Soul and Man’s Self

Inasmuch as we have seen how soul is the site of our personality, the organ of volition and the natural life, we can easily conclude that this soul is also the “real I”—I myself. Our self is the soul. This too can be demonstrated by the Bible. In Numbers 30, the phrase “bind himself” occurs ten times. In the original it is “bind his soul.” From this we are led to understand that the soul is our own self. In many other passages of the Bible we find the word “soul” is translated as “self.” For instance: “You shall not defile yourselves with them” Lev. 11.43
“You shall not defile yourselves” Lev. 11.44
“For themselves and for their descendants” Esther 9.31
“You who tear yourself in your anger” Job 18.4
“He justified himself” Job 32.2
“But themselves go into captivity” Is. 46.2
“What every one (original, “every soul”) must eat, that only may be prepared by you” Ex. 12.16
“Who kills any person (original, “kill any soul”) without intent” Num. 35.11,15
“Let me (original, “let my soul”) die the death of the righteous” Num. 23.10
“When any one (original, “any soul”) brings a cereal offering” Lev. 2.1
“I have . . . quieted myself” Ps. 131.2 AV
“Think not that in the king’s palace you (original, “soul”) will escape” Esther 4.13
“The Lord God has sworn by himself (original, “sworn by his soul”)” Amos 6.8
These Scriptures from the Old Testament inform us in various ways how the soul is man’s own self.
The New Testament conveys the same impression. “Souls” is the original rendering for “eight persons” in 1 Peter 3.20 and for “two hundred and seventy-six persons” in Acts 27.37. The phrase in Romans 2.9 translated today as “every human being who does evil” is given in the original as “every soul of man that works evil.” Hence, to warn the soul of a man who works evil is to warn the evil man. In James 5.20, saving a soul is considered to be saving a sinner. And Luke 12.19 treats the rich fool’s speaking words of comfort to his soul as speaking to himself. It is therefore clear that the Bible as a whole views man’s soul or soul life as the man himself.
A confirmation of this can be found in the words of our Lord Jesus, given in two different Gospels. Matthew 16.26 reads: “For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life (psvche)? Or what shall a man give in return for his life (psvche)?” Whereas Luke 9.25 renders it: “For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself (eautov) ?” Both Gospel writers record the same thing; yet one uses “life” (or “soul”) while the other uses “himself.” This signifies that the Holy Spirit is using Matthew to explain the meaning of “himself” in Luke and Luke the meaning of “life” in Matthew. Man’s soul or life is the man himself, and vice versa.
Such a study enables us to conclude that, to be a man, we must share what is included in man’s soul. Every natural man possesses this element and whatever it includes, for the soul is the common life shared by all natural men. Before regeneration, whatever is included in life—be it self, life, strength, power, choice, thought, opinion, love, feeling—pertains to the soul. In other words, soul life is the life a man inherits at birth. All that this life possesses and all that it may become are in the realm of the soul. If we distinctly recognize what is soulical it will then be easier for us later on to recognize what is spiritual. It will be possible to divide the spiritual from the soulish.