soul

“I’m a soul man…”

Did I get you humming? Dallas Willard calls the “soul” the CEO of who we are. My friend Doug calls it the captain of the bridge, using the sailing ship as a model. In these metaphors we can see how it relates to the concept of soul.

In order to run an effective corporation or an effective crew we need a leader through whom all members of the team are drawn together. A biblical understanding of this looks this way.

At conception, God gives us our soul which is the organizational hub of who we are. From what we know of the sciences of genetics and biology, you can say the soul creates the DNA which is crucial for the design of who we are physically. “Body.” The soul is the framework out of which we make decisions (heart), the seat of our thinking and feeling (mind), and is the connector of our relationship with others (social relationships), and with God.

The soul is not a separate entity like a ghost floating around, but it is intimately woven through us and holds all parts of who we are together. Heart, mind, body, and social relationships are all immersed and connected by soul.