Soul according to online dictionary is defined as the spiritual part of human being, its classified as a person's moral, emotional nature or sense of identity.
Origin of Human Soul:
Genesis 2:7 KJV"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 soul."
From the scripture above, it's clear that human soul originated from God the creator. The first time man soul was mentioned was in the above scripture, it's from the breath of God.
Man consists of Body soul and spirit. The soul has three components which are; 1)The Will
2) The Emotions
3) The intellect
The intellect is the knowledge seat of the soul, the will digs into the intellect to get information that the emotion act upon.
There are three gateways to the soul and they are the eye, the mouth and the ears. The information the soul is fed with is gathered from what you hear, see and say. The emotion part of the soul determines how you relate with people and your openess to spirituality. Evil forces target man's intellect because through this the will and emotion can be controled. That is why in the days we live in now many things contradicts the ways and will of God.
Things we hear or listen to, what we see on media and in the community at large obviously affects what we say if not for the fear and grace of God in us. That is why it is essential to feed our soul by subjecting the body under the works of the spirit.
The body will not always want to read the word of God but to do the will of God, we must be determined and ask for grace to subject the body under the works of the Holy Spirit. We need to fill our spirit up by engaging in that which encourage or promotes the growth of the fruit of the spirit.
Galatians 5:16-25 KJV"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."
The body is human beings earth suit, it's what gives you authority to be on earth. That is why when someone dies (which is the absence of life) immediately the name changes to body. They start saying "get the body ready for the mourge and so on". So the body is like a shelter for the soul and spirit and that is what makes a man to physically exist on earth. The body will be buried but not the soul. The soul goes on in the other life that is Heaven or Hell.
This brings us to the world and human soul. Matthew 16:26 KJV"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"
There is nothing in this world that can be exchange to where a soul spends eternity. Except a soul is redeemed and saved through accepting Jesus Christ has it's Lord and saviour, spending eternity in Heaven is impossible.
God is the creator and He alone can create and He should be respected above any power or forces. This includes power that can cause absence of life.
Matthew 10:28 KJV"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
How do I guard my soul from destruction?
It's only by the grace of God but you must play your part by being determined to live for God after accepting Christ as your Lord and saviour. Also you should not be self centred by guarding or thinking about your soul alone. All souls belongs to God Ezekiel 18:4 KJV"Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die." God doesn't want any soul to perish but any body that dies in sin the soul will perish.
God's will for all Souls.
2 Peter 3:9-10 KJV"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up."
Jesus came for redemption of lost souls to their maker(God).
Luke 19:10 KJV"For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."
John 3:15-18 KJV "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
Lastly I will talk about animals. Scientifically, human beings are classified as Animals but have supremacy over other animals because of our intellects, morals and spiritual thoughts. The question might be playing on our mind that does animals(excluding human being) have a soul?
Genesis 1:25-27 KJV"And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."
From the scripture above we have the answer that animals do not have soul. Human being are the only ones God made in his image and breathed the breath of living soul in.
One thing we must all understand is there is uniqueness in every soul. No two souls are thesame, the part that face judgement on the last day is the human soul. The Human spirit and soul inter relate more in a way that shows in the human body. Having said that they can work independently.
Luke 1:46b-47 KJV"My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." The soul is immortal that is why at the end of existence on earth the soul carries on to the next life.
My question to you and I is where will my soul or your soul spend eternity? By now you should know better.
If by now you are unsure of your salvation and you don't want your soul to perish say this prayer;
Lord Jesus I acknowledge I am a sinner. Have mercy on me. I believe you are the saviour, I accept you as my lord and saviour. Henceforth grant me grace to live for you all the days of my life. At the end of my existence on earth count me worthy of your Kingdom and write my name in the book of life in Jesus name amen.
