Matthew 11:28-30/ Understanding the Soul

 "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus promised that if we come to Him we would find rest for our souls, so we know our souls can grow weary. But what else does the bible say about our souls? 

 The Greek work that Jesus used here for "soul" is "psyche," which is defined as, "the immaterial part of a person which is the actuating cause of an individual life; the site of all psychological faculties (such as the heart, mind, and conscience)." In short, it means life. 

 But what are some characteristics of the soul according to the bible? 
Here are six characteristics of the human soul found in the bible:

 Our souls live on after we die:

 "And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin." Genesis 35:18

 Our souls are different from our hearts, spirits, minds:

 "Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 5:23

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Hebrews 4:12

"And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Matthew 22:37

 Our souls were created by God:

"Then King Zedekiah swore secretly to Jeremiah, “As the Lord lives, who made our souls, I will not put you to death or deliver you into the hand of these men who seek your life." Jeremiah 38:16

Our souls can be unsteady or firm:

"They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls." 2 Peter 2:14

 Our souls need to be saved, purified, and protected:

"Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. James 1:21 

"Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart," 1 Peter 1:22

 Jesus oversees our souls:

"For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." 1 Peter 2:25

George MacDonald said, “You don’t have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.” When you think about it like that, our souls are the greatest representation of who we are as people. We may see each other in the flesh, but the soul is at the core of every person you meet. 

 C.S. Lewis describes this reality in his book, "The Weight of Glory," where he writes:

  "It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which,if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree helping each other to one or the other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all of our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.”

 I think Lewis is describing the human soul here. My prayer is that we'd give time and thought and focus to the condition of our souls. And that we'd turn to Jesus and have our souls conformed to His image. He's the One who directs our immortal souls toward "everlasting splendors." 

 If you want to dig deeper into this, need help, need prayer, or have questions—please reach out to us here: Roots Help & Prayer Form.

 In Christ, 

 Pastor Kevin