Do people have bodies, minds, spirits, and souls? Do non-human beings have those things? Are they even different things, or are some of them just different words for the same thing? To answer these questions and more, let’s try consulting the Bible…

The Bible makes a distinction between the spirit and the soul. So those, at least, are different things. And if a spirit can have a mind, that probably means those are different things, too. But is there a difference between a mind and a soul? You’ll have to figure that out yourself. The Bible won’t help you.

Souls are not immortal. They can be destroyed. A spirit can live without a body, but a body without a spirit is dead. Spirits can reproduce, just like bodies can. In the afterlife, we will have bodies… Spiritual bodies.

Animals have bodies, minds, and spirits. It doesn’t say they have souls, though.

What about God? What does he have?

God is a spirit, and he has seven spirits. The Holy Spirit, which is God, has a mind and a body. Ghosts, on the other hand, don’t have bodies, so it would be wrong to call it the holy ghost.

Besides the Spirit’s body, God also has a body in the form of Jesus. And Jesus has a mind, as well as a spirit, because the Father gave the Holy Spirit to the Son. God also has a soul and a mind of his own.

Does that clear everything up?