CONVERSION OF THE HUMAN SOUL.
The soul, like the spirit, is part of our tripartite being. As
described in the Advanced Oxford
“Non-material part of a person, believed to exist for ever. . . ”
In Virtue’s English Dictionary on page 821, it is described as:
“The spiritual and
immortal part in man; the immaterial spirit which inhabits the body; the moral
and emotional part of man’s nature; the seat of the sentiments or feelings; the
animating or essential part; the vital principle”.
And in the Encyclopedia Britannica, Micropaedia Vol. 9, page
363, it
is described as:
“An immaterial principle
or aspect that, with the body, constitutes the human person… The human soul has
been thought by some to be both the spring
and core of bodily life and the functions and also the seat of the
highest mental activities.”
From these references we see what the scholars have to say about
the soul of man and how it is regarded. We
see that it plays a very dominant role in our lives as the Encyclopedia Britannica page 363 puts it:
“… with the body [the soul]
constitutes the human person.”
The word “soul” is commonly used and numerous references are often
made of it. Examples are:
A mean and selfish person may be referred to as being “without a
soul”, while a kind, loving and caring person, will be referred to as a “good
soul”, a “kind soul”. It may also be used in numbering actual people as we read
in Genesis 46:26:
“All the souls that came
with Jacob into Egypt
In the holy Scriptures
there are further examples of the soul,
such as:
“And [Yahweh Elohim] 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”. Genesis 2:7.
“Behold, all souls are
mine. . .”. Ezekiel 18:4.
Concerning the soul-being,
we also read in Psalm 34:22:
“[ADONAI] The LORD
redeemeth the soul of his servants”:
N.B.
It is NOT our bodies which are redeemed by the blood of Yahushua; it is our
soul-being.
The soul consists of our wills, our minds, our intellect and our
emotions. It is
the part of our being which is
the seat of our sentiments and feelings.
It is the part of us which makes much of the decisions for what is
done in the body. It is also the part of our tripartite being which is
accountable to Yahweh for much of the
things done in the body in this
life and for the decisions made, whether good or bad.
For those who are lost, along with the spirit-being, it will be
responsible before Yahushua in the
judgment for the things done in the body. Due to the responsibilities and the sensitive nature
of the soul, it can be looked upon as the
real you and the real me.
Our daily thoughts and actions which affect our physical being are
dictated and controlled by the soul. That
is the reason so many give in to the carnal nature. For this reason it is important that our
souls are converted to Yahushua and brought under the control of the Ruach Ha
Kodesh. Whereas our spirit-beings are
“born again”, our soul-being MUST be CONVERTED. Concerning this we read in
Psalm 19: 7:
“The law of [Adonai] the Lord is perfect,
converting the soul”.
Yahushua also tells us in Matthew 18:3:
“ …Verily I say unto
you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter
into the kingdom of heaven”.
Peter, on whom Yahushua’s mantle had fallen, after the healing of
the man who was crippled from birth,
preached to the onlookers who were filled with wonder and amazement at the
miraculous healing. He admonished them:
“Repent ye therefore,
and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of
refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send
[Yahushua Ha Mashiach] Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you”. Acts 3:19 , 20.
Repentance and conversion of the soul-being, go hand in hand. Therefore, It is imperative that the spirit
being is “born again” through the Ruach Ha Kodesh. Only then will there be true sorrow for sin
which will lead to repentance and the conversion of the soul-being. This will automatically lead to a changed
life which will be seen in the life of the “born again”
and “converted” child of Yahushua.
Once “re-birth” of the spirit and the “conversion” of the soul are
accomplished in a person, the change for
the better is seen. That change will be seen in the life immediately. An
example of this is:
A man whose life was one of
sin, including drunkenness; cursing, swearing, immorality as well as abusing his wife
and children, will no longer be his way of life. Instead, there will be a full turn around of his life to one of holiness,
patterned after the life of our blessed
Saviour, Yahushua. This change comes
about because he has become a “new creature” in Yahushua, as we are told in 2 Corinthians 5:17:
“Therefore if any man be
in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things
are become new”.
In the life of the true child of Yahushua, these changes occur
because the works of the flesh are no longer in control of the soul. These works of the flesh are:
“Sexual immorality,
impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, 20idolatry,
participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarrelling, jealousy,
outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is
wrong except those in your own little group, 21 envy,
drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I
have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom
of [Yahweh] God”. Galatians 5: 19-21.
Instead, the “fruit” of the
Spirit will be evident in the life of
the “born-again, “converted” child of Yahweh. Concerning the “fruit” of the Spirit, we read
in Galatians 5: 22, 23:
“But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 meekness,
temperance: against such there is no law”.
Paul further wrote in Galatians 5: 24,25:
“And they that are
Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If
we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit”.
There is the danger that we can attend church each week, pay our
tithes faithfully and be active members in the church and yet, we are not
converted.
That was the case with the apostle Peter, although he was one of
Yahushua’s close disciples, who had been with Him for three and a half
years. Yahushua knew this and told Simon
Peter:
“… Simon, Simon, behold,
Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32 but I
have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted,
strengthen thy brethren”. Luke 22: 31,32.
Regardless of the work we do for our Elohim, our faithfulness in
church attendance and in tithing, if our spirit-beings are not “born again” and
our soul-beings are not “converted”, the fruit we produce will be seen in our
lives as Yahushua tells us in Matthew 7:20:
“Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know
them”.
We must remember that in our natural state, the spirit is under
the control of Satan and the soul is carnal.
That is the reason Yahushua says in John 8: 44:
“Ye are of your father
the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the
beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When
he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of
it”.
We must understand that in our own strengths it is difficult to
produce the fruit of the spirit which the Ruach Ha Kodesh gives. Therefore, as
our Elohim here upon earth, we are to daily seek His help and commit our lives
to him each day, so that He can be in control of our lives.
Once The Ruach Ha Kodesh is in control of our lives, He will lead
us, guide us, teach us and help us along life’s journey. It is only as we allow
the Ruach Ha Kodesh free access in our lives
that we will be safe in the arms of our Saviour, Yahushua, and will
follow in His steps. This is
important because whatever we are in
life and whatsoever is done in our bodies, are largely dictated by our
spirit–being and our soul-being. Therefore, we need to give full access to the
Ruach Ha Kodesh that He can be in sole charge of our lives. For this reason
Paul, the apostle, admonishes us:
“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye
do, do all to the glory of God” . 1 Corinthians 10:31.
NB: SCRIPTURES USED IN THE POST ARE TAKEN
FROM THE KJV OF THE BIBLE, UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED
