What is the human soul technically?

[tonychanyt]

The Hebrew word "nephesh" (soul) and the Greek words "phyches" (soul) and "pneumatos" (spirit) and the English word 'soul" are polysemantic. Their lexical meanings overlap. For precision and argumentation, I define spirit as a non-baryonic (invisible) substance that houses a person's conscience. I define soul as the collective faculties of volition, emotion, intellect, and memory. These definitions are based on Watchman Nee's The Spiritual Man. They correspond to the functions of the frontal lobe. Let me use a computer analogy.

English Revised Version, Genesis 2:

7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground,

i.e., the hardware

and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life;

i.e., animation power to give Adam conscience, and he became conscious

and man became a living soul.

When the breath of life contacted the physical body, Adam's soul was formed, and he became aware. His soul grew gradually in terms of subroutines and memories daily. Our brain's programs/codes/neural networks change and develop dynamically based on our experiences/inputs. Our soul uniquely identifies you. It is your personality.

A person's volition faculty uniquely identifies him. That's the minimal identification of him. No other person has your volition organ. Ultimately, his volition makes his decisions. The volition is like the helm of a ship.

Closely associated with his volition are his conscience, emotion, intellect, memory, and spirit. These faculties grow and develop. They supply inputs to the volition for the person to make decisions.

Let me compare a human to a computer robot. The body is analogous to the physical hardware. The soul is the software code plus the data. The non-physical spirit provides the electricity supply.

The human soul + the human spirit = the inner man

Berean Literal Bible Ephesians 3:

16 that He might give you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power by His Spirit in the inner man

What happens when the human spirit departs?

Job likened death to sleep in 14:

12 so he lies down and does not rise; till the heavens are no more, people will not awake or be roused from their sleep.

Daniel 12:

2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.

Also, in the NT, Acts 7:

59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

When Stephen's spirit left his body, it went to Jesus' care. His soul was deactivated, and his body died. His soul was zipped up and stored or saved (pardon the computer pun) at home with the Lord, 2 Corinthians 5:

8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

The soul has a definite temporal beginning. Its animation life (consciousness) depends on the breath of God. It develops from its life experience. Its life can be suspended. Without the breath of God, it becomes unconscious, until the last day, John 6:

40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.

On the last day, your body will be reconstructed based on your stored soul data and genetic information. When a person dies, his soul is stored in a secure place.

See also Where was Jesus between his death and resurrection?

 

[Gregory Thompson]

When people are born again by the Holy Spirit, they continue within the same meat sack or tent that was part of the previous existence.

Since the divine nature created within us on second birth is brand new, it is much like a baby.

However, over time a new consciousness or mind develops based on the spirit.

Until that happens, we're reading the bible according to the flesh mind.

 

[disciple Clint]

The Hebrew word "nephesh" (soul) and the Greek words "phyches" (soul) and "pneumatos" (spirit) and the English word 'soul" are polysemantic. For the sake of disambiguity and argumentation, here, I define soul more precisely as the faculties of conscience, volition, intellect, emotion, memory, and DNA information. This definition is based on Watchman Nee's The Spiritual Man. It somewhat corresponds to functions of the frontal lobe.

Let me compare a human to a computer/robot. The body is analogous to the physical hardware. The soul is the software code plus the data. The non-physical spirit provides the electricity supply.

English Revised Version, Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground,

i.e., the hardware

and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life;​

i.e., animation power

and man became a living soul.​

When the breath of life contacted the body, Adam's soul was formed and he became conscious. His soul grew gradually in terms of functions and subroutines and memories on a daily basis. The programs/codes/neural networks in your brain change and develop dynamically based on your experiences/inputs. Your soul uniquely identifies you. It is your personality.

The human soul + the human spirit = the inner man

Berean Literal Bible Ephesians 3:16 that He might give you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power by His Spirit in the inner man

What happens when the human spirit departs?

Acts 7:59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

When Stephen's spirit left his body, it went to Jesus' care. His soul was deactivated and his body died. His soul was zipped up and stored or saved (pardon the computer pun) at home with the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

Job 14:12 so he lies down and does not rise; till the heavens are no more, people will not awake or be roused from their sleep.

The soul has a definite temporal beginning. Its animation life (consciousness) depends on the breath of God. It develops from its experience. Its life can be suspended. Without the breath of God, it becomes unconscious, until the last day.

John 6:40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.

On the last day, your body will be reconstructed based on your stored soul data/information.

The soul has a definite temporal beginning. Its animation life (consciousness) depends on the breath of God. It develops from its experience. Its life can be suspended. Without the breath of God, it becomes unconscious, until the last day.

would that not be soul sleep? in contrast to Corinthians 5:6-8. Paul states that he is confident in his eternal destiny and longs for the day when he can be "absent from the body" and be present with the Lord he loves and serves.

 

[tonychanyt]

would that not be soul sleep?

Define soul sleep.

in contrast to Corinthians 5:6-8. Paul states that he is confident in his eternal destiny and longs for the day when he can be "absent from the body" and be present with the Lord he loves and serves.

When a person dies, time stops with respect to him. See this.

 

[tonychanyt]

Laodicean60 said:
Well, I have to disagree with all that encompasses the soul.

So what is your definition of the soul?

 

[Laodicean60]

So what is your definition of the soul?

The garbage that makes us human.

 

[tonychanyt]

The garbage that makes us human.

Do you have a precise operational definition of soul?

 

[Diamond7]

On the last day, your body will be reconstructed based on your stored soul data/information.

John Wesley taught that God will gather our exact elements back together again. Even if you cremate someone and let the ocean carry them away. I tend to think our memory is stored on our atoms so He will need to bring those atoms back together again.

It is the Catholic Church that does not believe in Cremation. They think the body should be preserved and made ready for the resurrection. What I wonder is what happened to the 500 people that were resurrected at the time of calvary.

 

[tonychanyt]

John Wesley taught that God will gather our exact elements back together again.

That's not necessary. The soul, as information, can be stored by different media.

It is the Catholic Church that does not believe in Cremation.

reference?

 

[Diamond7]

reference?

The old code banned cremation. The new <Code of Canon Law> (1983) stipulates, "The Church earnestly recommends that the pious custom of burying the dead be observed; it does not, however, forbid cremation

 

[BARNEY BRIGHT]

The Hebrew word "nephesh" (soul) and the Greek words "phyches" (soul) and "pneumatos" (spirit) and the English word 'soul" are polysemantic. For the sake of argumentation and disambiguity, here, I define soul (or self) more precisely as the faculties of conscience, volition, intellect, emotion, memory, and DNA information. This definition is based on Watchman Nee's The Spiritual Man. It somewhat corresponds to the functions of the frontal lobe.

Let me compare a human to a computer/robot. The body is analogous to the physical hardware. The soul is the software code plus the data. The non-physical spirit provides the electricity supply.

English Revised Version, Genesis 2:

i.e., the hardware

i.e., animation power


When the breath of life contacted the body, Adam's soul was formed and he became conscious. His soul grew gradually in terms of functions and subroutines and memories on a daily basis. The programs/codes/neural networks in your brain change and develop dynamically based on your experiences/inputs. Your soul uniquely identifies you. It is your personality.

The human soul + the human spirit = the inner man

Berean Literal Bible Ephesians 3:


What happens when the human spirit departs?

Acts 7:


When Stephen's spirit left his body, it went to Jesus' care. His soul was deactivated and his body died. His soul was zipped up and stored or saved (pardon the computer pun) at home with the Lord. When a person dies, time stops with respect to him.

2 Corinthians 5:


Job 14:


The soul has a definite temporal beginning. Its animation life (consciousness) depends on the breath of God. It develops from its experience. Its life can be suspended. Without the breath of God, it becomes unconscious, until the last day.

John 6:


On the last day, your body will be reconstructed based on your stored soul data/information.

Tonychanyt said,
"When the breath of life contacted the body, Adam's soul was formed and he became conscious. His soul grew gradually in terms of functions and subroutines and memories on a daily basis. The programs/codes/neural networks in your brain change and develop dynamically based on your experiences/inputs. Your soul uniquely identifies you. It is your personality."

I agree with what you're saying here. Genesis 2:7 teaches us that God created the first human being, by taking dust from the ground and formed that dust into a flesh and blood human body. Then God blew the breath/spirit of life into that flesh and blood human body and that flesh and blood human body became a living soul or living person. The point is the flesh and blood human body without the breath/spirit of life in it is a dead soul or a non-living soul. When the breath/spirit of life is in the flesh and blood human body then the flesh and blood human body is a living soul or living person.
Whenever someone speaks of the word spirit as being a living being or some living person or some living consciousness separately from the flesh and blood human body or separate from human DNA they would no longer be within scripture. God doesn't need or require anything within creation to help him remember every detail about any human being who has ever lived. Everything that God remembers is in his memory which isn't part of creation.

 

[BARNEY BRIGHT]

would that not be soul sleep? in contrast to Corinthians 5:6-8. Paul states that he is confident in his eternal destiny and longs for the day when he can be "absent from the body" and be present with the Lord he loves and serves.

At 1Thessalonians 4:13-17 It looks to me Paul shows that when he dies he will sleep in death until the second presence of the lord Jesus Christ. So if I were to take 2 Corinthians 5:5-8 to mean Paul was saying he wouldn't sleep in death until the resurrection which will be at the second presence of the lord Jesus Christ, then I would be wrong or in error.
The plain simple fact is that when we human beings die we cease to be living souls or living persons. We remain in this state until the resurrection, which will begin sometime during the second presence of the lord Jesus Christ.

 

[Semper-Fi]

So what is your definition of the soul?

The Hebrew Bibles definition of Soul ?

The word “soul” is translated from Hebrew, the word nephesh.
The Hebrew nephesh merely means a breathing animal.

Animals are called nephesh in: Genesis 1:20, “moving creature”
(Hebrew, nephesh);Genesis 1:21, “great whales, and every living
creature” (Hebrew, nephesh); Genesis 1:24, “living creature”.

The translators in translating into the English language used the
English word “creature [but in Genesis 2:7] they translated the
same nephesh into the English word “soul”.

—man became a “living creature” (nephesh).
It is not polysemantic with English, mainly a bad translation here.

The word nephesh literally means “life of animals,”
referring to physical life and not spirit.

The soul is composed of physical matter, not spirit.
You do not have a soul, you are a soul.

“[T]he soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4).
Again : “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (verse 20).

Adam was a soul, and God said to him, in regard to the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil, “ in the day that thou
eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17).

But Satan denied this, and Adam and Eve believed Satan.

 

[Semper-Fi]

and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life

What does the bible say about the breath of life?

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground,
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life;
and man became [a living air breathing creature].

Genesis 6:17 (KJV)
And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth,
to destroy all flesh, wherein is [the breath of life], from under
heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.

Genesis 7:15 (KJV) And they went in unto Noah into the ark,
two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.

Genesis 7:22 (KJV) all in whose nostrils was the breath of life,
of all that was in the dry land, died.

Every insect/creature/mammal or human that breathes air
to survive has the breath of life in them, verses above show.

The human/creature's life is in the physical [blood],
that is oxidized by [the breath of life].

When God breathed into Adam, it was more like a doctor clearing the
airway of a child before its first breath. God started his breathing process.
-

Isaiah 28:10 (KJV)
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept;
line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

 

[Semper-Fi]

2 Corinthians 5:8
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent
from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Now let's examine absent from the body... Many people
quote this verse out of context to prove immediate.
judgment and reward/heaven or punishment/hell.

This is not the meaning Paul intended. This statement
is a colloquialism that Paul used. Let's see this...

1Co 5:3
For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already,
as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,

Where was Paul? In spirit present in heaven? Nope, he was not at
Corinth but he was on the earth as a human being in the flesh.

Col 2:5
For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying
and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.

This verse clarifies what he meant by being absent from the body
(the church) but present in spirit.

His colloquialism is separated from us by nearly 2000 years.
Do we use any colloquialisms today that would be difficult
for those 2000 years ago to understand. Think about it.

 

[tonychanyt]

You do not have a soul, you are a soul.

See You don’t have a soul; you are a soul? and follow up there