What Is the Human Being and What Is He Composed Of?
The Main Idea of the Lecture
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains that the human being, according to biblical teaching, is composed of three main elements: the body, the soul, and the spirit. He bases this on passages from the Holy Bible that mention these three elements together, explaining that each element has its role in human life and that they unite together to form the one human nature.
The Body, the Soul, and the Spirit
The body is the material element that was created from the dust of the earth.
The soul is what gives the body its physical life, and in the Bible it is connected with the life that flows in the blood.
The spirit is the element that connects the human being with God and makes him able to worship and live a spiritual life.
The Difference Between the Soul and the Spirit
The soul gives life to the body and manages its vital functions.
The spirit, however, is what turns toward God, loves Him, worships Him, and enters into spiritual communion with Him.
Therefore animals have a soul but they do not possess the spirit that enables the human being to have a relationship with God.
The Relationship Between Spirit and Body in Human Life
The body and the spirit participate together in the life of the human being, and they may cooperate either in good or in evil.
The spirit may lead the body to good deeds such as prayer, fasting, and service, and it may also lead it to sin if the spirit becomes filled with pride, envy, or hatred.
The Spirit and the Image of God in Man
The human spirit was created in the image and likeness of God in righteousness, holiness, knowledge, and freedom.
However, the qualities of the human being are limited, while the qualities of God are unlimited and perfect.
Therefore the human being carries within him a constant longing toward perfection and toward the unlimited, which leads him toward God.
The Unity of Human Nature
The spirit unites with the body in a close union to form together the one human nature.
This union resembles the union of two different elements into one nature, and it is also used as an example to explain the union of divinity and humanity in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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