The soul is the essence of who we are. When our body finally succumbs to death, the soul shall not be dissolved. It will rise to God or fall to misery, either way awaiting its reunion with our body. Jesus Christ boldly proclaims, “An hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28-29, ESV). Out of the grave will ascend our bodies to be reunited with our souls which preceded them, for even our flesh will endure the unimaginable joy of Heaven or the inconceivable misery of Hell.
Though our physical body may await God’s final pronouncement, our soul is our core, which not for one moment shall be disengaged. Incredibly essential is the care we take of the soul. Though mysteriously invisible, its present status is ever obvious by our demeanor, words, and deeds. One cannot hide his soul’s fundamental bent, for it drives all else. When God breathed into humans the breath of life (Genesis 1:7), He emphatically differentiated us from the animals and made us to walk in solid relationship with Him as we engage the universe He gave to us. Our soul is non-negotiable; it is pinnacle in its importance to our Creator, for by it we walk with God Almighty . . . or we turn and rebel against Him. By it also, we shall give an account of ourselves one day to God (Hebrews 9:27).
The world system presses against the soul. As the current cosmos stands generally in sinful rebellion against the Maker of the soul, we witness a bold disregard for the core of who we are. Tempted to distraction of every sort, the “breath of life” delivered to us straight from God is not only ignored, but viciously attacked. True Christians are not at rest in this world, as we wait the time of Jesus’ Second Coming to turn the universe right again. While we anticipate that Day, God tells us unequivocally, “I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul” (I Peter 2:11, NIV, emphasis mine).
Note those four, unsettling words, “war against your soul.” War. The word conjures up a serious picture in our minds. We ponder the gravity of engaged weaponry, hand-to-hand combat, wounded soldiers, the sobering sound of artillery, leveled communities, grieving families, and death. War. The reality of its effects in the physical realm forces a serious approach to its outcome in the spiritual realm.
Sinful desires wage war against our soul. Seemingly mundane places are actually areas of intense battle. My soul is unseen, and a subtle but brutal conflict goes on in that invisible realm. God makes clear that the sinful desires of my flesh initiate a war zone for the heart of me. Imagine, the comfort of our living room is truly a battleground when our flesh is tempted to watch things our eyes should never see. A simple desk adorned with note pads and pencils becomes a place of onslaught, as our godless passions entice our soul to yield to wasted hours browsing needless sites – when all the while we should be seeking God. A school hallway on a Tuesday afternoon is a place of intense battle, as students’ fleshly desires pull them to yield to wickedness of all sorts. With cell phone to ear or hand, we may be engaged in conflict as the craving to slander or joke coarsely rages.
Our soul is at war. God tells us we must abstain – say “no” – to sinful longings. An unseen battle for life or death is taking place constantly. The man or woman of God must obey the Lord’s command to be aware of the onslaught and fight for the life of our soul. Envision the gory mess of war when our base passions arise to choke the soul. So often Christians quote the well-known verse, Ephesians 6:12 (NIV), “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Do we truly comprehend how real this invisible battle is?
Your soul is at stake, and so is mine. Given by God and indestructible, the soul either relates to God by the redemption that comes through Jesus Christ, or the soul stands opposed to God. Following the death of our bodies, our souls will at some appointed time be reunited with our flesh to either be condemned, or to gloriously engage in eternal relationship with God in the universe He remakes. Fight for the welfare of your soul. On ordinary days, take note of the war, and give it everything you have. Did not Jesus say, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26, NIV)