Why Trichotomy is Wrong, The Biblical Evidence For Dichotomy

I plan to deal with the error of Trichotomy in a series of posts. Lord willing, it will look something like this:

1) We will present the Scriptural data relevant to the subject. In other words, we will show that Scripture does not support Trichotomy.

2). We will answer supposed Scriptural evidence for Trichotomy.

3). We will look at several of the inherent flaws and dangers of Trichotomy. 

Part 1: The Scriptural evidence for a bi-partite division of human nature, not tripartite.

First of all we should give some background, and define our terms.

It’s an interesting phenomenon: Virtually all theologians in all streams of the Christian tradition have believed and taught that man is comprised of two parts – one material part and one immaterial part. The material part, of course, is the body. The immaterial part the Bible variously calls the soul or spirit. This is known as Dichotomy. Somehow though, the reigning notion among the average person in contemporary Christianity is that man is composed of three parts – body, soul and spirit. Let us reiterate, most theologians are dichotomists, but nearly all popular Christian literature and teaching is Trichotomistic.

It is very tempting to launch into a tirade against Trichotomy right here and now. It would, indeed, be east to blast it for all of the theological heresies it is responsible for. I could point to its Gnostic tendencies, its proclivity for mysticism, or its denigration of the mind, but that will be for another post. Right now, I wish to present the biblical evidence for the dichotomist position. Let me insert a word of warning. Many will likely be tempted to think that Scripture is largely silent on the issue (and that perhaps this is the reason for the differing opinions). I assure you, that is not true.

Before proceeding with all the Scriptures I plan to present, let me say something about the words “soul” and “spirit” in the Biblical languages, which if considered would clear a lot of the confusion.

First of all, The Hebrew word for soul is ‏נֶפֶשׁ (nephesh), and it occurs 753 times in the Hebrew text of the Old Testament. 475 times it is rendered “soul.” 117 times it is rendered “life.” It means breathing. When it appears in Genesis 2:7, Scripture applies it to man, noting that God breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life and he became a living soul.

רוּחַ (ruach) is the Hebrew word for “spirit.” It occurs 378 times. Of these occurrences, 232 are rendered “spirit;” 92 are rendered “wind;” and 27 are rendered “breath.” The similarities between breath and wind are obvious enough, especially when we consider the antiquity of Hebrew. But note that both words mean breath and are therefore interchangeable synonyms by definition alone.

The Greek word for soul is ψυχή (psyche) occurs 105 times. 58 times it is rendered “soul.” And 40 times it is rendered “life.” Like its Hebrew counterpart, it means breath as well. Thus it is the immaterial part of human nature.

The Greek word for spirit is πνεῦμα (pneuma). Of its 385 occurrences in the New Testament, it is rendered “spirit” in all but 21 cases. It means breath, or a current of air, or by implication the human soul.

As I said above, if these definitions were simply considered, there would be no confusion on this subject.

We will now view the Scriptural data.

Matthew 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (This passage presents man as a bi-partite being comprised of body and soul.)

Ecclesiastes 12:7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. (This passage switches the terms and presents man as being composed of body and spirit.)

Scripture describes death as the separation of body and soul in these passages: Genesis 35:18; 1 Kings 17:21, Acts 15:26. The following passages refer to the soul as the immaterial part of a man which survives death: Revelation 6:9 and 20:4

But then Scripture describes death as the separation of body and spirit in these passages: Psalm 31:5; Luke 23:46; Acts 7:59. The following passages refer to the spirit as the immaterial part of a man which survives death: Hebrews 12:23; 1 Peter 3:19

James 1:21 and Hebrews 6:19 tells us that it is our soul which communes with God. Romans 8:16 and 1 Corinthians 6:20 tell us that it is our spirit which communes with God.

We are told in Ephesians 2:3 that our soul has been affected by sin. 2 Corinthians 7:1 informs us that our spirit has been affected by sin.

The body is said to be dead without the spirit. This is stated and/or implied in James 2:26; Matthew 27:50; Luke 23:46; John 19:30; Acts 7:59. But Scripture just as clearly tells us that the soul is the life of the body in Matthew 6:25; 10:39; 16:25-26; 20:28; Luke 14:26; John 10:11-18, Acts 15:26; 20:10; Philippians 2:30; 1 John 3:16. Remember I said that sometimes the Greek and Hebrew words were translated “life.” This is why in some of the above references, you will find the word “life.” Not “soul” or “spirit” in the English text.

The mind is considered to be the cognitive function of the soul wherein though and reason occur. Yet, while this is true, Scripture also states, either explicitly or by implication that thought and cognitive understanding occur in one’s spirit. See Matthew 26:41; Mark 2:8; Luke 1:46-47; Acts 17:16; 1 Corinthians 2:11; 1 Peter 3:3-5. Indeed, whenever pneuma is used of man, it refers either to the immaterial part of man’s being or to his mental disposition (e.g. spirit of fear, spirit of meekness, etc.) Hence it is clear that it is equivalent to psyche. The Trichotomists, especially the Charismatic ones, place the spirit over the soul, hence the mind must be neglected for the sake of the spirit. But Scripture frequently uses pneuma to refer to a state of the mind (nuos). 

I could go on, but I hope that by now it is clear that Scripture most definitely uses the words soul and spirit interchangeably (e.g. Genesis 2:7; Job 32:8; 33:4; Ecclesiastes 12:7; Isaiah 10:18). Anyone who is interested in testing my assertion is more than welcome to compare the several hundred other occurrences of these words in Scripture and see that I have taken as examples passages which are representative of all the others.

If Scripture has any authority with us, this should be enough to put the nail in the coffin of Trichotomy. Scripture does not affirm a tri-partite nature of man, nor is it silent on the issue. Scripture presents man as a bi-partite being composed of an immaterial part (the soul or spirit), and a material part (the body).

Obscure Heroes of the Reformation - Pelican

Conrad Pelican was born in Rouffach, in the German province of Alsace in the year 1478. He was schooled at home until he was 13, when his parents sent him to Heidelberg. After a year and four months of study he returned home and entered a monastery. He later, however, returned to Heidelberg and then moved to Tubingen where he studied liberal arts. He also studied Scholastic theology and Hebrew. At Basel he was made Doctor of Divinity. The Pope, impressed with his learning sent a legate to bring him to Rome. On the way there, Pelican became very ill and returned to Basel.

While there, he came across some of Luther’s books, and through consulting with some godly men, Pelican began to be enlightened of popish errors. His distaste for Roman errors grew so strong that he was persecuted as a Lutheran. About this same time the senate of Basel appointed him, with Œcolampadius, lecturer in divinity where he began first reading on Genesis, then on Proverbs and Ecclesiastes.

In 1526 Zwingli was able to have Pelican brought to Zurich. In Zurich, Pelican renounced his monkish life. He married and had a son. Because he was currently reading on Samuel, he named his son Samuel. After his wife died, he married a second time, but had no children by his second wife.

After Zwingli died, Bullinger and Bibliander replaced him. Bibliander astonished his hearers for his excellent linguistic skills which he applied to his lectures on Isaiah, and for the fact that he had such skills at the age of 23. Pelican was requested to print all of Bibliander’s lectures with annotations. The lectures were on every book of the Bible except Revelation. In order to make the commentary complete, Pelican included Sebastian Meyer’s commentary on Revelation.

Pelican translated many books out of Hebrew which were printed by Robert Stephens. He held the post of professor of Hebrew at Zurich for 30 years. He was revered for his great learning, his indefatigable labors and his sweet and holy demeanor. He died on Easter Sunday 1556 at the age of 78.

Obscure Heroes of the Reformation - Ursinus

Zachary Ursinus was born in 1534 in Silesia to upstanding parents who were very devoted to his education. After he finished school, he was sent to the University of Wittenberg when he was 16. There he heard Melanchthon and studied under him for two years.

When the plague broke out, he moved with Melanchthon to Torgau. He passed the winter there and when spring came, he moved back to Wittenberg where he spent the next five years in the study of languages and theology. He became a very good friend of Melanchthon and many other of the devout men of that age.

In 1557, he accompanied Melanchthon to the conference in Worms and from there he travelled to many places, including Geneva where he became fast friends with Calvin.

In 1558, the senate of Breslau sent for him to govern a school there. His Reformed views of the sacraments caused him no little trouble, during which he was able to secure permission from the senate to leave. Having gotten what he desired, he went back to Melanchthon’s side at Wittenberg.

Sensing Melanchthon’s death was approaching, and aware that undesirable changes were impending at Wittenberg, he left for Zurich in 1560 at the request of Martyr, Bullinger, Lavater and others. He sat under Martyr’s ministry there and profited much by it.

In 1561, a vacancy opened at the University of Heidelberg for a Doctor Professor. Ursinus was sent with letters of commendation from his friends in Zurich, so that upon his arrival he was made Doctor of Divinity at the age of 28, and was appointed professor. He held this post until 1568, when he was succeeded by Zanchius. Ursinus married in 1572 and this union was blessed with a son.

Persecution arose after the death of Prince Frederick, so Zanchius and Ursinus left the university. Prince John Casimir sent for them to be professors at his newly built university at Neustadt. Ursinus fell sick at this time for over a year. When he recovered, he threw himself back into his work with great diligence and zeal. His sickness returned, and though he tried to work through his ill health, Ursinus was finally confined to his bed. Even on his deathbed, he was busy encouraging friends and dictating things that he conceived would be for the benefit of the church. He died, surrounded by friends in the year 1581 at the age of 51.

Obscure Heroes of the Reformation - Olevian

Caspar Olevian was born in Trêves, in the year 1536. He was schooled at home by his grandfather. At the age of 13, he was sent to Paris to study law. He also studied at the universities of Orleans and Bourges, where he studied under the most famous lawyers of those times. He began to worship with the Protestants.

One day he went out to the river after dinner with some friends, one of whom was Nicholas, the son of Frederick III. The young men found some German students by the river, who wanted Nicholas and his tutor to cross the river in a boat with them. Olevian knew that the prince and his tutor had been drinking, and tried to dissuade them. The young men went anyway and soon the boat capsized. The prince drowned. Olevian jumped into the water to rescue him, but he got stuck in mud so deep that he feared he would die as well. In this danger, he prayed to God vowing that if he were rescued he would preach the Gospel to his fellow-citizens. Just then, one of the prince’s footmen came by. He saw Olevian and thought it was the prince. He grabbed him by the hand and pulled him to safety. When Olevian returned home, he took up the study of theology along with his law studies. He was especially diligent in reading all of Calvin’s commentaries.

When he returned to Trêves, he was retained to plead a case. In a very short time it became apparent to him that there was much deceit involved in his profession, so he gave it up, moved to Zurich and began to study nothing but theology under Martyr and Bullinger.

He went to Lausanne to catch a ship to Geneva and it just so happened that Farel was on board the same ship. During their conversation, Farel asked Olevian is he had ever preached in his own country. He admitted that he had not. Farel persuaded him to do so as soon as possible, and Olevian promised he would.

So in 1559, he returned home to Trêves and by the request of his friends and the senate there, he was appointed to undertake the ministry there. He was given a stipend for this work and also read logic in the school. But when he began to preach the truth and expose the errors of popery, the clergy forbade him to preach and he was kicked out of the school. The senate appointed him to preach in a hospital, but his enemies tried to hinder this as well. Once, a young priest attempted to get into the pulpit before Olevian arrived. When the people saw this, they ordered him to come down and declared that they would not listen to him. In order to maintain the peace, Olevian asked them to listen to the priest and that he would preach after he was done. But the people wouldn’t hear of it and they caused such a ruckus that the priest feared for his life. Olevian stepped in, quieted the crowd down, and led the priest off to a safe spot. He then returned to the pulpit and said to him, “We desire you for God’s sake to preach to us.” The archbishop of Trêves had two consuls and eight senators imprisoned for ten weeks over this incident.

Soon Olevian was sent to Heidelberg to be rector of a college. About this time he married and was made Professor of Divinity in that university. He was also called to a pastoral charge in Heidelberg, which he dutifully and faithfully performed until the death of Frederick III. He was then called by Count Witgenstein to Berleburg where he preached and tutored some nobleman’s sons.

In 1584, we was called to Herborn where he preached and taught for three years. In 1584 he became deathly ill. During his sickness, he was visited by the famed John Piscator. Olevian told him that the day before he had been so filled with ineffable joy, that his wife thought he was making a rapid improvement. He said, “I felt like I was in a most pleasant meadow; in which as I walked up and down, methought I was besprinkled with a heavenly dew, and that not sparingly, but plentifully poured down, whereby both my body and soul were filled with ineffable joy. Piscator replied, “That good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, led thee into fresh pastures.” Olevian replied, “Yea, to the springs of living waters.” After encouraging each other from Psalm 62, Isaiah 9 and Matthew 11, Olevian said, “O would not have my journey to God long deferred. I desire to be dissolved and to be with my Christ.”

He shook hands with all his friends who were present. When he was in the agony of death, his friend Altstedius asked him whether he was sure of his salvation in Christ; to which Olevian answered, “Most sure,” and died. He went to be with his Lord in 1587 at the age of 51.

Caspar Olevian, together with Zachary Ursinus, authored the Heidelberg Catechism. If for nothing else, the Church is deeply indebted to him for that.

Obscure Heroes of the Reformation - Dering

Edward Dering was born about 1540. He was from a respectable and religious family in Kent. After school he went to Cambridge and was admitted into Christ’s College where he became a famous preacher. He was content with his Fellowship in the college and never sought after titles or preferments. He finished only a Bachelor of Divinity course.

He was made preacher at St. Paul’s Church in London. He worked at this post with great zeal and literally wore himself with his labors there and fell deathly ill. This was in 1576. When friends came to visit him, he said, “The good Lord pardon my great negligence, that, whilst I had time, I used not His precious gifts to the advancement of His glory as I might have done. Yet I bless God withal that I have not abused these gifts to ambition and vain studies. When I am once dead, my enemies shall be reconciled to me, except they be such as either knew me not, or have no sense of goodness in them; for I have faithfully and with a good conscience served the Lord my God.”

A minister standing nearby said to him, “It is a great happiness to you, that you die in peace, and are thereby free from those troubles which many of your brethren are like to meet with.” To which Dering replied, “If God hath decreed that I shall sup together with the saints in heaven, why do I not go to them? But if there be any doubt or hesitation resting upon my spirit, the Lord will reveal the truth to me.” After lying quietly for a while, one of the guests who had come to visit him said something to the effect that he hoped Dering was engaged in holy meditation while he lay there quietly. To whom Dering replied, “Poor wretch, and miserable man that I am, the least of all saints, and the greatest of sinners! Yet by the eye of faith I believe in and look upon Christ my Saviour. Yet a little while, and we shall see our hope. The end of the world is come upon us, and we shall quickly receive the end of our hope which we have so much looked for. Afflictions, diseases, sickness, grief, are nothing but part of that portion which God hath allotted to us in this world. It’s not enough to begin for a little while, except we persevere in the fear of the Lord all the days of our lives; for in a moment we shall be taken away. Take heed therefore that you do not make a pastime of not disesteem the word of God. Blessed are they that, whilst they have tongues, use them to God’s glory.”

As he neared death, some of his friends asked him to say something to their edification and comfort. Upon being propped up in bed, he said, “There is but one sun in the world, nor but one righteousness, one communion of saints. If I were the most excellent of all creatures in the world; if I were equal in righteousness to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; yet I had reason to confess myself to be a sinner, and that I could expect no salvation but in the righteousness of Jesus Christ: for we all stand in need of the grace of God. As for my death, I bless God I feel, and find so much inward joy and comfort to my soul, that if I were put to my choice whether to die or live, I would a thousand times rather chose death than life, if it will stand with the holy will of God.” Having thus spoken, he died.