Grudem - Chapter 23 Flashcards
Define trichotomy.
The belief that man is made up of three parts: body, soul, and spirit.
What does a man’s soul include in trichotomy?
Man’s intellect, emotion, and will.
Define dichotomy.
The belief that man is made up of two parts body and soul/spirit.
What two parts of man from trichotomy are combined in dichotomy?
Soul and Spirit.
Define monism.
The view that the soul cannot exist separate from the body. Simply that spirit and soul or just other expressions of the person.
Which two views of the elements of Humanity are held today?
Trichotomy and Dichotomy.
What does the Bible say about the elements of man in regards to his composition?
1) Scripture uses “Soul” and “Spirit” Interchangeably.
2) At Death, Scripture Says Either Than the “Soul” Departs or the “Spirit” Departs.
3) Man is said to be either “Body and Soul” or “Body and Spirit”.
4) The “Soul” Can Sin or the “Spirit” can sin.
5) Everything That the Soul is Said to Do, The Spirit is Said to Do and Vice Versa.
What view seems to be the most Scripturally supported?
Dichotomy.
What Scriptures and Arguments are used to argue for Trichotomy?
1) 1 Thessalonians 5:23 - “Spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless.”
2) Hebrews 4:12 - “The word of God is piercing to the division of soul and spirit.”
3) 1 Corinthians 2:14-3:4 - Talks about spiritual and unspiritual people which implies spirit and soul as separate entities.
4) 1 Corinthians 14:14 - The mind does something different than the Spirit.
5) Personal Experience - They claim a spiritual awareness of God that seems separate from soul.
6) Our Spirit is What Makes Us Different From Animals.
7) Out Spirit is What Comes Alive at Regeneration.
List the Responses to the arguments for trichotomy.
1) 1 Thessalonians 5:23 - Jesus is simply piling up synonyms.
2) Hebrews 4:12 - The same idea as the response to the First Argument.
3) 1 Corinthians 2:14-3:4 - Spiritual is not referring to a part of man more than coming under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
4) 1 Corinthians 14:14 - Paul means he does not understand the content of what he is praying, not that the two are separate entities.
5) Personal Experience - Our personal and spiritual experience comes from the soul, not a separate entity.
6) What Makes Us Different From Animals - We can relate to God but that is not done through a separate part called “Spirit” The definition of soul is what matters here.
7) Regeneration - The Spirit is always existent, so to say it comes alive at Regeneration misconstrues Scripture.
What are the three views on where our soul comes from?
1) Creationism
2) Traducianism
3) Pre-Existentialism
Define the creationists’ view on the origin of the soul.
God creates a new soul for each person and sends it to the person’s body sometimes between conception and birth.
Define the traducianists’ view on the origin of the soul.
The soul and body are both inherited from the baby’s mother and father.
Define the pre-existentialists’ view on the origin of the soul.
The souls of people exist in heaven long before their bodies are conceived in the wombs of their mothers and God brings the soul to earth to be joined with the baby’s body as it grows in the womb.
What are the three arguments used in favor of Traducianism?
1) God’s Image implies the ability to create according to our kind which implies humanity creates a soul to pass down.
2) The Bible occasionally speaks of descendants being in the body of a previous generation and this phenomenon would explain it.
3) It would explain how Adam’s sin was passed down over generations.
