THEME: SELF
TOPIC: UNDERSTANDING ‘SELF’
TEACHER: OKPAN CLEOPAS (MINISTER)
INTRODUCTION
‘Self’ refers to a complete person with a distinct personality. It comprises of the body, soul, and spirit. In 1 Thessalonians 5: 23, Paul summarizes this make-up of man by identifying each person as Body, Soul and Spirit. He said: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In this lesson, we shall consider the origin and functions of this make-up of man.
THE BODY OF MAN:
The body is man’s acting power. Concerning the work of God in creation, Moses said, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Gen. 1:26, 27;). “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 being” (Gen. 2:7). It is not the physical body of man that was made after the image of God. God is Spirit (John 4: 24), and Spirit does not have flesh and bones. Jesus’ statement after His resurrection properly explains this. He said: “Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have” (Luke 24:39). God said to Moses, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live” (Ex 33:20).
The body is of the dust of the earth. At death, the body returns to the place of its composition, which is the earth. In reference to the body of man, God said to Adam, “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return” (Gen. 3:19). The body, being physical, can be cut (Lev. 17:11), torn (Judges 8:7), killed (Matt. 10: 28), infected by disease (2 Kings 5: 1), become tired (Eccl. 12:12), and suffer pain (Job 14: 22).
THE SOUL OF MAN:
The soul of man is the intellectual, emotional, and moral consciousness of man. It is man’s will power or deciding power. Hebrews 4: 12 states that the word of God can divide between the soul and the spirit, and is a discerner of the intents of the heart (our will or deciding power). The soul is that part of man that can exist beyond the death of the body. Jesus’ soul was not left in hades, but was reunited with His body when He resurrected (Acts 2:27-31). At death, the physical body returns to the dust of the earth, while the soul remains conscious by the power of God. However, people who go to the place of torment in hades have lost the chance to decide to obey God (they have lost their will-power). We can learn this from the case of the Rich Man in Luke 16: 19 – 31.
Importance of the Soul
1. The soul is given by God (Gen. 1: 26, 27; 2: 7).
2. It is eternal (Matt. 10: 28). It will spend eternity either in heaven or hell (Matt. 25: 46).
3. The soul is man’s most valuable possession (Matt. 16: 26).
4. The soul needs salvation (James 1: 21).
THE SPIRIT OF MAN:
The spirit is man’s power of knowledge. Paul says, “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?” (1 Cor. 2: 11). God created the spirit of man that is within man. Job says, “But there is a spirit in man…” (Job 32: 8). It is the spirit that gives existence to the soul. God created man after His image in the sense that there is a spirit within man that is after the image of God (Gen. 1: 26, 27). Every person who is born into this world is given a God-created spirit, which returns to God at death (Eccl. 12:7). This spirit resides with one until physical death (James 2:26).
Man’s Spirit in Eternity
While body and soul may be destroyed, it is nowhere written in the scripture that the spirit will be destroyed. This is because our spirits did not come from our earthly parents, but from God (Heb. 12: 9; Zech. 12: 1). Therefore, our spirits will surely return to God who will determine where we will spend eternity (Eccl. 12: 7; Matt. 25: 31 – 46).
CONCLUSION
There is a clearly defined relationship between the body, soul and spirit of man. Paul mentioned all three in one verse of scripture (1 Thess. 5:23). Man has a physical body, the part of man that is terminal and confined to this physical world. Man has a soul, the part of man that is mental and emotional. Man has a spirit, the part of man that is necessary for the existence of the individual. The body is dead when the spirit leaves and returns to God (James 2:26).
Remain blessed!