Man is a combination of body, spirit, and soul:
The body, of course, is what the soul of Man lives in, a temporary tent, as it were, until the breath of life leaves the body.
The spirit is the breath of life in Man; the soul is the Man himself, or the result of that breathe of life. “The spirit (Lit. breath) of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the innermost parts of his being,” Proverbs 20:27.
God breathed the breath of life into Adam, and he became a living soul.
When we die our body returns to dust, and our spirit returns to God, as it is written, “…then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit [breath] will return to God who gave it,” Ecclesiastes 12:7.
While on earth the spirit and soul seem to be intertwined, as though they became one when Man was created, but they really aren’t. The spirit is still the breath of life, and the soul is the result of that breath of life.
“I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Thy works, and my soul knows it very well,” Psalm 139:14.
Our soul is the part of us that God formed in our inner being through the inward parts He placed in our body. That is, the soul is an entity that springs forth from the inward parts, or organs, of our body. It is the part of us that has the ability to think, learn, and make decisions. It is the part of us that governs our body, making it do what we will it to do. It is the entity in which we experience emotions and every other thing humans are capable of doing. This is our soul.
Some will say, “You’re talking about the brain.” But the brain is not what I’m talking about. I am talking about what we become using our brain — the entity our brains create. Everybody has a brain, but everybody is not the same. Each person uses their brain in the way they choose. How they choose to use their brain forms their soul.
When I say, “I” or “me,” I am not referring to my body, nor am I referring to an organ of my body; I am referring to my soul, that is, who I am. Our soul is not our inward parts; it is the product of our inward parts; our soul is who we are.
The inward parts will one day return to dust from which they were made, and the spirit will return to God. The souls of those who have walked in obedience to the Father and Son will remain alive in, and by, the Holy Spirit of God, and will one day be united with all other members of the body of Christ, from which God will reach into, as He did Adam, and bring forth the bride of Christ, holy and without blemish.
The souls without Christ will inherit a different fate.
Some will likely ask, “Where does the soul go after death?” I regret that I cannot give you an answer. I know of five (5) departed believers in Jesus who are with Him, or, at least, they were with Him when I saw them. But I cannot say for sure that all souls of believers go straight to heaven after death. I wish I could, but it has not been revealed to me.
I can tell you this: the Holy Spirit remains with every believer, whether in life, or in death. So whether we go straight to heaven, or rest in a tranquil sleep, we are secure and at peace. Our Father is faithful.
Jon David Banks, God’s most unworthy servant
jondavidbanks.com 