What is the Difference between Soul and Spirit?

Saints and Angels adoring God in perpetual worship in Heavenly Glory.

Good pm Fr. Abe,

Thank you po.

I have another question po. Ito po ay itinanong sa akin ng isang kaibigan." Ano po ang Kaibahan ng SPIRIT at SOUL?" Thank you po.

Rhea

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Dear Rhea,

The SOUL is the PRINCIPLE OF LIFE of the Human Person. We can move, think, act and feel because we are animated by our Soul. It is also our Spiritual Principle. We care capable of spiritual powers such as knowing and loving and thinking because of our soul.

The SPIRIT, however, is a more generic term for the NON MATERIAL BEING. Foremost of this is God:

John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

The Angels too are spirits because they don't have matter or corporeal bodies:

Hebrews 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

Angels are Ministering Spirits. Meaning they are spirits who are serving God and are doing His will.

The Soul is also spirit because strictly speaking it is NON MATERIAL also. For that reason it can survive even after death. It is on these aspect that Soul and Spirit are usually interchangeable:

• In 1 Kings 17:21-22 Yahweh returned THE SOUL of the child while in Luke 8:54-55 it was THE SPIRIT. [Acts 7:59-60]

There is essential difference, however, the pure Spirit such as that of God and of the Angels are completely free of Matter but the Soul is essentially bound with Matter because our Soul was infused by God into our human body:

Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Being spiritual by nature the Soul can survive apart from the Body:

1 Samuel 28:15-19 The soul of the dead Samuel is alive and talked to King Saul.

1 Kings 17:21-22 Elijah prayed to Yahweh to return the soul of the dead child; Yahweh granted his request and the child was raised from the dead.

Matthew 17:1,3-4 THE TRANSFIGURATION …there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. [Mark. 9: 4/ Luke. 9: 30-31]

Moses had died, (Deuteronomy 34:5 - So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord.) and yet, despite being dead, he is able to speak to Jesus.

Revelation 20:4 … and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, & for the word of God… [Martyrs]

Although the soul can survive apart from the Body it is destined to be with the Body and that is why the Lord will not only resurrect our souls but our bodies as well so that Salvation can be given not to Soul or Body only but to the whole Human Person. Each one will be given a Resurrected Body proper for him or her:

1 Corinthians 15:35-38 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.