and 2 Cor. 4:16). Moreover, the doctrine of intermediate state clearly supports the concept of dualistic dualism (Matt. 17:3; Lk. 16:19-31, 2 Cor. 5:1-9, Ph. 1:22-24; 2Peter 1:13-15; Rev. 6:9-11 and 20:4). “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Jesus clearly indicates intermediate state for the soul/spirit in heaven. And Paul also asserts that in death believers’ immaterial soul/spirit will depart from the body to be with Christ (2 Cor. 5:1-8).

All things considered, it is clear that we cannot and should not dichotomize body from the soul/spirit vise visa. There is unity in human being in which the immaterial soul/spirit resides in the body and acts through as its instrument. The body acts out what soul/spirit wills, desires and directs. There is mutually conditioned reality in our human being. The soul/spirit acts on the body and the body acts on the soul/spirit. However, we will not fathom how soul/spirit and body interact, just as we cannot comprehend how God, who is Spirit, interact with material universe; yet we are experiencing in our daily life. Thus, it is also complex. Finally I want to quote what Lewis and Demarest have to say about components of our body:

The whole person is a complex unity composed of two distinct entities, soul and body, intimately interacting with one another. Neither of them is the whole person, yet either part can stand figuratively for the whole person. While they are alive the two natures (physical and spiritual) are neither divided nor confused. A whole person has attributes of spirit and attributes of body. Although body and spirit are separate entities ontologically, in this life they are intricately united. For metaphysical purposes… a human being is composed of an interacting dichotomy of spirit and body.