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Questions & Answers

Soul

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › Spiritual Life › Soul

The question

Is the soul and spirit one or two separate entities? When we receive the Holy Spirit, does it mingle and become one with our spirit or does it remain separate and distinct?

The answer

The soul is different and distinct from  the spirit. The soul is the substance of life and it exists in the blood (Lev 17:11). Humans and animals have souls. As for the spirit, it is the breath of God that He has breathed into Adam and it exists only in humans. Animals have souls only but no spirits.

We receive the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation. St. Paul commanded us to be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18), which means to be totally controlled by the Spirit of God. The more we surrender ourselves to God and allow His Spirit to lead us, the more we become Christ like.

Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)

Related questions

Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Question 578 on the Diocese’s Q&A site. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.