What is the soul?

A few weeks ago, I had the honor of preaching at Cross Points Church. The topic for October was First: Jesus First and Foremost – in our heart, soul, mind and strength. My specific topic was how to put Jesus first in our soul.

The first question to answer with this topic is “What is my soul?” Luckily, some of the church’s pastors meet together to discuss the sermon topic of the week, to help each other out with preaching. That meeting something like this:

Pastor Andy: “What is the soul?”
Pastor David: “I don’t know…”
Pastor Matt: “I thought it was that little floaty thing that came out of you when you died.”
Pastor Nick: “Yeah, it’s like Casper the Friendly Ghost!”

I realized I was on my own 🙂

Who you are.

So, I began doing some research on the soul and landed on this meaning – a combination of our personality, will and emotions. Another way of saying this is our soul is who I am, and your soul is who you are.

So then, how do we define ourselves? Most of us use our job (pastor, carpenter, engineer, etc), role (mother, father, husband, wife, etc) and passions (soccer, sunday school teacher, Royals fan, etc) to define who we are. However, those are all things we do (strength), not what we are (soul).

So maybe a better question to ask is, “How does God define me?” Interestingly, we recently read through Galatians in our church devotions. In Galatians 4, Paul defines us in one of two ways:

Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.   -Galatians 4:7

According to God we are either Slave or Child.

Who are you?

Are you a slave or are you a child? Here are a few markers to help you decide:

Slave

1. Owned or Possessed: a slave is owned or possessed by something or someone else. You don’t belong to yourself, but to sin, addiction, emotions, relationships or anything else.
2. Fear: a slave lives in constant fear. If you are constantly worried, depressed, apprehensive you may be a slave.

Maybe the best picture I found of someone who is a slave is this scene from 12 Years a Slave:

A rope around your neck, standing on your tiptoes for life, while everyone around goes about their business. This is a slave. Some of us are or have been slaves to food, alcohol, sex, adulation, friends, family, jobs and more.

Child of God

1. Set Free: a child of God is set free from sin and fear (John 8:36).
2. Known and Loved: a child of God is known by the Father, and though he feels uncomfortable at times, he understands he is loved (Galatians 4:9).
3. Tells a Story: a child of God is given an inheritance, which means he has a story to tell. What are the story you are telling? (Ephesians 2:10; Galatians 4:28; Genesis 12:13)

A child of God is free from fear because they are deeply and fully known by God. A child of God then lives to tell a story – his story of freedom and hope.

Which are you?

Are you living free from fear? Do you have a rope around your neck threatening to strangle the life out of you?

You can be free. You can be known and loved. You can tell a story.

It starts with connecting with our loving Father and His Son, Jesus. In Jesus there is freedom, if you choose to accept it.

I hope you do, because I know you have a story to tell.