PaulSacramento wrote:Storyteller wrote:Have loved reading this, one quick question? Whats the difference between soul and spirit?
That is one of the more interesting theological questions and the answer depends on if you are viewing the bible from the OT perspective or the NT since we have different cultural perspectives in both.
In short, for HUMANS, you can't have one without the other, they are "intertwined".
Animals and plants have souls, all living beings have a soul BUT only humans have a soul and spirit.
While the soul is the essence of what we are, the spirit is the "life" of what we are.
Okay how`s this for an idea?
God made us for Him, that`s why we have spirits, that`s the made in our image bit, animals were made for us and have souls because who wants to have a relationship with a plant?
I wonder if there will be animals in Heaven, I used to think so, now I`m not so sure. Maybe God will be enough, maybe we only need animal/human relationships, even perhaps other human relationships too, to learn how to love God to the fullest.
All the love we feel for animals, other people is just a trial run for loving God fully in Heaven.
Love for God should, I think, be all consuming, so perfect, so divine that no other love intrudes. God is the centre of it all.
That was all put really badly! Been reading Four Loves by C.S. Lewis