3. The Soul
To have a better and thorough
understanding of the soul one should give consideration to the fact that man is
dual in nature, and therefore, he is both a natural being and a spiritual
being, and the soul differs in both instances. This can also help resolve the
issue as to whether the soul is mortal or immortal.
For example, we have been
admonished saying; "There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual
body. And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living
being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the
spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first
man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As
was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the
heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the
image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly
Man" (1 Corinthians 15:44-49).
Bearing the image of the man of
dust, which in effect is the natural man, the soul is regarded as that which
animates man, the living being, the self, it is the life of every creature and
it is found in the blood which contains man's DNA and chromosomes.
For example; A vivid illustration
of this is in the case of Noah's flood where it is stated that, "And all
flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every
creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. All in whose nostrils
was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. So He
destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and
cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth.
Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive."
In this instance we see thtat all
the human beings that died in the flood were regarded as souls, as alluded to
by the apostle Peter who wrote, "When once the Divine longsuffering waited
in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is,
eight souls, were saved through water." (Genesis
7:21-23, 1 Peter 3:20).
We see also in the New Testament
that living human beings were regarded as souls, for it is written; "Then
those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three
thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the
apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through
the apostles" (Acts 2:41-43).
With reference to Jesus Christ
coming to earth in the form of the natural man in order to die and pay the
penalty of sin in man's stead, it is stated that; "Yet it pleased the LORD
to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for
sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the
LORD shall prosper in His hand.'
"He shall see the labor of
His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify
many, for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion
with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He
poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and
He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors" (Isaiah
53:10-12).
The way Jesus Christ poured out
His soul or gave up His life unto death, was by shedding His blood, which is
the life of every creature. The composition of the natural man is, body, soul
and spirit, and so it is written concerning the death of Jesus Christ that;
"But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did
not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and
immediately blood and water came out" John 19:33-34).
Blood and water (flesh) is the
symbol of our humanness and the certainty of Jesus Christ as God's witness, as
it is written; "This is He who came by water and blood --- Jesus Christ;
not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears
witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear witness in
heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And
there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water (flesh), and
the blood; and these three agree as one" (1 John 5:6-8).
Therefore, soul, in its natural
state refers to " A living being" whose life is in the blood"
and it is mortal as clearly states; "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh
and blood (soul) cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit
incorruption" (1 Corinthians 15:50).
In the spiritual state however,
soul carries a different connotation, it refers to something that is spiritual
and indwells in man and leaves the body at death. It refers to the inner being,
that is being developed whilst the physical body is being animated by the
breath of the spirit of life, as we have been admonished saying; "Though
now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and
full of glory, receiving the end of your faith --- the salvation of your
souls." And, "Since you have purified your souls
in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love
one another fervently with a pure heart."--- "Therefore let those who
suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in
doing good, as to a faithful Creator" (1Peter 1:8-9, 22.
4:19).
Also in the case of Rachel during
her difficulty in giving birth to Benjamin, it is stated that, "Now it
came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her,
"Do not fear; you will have this son also:" And so it was, as her
soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his
father called him Benjamin" (Genesis 35:17-18).
And in the case where the prophet
Elijah revived the widow's son by stretching himself out on the child three
times, and cried out to the Lord and said, "O Lord my God, I pray, let
this child's soul come back to him." Then the Lord heard the voice of
Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived" (1
Kings 17:21-22).
Therefore, the assumption that,
the soul and body being the same is preposterous, because the soul is the end
product of the life which has been animated by the spirit in the body. The analogy of the soul can be compared to,
body + spirit = Soul. Or, cellular phone + batteries/electricity = the
production of music or picture. Or, light bulb + electricity = light. The soul
therefore is, the inward man which is being formed in the body while it is
being animated by both the breath of life and the spirit in man.
The soul consists of the mind,
including the conscience, the will and emotions. It is the seat of the senses,
desires, affections and appetites. The soul and the spirit that is in man are
mysteriously linked together and make up what the scriptures call the heart,
and we have been instructed saying; "Keep your heart with all diligence,
for out of it spring the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23).
We have also been admonished
saying, "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any
two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of
joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the
heart" (Hebrews 4:12).
There is therefore, an outward
man and an inward man, the outward man is our physical human body and the
inward man is the soul, the living being and so we have been duly admonished
saying; “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is
perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day” (2
Corinthians 4:16).
The outward man is being
sustained by, air, water and food, in like manner; the inner man is being
sustained by the Holy Spirit, the blood and body of Jesus Christ; and hence the
reason why Jesus Christ said unequivocally, “Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no
life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I
will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is
drink indeed” (John 6:53-55).
But the huge question is how many
professing believers believe this passage of scripture and take it literally?
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With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph
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