Term

trichotomy

The view that humans consist of three parts: a physical body, a soul shared with animals, and a spirit that relates to God.

Filed underAnthropology & Hamartiology

Definition

The view that man is made up of three parts: body, soul, and spirit, where body is the physical element, soul is the immaterial element shared with animals, and spirit is the element relating man to God.

Sources

  1. 1.Wayne A. Grudem Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. 2nd ed.. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020). 23A.2Original citation: Grudem, Wayne A. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020, 23A.2.

Last revised August 14, 2026