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If the Texas flooding is an act of God; Ukraine conflict, and conflicts of Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthis must be acts of the devil.
India must coexist with China, at the same time India and South Africa must be expelled from BRICS besause they do not remain true to BRICS’ founding mission, they do not belong, must be replaced by Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. US and EU must not rearm Ukraine, let Russia destroy it, and never to be rebuilt. The leader of Ukraine must also be executed.
Palestinian Authorities are guilty for leading Palestinians to a path of death, children died and suffer malnutrition. Palestian Authorities do not lead Palestinians (who are Arabs) to a land of Arabs to work for a living and build the Palestinian state.
GOD
- 1. What or Who is God?
It is wrong to ask what is God because God is not a thing or subject. It is also wrong to ask who is God because God is not a man. God is the most difficult to define. God is the Mystery of all mysteries. God is the Creator and Ruler and Protector of the universe. God is Spirit, Holy Father, Heavenly Father and Eternal Father.
JESUS
- 2. Who is Jesus?
Jesus means Savior. God sent His Son from Heaven to the earth to save sinners. He died for the sins of the BELIEVERS, rose from death by the power of God. Jesus is coming again to reign with the saints for ever because He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
The Holy Spirit
- 3. Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Lord Jesus; He regenerates believers in Christ, sanctifies them and leads them into all truth.
The Trinity
- 4. What is the Trinity?
The Trinity is not the doctrine of three Gods. The Trinity means the Holy Father, the Holy Son, and the Holy Spirit — the triune God in One.
Salvation
- 5. What is salvation?
Salvation is the way of God: by grace God justifies whoever believes in Jesus Christ, by gift He grants eternal life to whoever accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Faith
- 6. What is faith?
Faith is taking the Word of God at face value, and trust He is able to do what He says.
Hope
- 7. What is hope?
Hope is believing in the assurance that God will accomplish blessed things He promises.
Love
- 8. What is love?
Love is genuinely directing your hearts toward God and toward those in the faith.
Sin
- 9. What is sin?
Sin is disobedience to the Word of God. Sin is the violation of the law.
Heaven
- 10. What is heaven?
Heaven is the paradise of God and to be with God.
Hell
- 11. What is hell?
Hell is the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, place of eternal suffering in darkness.
Sanctification
- 12. What is sanctificatin?
Sanctification is making yourself slave to righteousnes, doing the will of God, and abstaining form sexual immorality.
Baptism
- 13. What is baptism?
Baptism is a Christian rite, symbolizing the old man buried with Christ and rising the new man with good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Lord’s Supper
- 14. What is the Lord’s Supper.
A Christian ritual is done to remember the Body of Christ who died for our sins and the Blood of Jesus who released and cleanses us from our sins.
Justification
- 15. What is justification?
Through transgression God condemned the sins of all men, and God through the righteousness of Jesus Christ by grace and through faith resulted in justification of life.
The Churh
- 16. What is the Church?
The Church is the Body of Christ — a body of which Christ is the Head, a body made by one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all. Often misunderstood, you can be a member of a local church –the organized religion, and not a member of the Church of Christ.
The Scriptures
- 17. What are the Scriptures?
The Scriptures are the Word of God, written in the Holy Bible. The Word of God is supreme and ultimate and eternal.
The Christian
- 18. Who is the Christian?
A saved believer in Christ, a saint on earth who is working, witnessing, and waiting for the second coming of Jesus Christ. It is not an equivalent of evangelical or fundamentalist. In other words, you can be an evangelical or fundamentalist and not a Christian.
Christianity
- 19. What is Chritianity?
The Christian Faith or the Christian Religion.
Christendom
- 20. What is Christendom?
A misnomer of the nonexisten Christian nations on earth.
Grace
- 21. What is grace?
The undeserved favor that God grants to believers.
The Kingdom of God
- 22. What is the Kingdom of God?
The dispensation of grace when Jesus Christ began to proclaim the Gospel of God so that sinners may repent and believe to receive the forginness of sins. The Kingdom of God will close when Jesus Christ returns to reign.
The Kingdom of Heaven
- 23. What is the Kindom of Heaven?
The Kingdom of Heaven is the last phase of the second coming, it fulfils the Kingdom of God when the devil and the wicked will be thrown down to the Lake of Fire and Brimstone for eternal suffering, and the Lord Jesus will begin His eternal reign with the saints. The Kingdom of Heaven is located in the Holy City, the New Jerusalem.
The Rapture
- 24. What is the Rapture
The Rapture is the first phase to begin the second coming of Christ when those who died in Christ will rise from the dead first and the living saints will be transformed or changed together to meet the Lord in the space. It is a secret process and to be accomplished in the twinkling of an eye.
The Great Tribulation
- 25. What is the Great Tribulation?
After the Rapture will begin the Great Tribulation a period has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again. Those days had been cut short. No one knows how many days had been cut short, then Jesus Christ will descend with angels and saints in great power and glory, visible and audible.
The Millennium
- 26. What is the Millennium?
When Jesus appears again, He will establish the Millennium — a 1,000 year of peaceful reign after the devil has been cast into the abyss so that he can no more deceive the world. Isa 11:6-10 describe the blessed state.
The Armageddon
- 27. What is the Armageddon?
When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, to deceive nations and lead many for the war. The King of kings and the Lord of lords will never need to fight a war, for fire comes
down from Heaven and devours the followers of the devil.
The White Throne judgment
- 28. What is the White Throne judgment?
After the Armageddon, it is the last judgment for the devil, the beast and the false prophet and all the wicked to be thrown into the Lake of Fire and
Brimstone, where they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Then ultimately Jesus Christ and the saints will reign in the Kingdom of Heaven forever and ever.
Repentance
- 29. What is repentance?
Sinners need to repent, a change of heart, feeling sorry for the sins committed, and sorrowful to the point of repentance; turning from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, and performing deeds consistent with repentance.
The Old Testament
- 30. What is the Old Testament?
It is the covenant of God with the Jewish people, composed of 39 books, from Genesis to Malachi.
The New Testament
- 31. What is the New Testament?
It is the covenant of Jesus with the chosen people called Christians. It is composed of 27 books, from the Gospel of Matthew to Revelation.
Idolatry
- 32. What is idolatry?
The worship of idols or false gods. Money, power and sex can also be idols, the objects of worship.
Adultery
- 33. What is adultery?
Sexual intercourse committed outside of marriage.
Fornication
- 34. What is fornication?
Sexual intercouse committed by unmarried persons.
Reconciliation
- 35. What is reconciliation?
The enmity between God and sinners is made right through the redemption in Jesus Christ.
Adoption
- 36. What is adoption?
God adopts sinners through the redemption in Christ as sons (children) with inheritance.
Blessed Hope
- 37. What is the Blessed Hope?
The second coming of Christ for the redemption of the bodies of believers.
The Gospel
- 38. What is the Gospel?
The good news for all the people that Jesus Christ died for sinners; all who repent and believe in the Lord will receive forgiveness of sins and inherit the eternal life.
Blasphemy
- 39. What is blasphemy?
Blasphemy is speaking irreverently against God. Jesus warns that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall never be forgiven.
Apostle
- 40. What is an Apostle?
An Apostle is a special disciple of Jesus Christ. The 12 Apostles of the Lamb are: Peter, Andrew, John, James, Philip, Bartolomew, Thomas, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot
Crucifixion
- 41. What is crucifixion?
Crucifixion is the Roman cruelest way to execute a person by nailing him/her with metal spikes. Jesus Christ who had no sin, was crucified for our sins.
Devil
- 42. Who is the devil?
The devil is the deceiver, a fallen angel called Lucifer; a liar and murderer, also called Satan, the dragon, the old serpent.
Hypocrite
- 43. What is a hypocrite?
A hypocrite is a pretender who sees only the faults of others, but not his own.
Amen
- 44. What is amen?
Amen, according to Strong’s Concordance:
“The word “amen” is a most remarkable word. It was transliterated directly from the Hebrew into the Greek of the New Testament, then into Latin and into English and many other languages, so that it is practically a universal word. It has been called the best known word in human speech. The word is directly related — in fact, almost identical — to the Hebrew word for “believe” (aman), or faithful. Thus, it came to mean “sure” or “truly”, an expression of absolute trust and confidence. ”
Rabbi
- 45. What is Rabbi?
Rabbi in Hebrew means “my teacher”, a title of respect for Jewish teachers.
Sabbath
- 46. What is Sabbath?
It is the seventh day (Saturday) of the week which God sets aside for the Jews to rest.
Satan
- 47. Who is Satan?
Santan means “accuser.” Another name for the devil who is an enemy of God and God’s children.
Soul
- 48. What is soul?
Soul is the innermost being of a person. When the soul of a person is departing, the person is dead. God can kill a person’s body and soul in Hell.
Spirit
- 49. What is spirit?
Spirit is the essence from God, opposed to the flesh. Spirit does not have flesh and bones. We are to worship God in spirit and truth. An angel is a spirit. The spirit of your minds can be renewed. Christians can unite in spirit, stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel. A gentle spirit can be known. OUR spirit and soul and body may be kept complete.
Tripartite OR Trigotomy
- 50. What is tripartite or trigotomy of mankind?
Holy Trinity is spoken about God, never about man. Man is a tripartite, namely, body, soul and spirit.
1Th 5:23, “Now may the God of peace Himself
sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete, without blame at the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
This is a new knowledge even the scientists do not know: the entire man is made of spirit and soul and body. Every person knows about body, we should not magnify the obvious. How few know the difference between soul and spirit.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
- (23) And.—The logic of such an expression as, “Do this, and may you be happy,” lies in the writer’s own connection with both the command and the prayer: “I bid you abstain from every evil kind of thing, and I pray that God Himself may enable you to keep the commandment.”
The very God of peace.—In more usual English, “the God of peace Himself:” the contrast is between the futile efforts after holiness of which they in themselves were capable, and the almighty power of sanctification exercised by God. This sanctification (which is the special work of the Third Person) is here ascribed to the First Person of the Holy Trinity, from whom the Holy Ghost proceeds. He is called (as in Hebrews 13:20) the “God of peace,” not in reference to any dissensions between the Thessalonians (1Thessalonians 5:13), but because of the peace which His sanctification brings into the soul, so that it fears neither temptation’s power nor persecution’s rage. (Comp. the Second Collect for Evensong).
Sanctify you wholly.—Rather, sanctify you whole. The idea is rather that of leaving no part unsanctified, than that of doing the work completely so far as it goes: thus it serves to introduce the next sentence, which explains it.
And I pray God.—If there were need of any insertion, it should have been “We pray God:” Silas and Timothy are never forgotten throughout.
Spirit and soul and body.—This is St. Paul’s fullest and most scientific psychology, not merely a rhetorical piling up of words without any particular meaning being assigned to them. Elsewhere, he merely divides man according to popular language, into two parts, visible and invisible, “body and spirit” (1Corinthians 6:20; 1Corinthians 7:34, et al.); the division into “body and soul” he never uses. (Comp. Note on 1Corinthians 2:14.) The “spirit” (pneuma) is the part by which we apprehend realities intuitively—i.e., without reasoning upon them; with it we touch, see, serve, worship God (John 4:23-24; Romans 1:9; 1Corinthians 6:17; Revelation 1:10, et al.); it is the very inmost consciousness of the man (see, e.g., 1Corinthians 2:11); it is the part of him which survives death (Hebrews 12:23; 1Peter 3:19; comp. Luke 23:46; Acts 7:59). The “soul.” (psyche) includes the intellect, the affections, and the will: and it is of the very essence of the gospel to force sharply upon men the distinction between it and the spirit (Hebrews 4:12). Low-living men may have soul (i.e., intellect, affection, will) in abundance, but their spirit falls into complete abeyance (Jude 1:19); the soul belongs altogether to the lower nature, so that when St. Paul uses the two-fold division, “body and spirit,” the soul is reckoned (not, probably, as Bishop Ellicott says on our present passage, as part of the spirit, but) as part of the body; and when St. Paul describes the “works of the flesh,” he includes among them such distinctly soul-sins as “heresies” (Galatians 5:20). Sanctification preserves all these three divisions entire, and in their due relation to each other; without sanctification, the spirit might be overwhelmed by the other parts gaining the predominance, which would, of course, eventually be the ruin both of “soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28. N.B., that our Lord says nothing of the destruction of the “spirit” in hell: the question is whether He there definitely meant to exclude “spirit,” or used “soul” popularly as including it). Where the New Testament writers acquired such a psychology cannot be determined, but it was probably derived from experimental knowledge of life, not from books, and all experience confirms its accuracy. Modern science tends more and more to show that “soul” is a function of “body.”
Unto the coming.—A mistranslation for “at the coming,” caused by the slight difficulty in understanding the true version. The idea is not so much that of their preservation from sin during the interval, but rather the writers hasten in eager anticipation to the Coming itself, and hope that the Thessalonians at the Coming will be found to have been preserved. “Blameless” should have been “blamelessly.”
At the moment, we do not want to ask the question: What is the soul?
Isa 61:10, “I will rejoice greatly in the LORD,
My soul will be joyful in my God;
For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,
He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness,
as a groom puts on a turban, and as a bride
adorns herself with her jewels.”
The prophet says, My soul will be joyful in my God.
Lam 3:20, “My soul certainly remembers,
And is bent over within me.”
Your soul can remember your misery and your homelessness, the wormwood and bitterness.
Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament
The view taken of this verse will depend on the answer to the question whether תּזכר is second or third pers. fem. Following in the wake of Luther (“Thou wilt assuredly think thereon”), C. B. Michaelis, Pareau, Rosenmller, and Kalkschmidt take it as second pers.: “Think, yea, think wilt Thou, that my soul is bowed down in me,” or “that my soul is at rest within me” (Ngelsbach). But it is impossible to maintain either of these views in the face of the language employed. To take the ו before תּשׁיח in the meaning of quod is characterized by Ngelsbach as an arbitrary procedure, unwarranted either by Genesis 30:27 or Ezekiel 13:11; but neither can the meaning of resting, being at east, which is attributed to שׁוּח or שׁיח by that writer, be established. The verb means to sink down, Proverbs 2:18, and metaphorically, to be bowed down, Psalm 44:26. The latter meaning is required in the present passage, from the simple fact that the sentence undeniably refers to Psalm 42:6.
(Note: Luther’s translation, “for my soul tells me,” is founded on the circumstance that the lxx have mistaken שׁיח for שׂיח: καταδολεσχήσει ἐπ ̓ ἐμὲ ἡ ψυχή μου.)
ותּשׁ expresses the consequence of זכר תּזכר, which therefore can only be the third pers., and “my soul” the subject of both clauses; for there is no logical consecution of the meaning given by such a rendering as, “If Thou wilt remember, my soul shall be bowed within me.” The expression, “If my soul duly meditates thereon (on the deep suffering), it becomes depressed within me,” forms the foundation of the request that God would think of his distress, his misery; and Lamentations 3:21, “I will lay this to heart,” connects itself with the leading thought set forth in Lamentations 3:19, the reason for which is given in Lamentations 3:20, viz., that my soul is only bowed down within me over the thought of my distress, and must complain of it to God, that He may think of it and alleviate it: This will I lay to heart and set my hope upon. על־כּן is a strong inferential expression: “therefore,” because God alone can help, will I hope. This self-encouragement begins with Lamentations 3:22, inasmuch as the prophet strengthens his hope by a consideration of the infinite compassion of the Lord. (It is) חסדי, “the mercies of God,” i.e., proofs of His mercy (cf. Psalm 89:2; Psalm 107:43; Isaiah 63:7), “that we are not utterly consumed,” as Luther and similarly our English translators have excellently rendered תּמנוּ. This form stands for תּמּונוּ, as in Jeremiah 44:18; Numbers 17:1-13 :28, not for תּמּוּ, third pers., as Pareau, Thenius, Vaihinger, and Ewald, referring to his Grammar, 84, b, would take it. The proofs of the grace of God have their foundation in His compassion, from which they flow. In Lamentations 3:23 we take חסדי as the subject of חדשׁים; it is the proofs of the grace of God that are new every morning, not “His compassions,” although the idea remains the same. לבּקרים, every morning, as in Isaiah 33:2; Psalm 73:14. Ubi sol et dies oritur, simul et radii hujus inexhaustae bonitatis erumpunt (Tarnovius in Rosenmller). The consciousness of this constant renewal of the divine favour impels to the prayerful exclamation, “great is Thy faithfulness;” cf. Psalm 36:6.”
Lam 3:24, “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I wait for Him.”
The Lord is my portion – “My portion is Yahweh,” see Numbers 18:20; Psalm 16:5 ff.
Therefore will I hope in him – A more full expression of the confidence present in the prophet’s mind in Lamentations 3:21, but based now upon God’s faithfulness in showing mercy.”
Eze 18:4, “Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The
soul who sins will die.”
Verse 4. – Behold, all souls are mine, etc. The words imply, not only creation, ownership, absolute authority, on the part of God, but, as even Calvin could recognize (in loc.), “a paternal affection towards the whole human race which he created and formed.” Ezekiel anticipates here, and yet more fully in ver. 32. the teaching of St. Paul, that “God willeth that all men should be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4). The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The sentence, though taken from the Law, which ordered capital punishment for the offences named, cannot be limited to that punishment. “Death” and “life” are both used in their highest and widest meaning – “life” as including all that makes it worth living, “death” for the loss of that only true life which is found in knowing God (John 17:3). Ezekiel 18:4.”
Mat 10:28, “And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear
Him who is able to destroy both soul and body
in Hell.”
God destroys the wicked both soul and body in Hell.
Mat 16:26, “For what good will it do a person if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul? Or what will a person give in exchange for his soul?”
For what is a man profited … – To gain the whole world means to possess it as our own – all its riches, its honors, and its pleasures.
“To lose his own soul” means to be cast away, to be shut out from heaven, to be sent to hell. Two things are implied by Christ in these questions:
- 1. That they who are striving to gain the world, and are unwilling to give it up for the sake of religion, will lose their souls; and,
- 2. That if the soul is lost, nothing can be given in exchange for it, or that it can never afterward be saved. There is no redemption in hell.”
Luk 1:46-47, “And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord,
and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.”
Mary, the mother of Jesus, knew the difference between soul and spirit. Her soul exalts the Lord and her spirit has rejoiced in God her Savior. Do you know how to exalt the Lord with your soul, and rejoice in God your Savior with your spirit? I want to; but I don’t know how. Whatever inside me exalt the Lord, whatever inside me rejoice in God my Savior. But I do not know which is which, which does what.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
46–56. The Magnificat
46. And Mary said] This chapter is remarkable for preserving a record of two inspired hymns—the Magnificat and the Benedictus—which have been used for more than a thousand years in the public services of Christendom. The Magnificat first appears in the office of Lauds in the rule of St Caesarius of Arles, a. d. 507. (Blunt, Annotated Prayer Book, p. 33.) It is so full of Hebraisms as almost to form a mosaic of quotations from the Old Testament, and it is closely analogous to the Song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10). It may also be compared with the Hymn of Judith (Jdg 16:1-17). But it is animated by a new and more exalted spirit, and is specially precious as forming a link of continuity between the eucharistic poetry of the Old and New Dispensation. (See Bp Wordsworth, ad loc.)
My soul doth magnify the Lord] 1 Samuel 2:1; Psalm 34:2-3. The soul (ψυχὴ) is the natural life with all its affections and emotions; the spirit (πνεῦμα) is the diviner and loftier region of our being, 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 1 Corinthians 2:10.”
Here is the answer. What is the soul? The soul is the natural life with all its affections and emotions. What is the spirit? The Spirit is the diviner and loftier region of our being. Suffice to say I am not going to debate these definitions.
Luk 24:39, “See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, because a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you plainly see that I have.”
Behold my hands … – Jesus proceeds to give them evidence that he was truly the same person that had been crucified. He first showed them his hands and his feet – still, pierced, and with the wounds made by the nails still open. Compare John 20:27. He told them to handle him and see him. He ate before them. All this was to satisfy them that he was not, as they supposed, a spirit. Nor could better evidence have been given. He appealed to their senses, and performed acts which a disembodied spirit could not do.
Handle me – Or touch me; feel of me. Compare John 20:27.
And see – Be convinced, for you could not thus handle a spirit. The object here was to convince them that his body had really come to life.
For a spirit … – He appeals here to what they well knew; and this implies that the spirit may exist separate from the body. That was the view of the apostles, and our Saviour distinctly countenances that belief.”
A spirit does not have flesh and bones. This is a true knowledge.
Luk 12:20, “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is demanded of you; and as for all that you have prepared, who will own it now?’
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
- 20. Thou fool] Literally, “Senseless]” 1 Corinthians 15:36.
this night] Compare the death of Nabal, 1 Samuel 25:36.
thy soul shall be required of thee] Rather, they demand thy soul of thee. Who are ‘they’? Some say God (Job 27:8), or His death- angels (Job 33:22), or robbers whom they suppose to attack the rich man on the night that his wealth has flowed in. There is however no definite pronoun, the phrase is impersonal, as often in Hebrew.
then whose shall those things be] “He heapeth up riches and knoweth not who shall gather them,” Psalm 39:6; Psalm 49:16-17; comp. Psalm 52:7 and James 4:13-15. St James seems to have been deeply impressed with this teaching.”
According to the Scriptures, the fool lost his soul this very night!
Heb 4:12, “For the Word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even
penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
{4} For the {e} word of God is {f} quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of {g} soul and {h} spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
- (4) An amplification taken from the nature of the word of God, so powerful that it enters even to the deepest and most inward and secret parts of the heart, fatally wounding the stubborn, and openly reviving the believers.
(e) The doctrine of God which is preached both in the law and in the gospel.
(f) He calls the word of God living, because of the effect it has on those to whom it is preached.
(g) He calls the seat of emotions soul.
(h) By spirit he means the mind.”
I believe in the Scripture, but I know nothing of the division of soul and spirit. Can we accept the definition? The soul is the seat of emotions. The spirit is the mind?
1Pe 2:11, “Beloved, I urge you as foreigners and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage
war against the soul.”
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
11. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims] This is manifestly the beginning of a fresh section of the Epistle. Somewhat after the manner of St Paul, the Apostle, alter having allowed his thoughts to travel through the mysteries of redemption, reaches, as it were, the highest region of the truth, and then pauses in the act of writing or dictating, and takes a fresh start. In doing so, however, he goes back to the opening words of the Epistle (see note on chap. 1 Peter 1:1). Those to whom he wrote were “strangers and pilgrims” (the English reader must remember that “pilgrim” is but another form of peregrinus), not only as belonging to the Jews of the dispersion, but as being, like the patriarchs of old (Hebrews 11:13), men who, in whatever country they might be, felt that their true home was elsewhere. In the LXX. version of Psalm 39:12 we find both the words and the thoughts to which St Peter now gives utterance. It is obvious that the special local position of the disciples, though not, it may be, altogether excluded, is now thrown quite into the background.
abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul] The negative aspect of the Christian life is put forward first, as being prior, both in order of thought, and often in that of time, to its more positive development. The entreaty rests upon the character implied in the previous words. Travellers in a strange land, yet more in the land of enemies, do not care commonly to adopt all its customs. They retain their nationality. The exiles who hung their harps by the waters of Babylon did not forget Jerusalem, and would not profane its hymns by singing them at idolfeasts (Psalm 137:1-3). The citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem were in like manner to keep themselves from all that would render them unfit for their true home. The words “fleshly lusts” have, perhaps, a somewhat wider range than the English term suggests, and take in all desires that originate in man’s corrupt nature, as well as those directly connected with the appetites of the body: comp. St Paul’s list of the “works of the flesh” in Galatians 5:19-21. In the description of these as “warring against the soul,” we have another striking coincidence of language with St James (James 4:1) and St Paul (Romans 7:23). “Soul” stands here, as in chap. 1 Peter 1:9, for the higher element of man’s nature which, in the more elaborate threefold division of man’s nature, adopted by St Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 and elsewhere, includes both “soul and spirit.”
3Jo 1:2, “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul
prospers.”
Beloved
Compare the plural, 1 John 3:2, 1 John 3:21; 1 John 4:1, 1 John 4:7, 1 John 4:11.
I wish above all things (περὶ πάντων εὔχομαι)
Wrong. This sense of περί is contrary to New Testament usage. The preposition means concerning. So Rev. “I pray that in all things thou mayst prosper.” Εὔχομαι I pray or wish, occurs only here in John’s writings, and not often elsewhere. See Acts 26:29; Romans 9:3; James 5:16.
Mayst prosper (εὐοδοῦσθαι)
Lit., have a prosperous journey. From ἐν well, and ὁδός a way. In this original sense, Romans 1:10. The word occurs only three times in the New Testament. See 1 Corinthians 16:2.
Be in health (ὑγιαίνειν)
Used in the New Testament both in a physical and moral sense. The former is found only here and in Luke’s Gospel. See Luke 5:31; Luke 7:10; Luke 15:27. Paul uses it of soundness in faith or doctrine. See 1 Timothy 1:10; 1 Timothy 6:3; 2 Timothy 1:13; Titus 2:2. Here of Gaius’ bodily health, as is shown by soul in the next clause.
Soul (ψυχή)
See on Mark 12:30; see on Luke 1:46. The soul (ψυχή) is the principle of individuality, the seat of personal impressions. It has a side in contact with both the material and the spiritual element of humanity, and is thus the mediating organ between body and spirit. Its meaning, therefore, constantly rises above life or the living individual, and takes color from its relation to either the emotional or the spiritual side of life, from the fact of its being the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions, and the bearer and manifester of the divine life-principle (πνεῦμα). Consequently ψυχή is often used in our sense of heart (Luke 1:46; Luke 2:35; John 10:24; Acts 14:2); and the meanings of ψυχή soul and πνεῦμα spirit, occasionally approach each other very closely. Compare John 12:27, and John 11:33; Matthew 11:29, and 1 Corinthians 16:18. Also both words in Luke 1:47. In this passage ψυχή soul, expresses the soul regarded as moral being designed for everlasting life. See Hebrews 6:19; Hebrews 10:39; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 2:11; 1 Peter 4:19. John commonly uses the word to denote the principle of the natural life. See John 10:11, John 10:15; John 13:37; John 15:13; 1 John 3:16; Revelation 8:9; Revelation 12:11; Revelation 16:3.”
I think Vincent’s Word Studies has a better definition of the soul: the principle of individuality, the seat of personal impressions.
Gen 41:38, “Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom there is a divine
spirit?”
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
37–46. Joseph as Grand Vizier
38. such a one as this] Pharaoh and his servants are represented as discerning in Joseph the supreme gifts of one who combined the supernatural power of interpreting dreams with the practical wisdom and sagacity of a statesman.
in whom the spirit of God is] The same phrase is employed by Belshazzar when he addresses Daniel: Daniel 5:14, “I have heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.” The presence and operation of the Spirit of God, in the O.T., account for those special manifestations which surpass the limits of ordinary human capacity, in wisdom or prowess. Cf. Exodus 31:3; Numbers 27:18; Jdg 3:10; Jdg 14:6.”
Divine spirit is the Spirit of God.
Exo 28:3, “You shall speak to all the skillful people
whom I have endowed with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may serve as priest to Me.”
Only God can endow with the spirit of wisdom.
1Sa 1:15, “But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman despairing in spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD.”
A human spirit can be despairing.
Jdg 9:23, “Then God sent an evil spirit between
Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem; and the leaders of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech.”
This is a difficult passage of the Scripture: God sent an evil spirit.
Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament
Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem, so that they became treacherous towards him. “An evil spirit” is not merely “an evil disposition,” but an evil demon, which produced discord and strife, just as an evil spirit came upon Saul (1 Samuel 16:14-15; 1 Samuel 18:10); not Satan himself, but a supernatural spiritual power which was under his influence. This evil spirit God sent to punish the wickedness of Abimelech and the Shechemites. Elohim, not Jehovah, because the working of the divine justice is referred to here. “That the wickedness to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood (the blood of these sons that had been shed), to lay it upon Abimelech. ” “And their blood” is only a more precise definition of “the wickedness to the seventy sons;” and “to lay it” is an explanation of the expression “might come.” The introduction of לשׂוּם, however, brings an anakolouthon into the construction, since the transitive שׂוּם presupposes Elohim as the subject and דּמם as the object, whereas the parallel חמס is the subject to the intransitive לבוא: that the wickedness might come, and that God might lay the blood not only upon Abimelech, the author of the crime, but also upon the lords of Shechem, who had strengthened his hands to slay his brethren; had supported him by money, that he might be able to hire worthless fellows to execute his crime (Judges 9:4, Judges 9:5).”
It appears to me, everything, good or evil, is under God’s sovereignty.
1Sa 16:14, “Now the Spirit of the LORD left Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD terrified him.”
This is equally a diffucult passage of the Scripture.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
14–23. David’s introduction to the Court of Saul
14. But the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul] Note the contrast to 1 Samuel 16:13. As David rose, Saul sank.
an evil spirit from the Lord] The cause of Saul’s mental disorder is described as “an evil spirit from Jehovah,” or “of Jehovah” (1 Samuel 19:9); “an evil spirit of God” (1 Samuel 16:15-16, 1 Samuel 18:10); “the spirit of evil” (1 Samuel 16:23); even “the spirit of God” (1 Samuel 16:23); because it was God’s messenger of judgment. Cp. 1 Kings 22:19-22. It is never called “the spirit of Jehovah,” which always designates the spirit of holiness. Saul’s apostasy was punished not merely by the withdrawal of the grace which had been given as the endowment of his office, but by positive assaults from the powers of evil, akin to the demoniacal possession of the N. T. The result was a form of melancholy madness. The cause of the disease was (as we commonly speak) “supernatural,” the cure employed “natural.” The inference is that it is impossible to draw a sharp line of distinction between the two spheres. They are in closer connexion than is commonly recognised.”
1Sa 16:23, “So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would feel relieved and become well, and the evil spirit would leave him.”
Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament
When David came to Saul and stood before him, i.e., served him by playing upon his harp, Saul took a great liking to him, and nominated him his armour-bearer, i.e., his adjutant, as a proof of his satisfaction with him, and sent to Jesse to say, “Let David stand before me,” i.e., remain in my service, “for he has found favour in my sight.” The historian then adds (1 Samuel 16:23): “When the (evil) spirit of God came to Saul (אל, as in 1 Samuel 19:9, is really equivalent to על), and David took the harp and played, there came refreshing to Saul, and he became well, and the evil spirit departed from him.” Thus David came to Saul’s court, and that as his benefactor, without Saul having any suspicion of David’s divine election to be king of Israel. This guidance on the part of God was a school of preparation to David for his future calling. In the first place, he was thereby lifted out of his quiet and homely calling in the country into the higher sphere of court-life; and thus an opportunity was afforded him not only for intercourse with men of high rank, and to become acquainted with the affairs of the kingdom, but also to display those superior gifts of his intellect and heart with which God had endowed him, and thereby to gain the love and confidence of the people. But at the same time he was also brought into a severe school of affliction, in which his inner man was to be trained by conflicts from without and within, so that he might become a man after God’s heart, who should be well fitted to found the true monarchy in Israel.”
1Sa 28:8, “Then Saul disguised himself by putting on different clothes, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night; and he said, “Consult the spirit for me, please, and bring up for me the one whom I shall name for you.”
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
8. they came to the woman by night] It was an adventurous journey. They had to pass over the shoulder of the hill on which the Philistines were encamped, and traverse a distance of not less than ten or twelve miles. The darkness around was a fit emblem of the darkness in Saul’s soul. Cp. John 13:30, and Augustine’s comment “Nox erat, et ipse qui exivit erat nox,” (It was night, and he who went forth was night).
bring me him up, &c.] A more precise definition of the method of divination “by Ob.” Cp. Deuteronomy 18:10-11. Probably Saul expected to hear a voice, but not to see a form. Necromancy was practised among the Greeks and other heathen nations. There was a famous oracle of this kind on the River Acheron in Epirus (νεκυομαντεῖον).
1 Samuel 28:8.”
1Sa 30:12, “They also gave him a slice of fig cake and two cakes of raisins, and he ate; then his spirit revived. For he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three
days and three nights.”
1 Samuel 30:12-13. Three days and nights — One whole day, and part of two others, as appears from the next verse, where he says, Three days ago I fell sick; but in the Hebrew it is, This is the third day since I fell sick. A young man of Egypt — God of his providence so ordering it that he was not one of the race of the Amalekites, devoted to destruction, but an Egyptian, that might be spared. And my master left me — In this place and condition; a barbarous act this, to leave him there to perish, when they had good store of camels for the carriage of men, as well as of their spoil, 1 Samuel 30:17. But this inhumanity cost them dear; for, through it, they lost their own lives, and David recovered what they had taken at Ziklag. Such is the wonderful providence of God, ordering or overruling every thing for his own glory and the good of those that trust in him, even the thoughts and desires, the counsels, works, and ways of men, both the good and the bad! So that there is no fighting against him, who can make the smallest actions serviceable to the production of the greatest effects.”
1Ki 21:5, “But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “How is it that your spirit is so sullen that you are not eating food?”
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
21:5-16 When, instead of a help meet, a man has an agent for Satan, in the form of an artful, unprincipled, yet beloved wife, fatal effects may be expected. Never were more wicked orders given by any prince, than those Jezebel sent to the rulers of Jezreel. Naboth must be murdered under colour of religion. There is no wickedness so vile, so horrid, but religion has sometimes been made a cover for it. Also, it must be done under colour of justice, and with the formalities of legal process. Let us, from this sad story, be amazed at the wickedness of the wicked, and the power of Satan in the children of disobedience. Let us commit the keeping of our lives and comforts to God, for innocence will not always be our security; and let us rejoice in the knowledge that all will be set to rights in the great day.”
1Ki 22:23, “Now then, behold, the LORD has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours; and the LORD has declared disaster against
you.”
The difficulties which attach to this passage are considerable. On the one hand, it is hard to suppose one of the holy Angels a “lying spirit;” on the other, hard to find Satan, or an evil spirit, included among “the host of heaven” 1 Kings 22:19 and acting as the minister of God. Still, Job 1:6; Job 2:1, lend countenance to the latter point, and 2 Thessalonians 2:11 to the former. But it may be doubted whether we ought to take literally, and seek to interpret exactly, each statement of the present narrative. Visions of the invisible world can only be a sort of parables; revelations, not of the truth as it actually is, but of so much of the truth as can be shown through such a medium. The details of a vision, therefore, cannot safely be pressed, anymore than the details of a parable. Portions of each must be accommodations to human modes of thought, and may very inadequately express the realities which they are employed to shadow forth to us.”
2Ki 2:15, “Now when the sons of the prophets who
were at Jericho opposite him saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah has settled on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed down to the ground
before him.”
Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
And when the sons of the prophets, which were to view at Jericho, saw him,…. Who went out from thence towards Jordan, to have a sight if they could of the assumption of Elijah; these, when they saw Elisha come over Jordan, the waters being parted by him:
they said, the spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha; or he has the same power and spirit to work miracles as he had, which they discerned by his dividing the waters of Jordan with his mantle:
and they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him; in reverence of him as their master, in the room of Elijah.”
2Ki 19:7, “Behold, I am going to put a spirit in him so that he will hear news and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.”
I will send a blast upon him, Heb. a wind, a storm or tempest, by which name God’s judgments are oft called, i.e. a violent, and sudden, and terrible stroke; namely, that miraculous destruction of his army, of which 2 Kings 19:35. Although the place may be rendered thus, I will put a spirit within him, so that he shall hear a rumour, and return, &c. For by spirit is many times understood an imagination, or inclination, or affliction; in which sense we read of the spirit of fear, 2 Timothy 1:7; of the spirit of jealousy, Numbers 5:14; of the spirit of slumber, Romans 11:8. Or, a spirit against (for so the Hebrew preposition beth is oft used, as hath been noted before) him; of whom this word is elsewhere used, as Judges 9:23 1 Samuel 16:14,23 1 Kings 22:23; as it is also given to man’s soul, Job 12:10 Ecclesiastes 12:7, which is a spiritual substance, as the angels are. And this interpretation seems most agreeable to the design of this verse, which is in brief to represent all the judgments of God which were to befall him, and which are related in the following history; and therefore all the other particulars being contained in the following branches of this verse; the tidings of Tirhakah, 2 Kings 19:9, in these words,
he shall hear a rumour; his returning to his own land, and being slain there, 2 Kings 19:36,37, in the next words; it seems most probable that the chiefest of all the judgments, to wit, the destruction of 185,000 soldiers in one night, 2 Kings 19:35, is not omitted here, but expressed in the first branch of the verse; and the spirit here is the same thing which is there called an angel; this latter word being there used to limit and explain the former, which otherwise was of a doubtful signification.”
2Ch 36:22, “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia—in order to fulfill the Word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah—the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia so that he sent a proclamation
throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying.”
Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament
To point out still further how exactly God had fulfilled His word by the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah, it is in conclusion briefly mentioned that God, in the first year of Coresh king of Persia, stirred up the spirit of this king to cause a command to go forth in all his kingdom, that Jahve, the God of heaven, who had given him all the kingdoms of the earth, had commanded him to build again His temple in Jerusalem, and that whoever belonged to the people of God might go up to Jerusalem. With this comforting prospect for the future, the author of the Chronicle closes his consideration of the prae-exilic history of the people of God without completely communicating the contents of the royal edict of Cyrus, since he purposed to narrate the history of the restoration of Judah to their own land in a separate work. This we have in the book of Ezra, which commences by giving us the whole of the edict of Cyrus the king of the Persians (Ezra 1:1-3), and then narrates the return of a great part of the people to Jerusalem and Judah, the rebuilding of the temple, and the re-settlement in the land of their fathers of those who had returned.”
Job 7:11, “Therefore I will not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit,
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.”
It appears to be a parallelism: the anguish of my spirit, the bitterness of my soul.
Verse 11. – Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; rather, I moreover will not refrain my lips; that is, “You may do as you like under affliction, I claim the right of complaining.” Job has already pointed out that nature teaches the animals to complain when they suffer (Job 6:5). Why, then, should not he? Complaint is not necessarily murmuring; it is sometimes merely expostulation, which God allows (comp. Psalm 4:2; Psalm 77:3; Psalm 142:2, etc.). I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. Extreme “anguish” and “bitter” suffering excuse complaints that would otherwise be, blare-able (comp. Job 6:2-4). Job 7:11.”
Job 17:1, “My spirit is broken, my days are extinguished, the grave is ready for me.”
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
- 1. my breath] Rather as margin, my spirit is spent, i. e. consumed. The “spirit” is the principle of life.
the graves are ready for me] lit. graves are mine; the meaning being: the grave is my portion; cf. Job 17:13 seq. Coverdale: I am harde at deathes dore.”
Psa 77:6, “I will remember my song in the night;
I will meditate with my heart, and my spirit ponders.”
Verse 6. – I call to remembrance my song in the night. He bethought himself of the songs of thanksgiving which he used to sing to God in the night (comp. Job 35:10) on account of mercies received; but this did not comfort him. “Nessun maggior dolore che ricordarsi di tempo felice nella miseria.” I commune with mine own heart, and my spirit made diligent search; or, “and I diligently searched out my spirit” (Cheyne). The results of the searchings out seem to be given in vers. 7-10. Psalm 77:6.”
Psa 143:4, “Therefore my spirit feels weak within me;
My heart is appalled within me.”
The spirit can feel weak. As the Lord says, Mat 26:41,
“Keep watching and praying, so that you do not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Luk 1:17, “And it is he who will go as a forerunner
before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF FATHERS BACK TO
THEIR CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
- 17. And he shall go before him] Shall go before the Messiah. The English version should have added, “in His (God’s) presence” (ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ).
in the spirit and power of Elias] From the last words of Malachi (Luke 4:4-6, Luke 3:1), the Jews universally believed (as they do to this day) that Elijah would visibly return to earth as a herald of the Messiah. It required the explanation of our Lord to open the eyes of the Apostles on this subject. “This is Elias which was for to come,” Matthew 11:14. “Elias truly shall first come and restore all things … Then the disciples understood that He spake unto them of John the Baptist,” Matthew 17:10-14. The resemblance was partly in external aspect (2 Kings 1:8; Matthew 3:4); and partly in his mission of stern rebuke and invitation to repentance (1 Kings 18:21; 1 Kings 21:20).
to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children] Rather, of fathers to children; i. e. as in the original meaning of Malachi, to remedy disunion and restore family life.
to the wisdom] Rather, in or by the wisdom.”
Luk 1:47, “And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.”
Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. Which also, may be understood, either of God the Father, who was her Saviour, both as the God of nature and providence; so the Persic version renders it, “in God that gives me life”; and who had supported, maintained, and preserved her life; and as the God of grace, who has contrived the scheme of salvation, fixed upon, and appointed Christ to be the Saviour; and who saves by him, and therefore is sometimes said to be our Saviour. Titus 3:4 or of Christ, the Son of God, who being truly and properly God, was fit to be a Saviour; and is a very suitable, able, and willing one; and which is the great encouragement to sensible sinners, to look up to him, and be saved; and lays a solid foundation for rejoicing in him, since what he did as man, had hereby an infinite virtue and efficacy put into it, as was put into his blood, sacrifice, and righteousness; whereby the purposes designed were answered by them; and since he must be able to keep their immortal souls, which they commit unto him, and must have an interest with his Father, as their advocate, and a fulness, to supply all their wants: the consideration of Christ, by Mary, as God her Saviour, as having an interest in him, as a Saviour, and this her Saviour, God, gave her greater joy, than being the mother of him as man; and this her joy was not carnal, nor merely external, but inward and spiritual: it was a joy in her own spirit, and was excited there by the holy Spirit of God.”
Luk 1:80, “Now the child grew and was becoming
strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.”
Luke 1:80. And the child grew, &c. — The years of John’s infancy expiring, he grew daily in wisdom and stature; and was in the deserts, &c. — During the whole course of his private life, he continued in the deserts, or hill- country of Judea, Luke 1:39, till his ministry commenced, about the thirtieth year of his age. It is probable that the deserts here mentioned were those of Ziph and Maon, where Saul pursued David. Though there were several country towns and villages in these deserts, yet, as they were but thinly inhabited, they were in the Jewish idiom called deserts. Now it was wisely ordered, to prevent a personal acquaintance between Jesus and John, that the latter should continue in one of these deserts, at the distance of probably one hundred miles from Nazareth, till the time of his entering upon his ministry. There, in a state of solitude and retirement from the world, he lived an austere and mortified life, that his character might be suited to his office — the preaching of repentance, self-denial, and deadness to the world and sin.”
Luk 8:55, “And her spirit returned, and she got up
immediately; and He ordered that something be given her to eat.”
Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
And her spirit came again,…. Her soul, which was departed from her, upon the all-powerful voice of Christ, returned to her body; and “re-entered”, as the Ethiopic version adds: this shows that the soul is immortal, and dies not with the body; that it exists in a separate state from it after death, and will hereafter re-enter the body, and be again united to it in the resurrection, of which this instance was a kind of pledge and emblem: where her spirit was during this time of separation, is needless, and would be curious and rash to inquire; it is enough to say with the Scripture, that it had returned, to God, that gave it, Ecclesiastes 12:7 and by whom it was sent back to its body again:
and she arose straightway: from off the bed, and as Mark says, “walked”; for she was at an age capable of it, and which actions of arising and walking, clearly proved that she was alive, and in health:
and he commanded to give her meat; which was done, partly to show, not only that she was alive, but that her disorder was removed, and her appetite restored, and that she could eat and drink, as she had done before her illness; and partly, to observe that she was raised not to an immortal life, as none were before Christ, but to an animate life, which was to be supported by eating and drinking, and so a mortal one; See Gill on Mark 5:43.”
Because of my ignorance, this only compounds my confusion. The Scripture says her spirit returned, not her soul.
I REACH THE CONCLUSION:
ALL THEOLOGIANS ERR.
ALL COMMENTATORS AND EXPOSITORS ERR.
ALL HUMANS ERR.
THEREFORE, I BELIEVE THE DOCTRINE OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOUL AND SPIRIT IN MANKIND, WE HAVE NOT REACHED A SOUND DOCTRINE THAT WE ONLY SEE DIMPLY, WE SHALL KNOW IT CLEARLY WHEN THE PERFECT ONE COMES, WHEN WE DO FACE TO FACE. 1Co 13:12,
“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known.”
I ADMIT MY IGNORANCE, AND WAIT EAGERLY FOR THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD JESUS.
You have learned a lot about the Bible knowledge, so do not neglect so great a salvation. Today is the day of salvation, Repent of your sins and Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your God and Savior.
To receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is to receive the eternal life.
WILLIE WONG THOUGHT
WILLIE WONG
AUGUST 5, 2025
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