For a person who has just embarked on the path of self-knowledge, it may be difficult to grasp the difference between some philosophical and religious terms. One of the first difficult questions that dawn on the seeker is the question of soul and spirit. Understanding such nuances and what conclusions a person draws for himself, analyzing and passing information through himself, builds the spiritual foundation of the individual.
Christianity “divides” a person into three parts: body, soul and spirit. They are interconnected and interact. The weakness of any of these components weakens the other two. It’s not for nothing that our ancestors said: a healthy mind in a healthy body. This proverb is probably familiar to you from childhood and explains the ideas of previous generations about the connection between these concepts.
A small body, conditioned by the spirit and inspired by an unquenchable belief in its mission, can change the course of history.
Mahatma Gandhi
From the position of Orthodoxy, the soul is the most important thing in our body, and the spirit is the most important thing in our soul. The soul is primarily the mind, feelings and will, but by its nature it is inert and needs direction. The spirit is the true helmsman of the soul. Where a strong spirit lives, the soul begins to open up, like a lotus flower.
Vedism sees the spirit as a kind of embryo of divine energy that passes with a person from incarnation to incarnation. It was given to the individual from the very first days of its existence and, despite all the confrontation of the outside world, it moves it in the direction of development. The Vedas also say that a person’s spirit is always present to one degree or another, but the soul can be oppressed. Such a person can be called soulless, devoid of joy and emotions.
In Islam, the spirit is allegorically represented as a bird, which is placed in a cage of the body. The bird existed before, and after the destruction of the cell it will fly out and continue its path. Improving, strengthening and enlarging the cage does not affect the bird in any way. And of course, no one needs a bird cage if you don't have one. Her health and growth are based on something else. You can influence a bird only with the help of self-knowledge, love and faith. The Qur'an uses the phrase: "O man, read thyself." Anyone who is able to know himself will sooner or later know God.
God formed man from the dust of the earth and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life - and man became a living soul
Orthodox understanding of the soul
The concepts of spirit and soul are often confused, because these components intersect and even complement each other. Therefore, disagreements and doubts arise in understanding the meanings of these words.
In Orthodoxy, the soul is described as an immaterial substance that is located in the body in the solar plexus. Thanks to her, the body gains life and the ability to understand the world around it. According to religion, there can be no life without a soul.
The spirit represents those emotions, feelings, aspirations and movements that guide a person on his life path and bring him closer to God.
Soul is a broader concept. Human consciousness is its manifestation. It can also represent spirituality. The spirit is a horizontal vector of development, and the soul is a vertical one. Thoughts, desires and feelings are fundamental components of the human spirit. It helps you find guidelines in the world around you, set goals and achieve them, and set priorities correctly.
Where did she come from
According to theological concepts, God breathes the soul into the body at conception. Opinions differ as to whether the soul is immortal. Some believe that she dies with the body, rather than leaving it. Others claim that she wanders from body to body over many lives.
There is no scientific evidence for both hypotheses. For a long time there was an assumption that the soul is a weightless substance. But in 1906, Professor D. McDougall proved that it weighs 21 g. At the moment of a person’s death, he weighed and experimentally established the relationship between these phenomena.
The soul leaves the body.
Constituent Aspects
There are 3 aspects to the manifestation of spirituality:
- conscience;
- thirst for God;
- fear of God.
The latter is fundamental. It generates admiration and reverence for Jesus, and makes it possible to realize that God is not only a creator, but also a judge. All mortal and other sins require punishment. In addition, this fear stops people from the temptation to commit crimes.
The thirst for God manifests itself in a constant search for something that can quench and satisfy this feeling. But nothing worldly can do this, because man is a creation of the Almighty and always strives to get closer to Him.
Conscience is called upon to control internal impulses and serve as a guide on the path to righteous actions.
All these guides connect a person with God, making him an instrument in the hands of the Lord.
Spiritual fulfillment leads to thirst for God.
Vedism and the soul
Our ancestors believed that the soul was given to man to work off negative qualities. It is endowed with the ability to choose, that is, it can develop in a negative or positive direction. It’s up to her which side to choose, negative or positive. The soul in Vedism is considered a substance made of subtle matter and part of the energy shell of the planet. The Vedas said that the soul itself chooses its own incarnation, that is, the date and place of birth. At the moment of a person’s death, the soul tries to return to its original point, that is, to the hometown of the deceased. In Vedism, it is believed that the soul is like a punched tape with holes. This ribbon seems to envelop the spiritual grain and can negatively influence the positive impulses of the spirit itself. For this reason, depression occurs, and the body becomes weaker and more vulnerable.
Definition of the term "spirit"
The highest matter found in the body, according to the Holy Scriptures, is the breath of life.
All living beings have a soul, but only man, the owner of higher intelligence, has a spirit. It is only thanks to its presence that people differ from other living beings. The foundation is formed in early childhood as a set of acquired knowledge, willpower, self-knowledge, etc.
The spirit lives in the desire to comprehend the highest values. All highly moral and highly spiritual manifestations are generated by him. The task of the spirit is to draw closer to God. He denies all worldly sins.
At the same time, kindness and spirituality are not identified. A person can be kind and do worldly things, but not be spiritual. Its manifestation is not felt in words and actions. However, there are people who do not do any great things, but are spiritually rich.
We begin educating the spirit and soul from early childhood.
How the spirit manifests itself in a person
It is believed that the one whom a person bows to is his god. Nevertheless, Christians know that the Almighty controls everything. He is a judge and a savior, he can punish or have mercy. The Christian faith carries the symbol of the Trinity: Father (God), Son and Holy Spirit. Spiritual fulfillment is impossible without 3 components: fear, thirst and conscience.
If a person does not know the fear of God, commits sinful acts and is not tormented by remorse, then it is believed that he is controlled by satanic forces.
It is often said about an individual that he is strong in spirit, that is, with the energy that leads and guides him through life. This means that under various unfavorable circumstances, he resists negativity. The world may affect him in different ways, but he is able to persevere and maintain a positive attitude towards life. In addition, such a person extracts positive experience even from negative events. He strives to maintain harmony within himself, despite the surrounding chaos.
Human strength is also manifested in setting and achieving goals and ambition. This is not always associated with receiving any material assets. Nevertheless, in life, the most often indicator of wealth is the presence of material wealth.
A person with a strong spirit firmly moves towards his goal.
Connecting with body and mind
The human spirit is inextricably linked with the body, mind and soul. All these components characterize a person. There is even a proverb: “A healthy mind in a healthy body.” If any of the listed components is weak, then all the others suffer.
An unreasonable person cannot take care of himself fully, and strong energy is rarely present in a weak body. However, this is the basis for everything. If you develop it in yourself, you can achieve great heights: strengthen your body, improve your abilities, etc. If a person is depressed for a long time, then his spirit weakens.
A mind without spirit is unable to create and make discoveries. Only a higher power can lead in the right direction. Otherwise, the mind falls under the influence of destructive forces. Degradation begins.
The soul component of the human body has intelligent strength.
The essence of the human soul
An intangible entity is what hurts when there is no reason for the physical pain (i.e. the body is healthy), this usually happens when human desires occur despite the circumstances that have arisen. And the difference between the spirit and the soul is that it is not capable of perceiving such feelings.
The best article for you, go to: Wedding in the Orthodox Church, rules of the sacrament of the rite
One of the most sensual areas of life is considered to be the burden of sin. By obeying the body, the human essence can be desecrated by sin. The immaterial part perceives Divine beauty and influences the soul, helping it get closer to ideality, awakening a feeling of attraction to elegance, purifying thoughts and generating a desire for selflessness and atonement for great sins in Orthodoxy. In this case, the intangible part cannot be influenced by the essence.
The Lord is always with you!
The main differences between soul and spirit
The differences between one concept and another are as follows:
- The soul is present in any living organism, but only a person can have a spirit.
- The soul is influenced by the surrounding world (it can rejoice, suffer, empathize, etc.).
- The soul enters the human body at the moment of conception (according to some sources, birth), and the spirit arises in the process of knowing the world and accepting the Lord.
- If the soul leaves the body, the person will die. If the spirit leaves, then life will continue, but it will no longer be righteous.
- The spirit represents knowledge, and the soul represents feelings and sensations.
However, it is not always possible to draw a clear line between these components.
Each religion has its own definitions of these concepts. Orthodox people, in search of an answer to the question of how the soul differs from the spirit, turn to the Holy Scriptures (the Bible).
One thought on “Soul and spirit, what is the difference between Orthodoxy”
- Oleg
November 1, 2019Reply man is a spirit that has a soul and lives in a body, reading Scripture, everything becomes clear and understandable, of course, if you are a born again person, and not wandering in various mystical human teachings, through faith in the sacrifice of Christ, and not into Orthodoxy, the Holy Spirit revives the human spirit, which transforms the soul, everything is simpler than it seems and you don’t need to be overly spiritual and righteous in order to understand the Truth, which is Christ, but rather, on the contrary, in order to become spiritual and righteous you need to know Christ and His Word, and not pagan rituals and traditions. Shalom
Soul of man
The soul is immaterial and immortal. It imparts life to the physical body and is the bearer of our will, mind and feelings.
The fate of the soul in the afterlife depends on the spiritual state that it achieved during life with the body (that is, when the person was one). The righteous find final union with God in paradise. Unrepentant souls who became slaves to sinful passions severed their connection with the Lord during their lifetime. Therefore, in the afterlife they continue to be in the power of evil spirits - in hell. Venerable Isidore Pelusiot teaches:
“The soul is not perceptible to the eye (because it is invisible), but it imparts strength and strength to the body; upon departure, her body not only remains dead, but is also destroyed. Since the beauty of the soul is powerful and invincible when it shines with the proportionality of virtues, on the contrary, the appearance of the soul becomes unbearable and bestial when it accepts the shame of vice.”
Comparison
In order to understand the essence of the differences between soul and spirit, it is necessary to compare these concepts with each other.
The soul is a vector that is the connecting part between the human personality and the world around it. It contains all the feelings that a person can experience throughout his life. Its actions are divided into the following areas:
- Feelers.
- Desirable.
- Thinking.
These can be understood as all thoughts, feelings, emotions, desires that visit a person. Only the soul helps him strive for development and improvement.
You may also be interested: Eurowindows - what is it?
Spirit is a vector, which is usually called vertical. It helps a person to strive for God. The actions of the spirit are aimed at unity with God. The veneration of the divine principle is also subordinate to him.
The soul is present in all people and animate beings. Man cannot control the spirit, since he does not own it. The soul helps the spirit to take part in the improvement of all forms of life that are represented on earth.
All people, without exception, are endowed with a soul at the moment of birth (there is an opinion that at the time of conception). The Spirit is sent only at the moment of repentance. As a result, it is the soul that helps the body come to life. The soul is an integral element of the body, its essence. It remains in the body until the very moment of a person’s physical death.
The spirit differs from the soul in that it does not belong to a person, is not given to him by his nature or by the fact of birth (conception). He can leave it and return again without any obstacles. At such moments, physical death does not occur, but the soul may lose its strength.
It is the soul that can inform a person that he needs to pay attention to certain points. It is customary to say at such moments that “the soul hurts.” The spirit is devoid of sensory sensations, since it is not a material part belonging to man. The connection with the soul, even at the moment of leaving the body, is not interrupted. Sin can become a part of a person's soul, since it is connected to the body and follows it constantly. The spirit is above this, so it can only be touched by the divine. It influences the soul, directs it towards ideality. Promotes cleansing from sinful thoughts, revitalizes feelings and thoughts.
Spirit in Islam
Spirit and soul - what's the difference? Islam has been asking this question for a long time. Unlike Orthodoxy, here the concepts of spirit and soul are interpreted somewhat differently. It is believed that the spirit is endowed with an infinite number of qualities and skills. He can distinguish with the help of consciousness, be aware with the mind, be in unity with conscience, listen to a dream, love with the heart. Some abilities of the spirit are manifested through material human organs, others are limited by them. Islam says that the spirit is the law of Allah, which governs the bodily shell. Traditionally, in the Islamic religion, the human body is represented by a cell, and the spirit is personified in the form of a bird. Such an allegory gives many reasons for thought. For example, the body lives and serves the spirit, but the spirit owes nothing to the body. By increasing the size of the cage, the bird cannot be made larger. The same can be said about physical and spiritual beauty. By decorating the cage, you cannot make the bird itself more beautiful. Also, a person’s physical health does not indicate his spiritual development. Islam says that after the death of the body, the spirit gains freedom and is freed from the shackles of the shell. Next, he himself awaits the Day of Judgment. The spirit acquires a new physical form already in the afterlife.
Orthodoxy and the soul
Spirit and soul - what's the difference? Orthodoxy, as a religion, answers this question as follows. It is believed that the soul is a thin thread between the personality and the outside world; it connects a person and reality. The spirit, on the contrary, helps the individual to find a connection with God. All living beings have a soul, but only the son of God, that is, man, is endowed with a spirit. The body is revived with the help of the soul, and it, in turn, with the help of the spirit. At the moment of a person's birth, a soul is sent to him, but not a spirit. He comes at a time of repentance. The spirit is responsible for the mind, and the soul is responsible for controlling the feelings and emotions. A person is able to exercise control over his soul, but he has no power over his spirit. The soul is prone to experiencing physical suffering. The spirit does not have such sensations and is not attached to the bodily shell. By its nature, the spirit is immaterial, and has a connection only with the soul. But the soul, on the contrary, is inextricably linked with the body. The soul can be tainted by sinful actions. But the spirit carries within itself Divine power and cannot be affected by sin.
Definition of concepts
The soul is an immaterial entity that is a mandatory element for every person. She is contained in his body. It is believed that the soul has a vital motor. Without a soul there is no life and no opportunity to experience the world around us.
Spirit is the embodiment of the highest degree of human nature. A personality embodied in closeness to the divine and great. Only man, of all living beings on earth, according to religious scriptures, has a spirit, which makes him the greatest of this hierarchy.
Soul in Islam
In the religion of Islam, there is also a question about what is spirit and soul, what is the difference between them? The main book of the Koran provides undeniable facts of the existence of the human soul. Islam talks about the origin of the soul as follows. First, a person is formed within one hundred and twenty days in the belly of his mother, then an angel appears who endows the embryo with a soul. At the same time, the angel comes with a specific mission: he writes down the person’s date of birth, the duration of his life and the date of death. Islam says that the soul leaves its physical shell on the fortieth day after the death of a person. The theory of reincarnation is completely denied in Islam. It is believed that after the soul leaves the human body, it goes to the world of souls. The body is buried and becomes part of the earth. After a certain period of time, according to the religion of Islam, Allah will resurrect the bodies of all the dead and return to each person his own soul. After this, all people will appear before the God of all worlds to answer for their sinful deeds.
Rebekah Brown
Chapter 14 “HUMAN SPIRIT. WHAT IT IS TO STAND IN THE GAP. SPIRITUAL WORLD. REBEKAH'S STORY" from the book "He Came to Set the Torment at Freedom" by Rebekah Brown
Biblical teaching on human structure
As you read this book, you often came across the expression “the human spirit.” This is a very important aspect that Christians must understand. This power was developed and used by Elani and others like her. Let's see what Scripture says about this:
“May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved completely without blemish at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23
Paul teaches that man is threefold in nature. This means that we have three separate parts: body, soul (which is our conscious intellect, will, emotions) and spirit. He says very clearly that all three parts must be cleansed and devoted to Jesus, and Jesus Himself will give us the ability to keep them without spot or wrinkle at His coming.
Genesis 2:7 says, “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 soul.”
So Adam began to live and learned that he was a living being. The essence of our being is our soul, which manifests itself in our mind, our will and our emotions.
“The spiritual body is sown, the spiritual body is raised. There is a spiritual body, and there is a spiritual body.” 1 Corinthians 15:44
Very often this verse is overlooked. Our spirit has a shape and outline that matches our physical body. Few people, with the exception of Satanists or those who study the astral plane, know about this.
“I know a man in Christ, who fourteen years ago - whether in the body - I don’t know, whether outside the body - I don’t know: God knows - was caught up to the third heaven, And I know about such a man - I just don’t know - in body, or out of the body: God knows - That he was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words that cannot be uttered by man.” 1 Corinthians 12:2-4
“After this I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven, and the first voice, which I heard like the sound of a trumpet, speaking to me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” And immediately I was in spirit; and behold, a throne stood in heaven, and one sat on the throne.” Revelation 4:1,2
These scriptures show a certain experience in the human spirit, and the spiritual body was separated from the physical body. Notice that when John writes that he was in the “spirit,” this word is written with a small letter, this indicates that it was his, human, spirit. Whenever scripture speaks of the Holy Spirit, it is written with a capital letter.
“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
Have you ever wondered why there is a need for separation between soul and spirit? According to this verse, this division can happen.
Man before the Fall and after
Before the Fall, Adam knew this and saw the spiritual world as simply as the physical. How? Using your spiritual body. This is demonstrated in his life when he was able to walk and talk with God in the Garden of Eden. He had a conscious awareness of his spiritual body, the same as his physical one. His soul (conscious intellect and will) controlled both the spiritual and physical body. But after the Fall came spiritual death, that is, Adam and his descendants no longer consciously experienced a spiritual body, and he could no longer communicate with God the way he had done before.
Adam, before his fall, was the only man created in the image of God. Adam could communicate with God, who is Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes and regenerates us, when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our spiritual bodies are regenerated (or born again) and we become able to fellowship with and worship the Lord like Adam did before his fall. The fact that through our human spirit we communicate with God (with the help of the Holy Spirit) is clearly shown in the following verse: “But the time is coming, and has now come, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to worship Himself. : God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:23,24
This was broken due to the fall. The mysterious link was destroyed. And this stopped Adam's free communication with God (see Hebrews 4:12). Notice that when these two verses talk about the “Spirit” of God and the “spirit” of man, there is a difference in spelling, that is, the spelling separates the spirit of man from the Spirit of God. In general, in this aspect, only the spirit can connect (communicate) with the spiritual world and worship God the Father, who is the Spirit.
This link comes into action only when God desires it. He uses it to:
- give understanding of Scripture.
— to make our hearts sensitive to His presence.
- give us the ability to recognize spirits, etc.
Angels and Demons
The Bible also talks about angels that they are spiritual beings.
“You make Your angels spirits, Your servants a blazing fire.” Psalm 103:4. This same verse is quoted by Paul in Hebrews 1:7. “To which of the Angels did God say, “Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool?” Are they not all ministering spirits sent to serve those who are to inherit salvation? Hebrews 1:13,14
Satan and his demons are also spirits. They were once angels of God until they rebelled. Jesus speaks of them as angels and spirits.
“Then He will also say to those on the left hand: “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Matthew 25:41
So, from these and many other scriptures we see that not only is God a Spirit, but there are also other spiritual beings, such as angels, some of whom serve God, others serve Satan.
Our spiritual bodies are the link between us and the spiritual world, because the spiritual world cannot be seen or measured by anything physical.
Why does Satan need our spirit?
Through the Holy Spirit, our spirit is able to communicate with the Lord and glorify Him, but the scripture in Hebrews 4:12 shows us that it is not God's will for us to take conscious control of our spiritual body while we are on earth in a sinful body. Therefore, the sword of the Spirit divides the soul and spirit. When this happens, the soul (intellect, emotions and will) can no longer control the spiritual body. The Lord is also adamant in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 that our spirit be under the complete direction of Jesus Christ, as well as our soul and physical body.
There is a very interesting scripture in Revelation 18:11 and 13. (Refers to the fall of Babylon). “And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their goods anymore, cinnamon and incense, and myrrh and frankincense, and wine and oil, and flour and wheat, and cattle and sheep, and horses and chariots, and human bodies and souls."
Why did they differentiate between human flesh and soul here? Because there is phenomenal power in a person's spiritual body, especially when these spiritual bodies are under the control of the soul. Since the fall of Adam, Satan has continually worked to take control of spiritual bodies for his own evil personal purposes. Human bodies are very weak and practically unfit for use by Satan, but spiritual bodies, under the conscious control of their souls, are completely different.
Satan's goal is to teach people to regain the ability to consciously control their spiritual bodies. Many people do this. When these people achieve this, they experience the spiritual world as well as the physical world. They can speak freely with demons, leave the physical body in a spiritual body and move and do something with full consciousness, influence the physical world with the help of supernatural power.
It was in their spiritual bodies that the sorcerers and witches came and pulled me and Elaine out of bed, pushed and beat us. They were invisible to us, since physical eyes cannot see the spiritual world. God does not want His people to control their spiritual bodies in this way. If this were the case, we would be exposed to incredible sinful temptations and would not rely on God, as well as constantly see what is happening in the kingdom of Satan.
Connection of human soul and spirit
There is a special class of demons that call themselves “demons of power” and provide the ability to connect the soul and spiritual body of a person. They become a connecting link, giving a person the ability to gain conscious control over his spiritual body. Imagination is the key to the door that provides this connection between soul and spirit. This is why it is so important to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). A good example of imagination as a link to the spiritual world is in occult fantasy imaginary games. We have found that it is possible to save a lot of time in the process of liberation if this point is clearly explained.
If a person has the ability to create spiritual experiences or manifestations himself, then I can quite seriously say that I very much doubt that these manifestations are from God. Moreover, they are most likely from Satan.
"Emptying the Mind" and the Holy Spirit
Many Christians think that in order for the Holy Spirit to speak through or control them, they need to “empty their mind.” But the Bible tells us that we must have active cooperation with the Holy Spirit. If our mind is “turned off,” then the spirit speaking through us is not the Holy Spirit, but demonic. Because of a lack of knowledge of God's principles in dealing with our spirit, many Christians have been misdirected.
Most of the so-called prophecies that come from people with a “switched off” mind, who think that this gives freedom to the Holy Spirit, are demonic. Many are deceived in this area and accept such prophecies because the prophet states facts about their lives that only God could know. They forget that Satan knows every detail of our lives. The only thing he does not know is our thoughts and experiences of the heart.
Control of the soul by the spirit. Can the spirit become defiled?
There is a teaching that is growing in American Christianity that I believe is dangerous. It says that “our natural man must be under the control of the spiritual, for the spiritual is filled with the Holy Spirit, therefore he is without sin.”
There are two things that are wrong with this teaching. First: the soul can be under the control of the spirit, only then must we have conscious contact between soul and spirit. But this is real witchcraft.
1 Peter 1:22 says, “Having purified your souls by obedience to the truth through the Spirit to unfeigned brotherly love, continually love one another with a pure heart.” Notice that in this verse the word Spirit is capitalized, indicating that it is the Holy Spirit. Our soul is “purified” through submission and obedience to the Holy Spirit, not our human spirit.
Second, 1 Thessalonians 5:13 clearly states that our spirit too can be defiled by sin (defilement of the spirit), but only Jesus can keep it without spot or wrinkle at His coming. Notice this verse: “May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23
1 John 1:8-9 speaks of our sinfulness, which is cleansed and kept pure only by Christ.
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, then He, being faithful and righteous, will forgive us (our) sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:8,9
Please note that God does not exclude our spirit from falling into sin, I did not find that in the Bible. We need sanctification and constant holiness in spirit, soul, and body. The purpose of separating soul and spirit is to separate our spirit from the influence of our human nature, which is in the soul (the soul is our personality). If a Christian is in obedience to God, he will not produce anything himself. Instead, he will calmly wait for the voice of the Holy Spirit to come into his spirit, and then act according to the will of God. A Christian who is in conscious contact with his spirit will not wait for the guidance of the Holy Spirit and His voice. He will take the initiative into his own hands and therefore may hear a voice, but not the Holy Spirit.
What is HATE?
There is another broad area of our spirit that has a profound impact on many people, but it is not often talked about in churches. It is known that Satan has the ability to use a person’s spiritual body, which a person may not be aware of.
“Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer...” 1 John. 3:15
I did not understand this verse for a long time until God revealed to me the principles of the spiritual body. How can a person be a killer through emotions, hatred without using his physical capabilities to lead a person to death.
Hatred is a willful sin. This sin gives Satan the moral right to have a place in our lives if we have hatred in our hearts. If you hate someone, Satan will come in and use your spiritual body to attack the person you hate. Such attacks produce various illnesses, incidents, emotional problems and even physical death.
A person who hates usually does not know that Satan is using his spiritual body. And the person who is hated has no idea where these problems actually come from. Therefore, we must be very careful and, like Jesus, cleanse and keep clean all three areas: body, soul and spirit. This is why Jesus our Lord talks so much about forgiving one another. Forgiveness stops hatred. We Christians must constantly ask the Lord to cleanse our hearts from all sin.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 50:12
As we see, the sin in David’s life affected his spirit. A good description of the personal experiences of some Christians who have had problems because other Christians hate them is given in Watchman Nee's book Mortal Powers of the Soul.
Source: Rebekah Brown "He Came to Set the Martyred at Freedom"
Where are you, soul?
People themselves define the location of the soul in different ways - some call the solar plexus, others the head, others the heart, and others even a point 10 cm above the top of the head.
The Old Testament unambiguously connects soul and blood, as with all living creatures - both humans and animals. In the book of Genesis (9:4) you can read the following: “Only the flesh with its soul, even its blood, you shall not eat,” and the book of Leviticus clarifies three times: blood is taboo, since “the soul of the body is in the blood,” “the soul of every body is blood.” his". This is where the ban on eating blood comes from, which exists among both Jews and Orthodox Christians.
However, many of the Holy Fathers thought differently. Saint Gregory the Theologian believed that the soul is not fire, not a harmony of different parts that makes up a single whole, and certainly not a “stream of blood” running through the body. Saint Gregory Palamas wrote that the soul is incorporeal, and therefore cannot occupy a specific place, but it is not omnipresent, and therefore limited.
The theologian and anthropologist Abraham Pozov, who lived in the 20th century, wrote that the soul is connected with the human body “at certain points,” but permeates the entire body, occupies its form, and because of this, in ancient church science it is called the “subtle body” of man.
