This is a trimmed down version of of my work on soul life ....
Although I rarely discuss the subject of when life begins biblically, for the simple reason that I don’t wish to lend any credence to the pro-choice movement. I believe abortion is morally wrong and it cheapens life to every degree…but biblically I have to stand with the truths of when life begins….This is a very controversial and emotional issue, but neither emotions nor someones belief override truth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. {Nepesh chai}
Soul is what gives the body life, vitality.... it's our breath life.
The natural man {the five senses man} is comprised of “body” and “soul”. The spiritual man who is born again is comprised of “body” “soul” and “spirit”
Both man, as well as animals, have soul life. In fact, soul life was first created in animals.
Genesis 1
:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
:30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
The words life in these two verses, are the Hebrew word nephesh = soul
:21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good
:24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
The word create in verse 21 is the Hebrew word ruach.... To create, is to bring into existence or make something out of nothing...Only God can create. And once God creates something He need not create it again ....He just speaks it into existence.
The word creature is the Hebrew word nephesh = soul
The word living is the Hebrew word chai meaning “moving” or “moving life”. Nephesh
chai is always used biblically as living life or living soul.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Where is the soul?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Leviticus 17:11 states “the life of the flesh is in the blood”...
The word life in Leviticus 17:11 is the same word for soul {nephesh}
Going back to basic Biology:
Oxygen is delivered throughout the body by means of about 2 billion red blood cells ….actually it is the hemoglobin molecules from the red cells that deliver the oxygen to the individual cells in the body tissue. The bloodstream also picks up CO2 from the body and returns it to the lunges to be exhaled.
What happens when we die? The heart, which pumps the blood, which delivers the oxygen to the brain …… stops….. soul life ceases in that particular person…. but is carried on through prodigy. But if there is no offspring, the soul is gone when that person dies; there is nothing immortal about the soul.
The life of the soul {flesh} is in the blood …….
In Genesis 2:7 where The Lord God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul.
Simply stated…. life begins with breath life ….and the converse to that is… life ends when we take our last breath.
The same soul life that God created in Genesis 1:21, is the same soul life that God breathed into Adam, which made Adam a living soul….It is also the same soul life that continues in mankind today.
*God formed man of the dust of the ground = body.
The Hebrew word for formed is the word yatsar. = to be fashioned out of something that was already in existence.
*He breathed in man the breath of life and man was made a living soul
The word made is the Hebrew word asah = A substance required of which the thing made consisted.
*He created in man spirit so man could communicate with God.
God created man in his own image... God is spirit, and spirit has no form, no flesh or bones. This made it possible for man to communicate with God by way of what God is ……….spirit. This spirit was ultimately lost with the fall of man...and regained with the availability of the new birth through the accomplishments of Christ.
Formed, made, and created = Body, soul, and spirit.
In Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
The words breathed into his nostrils is the figure of speech anthropopatheia or condescension. This figure is used of the ascription of human passions, actions, or attributes to God.
Of the 219 known figures of speech 212 are used throughout the Word of God. (E.W.Bullinger)