Title: A Study of the Nature of Man
1No Transcript
2A Study of the Nature of Man
3The nephesh or pseuche Translated soul
- The Hebrew word nephesh is found 755 times in
the OT. It is used in a variety of ways in the
OT but all of them are logically related to its
concrete meaning.
4The breath of a person.
- and to every beast of the earth and to every
bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on
the earth which has life I have given every
green plant for food Genesis 130
5The appetites cravings or needs of both man and
animal.
- When you enter your neighbors vineyard then
you may eat grapes until you are fully satisfied
lit. according to the satisfaction of your
soul but you shall not put any in your basket.
Deuteronomy 2324
6The seat of desire and volition
- As the deer pants for the water brooks So my
soul pants for Thee O God. Psalm 4212
7Life with the emphasis upon the living self
with all its hopes and desires.
- Then Saul sent messengers to Davids house to
watch him in order to put him to death in the
morning. But Michal Davids wife told him
saying If you do not save your life tonight
tomorrow you will be put to death. 1 Samuel
1911
8Man as a living being
- Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the
ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath
of life and man became a living being. Genesis
27
9An animating principle closely associated with
the breath that is the seat of mans recognized
needs and longings and is the seat of the
personality of man.
10Ruach or pneuma Translated spirit
- Ruach like nephesh has a broad range of
meanings and a similar derivation in concept and
application.
11Wind air in motion
- And I shall bring upon Elam the four winds from
the four ends of heaven And shall scatter them
to all these winds And there will be no nation
to which the outcasts of Elam will not go.
Jeremiah 4936
12The breath of man or animals or both.
- So they went into the ark to Noah by twos of
all flesh in which was the breath of life.
Genesis 715
13The capacity to reason and exercise emotion
- Then the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me and He
said to me Say Thus says the Lord So you
think house of Israel for I know your thoughts.
Ezekiel 115
14 The state of mind or attitude of the person.
15The whole inner man as opposed to the flesh or
the outward man
- For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives
forever whose name is Holy I dwell on a high
and holy place and also with the contrite and
lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of
the lowly and to revive the heart of the
contrite. Isaiah 5715 Note how the spirit
is paralleled with the heart.
16Is there a distinction to be made between soul
and spirit?
- Both are used to describe the inner person.
- The soul of Jesus was troubled Mt. 2638
- He was troubled in spirit Jn. 1321.
17- Both are used in contrast to the physical body.
- 2 Cor. 71
- Mt. 1028
18- Both are used to describe the moment of death
- And it came about as her soul was departing
for she died that she named him Benoni but
his father called him Benjamin. Gen. 3518 - For just as the body without the spirit is
dead so also faith without works is dead.James
226
19In other passages there seems to be a distinction
implied.
- Pauls description of sanctification involves
spirit soul and body 1 Thes. 523. - The Lords own appeal to serve God with the
totality of our being involves loving him with
all our heart soul mind understanding and
strength Lk. 1027
20But how might they be distinguished?
- The natural man lives by his own instinctive
longings and desires. - The spiritual man uses the Godgiven capacities
to think and reason about the Holy Spirits
revelation to discern his relationship to the
Creator.
21- Gleason Archer suggests these distinction Ruach
is the principle of mans rational and immortal
life and possesses reason will and conscience.
It imparts the divine image to man and
constitutes the animating dynamic which results
in mans nephesh as the subject of personal life.
The distinctive personality of the individual
inheres in his nephesh the seat of his emotions
and desire. Ruach is life power having the
ground of its vitality in itself the nephesh has
a more subjective and conditional life.
22- At night my soul longs for Thee Indeed my
spirit within me seeks Thee diligently for when
the earth experiences Thy judgments. The
inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
Isaiah 269