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Title: Are we a soul, or do we hava a soul?
Source: Reasons For Hope
URL Source: https://reasonsforhopejesus.com/you-are-a-soul-you-have-a-body/
Published: Jan 27, 2015
Author: Shari Abbott
Post Date: 2019-03-21 07:09:03 by Deckard
Keywords: None
Views: 1260
Comments: 18

C. S. Lewis is often quoted as having said, “You don’t have a soul. You are a soul; you have a body,” however, this saying is not found in any of his published writings.  The phrase can be traced back to a 1960 novel, titled A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr.   The actual phrase is, “You don’t have a soul, Doctor. You are a soul. You have a body, temporarily.” [emphasis from original]

Many pastors and Bible teachers have used the abridged version of this phrase (omitting, “doctor” and “temporarily”) to emphasize the importance of man’s soul and the eternality of the soul. 

As Christians we understand the soul to be the essence of our being (Gen 2:7, 1 Cor 15:45).  The souls of man will never die.  All souls will live eternally, either by the grace of God in Heaven or under the penalty for sins in Hell.  The intention of this phrase is to focus on our identity as an eternal being, not a perishable body.

The phrase in its entirety must be properly defined, to determine the truth in the statement. We know that our fleshly, earthly bodies are perishable and therefore it is true that we “have a body, temporarily.”  However, some have considered the word “body” in a different context and consider this statement to be false.  Although our earthly body is temporal, in eternity we will have a body.

1 Corinthians 15 tells of the bodily resurrection of all who have been given victory over death, through the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.  This passage speaks of both those who are alive at the time and those who have died in Christ (their souls are in Heaven and their bodies lay in the grave).

1 Corinthians 15:52-57  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible [the earthly human body that has perished in the grave] must put on incorruption [a new and glorified body], and this mortal [those who are alive at the time of the bodily resurrection] must put on immortality [the new, glorified body].  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We do not fully understand what the glorified body will be like.  The Bible teaches that our earthly remains will be raised (either from the grave or, for those alive, from the earth), but this resurrected body will not  be the same as the “earthen vessel” that our souls inhabited on this earth.  

Understanding how the word “temporarily” can change the meaning of the phrase, it is wise that Christian pastors and teachers omit it.  This saying is intended to contrast the immortal, eternal soul with the mortal, perishable body.  

The answer to the question, “are we a soul, or do we have a soul” is . . .  We ARE a soul!  

What do we know about our soul?

The Human Soul

1) The soul is the essence of who we are.  Man was created a living soul and his soul belongs to God.

Genesis 2:7  And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Ezekiel 18:3, 4  As I live, saith the Lord GOD. . . Behold, all souls are mine…

2) The soul is the seat of human emotion, consciousness, and connection.

Job 30:25  Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? was not my soul grieved for the poor?

Psalm 107:9  For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.

Psalm 119:28  My soul melts for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.

Psalm 119:81  My soul faints for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.

Isaiah 53:11  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

Isaiah 58:10  And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day.

3) The soul is different from the spirit.  We were created as a triune being.

Hebrews 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of [1] soul and [2] spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

1 Thessalonians 5:23  And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole [1] spirit and [2] soul and [3] body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

4) In salvation, it is our soul that is regenerated, not our body.

Psalm 19:7  The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

Psalm 34:22  The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

Hebrews 10:39  But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

1 Peter 1:9  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

Faith in Christ is lived in the soul by the power of the Spirit.  It is a relationship of unity and bond with Him that is given to us by Him when He resurrected us from death to life and gave us His Spirit.  Just as the Spirit was breathed into Adam at creation, the Holy Spirit, the breath of God, was given to us to make our souls alive and to fill and fuel us with the power of the resurrection—the power of the Living Christ.

All other religions are based on a relationship with God through the works of the body.  They teach:  serve God and do good.   Then you will be worthy and He will love you.

Christianity teaches: we are not worthy and we can never do enough good to be made worthy.  But Jesus is good!  And He is kind, merciful and loving—and He did for us what we can never do.  He loves us and He came to earth to live and die for us.  When we repented and trusted in His finished work on the cross for the payment for our sins, He saved us He forgave our sins and made us worthy.  Therefore, we can go out into the world and do good—not by our power, but by the power of His Spirit who dwells in us and works through us.  We demonstrate our love for the Lord Jesus Christ when we share His love with brothers and sisters in Christ and with those who do not know Him.

All people ARE souls.  No one’s soul will ever die. The big question is, “Where will one’s soul spend eternity?”  

The question believers should ask themselves every day is, “how, and for whom, is my soul LIVING this day?”  

Make today a “win” for the Lord Jesus Christ by surrendering to the power of His Holy Spirit and letting Him work through you.  Then tell someone about the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ today.  There are “dead men walking” all around us.  Tell them how their soul can LIVE!

For what shall it profit a man, 

if he shall gain the whole world, 

and lose his own soul? (Mark 8:36)  

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Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 5.

#1. To: Deckard, Liberator, A K A Stone (#0)

“You don’t have a soul, Doctor. You are a soul. You have a body, temporarily.”

I completely agree with this assessment.

The answer to the question, “are we a soul, or do we have a soul” is . . . We ARE a soul!

The Human Soul

But this is where I differ. The "human" soul?

There is no such thing as a "human" soul and I challenge anyone adhering to any religious faith that claims that souls are created as a result of human conception to explain the mechanism of how an *immortal soul* can possibly come into existence as a result of the pure biochemical event of conception (or birth, or whatever in between). That given that our idea of an immortal soul violates the very laws of thermal dynamics. (I.e. we presume souls will exist throughout eternity, expending energy needed to exist without apparent need of any energy input -- because if any energy input were required to exist then it would strongly suggest that the soul is not actually immortal).

It is, in my view, a ludicrous presumption to suggest that the formation of a new DNA set for a new human being can cause a spiritual entity (a soul) to come into existence. It is a concept that is never explained by Christianity (or Islam which clearly presumes the same) but is merely *assumed* and accepted. The assumption is that most of what we are is human and the immortal soul is just this afterglow of sorts that's left over when the body dies.

But it makes no sense. Chimpanzee DNA is well over 99% identical to human DNA. So does chimp conception also cause souls to be created? If not, why not? And would genetically engineering chimp DNA to be human DNA before conception THEN magically mean the offspring, which would be genetically human by any DNA measurement then causes this immortal soul to come into being?

And if chimps have souls, what about other primates farther removed from human DNA? If yes, what about other animals even farther removed? In short, where is the dividing line, that magical minimum of DNA likeness to human DNA that makes the creation of an immortal soul happen?

This is why the issue of evolution vs creationism is so important to fundamentalist, Bible-believing Christians. The story of Genesis necessitates that there be something supernatural about human DNA that sets it apart from all animal DNA. Because if there isn't anything that is special about human DNA (i.e. we did evolve from apes) then there is nothing that makes us different from animals.

But the erroneous assumption in that narrative is that our DNA defines all that we are, including the immortal soul, that our DNA gave rise to the creation of the immortal soul. And I would agree that if that is how things worked, then yes, it creates a real problem in figuring out why we are any different from animals, and also why evolution throws a monkey wrench (ha) into the works.

Under the Newton model I subscribe to, there is no problem in this area because souls are NOT created by DNA conception. Souls are instead created in the spirit world, and come to earth to incarnate into a human body. Under this model, there is no need for human DNA to be the least bit supernatural. We inhabit the human body for its life, and when the body dies, the soul releases it and returns back to the spirit world (an alternate dimension outside the bounds of this big bang universe where the laws of physics that we know do not apply)

Under this model, evolution doesn't matter. Under this model, the vast majority of our identity is defined by the soul, and only a minor part defined by our human bodies. Human DNA, amazing at it is, is nothing special and does not create the soul. And yet, we remain supernaturally unique from animals having (being) an immortal soul. All the theological conflicts between our supernatural nature vs evolution go away.

It makes more logical sense on this particular point.

Pinguinite  posted on  2019-03-21   12:59:34 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


#5. To: Pinguinite, Deckard, A K A Stone (#1)

1) “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” ~ Jeremiah 1:5

(emphasizes God’s relationship with an unborn child)

2) For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be ~ Psalm 139:13-16

(The verses specifically show our relationship with God before birth as He formed us and had already planned our days to come.)

3) Yet You brought me out of the womb; You made me trust in You even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast upon You; from my mother’s womb You have been my God ~ Psalm 22:9-10

(Shows the beginning of our relationship starting before birth.)

4) Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers? ~ Job 31:15 .

5) Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture ~ Psalm 100:3

6) This is what the LORD says–He who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you ~ Isaiah 44:2

(Comforts with the picture of God’s faithfulness during the formation before birth.)

7) And now the LORD says–he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD and my God has been my strength ~ Isaiah 49:5

Interestingly, these Scriptural verses also testify that WE (OUR RESPECTIVE SOUL/BEING) had ALREADY EXISTED within the Heavenly realm BEFORE conception OR reborn into flesh.

This is all of course a very abstract subject. So it's not surprising that many can't wrap their head around any of it, some of it, or ALL of it. Much of it does require spiritual discernment and belief in a realm beyond our mortal flesh and dimension.

If can't be of any great surprise that the same Almighty Creator God who created us would know EACH of us...even before we were born in the flesh. Precisely because "we" are spirits possessing SOULS. Even if that spirit within the womb never become human flesh.

According to Scripture (God's own inspired word as recorded BY man), God does not gauge our earthly lives solely from birth to death; He views us from conception onward. (Whether that conception survives till birth.)

Liberator  posted on  2019-03-21   14:49:02 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


Replies to Comment # 5.

#12. To: Liberator (#5)

Interestingly, these Scriptural verses also testify that WE (OUR RESPECTIVE SOUL/BEING) had ALREADY EXISTED within the Heavenly realm BEFORE conception OR reborn into flesh.

Then on that point, Newton and the Bible agree. And it would also support the statement that all souls incarnate into human form. And if it can happen once, why not more than once?

This is all of course a very abstract subject. So it's not surprising that many can't wrap their head around any of it, some of it, or ALL of it. Much of it does require spiritual discernment and belief in a realm beyond our mortal flesh and dimension.

I don't see it as abstract at all. But yes, anyone who does not believe souls exist could simply answer my challenge that way.

According to Scripture (God's own inspired word as recorded BY man), God does not gauge our earthly lives solely from birth to death; He views us from conception onward. (Whether that conception survives till birth.)

According to Newton, incarnation likely never happens before 3 months, and sometimes, not until just before birth.

Pinguinite  posted on  2019-03-21 23:33:46 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  


End Trace Mode for Comment # 5.

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