The Gospel According to Genesis - Genesis 2 (Part 3)

We’re going to focus on semantics here for a minute

I’m really big on using words correctly…

Especially when we’re dealing with words found in the Scriptures

I’m also really big on questioning our assumptions

We assume a lot of things

And our assumptions can sometimes be wrong

And left unchecked/unquestioned…

Our assumptions can lead us very far down the wrong path of understanding

It’s like taking a hike through the wood

You may assume you’re heading in the right direction

But what if your assumption is wrong…

And you never stop to question if you are headed in the right direction?

You’re going to get yourself very lost

One word in the Scriptures that we all likely have strong assumptions of…

Is found in Genesis 2:7

And if we leave our assumptions of this word unquestioned…

It will cause us to totally misunderstand…

What the Scriptures mean when they use this word

Disclaimer:

I don’t believe anyone’s eternal life hangs in the balance…

Of understanding this word correctly

But, as lovers of God & students of His Scriptures…

We ought to always be striving to learn, grow, & deepen our understanding

Genesis 2:7 NASB95

7 Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

This is the Hebrew OT word “ně·p̄ěš” (nephesh)

In the Greek NT this word is “psychē”

In both the OT & NT…

These are the words that are often translated “soul”

What do we typically mean when we use the word “soul”?

Essentially we use it almost synonymously with “spirit”

Sometimes, but not very often…

“Soul” & “spirit” take on similar meanings

But most of the time, they are distinct

In many cases, “soul” means “life” or “living being”

For instance, when God breathed life into Adam…

What did he become?

He didn’t become a spirit

He became a soul (a living being)

We don’t have souls, necessarily

We are souls

We are living beings

I’ve always been taught that animals don’t have souls

But according to Scripture, animals are souls just like humans

The word for “creatures” in Gen. 1 is the word for “soul”

“Soul” encompasses both body & spirit…

Even though there are times where it is more nuanced than that

When we are told to love God with all our souls…

We are being told to love God with all that we have and are

Love Him with all of our being

Matthew 16:25–26 NASB95

25 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

These are all the same word in Greek

If we are eternally lost & estranged from God…

We aren’t just losing the spiritual part of ourselves

We are losing everything

We are losing our whole life

Nothing is worth losing your life over