"IF YE WILL INQUIRE, INQUIRE YE."
By Editor
This Inquirers' Department is conducted for the purpose of helping those who are studying the Bible. The answers are oftentimes only suggestive. They are never to be considered infallible, but only as they agree with the infallible Word. The writer who may answer them does not consider that his opinion is infallible. He will simply give the best that he has, and plead with the inquirer to search the Word. Such questions only will be answered as, to the editors, seem to minister to the good of the readers and to the mission of the paper. We can not answer repeatedly in the same volume questions upon the same scripture. The name and address must accompany question, not for publication, but as an evidence of good faith, and that answer may be made by letter if deemed advisable. No letters are answered which do not contain the name of the writer. It is well always to enclose stamp for reply. Referring to an article in the Signs of July 12, page 7, entitled, "What Is the Soul?" I can hardly harmonize it with Matt. 10:28. Does the soul share the body's material corruption? I know "the soul that sinneth it shall die," but am not clear as to the soul that sinneth not. The difficulty with the article and the difficulty with many who are more or less Bible students, is to endeavor to make one definition cover what is meant by the soul. In all its various uses in the Bible, after very many years of study, it seems to us no one definition can be found that will tell us just what the soul is. It seems, however, that the soul would fall within one of three definitions. First, it is the whole man, the entire being. "Man became a living soul" (Gen. 2:7); "every living soul died in the sea" (Rev. 16:3); in the ark "eight souls were saved through water" (1 Peter 3:20). It will be very readily seen in these cases and in others that the whole of the individual person is meant. Secondly, the soul means life—natural life, life that is possessed by the natural man and every living creature. It is thus used largely in the New Testament. Take, for instance, Matt. 16:25, 26. The word rendered "soul" is psuche. The same word is rendered "life" in verse 25. It simply means man's natural life, and ought to be rendered "life" in both cases, as it is in the Revised Version. The same word is rendered "soul" also in Matt. 10:28. Men may kill the body, but they are not able utterly to destroy life. Of course, killing the body would temporarily take away the life, but in God's hands rests the future life. The natural man, as before stated, has the soul life. See 1 Cor. 2:14: "Now the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God." This is literally the soulical man; he has soul life, but not spiritual life. See again chapter 15, verse 44, "It is sown a natural body," literally it is sown a soulical body. Jude uses the same expression, verse 19, "These are they who make separations, sensual, not having the Spirit," literally soulical, not having the Spirit. All the life they have is the soul life. The Christian who is in Christ has the Spirit life. Thirdly, soul is sometimes used of mind, emotion, faculties, appetites, desires, etc. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name." We think in the light of this our correspondent will have no trouble in understanding the terms as found in the Scriptures. "Soul" will fall under some one of these three heads.