Introduction
‘Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your SOUL and with all your strength.’ Deuteronomy 6:4-5
Before we look at what it means to love God with all of our soul, I think we first need to ask the question, what is the soul?
All human beings are triune beings. The Godhead is made up of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. And Paul says human beings are also triune beings because we have a body, soul and spirit, 1 Thessalonians 5:23.
Our Body Is Earth Conscious
The body is of the earth and for the earth. We might describe the body as ‘Earth-conscious’, since it is the physical tool or instrument, by means of which a person’s ‘soul’ or ‘self’ by its very nature is invisible and is able to function in a physical world.
Although the Son existed ‘in the beginning with God’, John 1:1-2, it was necessary that ‘the Word’ should ‘become flesh’ and ‘dwell’ or ‘tabernacle’ among us, John 1:14.
The Lord needed a physical body and Paul says without the human form that Jesus took on Himself, it would have been impossible for Him to fulfil the unique purpose for which He came, Philippians 2:6-8. And so, The Word must become flesh.
This was the divine plan, that’s why we find the writer of the letter to the Hebrews, placing the words of the Psalmist from Psalm 40:6-8 into the Lord’s mouth. Notice that the ‘body’ was prepared for ‘me,’ Hebrews 10:5.
In other words, man is more than just a bunch of chemicals. Man is housed in a physical body and since his body is designed for earthly life, at death, the body returns to the earth, Genesis 3:19.
Our Spirit Is God Conscious
If we consider the body to be ‘Earth-conscious’, we may think of the spirit as being ‘God-conscious’. In other words, it’s that part of man’s nature which enables him to reach out to and communicate with God, Job 32:8.
It’s the spiritual dimension in man’s character, and here again, we see the difference between man and other creatures.
It’s only man says who can say, ‘My soul thirsts for God, for the living God’. Psalm 42:2. It’s only man who is encouraged to ‘Seek after Him, in the hope that they might feel after Him and find Him.’ Acts 17:27.
It’s only man who is given the assurance that ‘He is not far from each one of us, for in Him we live and move and have our being.’ Acts 17:27. And as Solomon reminds us at death, ‘The spirit returns to God Who gave it.’ Ecclesiastes 12:7.
Our Soul Is Self-Conscious
The ‘soul’ is man’s unique self. It is the part of his being that, because it is rational and moral, determines the actions performed by his body, and which, therefore, renders him personally accountable for what he does.
And so, it is man’s ‘soul’ which will ultimately be either saved or lost, depending on a person’s response to the offer of the salvation which was made first possible by the coming of the Chris into the world.
The Greeks thought of the soul as the thing that integrates our whole inside. In other words, if something is messed up in our soul, our whole life is messed up.
If we have bitterness or unforgiveness in our soul, it saturates everything in our life. To the Greeks, the soul is the thing that tied heart, mind and strength together.
Loving God with all our soul means to love Him with our entire inner being, Psalm 62:5 / Psalm 103:1. To love God with all my soul means loving God with all I am.
All of my will, all of my attitude, all of my intentions, all of my emotions, all of my thoughts and feelings, and my body. To love God with all your soul is to love God with your entire inner life.
Have you ever asked yourself, why you are here? Why does my life feel empty at times? We all have a God-shaped space within us which can only be filled by Him.
People turn to all kinds of things to fill in that space, drugs, alcohol, affairs, work, etc. But that space can only be filled by God because He is the One who fits perfectly into it.
When we allow ourselves to go beyond just believing that God exists, our soul takes us much farther than our hearts can. Your soul takes you to a solid relationship with the living Lord and of course, loving God with all of our soul, will eventually lead us to heaven.
Loving God with all your soul means evaluating yourself and working to be everything God calls you to be, 2 Corinthians 3:18.
Understanding ourselves and our own special qualities, through the help of others and the Holy Spirit teaches us how to fulfil God’s purpose in our lives.
‘Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with ALL your heart and with ALL your soul and with ALL your strength.’ Deuteronomy 6:4-5
Our love towards God is to be completely directed to God alone and is further indicated by the repetition of the word ‘all’ along with the terms ‘heart,’ ‘soul,’ and ‘strength’ in the same verse.
Sadly, when Israel forgot the Lord, things went from bad to worse, Jeremiah 2:32 / Jeremiah 23:27. God needs to be the total focus of our attention every single day of our lives, John 12:42-43.
How valuable is your soul? Are you prepared for eternity? What’s more important to you, your life or your soul? Your family, your job, your wealth or your soul?
