Friday, September 16, 2011

Soul


"The "soul," that is, the person, can die (Ezekiel 18:4, 20). Here it is said that the "soul" who sins will die. We shouldn’t make too much of this, as all this verse is saying is the obvious – a person, in this case a sinning person, will die. "Soul" is simply another word for "person," and persons die (Numbers 35:11, 15). In this physical sense, the soul can be taken by God (Job 27:8) or be forfeited by a person (Habakkuk 2:10).


Jesus also said: "Whoever wants to save his life [psuche] will lose it, but whoever loses his life [psuche] for me will find it" (Mathew 16:25).


Thus, while Matthew 10:28 seems to differentiate the "soul" from the body, and implies that the former cannot be killed by humans, yet paradoxically the same writer says that "soul" can be killed (Matthew 2:20). Matthew 20:28, in essence, implies that Jesus’ "soul" was killed by men at the crucifixion. As well, one can "lose" one’s "soul," and in doing so can find Jesus. Clearly, the word psuche is used in various contexts, and it is difficult to draw any final conclusions as to what "it" (the "soul") might be in any transcendental sense.
Notice some of these contexts. Souls can also be purified by the truth (1 Peter 1:22). They can be strengthened by ministry (Acts 14:22). Hope in God’s covenant promises provides Christians with an "anchor for the soul" (Hebrews 6:19). Souls are to be entrusted to God (1 Peter 4:19). Those who endure suffering without a loss of faith will "keep their souls" (Hebrews 10:39). But, the "soul" (person) can die, by drowning, for example (Acts 27:22)."








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