Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
The Regeneration of the Soul

The Regeneration of the Soul

Last updated on: October 27, 2018 at 12:10 pm by Rev. Jared V. Ingle

The Regeneration of the Soul 2018-10-27T12:10:00-04:00 Rev. Jared V. Ingle

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I always feel that it is too artificial to try to dissect the human person, as if the interior life is so easily divided.[1] Even if there are distinct inward parts of the psyche (body, soul, spirit, etc.), do we all really agree on what they are?

On the other hand, there are Biblical terms that cannot be ignored. To gain a better understanding of humanity, it may be helpful to explore the use of these terms in isolation, even if they are much more difficult to separate in reality.

What is the soul? To attempt to answer this question, I’m drawing from both fields of Psychology and Theology. Psychology is the study of the soul, psyche being the ancient Greek word for soul.

i. Adam: Soul

Living Soul

The breath (or spirit) existed in Adam before the soul. Because of the spirit’s existence, “man became a living soul” (Genesis 2.7). One commentary called the Targum refers to the living soul as, “‘a speaking spirit;’ viz. a personality endowed with the faculty of thinking and expressing his thoughts in speech.”[2] Larry Crabb agrees, but adds, “the Bible uses various words to describe the personal character of who I am such as soul, mind, heart, and will.”[3]

Affect

Adam is capable of receiving stimuli through the senses, and processing that into emotional experiences in the soul. The first hint of this is in the use of the word Eden to describe the garden. “The Hebrew word means ‘delight.’”[4] Adam and Eve experience pleasure from their environment. Furthermore, Genesis 2.9 states, “And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food.” Although the trees and food are external stimuli, they are catalysts for internal emotions.

Cognition

Adam exhibits cognitive functioning in his abilities to process emotions, to produce behavior, to hear the word of God, to speak and name the animals, and to dress and keep the garden. These are activities, occurring in the brain, and guided by the soul.

ii. Adam’s Fall: from a Living to a Condemned Soul

In Genesis 3.4, the serpent lies to Eve, “Ye shall not surely die.” He also deceives her into believing that she is less than she could be. “We all have a rather predictable tendency to deceive ourselves and others, and often attempt to deceive our Creator.”[5]

After the soul is deceived and the sin is committed, the couple flees from God’s presence out of fear (Genesis 3.10). “Human anxiety relates to the fact that people are in a state of condemnation.”[6]

The only way to overcome condemnation and the soul’s fear of God is through a blood sacrifice (Hebrews 9.22). In Genesis 3.15, the Messiah’s sacrifice is predicted. In Genesis 3.21, the first blood sacrifice occurs when God kills an animal to cover the couple’s nakedness.

iii. The 2nd Adam: from a Condemned to a Regenerated Soul

“For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26.28). The blood is the cleansing agent, which brings the soul back into alignment with God. Where the fear of God separated man, the blood of Christ unifies man with God.

“Union with God is a theme of Scripture, but nowhere are we taught that we cease being ourselves in the process of this union.”[7] At salvation the self or soul is regenerated, and man is capable of becoming all that our Father intended him to be.

Embed from Getty Images

MoMo Productions | Father & Children Breakfast | Getty

John Ingram points out that, “Christians violate reality when they act ‘as if’ they are still guilty, and subject to the power of sin.”[8] Christian counselors and ministers have the unique capability of being instruments in the hand of God to help free others from undue guilt, shame, and condemnation. We assist others as they process the redemptive work of God.

Questions to Consider:

1) How does your church teach the salvation process? For instance, there may be different opinions as to how/when regeneration occurs, but I think we all agree that it needs to occur. Your congregation may even subscribe to a particular ordo salutis, order of salvation.

2) Why is it important to develop an understanding of how God originally made us, what the Fall took away, and what the blood of Jesus restores? If we develop this understanding, how does this help us to share our faith?

3) What do you think of the minor concept in this piece – that through salvation the Father once again enables man to be all he was intended to be? Do you think we sometimes live below God’s hopes for us? What would it be like to be fully alive or fully human?

Footnotes:

[1] Jared V. Ingle, “Nine Biblical Factors of Personality, Abnormality, and Change in the Creation Account,” (paper presented in Interpersonal Techniques in Helping Relationships, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, Springfield, MO, December 9, 2003).

Toward a Biblical Concept of Personality

On Holism, Holiness, and Wholeness

The Image, the Body, and Renewal

On the Mystery of Spirit and Salvation

[2] J.H. Hertz, The Pentateuch and Haftorahs, 2nd ed. (London: Soncino Press, 1960), 7.
Amazon: Pentateuch and Haftorahs [3] Larry Crabb, The Marriage Builder: A Blueprint for Couples and Counselors (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 27.
Amazon: The Marriage Builder [4] Hertz, 7. [5] Stanton Jones and Richard Butman, Modern Psychotherapies: A Comprehensive Christian Appraisal (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1991), 50.
Amazon: Modern Psychotherapies [6] John D. Carter and S. Bruce Narramore, The Integration of Psychology and Theology: An Introduction (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1979), 59.
Amazon: Integration of Psychology and Theology [7] Jones and Butman, 43. [8] John A. Ingram, “Psychological Aspects of the Filling of the Holy Spirit: A Preliminary Model of Post-Redemptive Personality Functioning,” Journal of Psychology and Theology 24, no. 2 (1996), 110.

Theology & Psychology

integration

The Writings

Theology

Previous Post

October 24, 2018

Killing vs. Counteracting Sin: Meditation and Other Practices

Next Post

October 30, 2018 Participating in God's Will

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Communion Cruz Ingle Crystal Ingle Early Church Engaging Culture Ethics & Society Family Formation History In Dialogue Jared & Crystal Kingdom of God Majority World Church Mateo Ingle Messenger College Mission Narrative Pentecostal Church of God Prayer Shepherding The Sermon The Writings Theology Theology & Psychology Traverse City Uncategorized Vernell Ingle Word Study

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 May 2017 March 2017 March 2014 February 2013 January 2013 October 2012 July 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 August 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What year did the Great Schism occur, splitting the Eastern and Western churches?

Select your answer to see how you score.

1054 AD 500 AD 325 AD 1517 AD