The Soul — The Spiritual Man

The Soul

In addition to the spirit through which man communes with God, man also has a soul. This soul is man’s consciousness; our sense of self—our awareness that we exist as individuals—this is the function of the soul. The soul is the organ of our personality; everything that constitutes our personhood—the qualities that make us human—belong to the soul. Our intellect, thoughts, ideals, affections, emotional responses, judgment, and will are all parts of the soul.

As previously mentioned, both the spirit and the body are joined together within the soul. Thus, the soul becomes the seat of a person’s individuality, the central hub of the personality. For this reason, the Bible often refers to man simply as a “soul,” as though the soul alone defines him. For example, in Genesis 12:5, the word translated “people” is literally “souls” in the original Hebrew. When Jacob brought his whole family to Egypt, the Scripture records, “All the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten” (Gen. 46:27). There are numerous other passages in the original Scriptures where “soul” is used in place of “person.” This is because the soul is the person—it is the seat of human personality and its elements. What a person is, is determined by the state of their soul. A person’s existence, character, and life all derive from the soul. Therefore, the Bible refers to man as a soul.

There are three major elements contained within a person’s soul: the will, the mind, and the emotions.

• The will is the faculty of decision-making—our ability to choose, judge, and determine our desires or actions. Without the will, a person becomes like a machine.

• The mind is the faculty of thinking—our intellect. Our intelligence, knowledge, and all our mental activities come from the mind. Without it, one becomes entirely dull and ignorant.

• The emotions are the faculty of feeling—our ability to love, hate, rejoice, mourn, etc. Without emotions, a person is as unfeeling as a stone or piece of wood.

If we examine the Scriptures closely, we’ll find that these three key elements of personality—will, mind, and emotions—are all ascribed to the soul. They are simply different components of the soul. Because there are so many verses, only a few will be cited as examples here.

The Soul Contains the Will:

• Psalm 27:12 – “Deliver me not over unto the will (original: soul) of mine enemies.”

• Psalm 41:2 – “And thou wilt not deliver him unto the will (original: soul) of his enemies.”

• Ezekiel 16:27 – “...to deal with you according to their desire (original: soul).”

• Deuteronomy 21:14 – “...then thou shalt let her go whither she will (original: soul).”

• Psalm 35:25 – “So would we have it (original: soul’s desire).”

• Numbers 30:2 – “Bind his soul with a bond” (appears ten times in this chapter).

• 1 Chronicles 22:19 – “Now set your soul to seek the Lord your God.”

• Jeremiah 44:14 – “They set their souls to return and dwell there.”

• Job 6:7 – “My soul refused to touch them.”

• Job 7:15 – “My soul chooseth strangling and death.”

Terms such as “will,” “desire,” “refuse,” “choose,” “set one’s soul,” etc., refer to the activity of the will, all originating from the soul. This shows that the soul contains the function of the will.

The Soul Contains the Mind or Intellect:

• Ezekiel 24:25 – “...your children in whom your soul delighteth.”

• Ezekiel 36:5 – “...with despiteful minds (original: soul) to cast it out for a prey.”

• Proverbs 19:2 – “The soul be without knowledge, it is not good.”

• Psalm 13:2 – “How long shall I take counsel in my soul?”

• Psalm 139:14 – “Marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”

• Lamentations 3:20 – “My soul hath them still in remembrance.”

• Proverbs 2:10 – “When knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul.”

• Proverbs 3:21–22 – “Keep sound wisdom and discretion... so shall they be life unto thy soul.”

• Proverbs 24:14 – “...when thy soul hath found it [knowledge].”

These verses use terms like “knowledge,” “counsel,” “delight,” “remembrance,” “know,” which are functions of the mind or intellect—and they are clearly identified as being within the soul.

The Soul Contains the Emotions:

The Soul Loves:

• Deuteronomy 6:5 – “Love the Lord thy God with all thy soul.”

• 1 Samuel 18:1 – “The soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.”

• Deuteronomy 14:26 – “Whatsoever thy soul lusteth after... whatever thy soul desireth.”

• 1 Samuel 20:4 – “Whatsoever thy soul desireth.”

• Psalm 84:2 – “My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord.”

• Ezekiel 24:21 – “That which your soul pitieth.”

• Psalm 42:1 – “My soul thirsteth for God.”

• Song of Songs 1:7 – “O thou whom my soul loveth.”

• Isaiah 26:9 – “With my soul have I desired thee in the night.”

• Matthew 12:18 – “In whom my soul is well pleased.”

• Luke 1:46 – “My soul doth magnify the Lord.”

• Luke 2:35 – “Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also.”

These verses show the soul’s capacity to love and desire. The soul’s affection is the source of human love.

The Soul Hates:

• Job 33:20 – “His soul abhorreth bread.”

• 2 Samuel 5:8 – “The lame and the blind, that are hated of David’s soul.”

• Zechariah 11:8 – “My soul loathed them.”

• Job 10:1 – “My soul is weary of my life.”

• Psalm 107:18 – “Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat.”

These verses teach us that hatred is also a function of the soul.

The Soul Feels Emotion or Is Stirred:

• 1 Samuel 30:6 – “The soul of all the people was grieved.”

• 2 Kings 4:27 – “Her soul is vexed within her.”

• Judges 10:16 – “His soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.”

• Job 19:2 – “Ye vex my soul.”

• Isaiah 61:10 – “My soul shall be joyful in my God.”

• Psalm 86:4 – “Rejoice the soul of thy servant.”

• Psalm 107:5 – “Their soul fainted in them.”

• Psalm 42:5 – “Why art thou cast down, O my soul?”

• Psalm 116:7 – “Return unto thy rest, O my soul.”

• Psalm 119:20 – “My soul breaketh for the longing.”

• Psalm 119:28 – “My soul melteth for heaviness.”

• Proverbs 16:24 – “Sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.”

• Isaiah 55:2 – “Let your soul delight itself in fatness.”

• Jonah 2:7 – “When my soul fainted within me.”

• Matthew 26:38 – “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.”

• John 12:27 – “Now is my soul troubled.”

• 2 Peter 2:8 – “His righteous soul was vexed.”

These Scriptures illustrate how the soul can be moved, affected, or stimulated emotionally. Emotional responses—whether grief, joy, sorrow, or rest—are all from the soul.

Having examined the above, we see that all our emotional activities—love, hatred, stimulus, and feeling—come from the soul. This helps us understand that our emotions are also a part of the soul.