Q: What is our soul?

A: The Bible declares that we are made up of three parts; spirit, soul and body. (See 1Thes 5:23.) God is able to separate our soul from our spirit. (See Heb 4:12.) Some definitions describe both soul and spirit using terms like breath or air current, but they are distinctly different in operation. God relates to us through the spirit, and His intent is that our spirit should govern over our soul.

We relate to other people by our soul, which is composed of our mind, will and emotions. The function of our soul is seen in the way we think with our mind, choose with our will, and feel with our emotions. Plenty of Christians continue to live an unhealthy life of guilt, worry, doubt, fear and inferiority only because they haven’t allowed their minds to be renewed through scripture. Bible verses are spiritually understood, and God knows that His truth received can make people free of destructive behaviors. (See 1Cor 2:14.) But for this to happen, the spirit must first be governing our soul.

Once I turn myself over to Jesus Christ, I am no longer to remain fashioned to the common thinking of this world. I am to be changed by the renewing of my mind. (See 1Cor 12:2.) Life is not a playground; it’s a battlefield for souls, and the war is being waged in the mind. The Lord instructs us concerning what to think about. (See Phil 4:4‑8.) We’re to meditate on God’s truth in scripture and believe what He says about us. (See Psa 119:148.)

Anybody knows how to meditate on scripture. We meditate every time we worry about something all day long. By believing the Bible and accepting our newfound salvation, assurance, completeness and freedom in Him, we can experience peace beyond explanation. (See Phil 4:7.) This is why every message I teach is a Bible study. (See John 8:32.)

There is a dilemma. The most awful disease known to mankind is not cancer or heart failure but sin, which is the very cause of death. (See Rom 6:23.) Remember God relates through the spirit. God told Adam, “In the day you eat that particular fruit, you will surely die” (Gen 2:17). He ate it but lived 930 years.

Did God lie? Nope. Adam’s spirit died the moment he sinned, which was his very line of communication to God. Through unbelief and disobedience, Adam decided to become his own god. Consequently, we are all natural‑born sinners, who are the offspring of Adam’s family until we surrender to Christ.

Believers are then transferred by adoption into Jesus Christ and His family. (See 1Cor 5:14‑17.) Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection opens that line of communication by making our spirits alive and born again. An ongoing relationship with Jesus is so

essential. Do you have one? Why don’t you ask Him.

1 Corinthians 5:18‑21

Pastor Huck: www.calvarybcc.com