Aside from having a spirit which enables us to commune with God, when we became human, we became a living soul, which enables us to have self-consciousness.
Remember that we are a three-part individual, spirit, soul and body. When we are born again our spirit is saved but not yet perfected. Those whose spirits are already perfected are in heaven.
Hebrews 12: 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.
Our spirit is saved, our soul is being saved, which is a process of renewing. And our body will be saved or glorified.
We are aware of our existence by the work of his soul. It is our self-consciousness, our soul and the body are the parts that make us human. Our soul is the location of our personality. The elements which make us humans belong to the soul.
Our soul has eight functions or senses. Will, choice, emotions, desire, mind, imagination, reason and conscience. I just found one on desire. I learn as I write and look up scriptures in the original manuscript, but don’t have time to edit all my old messages, that is why I am still writing on my bible school website and not my church website.
Our conscience is a function of our soul not our spirit. Our conscience has been trained from the outside in and must be renewed.
For example, if you have been raised in a family of criminals or do things illegally your conscience will tell you that the police officers are bad.
I have a cousin that is a sergeant in the police force in Milwaukee, WI. and is a good person, he told my father not to keep a gun in his car, because he was older, and a robber would probably take it from him, and use it on him, because if you pull a gun on a person you better have the intent on using it, and I don’t think my dad when he was still alive would shoot someone.
And I have met police officers, that are born again, but of course there are self-centered police officer’s, who really do not care about other people and who would abuse that office, and harass you.
I had a 74 nova that was rebuilt in my automotive class, and we put a standard transmission in it, rebuilt the engine. And I bought it from a friend that used to race it around, when you hit the gas, it would push you in the back of the seat. I had two police officers pull me over, because there were complaints about it, and I told them I just bought it, and they would say that is a nice car and would let me go on my way.
So, my conscience tells me police officers exist for my protection. That office is ordained of God, and I thank them for their service, like I do veterans.
I have explained already that the spirit and the body are merged in the soul which, in turn, forms the organ of our personality.
That is why the Bible sometimes calls man a “soul,” as though man has only this element.
For example, Genesis 12:5 refers to people as “souls”.
When Jacob brought his entire family down to Egypt, it is recorded that “all the souls of the house of Jacob, that came into Egypt, were threescore and ten” (Gen. 46:27 ASV).
Numerous instances occur in the original language of the Bible where “soul” is used instead of “man.”
For the seat and essence of the personality is the soul. To comprehend a man’s personality is to comprehend his person.
Man’s existence, characteristics and life are all in the soul. The Bible consequently calls man “a soul.”
Without a soul, man is reduced to an automaton or robot.
The Angels that have not fallen have sort of a manual obedience to YHVH, but our obedience is a participation in the divine nature. The fastest way to be transformed is to be a doer of the Word.
Here are some references to the function of our soul as to our will.
“Give me not up to the will (original, “soul”) of my adversaries” Ps. 27:12
“Thou dost not give him up to the will (original, “soul”) of his enemies” Ps. 41:2
“Delivered you to the greed (original, “soul”) of your enemies” Ezek. 16:27
“You shall let her go where she will (original, “soul”)” Deut. 21:14
“Aha, we have our heart’s desire (original, “soul”)” Ps. 35:25
“Or swear an oath to bind himself (original, “soul”) by a pledge” Num. 30:2
“Now set your mind and heart (original, “soul”) to seek the Lord your God” 1 Chron. 22:18
“They desire and lift up their soul to return to dwell there” Jer. 44:14
“These afflictions my soul refuses to touch” Job 6:7
“My soul chooseth strangling, death, rather than my bones” Job 7:15
The “will” or “heart” here points to soul. “Set the heart,” “lift up their soul,” “refuse” and “choose” are all exercises of the will, having their functions in the soul.
Here are some references to the function of our soul as to our mind.
“Whereunto they lift up their soul, their sons and their daughters” Ezek. 24:25
“That a soul be without knowledge is not good” Prov. 19:2
How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? Ps. 13:2
“Marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well” Ps. 139:14
“My soul continually thinks of it” Lam. 3:20
“Knowledge will be pleasant to your soul” Prov. 2:10
“Keep sound wisdom and discretion … and they will be life for your soul”
Prov. 3:21, 22 “Know that wisdom is such to your soul” Prov. 24:14
Here “knowledge,” “counsel,” “lift up,” “think,” etc., exist as the activities of man’s intellect or mind, which the Bible indicates as originating from the soul.
Here are some references to the function of our soul as to our emotions.
“The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul” 1 Sam. 18:1
“You whom my soul loves” Song 1:7 “My soul magnifies the Lord” Luke 1:46
“His life abhorreth bread, and his soul dainty food” Job 33:20
“Who are hated by David’s soul” 2 Sam. 5:8
“My soul was vexed with them” Zech. 11:8
“You shall love the Lord your God … with all your soul” Deut. 6:5
“My soul is weary of my life” Job 10:1
“Their soul abhorreth all manner of food” Ps. 107:18
Here are some references to the function of our soul as to our Desire
“For whatever thy soul desireth … or for whatever thy soul asketh of thee” Deut. 14:26
“What thy soul may say” 1 Sam. 20:4
“My soul longs, yea, faints for the courts of the Lord” Ps. 84:2
“Your soul’s longing” Ezek. 24:21
Darby “So longs my soul for thee, O God” Ps. 42:1
“My soul yearns for thee in the night” Is. 26:9
“My soul is well pleased” Matt. 12:18
Here are some references to the function of our soul as to Feeling.
“A sword will pierce through your own soul also” Luke 2:35
“All the people were bitter in soul” 1 Sam. 30:6
“Her soul is bitter and vexed within her” 2 Kings 4:27
“His soul was grieved for the misery of Israel” Judges 10:16
“How long will ye vex my soul” Job 19:2 Darby
“My soul shall exult in my God” Is. 61:10
“Gladden the soul of thy servant” Ps. 86:4
“Their soul fainted within them” Ps. 107:5
“Why are you cast down, O my soul” Ps. 42:5
“Return, O my soul, to your rest” Ps. 116:7
“My soul is consumed with longing” Ps. 119:20
“Sweetness to the soul” Prov. 16:24
“Let your soul delight itself in fatness” Is. 55:2
“My soul fainted within me” Jonah 2:7
“My soul is very sorrowful” Matt. 26:38
“Now is my soul troubled” John 12:27
“He was vexed in his righteous soul day after day” 2 Peter 2:8
The three main functions of our soul are will, mind and emotions. I am not going to go into all the functions of our soul because I only have so much time. But I found eight so far and there probably are more.
Our soul can love and hate, desire and hope, feel, choose, sense and have ambition.
But our spirit has all these functions too, but they are divine. So, we are in a sense two people, divine and human. Our spirit is divine, and our soul and body are human, and I define our flesh as that union of soul and body that acts independently of God. Because there are good qualities and bad qualities of our flesh.