How’s Your Soul?
In 1907 an American physician of Scottish descent set out to prove a theory. Dr. Douglas McDougall theorized that the human soul had physical mass, He believed that at death he could document the souls’ departure. He weighed terminal patients shortly before their death, and again immediately after death. He concluded that the human soul weighed 21 grams (roughly 3/4 of an ounce). Scientists later faulted his theory and his methods, but McDougall’s work left an imprint on our culture. Indeed, the 2003 file entitled, “21 Grams,” is proof of the influence he had on our culture.
I prepared to officiate a funeral for a friend recently, and I contemplated afresh the human soul. We speak of the soul in common conversation. We say that something, “blessed my soul!” Or we say, “That person has a beautiful soul.” Mariners speak in terms of, “How many souls were on board” a given vessel. When we witness great evil, we might even accuse someone of being, “soulless.”
But what is the human soul, and where did it come from? Genesis 2:7 reads this way;
“Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.” The word in the original means “soul,” and many English Bible translations will translate the word as “being.”
The New Testament word for “soul,” is “psyche.” It designates life, or self, or personhood. It might help to think of the human soul as the central processing unit of a computer. What is running our life at any given moment is our own CPU given by God; the human soul. Jesus said, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world but forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul.” The human soul is given by God and is eternal. The body is temporal, but the soul is forever. Where a soul spends eternity matters.
The soul is the hidden part of a person that encompasses our thoughts, our emotions, and our wills. The soul is our life center that pulls everything together. The soul integrates our will [the capacity to choose], our minds [our thoughts], and our emotions [our feelings].
Paul’s Epistle of Ephesians calls the soul, “the inner man” [Eph. 3:16]. Second Corinthians 4:16 does the same.
So what are the implications of us having a soul? Here are a few of the implications:
- We are not a body that happens to have this thing called a soul. We are living souls contained in a physical body. That is not just a play on words. This is an important distinction.
- Since the body is temporary, but the soul is eternal, which one is more worthy of an investment of our time? I am not saying that we shouldn’t practice good stewardship of our physical bodies. We should. Workouts, eating right, and proper rest comprise good stewardship of our bodies. But are we also taking care of our souls by reading Scripture, praying, and fellowshipping with other believers? Are we doing these things on a regular basis.
- Since our souls are eternal, we should be investing in our children and young adults.
- For me, this study of the soul has settled the matter concerning burial or cremation for a departed loved one. The Bible neither condones nor condemns cremation. Having eternal life through faith in the resurrected Christ is the most important issue, not how a deceased body is cared for after death. Indeed many have died in ways that make burial nearly impossible. Almighty God’s ability to resurrect is not limited by the state of human remains.
Believers in Christ will receive a new, resurrection body. Such is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Pastor Robert Stretch
