Man as a Trichotomous Being

After much careful reading and study, I have come to believe that man, from a biblical perspective, is made up of three parts – a body, soul, and spirit. This is what is known as the trichotomous view of man. Not only does it seem to me to be the most biblical model, but it is also essential from a discipleship and/or counseling perspective to understand it this way. I would echo the following statement by Richard Hall: “To leave even one of these areas of life out of a basic model leaves gaping holes leading to a multitude of problems.”[1]

The passage of Scripture that most clearly evidences the triune nature of man is 1 Thessalonians 5:23, which states: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (NASB, emphasis mine) Here, Paul makes a clear distinction between the immaterial parts of man, the spirit and the soul. The strict dichotomist would say that this is irrelevant simply because those terms can be used interchangeably to refer to the immaterial part of man. However, the fact that Paul does make such a distinction should tell us that, at least, there is a distinction in function. Another text outlining this distinction is Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (NASB, emphasis mine)

Two other passages add strength to the argument that the spirit is a distinct part of the makeup of man. First, Genesis 2:7 tells us, “Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and he became a living being.” (NASB) Also, Job 33:4 says “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” (NASB) Both of these passages emphasize the spirit in man as an essential element of his life. It becomes especially important when we consider the quality of life we are given through the Holy Spirit, as opposed to the ‘soulical’ life. Let us consider Romans 8:10-11:

If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He whoraised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (NASB)

This passages clearly shows us that in order to be truly alive, we must have the Spirit of Christ indwelling our human spirit. We are then able to live out of the resources that God provides for us.

Along these lines, further strengthening the argument for trichotomy are other passages that outline for us how man can function out of his soul, while being devoid of the Spirit. According to Hall, “Since there is no commonly used adjective for soul in English, the translators have used such words or phrases as “natural”, “without the spirit”, “unspiritual”, and “sensual”.” [2] One example of this is 1 Corinthians 2:14, where Paul tells us that “a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God.” Also, consider 1 Corinthians 15:44, speaking of our resurrection bodies – “it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” Both of these passages and others (see also James 3:15 and Jude 19) give us a clear distinction between the natural man (unsaved and without the Spirit) and the spiritual man (saved, indwelt by the Spirit). It becomes clear, then, that man is able to function out of the soul – his mind, will, and emotions – regardless of his spiritual condition. However, without the Spirit of God indwelling his human spirit, he is dead in his sins and left to function in this world without the resources of God.

Much more can be (and has been) said on this subject… this type of venue does not lend itself to a lengthy treatment of trichotomy vs. dichotomy. I’m sure that many out there would disagree with my conclusions, as the dichotomous view is much more popular these days. However, Charles Solomon makes a valid point:

Because most Christians see no practical relevance in holding to strong conclusions about their immaterial makeup, the discussion of dichotomy and trichotomy is viewed as theological hairsplitting. But if Christians can be shown that a clear understanding of the soul's relationship to the spirit of man can clarify and solve practical problems that face him everyday, the distinction may be worth understanding . . . Because we have seen the strong interdependency of identity and acceptance in man, we need to examine both models of man to see which better accommodates an explanation of the cause and solution to these needs and which of the two is more consistent with biblical language. Finding a spiritual model of man will aid the believer in understanding his interpersonal functioning and his standing before God. [3]
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[1] Hall, Richard F., Foundations of Exchanged Life Counseling (Aurora: Cross Life Expressions, 1995), 11.
[2] Ibid, 13.
[3] Solomon, Charles R., Handbook to Acceptance (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1982), 99-100.