The Soul?

1 Corinthians 15:45, “So also it is written, ‘The first man, Adam, became a living soul.’ The last Adam (Jesus) became a life-giving spirit.”

As I continue in this life I come to understand that the work the Holy Spirit is doing, or trying to do in all of us, is so much deeper than a helping hand, a program, or a teaching. The work is on us as individuals at the soul level. And yet how many of us have any true soul awareness or consciousness? Does anyone understand what the soul is? Does anyone correctly identify its functions?

Time and time again I read from my predecessors that the soul of a man contains the emotions. And this simply is not true. Many emotions are the result of the flesh and simple brain activity. These emotions are so very easily altered with a pill or other legal or illegal medication. Many highs in our emotions are tied to endorphin's just as depression is tied to the lack of those same endorphin's.

We know that God has a soul from many places in the bible including Leviticus 26:11, and this (containing a soul) perhaps  is the image we are created in. All of which says nothing of spirit which God is as well, and it is the spirit of man that is reborn in salvation. (John 3:5)

But somehow in spite of no “scientific” proof I somehow start with the premise that the soul of man is the man. It is who God sees. It is character of a person. To the modern psychologists it is perhaps the ego of man.

If we make some spiritual assumptions that man is distinguished from animal in that he has a soul, then perhaps looking at those difference can help to better quantify it, or at least create some level of consciousness of its functions. For example, outside of man domesticating an animal to kill for him, murder does not seem to occur in the animal kingdom for reasons of jealousy or other depravity of soul. In fact if we look at the commandments, they are really commandments of the soul. Does a murderous heart, covetousness, idolatry, false testimony (lies) all originate in the soul?

We know that a person in love has hormone induced feelings, but is true agape love found in the soul? After all God is soul, spirit, and pure love? Joy and peace might be called states of mind… transcending emotion because they can be found in the soul even when external circumstance cause our bodies to respond with emotions. So too faithfulness and self-control likely originate in the soul.

Certainly choice, at least on the level of right v. wrong or God v. self is a decision of the soul. But there are many behaviors that look like choices, but are in fact originated in the flesh like physical addictions. The soul does not get addicted to substance, though it can be contaminated with greed and gluttony. Is there an animal that exhibits greediness? Is there any animal that stores up more than he will need in a coming time of hardship? Have you ever seen a documentary where a lion hangs a bunch of carcasses in the tree away from his fellow lions because he is saving for his posterity?

Someone argued that the soul is our thinking and reasoning. I don’t buy this. I think our soul pulls and our mind (flesh) reasons and argues with it. If God is soul, and we are created in his image and thinking and reasoning were part of the soul, then there are a whole lot of folks not as valuable to God because of flawed brains, or thought processes. Just as attitudes are not part of the soul in that they can be altered with drugs of all kinds. Or they can be altered with self-control originating in the soul.

Which makes me think that faith is part of the soul as well.

It’s funny the confusion. You should Google search images of mind, soul, & body and see the differences in opinions that exist concerning this subject. So many say that the soul is the mind, will, and emotions. I don’t think so. The mind is the brain, those thoughts rolling around are biological processing of learned experience and current input. The soul is under those thoughts. So often if a voice at all the soul is running contrary to the thoughts. (Romans 7:17-20) Will power, I agree is part of the soul. Or at least will power happens when the soul is victorious over the flesh. Emotions…. that has been addressed, I don't believe they are part of the soul. Peace, patience, understanding, joy are conditions of the soul when it is lined up with God. Happy, sad, fear, anger, are emotions of the flesh. At least that is what I think.

I also think the soul is something more or less equal from man to man. The homeless man struggling with mental illness has as large and capable a soul as the richest man on earth of perfect genetic upbringing. And so if the soul is the mind, will, & emotions then why is it I have met so many down trodden individual fully aware of Christ and God’s love (in the soul), and see so many rich and/or famous people who seem completely void of any knowledge of heaven?

Just asking….