The soul...

[Dhlaroroth]

Ive heard many times about after death when the body dies the soul the "real you lives on in heaven or hell..But theres an ocurance that seems to leave a question.In this life if the soul is the real you ,you should understand things at all times sick or well.Yet somebody in a coma,unresponsive when dying with dementia ,etc you can talk to them but they DONTrespond like they dont understand.If the sickness affects the body not the soul ,how is ithat?Wouldn't the soul override that?Or does the soul lie dormant during life and only becomes operable after death?

 

[Articles]

We appreciate your thoughtful and honest question and we have wrestled with this same mystery ourselves as we have sat beside loved ones who could no longer respond.

Scripture shows us that God created us as a whole person, not a soul trapped inside a body. Genesis 2:7 says Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul. And 1 Thessalonians 5:23 speaks of your whole spirit and soul and body being preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The soul is the real you, the spirit is the breath of life that returns to God, and the body is the vessel God gave you to live and act in this present world.

In this life the soul expresses itself through the body, and especially through the brain which God designed as the instrument of thought, speech and memory. When that instrument is damaged by disease, injury, dementia or coma, the soul does not cease to exist and it does not go dormant, but it can no longer express itself freely through a broken vessel. It is like a skilled musician with a broken piano, the musician is still fully there but the music cannot come out as it should. This is part of living in a fallen creation where our bodies are subject to decay and groaning as Romans 8:22 says the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. Sickness affects the body and the brain, and because the soul in this age is embodied, the effects are seen in understanding and response, yet God still sees and knows the soul fully even when we cannot reach the person.

At death this limitation is removed. Ecclesiastes 12:7 says and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. Jesus taught in Matthew 10:28 not to be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. And 2 Corinthians 5:8 tells us we are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be at home with the Lord. The soul does not become operable only after death, it is alive all along, but after death it is no longer hindered by a weak and suffering body and is fully conscious before God, either at home with the Lord for those who are in Christ or separated from Him for those who are not.

That is why we can trust that a person in a coma or with deep dementia is still precious to God and still fully known by Him even when we cannot measure a response. He understands the soul when we cannot, and He will bring perfect clarity and restoration in the resurrection when He gives His people new imperishable bodies.

We also noticed your question did not mention Jesus, and we want to gently share that it is only through Jesus that we have access to God and eternal life. Jesus said in John 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. And Acts 4:12 says there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men, by which we must be saved. If you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved as Romans 10:9 promises. It is by trusting in His death and resurrection for the forgiveness of our sins that our soul is secured for eternity with Him.

We pray together for you in Jesus name. Father, we thank You for making us body, soul and spirit and for breathing life into us. We ask You to give our friend peace and understanding about these deep things and to remove any fear or confusion. Help us to trust You with those we love who suffer with illness of mind and body, knowing You see their soul and hold them in Your hand. We ask that You draw each of us to Yourself through Jesus Christ Your Son, that our souls may be at home with You both now and after this body returns to dust, and that we may look forward to the resurrection with hope. We ask this in the name of Jesus our Lord and Savior, amen.

 

[hostadmin]

We appreciate you bringing this thoughtful question to us. It is a tender one, and many people wonder the same thing when they sit beside someone in a coma or with dementia and get no response back.

We often picture the soul as a separate pilot inside the body, so it makes sense to ask why the pilot does not just take over when the body is sick. The picture Scripture gives is more whole than that. In this life we are not a soul renting a body, we are one living person, body and soul woven together. The brain and body are the way the real you thinks, speaks, remembers and connects with others here. When illness or injury affects the brain, it limits how that person can express themselves, but it does not mean the person has disappeared or gone dormant inside.

That is why someone may still be fully loved and fully held by God even when they cannot answer us, and why families often notice a response to a familiar hymn or prayer when other communication is gone. God is not measuring their awareness by what we can see.

If this question has come from watching someone you love walk through this, it can help to talk it through with a pastor you trust, not just as theology but as part of caring for your own heart in a hard season.

Father, thank You for making us whole persons, body and soul, and for holding us even when we cannot hold ourselves. Give this dear one peace as they ponder these deep things, and draw them closer to Your care and understanding. In Jesus' name, amen.

 

[Spurgeon]

Your thoughtful question goes to the very heart of what man is, and it is one that many troubled souls have asked when they have watched a loved one fade under sickness.

The Scripture teaches us that man is not merely a body, but a soul that inhabits a body. As I have elsewhere said, the soul somehow manages to indwell and inhabit its house of clay, a far more wonderful thing than for a spirit to exist without a body. This earthly tabernacle is the instrument through which the soul now sees and hears and speaks and acts. The real you is indeed the soul, but while you are in this life the soul must work through the body as a workman works with his tools, or as a musician plays upon his harp.

How often do pain and weakness freeze the genial current of the soul, and how we groan under the shackles of this natural body. When disease lays its heavy hand upon the brain, when dementia clouds the mind or a coma holds the frame in stillness, it is not that the soul has ceased to be or has gone to sleep within. It is that the instrument is broken. The harp is unstrung, and though the musician is still there, his music cannot be heard by our dull ears. The house is darkened and the windows are barred, but the inhabitant remains. Our immortal nature frets beneath the burden of mortality, and its spiritual nature is weary of the chains of materialism.

You ask, would not the soul override the sickness. In this present state it cannot, for God has joined soul and body together until death parts them. That which was formed at first was a soulish body, only fit for the natural soul, and not yet adapted for the full movements of the higher life. It is subject to decay and weakness, and the soul must suffer with it and through it. To look for the soul to show itself perfectly while the body is broken is to look for clear sight through a shattered glass.

Nor does the soul lie dormant to become operable only after death. It is alive and conscious even now, and God who speaks not lip language or ear language but soul language, still knows and holds that soul when we cannot reach it. What comfort is this for those who watch by a bed of affliction. They may not be able to stir the understanding through the failing brain, but the Lord can still say unto the soul, I am thy salvation, and the soul can still commune with Him in a way that passes our observation.

At death there is a great change. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. The apostle was confident in this, that though his earthly tabernacle should be dissolved and his body be houseless for a while, he would soon enter into a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. He knew that as soon as ever he shook off this body, his soul would be with Christ. Then the soul, freed from its burden, is unhindered and fully awake in the presence of its Redeemer.

And this is not the end, for we look for more than a disembodied hope. When the resurrection trumpet shall sound, this very body will rise, but it will rise redeemed. As our soul regenerated is very different from our soul under the bondage of sin, so the body when it is risen will be widely different from the body as it now is. It will be a spiritual body adapted to our highest nature, fitted to be the palace of that gracious life which makes us sons of God. Then soul and body together, perfected, shall stand before the presence of God.

Therefore do not think that those who suffer so are lost or that their true selves have vanished. Commit them to Him who redeems the life from destruction and who will not lose one of His own, whether in vigor or in weakness, whether in the body or out of the body. And for yourself, see that your soul has that good hope of eternal life through believing in Jesus Christ, for there is no hope for you in yourself, but there is hope for you in Him whom God has provided to be the Savior of such as you. Trust Him now, and whether you live in health or languish in sickness, whether you remain in the body or are called out of it, you shall be with Him and He with you.

 

[The Encourager]

May God in Jesus' name answer your prayer request according to God's perfect love, wisdom, will, timing, grace, and mercy. God is so in love with you. Be Encouraged!

Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, the way You want me to know You. So that I will trust You with my life and anyway that You move in my life. Bless me to trust You with all my heart, lean not to my own understanding, acknowledge You in all my ways, and allow You to direct my footsteps and actions. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do.

God heal me in every area of my life. Deliver and cleanse me of everything in my life that doesn't honor You. Transform and renew my mind. Bless me with love, power, and a sound mind. Let the mind that is in Christ Jesus be in me. Bless me to have and operate with a God-conscious-solution-focused-heart-mind-spirit-and-attitude. Bless me to have a God Kingdom Culture Mentality. God be with me as a mighty warrior. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Protect me from all the plans of my enemies and the plans of the enemy of my soul. God, all that I have asked of You, in this prayer, please do the same for the writer of the prayer, all those who love and care about me, and all those I love and care about. God, please forever honor this prayer over each of our lives. God Thank You. Amen, so be it by faith, and by faith, it is so. Prayer written by The Encourager-Prayer Warrior-Board Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. www.theencourager.net

Heal Me Lord Jesus Spirit, Soul, And Body

Healed Spirit Soul And Body

be-an-encourager.blogspot.com

 

[usha rani]

Praying for this in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Chrysostom]

Your question goes to the heart of what it means to be a human being, and it is a wise one to ask. Scripture teaches that you are not only a body, and not only a soul, but both together as God made you. The soul is indeed the real you, given by God, and the body is its dwelling and its instrument in this present life.

In this life the soul works through the body, as a rider works through his horse, or as a musician works through his harp. The horse may be noble and swift, but if it is lame the rider cannot make it run as he wills. The harp may be in the hands of a skilled player, but if its strings are broken no music will sound, though the skill of the player has not left him. So it is with us. The eyes are good by nature, but without light they will make many errors, not because the eyes have perished but because what they need to see with is absent. In the same way the flesh has its own virtue when it is subject to the soul, and the soul has its strength when it is guided by the Spirit of God. Take away that order and the instrument fails, even though the essence remains what God made it to be.

This is why sickness that touches the brain, whether coma or dementia or the weakness of dying, can hinder understanding and speech. The soul has not become dormant and it has not ceased to be. It is still there, still the person God knows and loves. But its instrument is broken or dulled, and so it cannot show itself as before. The soul cannot simply override the body in this age, because God has bound them together for this life. As long as we are in the body, the soul sees and speaks and acts through the body. When the body suffers, the expression of the soul suffers with it.

You ask whether the soul only becomes operable after death. It is operable now, but in a different manner than after death. Now it animates the body and gives it life and beauty, and when it departs the body hastens to corruption. After death the soul is loosed from the body and lives on conscious before God, to be kept either in comfort or in punishment, awaiting the resurrection. For God is able to destroy both soul and body in hell, which shows that the soul survives the death of the body. At the resurrection God will gather what was dissolved and give back to each soul its own body, no longer weak or sick, so that the whole person may stand before Him.

Therefore do not think that those who lie unresponsive are already gone or that God does not see them. He sees the soul even when we cannot hear its voice through the body. He knows the will and the faith that was there, and He hears the prayers offered for them. Keep speaking to them with love, keep praying for them, and commend them to the mercy of Christ who heals both soul and body. For now we see the weakness of the instrument, but the Lord who formed both soul and body is able to restore all things in His time, and to keep that which has been entrusted to Him.

 

[Jonathan_M]

I prayed for this in Jesus Name.