Off the top of my head, I can point to Genesis 2:7 where God breathes into the first man, that first human being named Adam, into his nostrils, the
"breath of life and he became a living soul" (KJV).
Then there's the verse,
"The soul that sinneth, it shall die." Ezekiel 18:4 KJV.
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In the Bible, at times, 'soul' appears to relate to the whole being of a person. In other instances, it
leads one to conclude that the soul is a part of a person. The soul we learned relates to others trying to connect with them and involves the mind, emotions and the will of an individual. It's the physiological, self-consciousness arena. The spirit would relate to God, that God-consciousness where the spiritual happens and relationship and communion with God takes place. There is also intuition and conscience in that area. The body with the five senses relates to the environment and is world-conscious. The spirit, soul and body like three strands of a braid plaited and woven together to make a whole; separate, yet interlacing and intrinsic to the whole being.
In the first instance of Adam being a "living soul" we understand 'soul' refers to the whole person. In Noah's case of "eight souls" preserved we see similar scenario.
In Deuteronomy 4:29 NIV (See also Deuteronomy 11:8) we see the strand...
"But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul."
In 1 Samuel 1:15 when Hannah
"pours out her soul before the Lord".
In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, the apostle Paul admonishes the Thessalonian believers...
"May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
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| How Does God Minister to my Soul |
The soul is a complex thing to explain with its various intricacies. There is a helpful definition from Collins Dictionary on line. It tells us...
"Your soul is the part that consists of your mind, character, thoughts, feelings..."
From a Bible commentary we gain, from Got Questions, that...
"the soul is the part that is not physical and lasts eternally after the body experiences death (Genesis 35:18); continues to live after physical death; central to the person-hood of a human being; a concept of whole being (Psalm 16:9-10; Ezekiel 18:4; Acts 2:41); human soul distinct from heart (Deuteronomy 26:16; 30:6) and the spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 4:17) and the mind (Matthew 22:37); created by God (Jeremiah 38:16);...needs atonement..."Here is the Hebraic perspective...
"The soul is the whole of the person, the unity of body, organs, and breath. It is not some immaterial spiritual entity, it is you, all of you, your whole being or self."
The soul, when realized as the whole person is not immortal as was discovered earlier in the verse...
"The soul that sinneth it shall die." Ezekiel 18:20 KJV
Yet the spirit and soul can be quickened (made alive) through faith in Jesus Christ, gaining everlasting life for all eternity. (Romans 8:11 KJV; 1 Corinthians 15:45).
The soul is definitely the part that needs redeeming. When we ponder the Hebraic definition, that means the whole aggregate needs the overhaul cleansing, and thus encompasses the whole human being. Yet we know that the dead body of a follower of Jesus decays but will be resurrected with a new incorruptible body. If the soul gets redemption, then the body will be made new and imperishable in God's time to come.
At the point of redemption of the soul, the individual's spirit can then engage in that relationship with God. Redemption sends God's Holy Spirit to indwell the follower and to lead and guide the person's spirit that is in obedience to Christ.
Once the soul has been redeemed with the precious blood of Jesus Christ which He shed on the cross in atonement for our sinful souls, then the soul needs to live in an ongoing progression of sanctification in becoming ever more Christ-like, that learning to be blameless. (This sanctification has been explained in greater detail in previous Burning Quest entries.)
One can conclude, there is a soul. Furthermore the soul is immortal and has been corrupted since the time of Adam. However, when salvation comes to the individual who in faith has accepted God's gift of salvation, that soul then has eternal life from that moment onwards.
The human soul without salvation will live in eternal death, forever. That is the sad and horrifying truth. My prayer is that all who read this will find that life eternal through Jesus Christ.
Now armed with some understanding of the soul from a Biblical viewpoint, let's look at the Buddhist perspective.
The question, "Is there an eternal soul?" is one Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda discusses in his book What Buddhists Believe. On page 152 of his book he writes...
"Belief in an eternal soul is a misconception of the human consciousness."
On page 153 he further states...
"...ego, self, soul, personality, etc...do not refer to any real independent entity."
"Buddhists cannot accept that there is anything either in this world or any other...that is eternal or unchangeable. We only cling to ourselves and hope to find something immortal."
Hope.
Can human kind depend on this sort of hope? Hoping and hoping through birth and rebirth after rebirth that that hope of immortal something will be that defining moment of attainment of enlightenment. Or is there hope in what Jesus Christ has done for all mankind? In Jesus Christ there is hope for: a ceasing of suffering and sensual desires. Through Jesus's death and resurrection, a person will not reach nirvana nor will our suffering instantly be over but He died taking the punishment for all our sins and the consequential sorrows, infirmities and suffering. He paid the ultimate price for the immortality of having eternal life in Christ. To be able to have this saving of our individual souls in our present lifetime, is the sure hope by which we can live. Faith to believe is essential to the equation.
If there is no soul, self or ego, then an individual's perception of their existence, need not even be. They will not need to exist further. This is freeing and the object to aim for writes Sri Dhammananda. This is freeing and directs a person straight towards their rebirth being destroyed (pages 155-156).
There is no need to cling on to anything or anyone. With the view of Nirvana before them, the Buddhist need not cling to the
Scientists get into the mix here expostulating what their researches have revealed.
Sri Dhammananda illustrates with the Buddhist parable of the monk who mistook a moving rope for a snake. That made the heart palpation increase till he realized, 'oh, it's only a rope'. His fear of the illusion which he at first believed to be reality was abated. In other words, the author was conveying the message that we may be afraid that the soul is a reality but since it is not, then there is nothing to fear; instead, move forward towards Nirvana. Keep that goal in sight.
Truly, the soul, is a reality, not illusion.
May each and every soul realize this and the need of faith, which I understand many modern scientists scoff at. The soul is not imagination. It will have to be dealt with before Almighty God. If this puts the fear into folks, then I have accomplished something in the hopes that they will be propelled towards God who also exists, and who loves them and wants a relationship with them. God. Souls. Eternal Life. Yes!
Those modern scientists and others may deny the existence thereof, but it does not change the reality of their 'being'. May each have the faith to believe and to know that other reality of the need of a redeemed soul before God who can and does impute His righteousness upon those who believe and give each and everyone of them everlasting abundant life; existing right along with God, in Heaven where there is no suffering, forever.
~ERC 2018~
Note:
Some may wonder about animals and souls and spirits. Click on the link for an article on this subject.
If there is no soul, self or ego, then an individual's perception of their existence, need not even be. They will not need to exist further. This is freeing and the object to aim for writes Sri Dhammananda. This is freeing and directs a person straight towards their rebirth being destroyed (pages 155-156).
There is no need to cling on to anything or anyone. With the view of Nirvana before them, the Buddhist need not cling to the
"...body or the momentary elements of the present personality, which they mistake for the soul..." (page 157).
Scientists get into the mix here expostulating what their researches have revealed.
"The so-called 'soul' is no more than a bundle of sensations, emotion, sentiments...all relating to the physical experiences...the term 'soul' is a mere figure of speech to which no reality can respond." (page 157)
Sri Dhammananda illustrates with the Buddhist parable of the monk who mistook a moving rope for a snake. That made the heart palpation increase till he realized, 'oh, it's only a rope'. His fear of the illusion which he at first believed to be reality was abated. In other words, the author was conveying the message that we may be afraid that the soul is a reality but since it is not, then there is nothing to fear; instead, move forward towards Nirvana. Keep that goal in sight.
Truly, the soul, is a reality, not illusion.
May each and every soul realize this and the need of faith, which I understand many modern scientists scoff at. The soul is not imagination. It will have to be dealt with before Almighty God. If this puts the fear into folks, then I have accomplished something in the hopes that they will be propelled towards God who also exists, and who loves them and wants a relationship with them. God. Souls. Eternal Life. Yes!
Those modern scientists and others may deny the existence thereof, but it does not change the reality of their 'being'. May each have the faith to believe and to know that other reality of the need of a redeemed soul before God who can and does impute His righteousness upon those who believe and give each and everyone of them everlasting abundant life; existing right along with God, in Heaven where there is no suffering, forever.
~ERC 2018~
Note:
Some may wonder about animals and souls and spirits. Click on the link for an article on this subject.
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