Posted by Gold Acacia on May 16, 19101 at 08:47:55:
In Reply to: Re: Yes, but... posted by Phil St. Romain on May 15, 19101 at 18:31:15:
Good point, and also very true. Paul said himself, "Do not be fashioned according to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..." Transformation begins in our spirit, by the Lord Spirit (2Cor. 3:18) and through the living out of faith, spreads to our mind which is the leading part of our soul. Therefore, only in the living out of Christ can we walk in the Spirit and put to death the lusts of our flesh.
Our mind does play a very important role in the process.
Regarding the Hebrew, though, I wonder if they didn't have the realization of man's three parts? There is a verse (in Psalms, I think) that reads "God has stretched forth the heavens, laid the foundations of the earth and formed the spirit of man within him." The word "spirit" (xwr, "Ruwach")in the Hebrew is wind or breath. And the Hebrew word for soul (xpn, "Naphesh") means self, life or "that which breaths." There is even an indication of emotion there. So it seems as though there was a distinction. But whether that distinction was between the self (the body) and the inward parts (the soul/spirit) may be a matter of opinion. I don't know...