Tag Archives: soul

February 24, 2014 · 12:10 pm

Body, Soul, and Spirit – The Soul

Peninsula Community Church

Body Soul and Spirit – The Soul

February 23, 2014

Romans 8:1-8 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Today, we will continue our study on the body, soul, and spirit. However, we will transition from looking at the body to looking at the soul. As we make this transition, know that we will end the series by looking at how the body and soul interact with each other and then how both of these interact with the spirit.  

One of the problems that exists for us today is that mankind has lost the understanding of the soul. This comes as a result of the writings of Darwin and others and their belief that man is simply a higher form of animal life. Darwin’s view says that man is just a more highly advanced animal therefore he does not have any specialness about him. It is for this reason that our current society is able to so willingly abort babies at any age and to engage in euthanasia. Whether the consequences were intentional or not; the result of diminishing man to not much more than an animal, devalued the worth of God in man and the purpose of creation itself. Such a view of man runs counter to God’s design because man is a created being. He is one that has had the very breath of God breathed into him. Mankind was created and set in place to rule and reign over God’s creation. To believe anything less diminishes the value of man. To believe anything less changes the creational purposes of God. The outcome is not just a diminishment of man but of God in the eyes of man.

As we turn to our study, we find that the soul represents the mind, the will and the emotions. Note that the mind is that part of us that represents our intellect. It is the place of reasoning. The will is that part of us that motivates us to action or inaction. It is noteworthy that we have been created with what has been defined as “free will.” Free will empowers man to make choices. We have choices in our life, and how we carry out these choices will determine the kind of person we will be and the kind of actions we will take. As believers, we also recognize that while we have free choice, we are also empowered by the Holy Spirit and that we are given boundaries and guidelines for our choices. The Word of God plays a major role in this process. The Word defines the boundaries within which we should live. Finally, we are emotional beings. We have been created with emotions. These emotions run the gamut. We laugh, we cry, we worry, we become afraid, we trust, we have anger, and so on. We are emotional beings. Once again we must understand that the mind, will, and emotions interact without one another and must be in balance to be most effective.

Today, we will focus on the mind. We will review the subject of the mind over the next couple of weeks. While the five senses are the gateway into the soul, the mind is the vehicle that processes information, relationships, and experiences. We must understand that the mind includes the intellect and and it includes reasoning. Both of these serve a purpose in our lives and must not be ignored. The intellect is the knowledge that has been received. Let me note here that for the believer intelligence is not the goal as much as wisdom. Intelligence is not beneficial if we have not learned to appropriately apply the truth we have. In the book of Proverbs, this is known and described as wisdom. You see wisdom is the proper application of truth.

The second idea presented by the mind is reasoning. God has created us with the ability to process information and to determine that which is truth and that which is not based in truth. The problem exists when reasoning and faith are running counter to one another. It is my belief that these two items do not have to be counter to each other, but can work jointly together when we commit our ways to God and to His will.

Because we have been created with both intellect and reasoning we must be careful and not check our mind at the door when we become believers. One of the issues that I run into is that somehow some believers in Christ believe we are to disregard data, intellect, and information. To do so can be dangerous. When we make decisions solely on the emotions or the will of man we can make less that effective decisions. Jesus reminded us that we are to count the cost. That is reasoning and faith linked together. The reason for this is that we do waver in our faith but our faith grows and matures in Christ as we get to “know” Him.

It is interesting to note that many religions and in particular new age type religions call us to empty our minds. Emptying our minds is not the secret to our success but filling our minds with the right stuff is critical. The problem with emptying our minds is that where there is a vacuum, the vacuum will be filled with something either by choice or not. It is not by chance that Paul commanded Timothy to study to show himself approved (2Timothy 2:15). While we have the spirit of God in us to teach us, and direct us we do not forget that we are to do our part and that is to study and fill our minds with the Word of God.  Notice, that Christ reminds us that we are to serve the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind. 

As noted above, the mind and the emotions often battle each other but they don’t need to. The mind, emotions, and will do not have to battle one another but rather they can and should interact with one one another. They support one one another. This can be illustrated by Paul’s words. In Romans he stated that “Faith comes by hearing.” The emotion of faith is solidified by the words of truth. John also notes this congruence when he stated that the truth sets us free. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:31- 32). Emotions do not set us free. The will of man does not set us free. It is the truth that sets us free. This should not confuse or distract us. If this occurs, we must attempt to understand why we feel confused and why we are distracted by the truth. Perhaps the reason for this is that the basis of our truth is skewed and needs to be reconsidered. 

As we close today, let me make one more comment. The mind is to be renewed daily. We must acknowledge that we are in need of transformation. Dallas Willard has noted that the problem is not that we have been formed but that we need to be transformed or reformed. Let me explain what is meant by this. Throughout our lives we have been formed and shaped by a number of things.

We have been shaped and formed by our environment. We have been shaped by what we are exposed to in life. We are shaped by our experiences. We are shaped by the theological input in our lives and our view of God. We are shaped by the voices that speak into our lives. The problem therefore is not a problem of formation but the need to be transformed into the image of God and the image of God’s purpose for us.

The key to transformation is the renewal of our minds. And, this renewal must be a daily practice because we are so easily formed and shaped by the the things around us. The formation of our thoughts are not always in alignment with God’s will or His purposes so we must renew our mind on a daily basis. When that happens we must find out what God’s will and plan is and then conform ourselves to that plan. 

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Aside

Body, Soul, and Spirit Part 1

Peninsula Community Church

Body, Soul and Spirit

January, 26, 2014

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 – Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

This week I want to begin our “Body, Soul and Spirit” series. I have been praying about this study for some time and now feel that the time has come to begin. The question to be asked here, “Is why should we do a study such as this?” For me, I believe that as we study this together we will find that we will be better Christians, we will be more productive as agents of Christ in His ministry, and we will experience greater growth in Christ. I also believe that we can shed many of the unhealthy thoughts and false ideas about life and what it means to live a fulfilled Christian life.

The passage we just read will be our theme verse for this study. Throughout the study, we will supplement it with many other passages in the Bible. This particular passage is a part of Paul’s conclusion to I Thessalonians. This is a prayer prayed by Paul for those to whom he was writing. He prayed that their whole being which includes the spirit, soul, and body would be kept blameless to the coming of the Lord. His desire was for them to understand that this is an ongoing process of the recognition of what Christ has done in them and for them that results in their growth in purification and sanctification. It is also a message of hope that says that we must take action to be blameless but that God is doing the work of sanctification in them. It is a work that has already been achieved for them and continues to be achieved in them as they understand what He has done.

The basis of this study is founded in the fact that man is a creation of God. As a creation of God, man was created as a three-part being. This means that man is not just physical or spiritual but has at all times a physical, spiritual, and soul component. We find the story of creation in Genesis 2-3. Here, we find that man was created in God’s image. When we understand this concept of being created in His image, we understand that we are like Him as a three-part being. We are not three separate people but we are one person living with three components. These three parts make us who we are. They form our perceptions and our ideologies. These components also form and shape what others think of us. These components form the template through which the stimuli of life are processed. 

While other creatures may live, they do not have life. In Genesis 2:7 it is important to see that God breathed life into man. Moses stated Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. The result of God breathing into man is that he became a living creature. This is the one thing more than any other sets man apart from the rest of God’s creation. God breathed into man and he was given life. Mankind was created to have life, to be a ruler over the rest of creation, and to enjoy all that God had created. How awesome is that?

While this is true, as you know by reading the Bible, the intent of God was upset when man sinned through Adam. When man fell into disobedience, all of life changed. Something died in man that day. Prior to the fall of man, he did not know pain, he did not know shame, he did not know failure, and he did not know sin. A second result of man’s sin that day was that the order of man’s created person was upset. Instead of living from the spirit and living from the life that had been breathed into him, man began living in distortion, lies, and doubt. Instead of living out of the spirit, man now lives by being driven by the body and/or the soul rather than from the spirit that had been breathed within him. It was at this juncture that man became disoriented about who he was and about his purpose here on earth. This is why we see Adam and Eve hiding from God. This is why we see that Adam and Eve were ashamed of their nakedness.

To understand God’s purpose in creating man and our role in life as a created being of God we must understand the role that our body, soul and spirit plays in determining how we live and what we we expect. When we have these in right alignment, we will experience life from a new perspective and a new vision of what is possible for us.

As noted we are a three-part being. God has created us as body, soul, and spirit. To understand these three parts, let me take a moment to explain what each of these parts represent. Please note that these definitions are simplistic, but we will look into each of these with more detail as we continue this study. 

The body is that part of us that is visible. We see the body. It is obvious to us. The body involves the five senses. This includes smell, touch, vision, hearing, and taste. The body allows us to experience life through the senses. The body also helps to identify who we are to others. 

Secondly, we have the soul. The soul is that part of man that involves the mind, the will, and the emotions. It is in the soul of man that the things he learns are processed. It is in the soul that God desires to bring change. The word soul can and is often exchanged for the word heart.

Finally, we have that part of man which is called the spirit. The spirit is that part of us that sets us apart from all other created beings. The spirit is that part of us that was breathed into by God himself. The spirit is that part of us that relates to God and begins to truly know God. It is for this reason that we can never be good enough to know God. We must accept God and Christ and his ways so that our spirit is aligned with God.

The problem we have is that when Adam sinned in the garden of Eden, man’s spirit died. It was darkened by sin. Christ came to restore life to man’s spirit. For that reason, it is only by God’s Spirit that our spirit is quickened. We are made alive again when God touches us and we become a new creation. Apart from the quickening of God’s spirit within us we are dead in our trespass and sin. For that reason, we can never be good enough to inherit the kingdom of God.

The following passage details this new life for us. Ephesians 2:1-7 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

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January 26, 2014 · 11:04 pm