Olson5256,
Is the soul the same as the spirit?
Ecclesiastes12:7: Then the dust returns to the earth just as it happened to be and the spirit [or, life-force; Hebrew, ru'ach] itself returns to the true God who gave it. (Notice that the Hebrew word for spirit is ru'ach]; but the word translated soul is ne'phesh. The text does not mean that at death the spirit travels all the way to the personal presence of God; rather, any prospect for the person to live again rests with God. In similar usage, we may say that, if required payments are not made by the buyer of a piece of property, the property returns to its owner) KJ, AS, RS, NE, and Dy all here render ru'ach as spirit NAB reads life breath.)
Genesis 2:7 says God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul. (Notice that this does not say that man was given a soul but that he became a soul, a living person.) (The part of the Hebrew word here rendered soul is ne'phesh. KJ, AS, and Dy agree with that rendering. RS, JB, NAB read being. NE says creature. Kx reads person.)
It is true that Jesus appeared in physical form to his disciples after his resurrection. But on certain occasions, why did they not at first recognize him? (Luke 24:15-32; John 20:14-16) On one occasion, for the benefit of Thomas, Jesus appeared with the physical evidence of nail prints in his hands and a spear wound in his side. But how was it possible on that occasion for him suddenly to appear in their midst even though the doors were locked? (John 20:26, 27) Jesus evidently materialized bodies on these occasions, as angels had done in the past when appearing to humans. Disposing of Jesus physical body at the time of his resurrection presented no problem for God. Interestingly, although the physical body was not left by God in the tomb (evidently to strengthen the conviction of the disciples that Jesus had actually been raised), the linen cloths in which it had been wrapped were left there; yet, the resurrected Jesus always appeared fully clothed.John 20:6, 7.
After Jesus resurrection he appeared in different bodies. Mary mistook him for the gardener. (John 20:14, 15) Several times he manifested himself and was recognized, not by his appearance, but by his words and actions. (Lu 24:15, 16, 30, 31, 36-45; Mt 28:16-18) Once a miracle performed at his direction opened his disciples eyes to his identity. (John 21:4-7, 12)
But what happened to Jesus' fleshly body? Was it preserved so that in time men would look upon it and worship it? No...just as God had disposed of Moses body, and no man knoweth of his sepulchre.(Deuteronomy 34:5,6) he did the same with the body of Jesus. Therefore the body could not become an object of veneration.
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