Dichotomy

From Encyclopedia Reformata

The Biblical View That Man Consists Of Two Parts, Body And Soul

The usual view of the constitution of man is that he consists of two, and only two, distinct parts, namely, body and soul or spirit. This is in harmony with the self-consciousness of man, which clearly testifies to the fact that man consists of a material and a spiritual element. It is also borne out by the study of Scripture, which speaks of man as consisting of “body and soul,” Matt. 6:25; 10:28, or of “body and spirit,” Eccl. 12:7; I Cor. 5:3, 5. The two words, “soul and “spirit” do not denote two different elements in man, but serve to designate the one spiritual substance of man. This is proved by the following consideration:

(a) There are several passages which clearly proceed on the assumption that man consists of only two parts, Rom. 8:10; I Cor. 5:5; 7:34; II Cor. 7:1; Eph. 2:3; Col. 2:5.

(b) Death is sometimes described as the giving up of the soul, Gen. 35:18; I Kings 17:21; Acts 15:26; and in other cases as the giving up of the spirit, Ps. 31:5; Luke 23:46; Acts 7:59.

(c) The immaterial element of the dead is in some instances termed “soul,” Rev. 9:6; 20:4, and in others “spirit,” I Pet. 3:19; Heb. 12:23. These two terms merely serve to designate the spiritual element of man from two different points of view. The word “spirit” contemplates it as the principle of life and action which controls the body; while the word “soul” refers to it as the personal subject in man, which thinks and feels and wills, and in some cases particularly as the seat of affections, Gen. 2:7; Ps. 62:1; 63:1; Ps. 103:1, 2.

Source: Based on Louis Berkhof’s Summary and Manual of Christian Doctrine.