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NASB | 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. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart. |
Subject: Dichotomy vs Trichotomy |
Bible Note: "One of the most difficult problems any theological tradition faces is that there are often times fundamental differences at critical points between the 'official doctrine' affirmed by the divines and academics of that tradition, and those doctrines actually believed and practiced on a popular level by the rank and file. There is, perhaps, no greater illustration of this than the popular notion of trichotomy. Rejected by virtually all major theologians in all streams of the Christian tradition as a speculative Greek philosophical notion rather than a biblical conception, trichotomy is very likely the reigning notion of human nature in American evangelical circles today. With few exceptions, the Christian church has affirmed, with one voice, that human nature is bipartite. As men and women, we are necessarily a body -- the physical aspect of our nature -- and we are also a soul-spirit -- the immaterial aspect described in the Bible as either soul or spirit. These two are united together as one person in a psychosomatic unity. This is simply known as dichotomy. Trichotomists, however, contend that human nature is tripartite, that is, as men and women we are body, soul and spirit. But while the theologians of evangelicalism, following the historic precedence, overwhelmingly reject the notion of trichotomy, the popular teaching and literature of evangelicalism abounds with trichotomistic views of human nature in one form or another. ... "In Hebrews 4:12, it is argued that the author makes a clear division between soul and spirit, implying that they cannot be synonymous. But John Murray contends that the verb used here -- translated as 'dividing' in the NIV -- is never used elsewhere in Scripture in the sense of distinguishing between two different things, but is always used when distributing and dividing up various aspects of the same thing (see Hebrews 2:4; Luke 11:17-18; Matthew 27:35; John 19:24). The point is not that the Word separates two distinct things -- soul from spirit -- but that 'The Word of God judges the thoughts and attitude of the heart' (Hebrews 4:12). The Word does not divide soul from spirit, as though these were two distinct entities, but the Word does divide soul and spirit in the sense of penetrating into our inner most parts. "Every doctrine we affirm has consequences which will inevitably effect our lives as Christians, and trichotomy is no exception. There are many notable instances among influential evangelicals wherein trichotomy, and the related Carnal Christian teaching, has led to a foothold for the Gnostic impulse, with all of its associated doctrinal fallout. There are several clear examples of this which are important to consider because they so powerfully illustrate how pervasive this tendency can be, and how easily it slips into what are otherwise effective Christian ministries. There are always direct consequences in the life of the church whenever Gnosticism makes its influence known." --Dr. Kim Riddlebarger ("Trichotomy: Beachhead for Gnostic Influences" 1995) |