A Living Soul

A Living Soul

The soul of a human being is the part of a person that is not physical. It is the part of every human being that can last eternally after the body experiences physical death. 

The fact of the matter is, “You don’t have a soul. You literally are a Soul. You have a body.” The soul is the “real You!” 

The human soul is distinct from the heart. Yet, the Lord has conveyed to us that we are uniquely designed to commune with God with all our heart, with all our mind and with our spirit and soul. 

God created us as a unity of both material (physical) and immaterial (spiritual) aspects. The material component of all humans is obviously that which is tangible and temporal: our physical bodies. The immaterial aspects are intangible: our spirit, our soul, our intellect, will, conscience, our mind, emotions, etc. These exist beyond the lifespan of the physical body.

In fact, Hebrews 4:12 indicates that our ideas, thoughts, plans, views, philosophies, emanate from the heart of man, and are only afterwards practiced from our minds. 

The human soul is created by God. He creates all souls! No one else can create a soul. The soul together with the human spirit, heart and mind reflect the fact that we as human beings were designed and created in the very image of God.

Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

When the Bible talks about man’s spirit, it is usually speaking of an inner force which animates a person in one direction or another. Human beings have a spirit, but we are not celestial type spirits. 

Our spirit is the element in humanity that gives us the ability to reacquire an intimate relationship with God.

It is the human spirit that gives us a consciousness of our selves. Our human spirit includes our intellect, emotions, fears, passions, and creativity. It is the intangible, unseen human spirit that governs man’s mental and emotional existence.

Albeit, our human spirit was damaged in the fall of mankind. Our spirit, along with our minds, our hearts and our flesh lost its original ability to fellowship with God. 

More profoundly; our fall into sin caused God to lose his close Fellowship and companionship with mankind also. God used to walk and talk with Adam; but that wonderful relationship was lost; as God cannot abide sin.

Of course Adam didn’t immediately die physically that day, but he did die spiritually; thereby compromising the Soul contained within his physical body. And such has been the case for every Soul ever since.

Interestingly, just as the human spirit was divinely breathed into the first man, and man became a Living Soul, so the Holy Spirit can now be breathed back into every repenter; and enable eternal life to every Soul!

The original Hebrew word for “God” used in Genesis chapter one is the plural masculine noun Elohim. Thus when God introduces Himself to us; he used the plural pronouns Us and Our. “Let Us make man in Our image,” communicates a complex and unified expression of God.

 This plural introduction indicates to us that God the Father spoke in the fullness of His divine creative power to the Son and the Holy Spirit. This triune union is the backdrop for our being formed in Gods image as “A Living Soul.”

Only we humans are uniquely created in the image and likeness of God, distinguishing us from all other created beings. We were made like Him so that we could be in relationship with Him. Any good we observe in humanity is merely a reflection of the character of God, in whose image we were created 

All Human beings—both men and women—are made in God’s image. But God is not a sexual being. He does not procreate biologically. But thankfully, he loves to revive lost souls!

When God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, he bestowed on Adam life by sharing His own breath, and imparting to him a soul. 

Accordingly, humanity is unique among all God’s creations, having both a material body and an immaterial soul/spirit. Having the “image” or “likeness” of God means, in the simplest terms, that we were made to resemble God. Adam did not resemble God in the sense of God’s having flesh and blood.

Having been made in the image and likeness of God means that we are fashioned to resemble and represent God on the earth. Our likeness with God is not a physical resemblance. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the only preeminent and perfect image of God. 

Since that first sin in the Garden of Eden, all earthly life became mortal. Our original capacity for immortality (via the tree of life) was compromised. Scripture is clear that, when our bodies die, our spirits are instantly transferred to our eternal dwelling places. 

There are only two potential destinations for our souls after we physically die: heaven and hell. Physical death is the separation of the soul from the body, and spiritual death is the separation of the soul from God; which God alone has the right to destroy!

The soul, as stated earlier, is the very life essence of the body, and it is removed from its physical container at the time of physical death. At that time, it departs for its eternal destination!

The human heart, and mind in its natural condition, is evil, treacherous and deceitful. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure; who can know it? 

Jesus pointed out the fallen condition of our hearts in Mark 7:21-23: “From within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 

All these evils come from inside and make a man unclean.” The biggest problem then for our Soul, is not external but internal; as all of us have a heart problem. 

In order for a Soul to be saved, then, the heart must be renewed or changed. Thus the heart and mind lie at the core of our individual being, giving us the liberty to choose the best choice for our Soul! 

The good news for a Soul is that when God redeems an individual, He begins to restore the original image of God, creating a “new self, a new man or woman, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24)

Herein lies the truth about the supernatural battle between God and Satan for the souls of mankind! God, desires to grant eternal peace, joy, happiness, justice, and eternal life to all the Souls he ever created!

On the other hand, Satan wishes to corrupt the minds and the heart of mankind so that he can cause the damnation of the objects of Gods immense love; “A Living Soul!”

Focus on the Bible

by: Darrell G. Young 

October 14, 2021