Soul the seat of self consciousness
Two verses to consider: 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews 4: 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Soul- the seat of self- consciousness. The soul is clearly created by God out of nothing. This shows the power of God to create, just the same when He create all things-visible and invisible. Thus he/she is always aware of himself/herself as a person. After the Lord made the ‘earthly house,’ God by His power called the man into being. This is the ‘being’ created in the image of God- a spiritual being called soul. This is the person living in the ‘house.’ This is the part of us which gets hurt. Sometimes we bruise or cut ourselves or someone did it for us; but the thing that hurt is not the physical part, but the mental and feeling parts. We call it ‘hurt feeling’. Some people get hurt easily in their feeling. Sometime people do not say nice things about us, and as a result our feeling hurts. Some people are so sensitive, perhaps because of some circumstances, and they are being criticised by others unjustly, they really get hurt. They go to bed in self-pity party saying “poor me, poor me; no one loves me, no one cares for me.” That ‘Self” is the one that hurt-that is your soul. That is the one that Satan tempts. The soul includes the mind, the will and the emotions.
We often say with some exaggeration, “my greatest enemy is myself” There is some truth in this statement, because our old and new nature wrestle against one another. For the Christian, if he/she yields to the Spirit of God he/she could overcome the bad habits of the flesh or body. Self is indeed a tough enemy. Self will rise up and battles with the Spirit of God, especially when God convicts you to submit to the Lordship of Christ. This is what Paul is saying in Romans chapter seven. Please read it.
Each soul or self is different. Everyone has different personality. Some people are good artist, they have a great appreciation of shape and colours, while others are musically talented. Some are great animal lovers, lovers of children especially wonderful teachers; some just love to take care of old people; some are too hospitable; others love to serve. Even twins they are fundamentally different. You have no ‘carbon copy’ or as the Filipinos would say ‘you have no Xerox copy.’ You are individually distinct. Each one is God’s unique masterpiece. This the reason why the Holy Spirit deals with each person in a different way. Are you not glad you are different from other people? “Variety is the spice of life”, the saying goes. God has specially designed you for His glory. You are His masterpiece! You are the apple of His eyes. You are the awesome product of His amazing grace. Be content and rejoice always because His grace is sufficient for you now and eternity. All by grace and by grace alone!
