The Soul: What It Is… And What It Isn’t
Sweet Tea With Jesus #4
FREE BOOK (The Rector) To The First Seven Souls Who Answer This Question Correctly:
WHO WROTE: “We don’t have a soul. We are a soul. We have a body.”
Understanding this should have a profound effect on us. For me, a light switched ON in my mind. Thereafter, not only were my visits to the mirror looked upon differently, but my outlook on other people changed. I began to see others as eternal souls instead of smiles, teeth, expressions, lips, body, and voice. (Admittedly, I struggle with and must continue to work on this.)
But, what is the soul?
I mention “mind” above. Is our soul the same as our mind?
Not according to scripture: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Matt 22:37—The Greatest Commandment!
Here, Jesus tells the Pharisees that we are to love the Lord our God with all the aspects of our being—our feelings, our thoughts, and our soul. (I could say more about the soul and what it is…but we’d like to hear what you think.)
Do we all have a soul? Yes. Do we all have a spirit? Yes. Soul and spirit have been defined by Biblical scholars as being one and the same. But, do we all have the Holy Spirit? No. We all have a soul, but some have a spirit apart from God (i.e., a spirit from Satan) and some have Holy Spirit, a gift imbued by God upon us as a regeneration of our soul. Our soul is always yearning for something—this is good-versus-evil.
Yes, Virginia, you must first be born-again in order to enter heaven. Jesus told the Pharisees: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” John 3:6.
Our bodies are mortal, but our souls are immortal. When our body gives up its last breath our soul lives on. Those souls who have not been born-again will spend an eternity in a place they’ll forever regret—they just don’t realize it yet. Those that have been renewed by Holy Spirit will live in the presence of God, worshiping him constantly; and one day our bodies will be reunited with our souls, and live here on this very earth! —Which brings me to the Puzzle Question:
Puzzle Question for next week: What country in today’s world was the Garden of Eden located? (Tell us in the comment section.)
Thought for today: None of us is perfect. But some of us will be.
God didn’t make us to be successful. He made us to be Holy.
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