Souls don't have...

Articles From Our Bulletins

Philip C. Strong
08/23/22 - Bulletin Articles

Genders. Don’t get ahead of me here, please. I’m not begging the question of whether resurrected souls are “male” or “female” thus bearing some recognizable semblance of their former state- Jesus said they are like “angels in heaven” (Matt.22:28-30ff), and such must suffice. Instead, consider Gal.3:28, “… there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” to understand that to God and in Christ, your gender does not matter relative to your soul. Everyone has a soul that is precious to God.

Nationalities/Ethnicities. You’ve likely heard the phrase, “red-blooded American,” what human being bleeds another color blood? The point is that although humans have long divided and separated themselves over skin color, geographic origins, and national borders, souls have no such distinctions. Again, note Gal.3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek… for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” You see, God doesn’t care to whom or where you were born or where your body resides, as long as your “citizenship is in heaven,” Phil.3:20.

Bank Accounts. Yes, I am well aware of what Matt.6:20 says about “laying up treasures in heaven.” But my point is that earthly bodies have “bank accounts” while souls do not. Think about the “rich man” and “Lazarus” from Luke 16:19-20ff for a moment. The former amassed earthly wealth while the latter had nothing of earthly value. But the “fortunes” of their souls were not tied either with or to these earthly stocks, bonds, or weights. Such temporal wealth- or the lack of it, matters not in the eternal “home of the soul.”

Expiration Dates. Every body has a “beginning” date and an “ending” date- a birthday and a deathday to be blunt. While we may debate and disagree about a soul’s “beginning” date, most folks understand that, unlike the body, the soul has no expiration date. It is that divine part of each one us that lives even if/when the body dies, John 5:28-29; 11:25.

From these things let’s draw out a few (hopefully) salient points:

While God animates our bodies with “life,” it is our souls that He most wants to have “life,” John 10:10b.
While God sees our bodies and what is done in and with them, He wants our souls, Jas.4:5.
While God values “life” as the Giver of it, there is NOTHING more valuable that He has provided than our souls, Matt.16:26.

Thus, we should strive to:

Live “life” in such a way that sees souls regardless of gender, race, economic status, or age.
Desire and work toward the returning of souls to God.
Value our souls and the souls of others as the most precious gift God has given humankind.