John 8:31-59
This virus has caused us a great deal of concern about out health and physical condition. We are doing many things to protect ourselves from the coronavirus. We are staying away from each other and wearing masks, gloves, washing and cleaning our hands with solutions that kill germs. We are trying to do the things that the medical people are telling us to do so we can have life. In our culture we are concerned about our physical bodies. Many people run, walk and work out in the gym to keep their bodies in good physical condition. People have cosmetic surgery and wear makeup so we can have nice looking bodies. Even with all we can do for our bodies it still ages and at some point, we die.
God created our physical bodies and God also placed within our bodies what we call souls. The soul gives us the spiritual connection with the God that created all of life. The definitions of ‘soul’ reflect our connect with God. The definition of ‘soul’ also gives us insights into the spiritual needs of humans. These are some of the definitions one can find in a dictionary for ‘soul’. “The principle of life, feeling, thought and action in humans regarding as a distinct entity separate from the body and commonly held to be reparable in existence from the body. The spiritual part of the human as distinct from the physical.”
Here is a second definition for ‘soul’. “The spiritual part of the human regarded in its moral aspect; or as believed to survive death and subject to happiness or misery in a life to come arguing the immortality of the soul.”
Another definition for the ‘soul’ is: “the emotional part of the human nature, the seat of the feelings or sentiments.”
Most of us have some kind of food we call our ‘soul food’. It is a special kind of comfort food. It can be chips, popcorn, cookies, apple sauce, ice cream, and for some, it can be turnip greens, cornbread and black-eyed peas or pintos. It is a food we crave at certain times for snacks or when we are sick. It can be a meal that fills that certain kind of hunger that we have at times in our lives. We know how to feed our physical bodies the food it needs to have strength and health.
Our sin attacks the soul as the virus attacks the body. The virus can cause our bodies to die and sin can rob our soul of life. What are we doing to feed our soul that gives the soul health and life? We can see the sickness of the soul in our lives that contain unforgiven sins. We see the misery and experience the misery that sin causes our soul. How do we identify sin? Anything that the scriptures calls a sin is a sin. Jesus said that sin defiles our soul. He said murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying and slander defile our soul. In our undisciplined lives we are doing many things that are robbing us of a healthy soul. The drug abuse effects the user and the unborn children of drug abusers with physical problems, learning disabilities and emotional troubles. Abortions leave a scar on the soul. Ninety-eight percent of abortions comes out of an undisciplined life of people. Sin leaves us with many fears and a lot of anger.
How can we have a healthy soul? Our sin scarred souls need healing by repentance from sin and our asking for the love, grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ to heal our sin sick and wounded souls. This is the only cure for sin. Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings and you will know the truth and truth will set you free.”
In the freedom that Jesus gives us, we can experience the true joy of life that comes out of faith in Christ. “I tell you the truth everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the son sets you free, you are truly free. Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham. And yet some of you are trying to kill me because there’s no room in your hearts for my message. I am telling you what I saw when I was with my father. But you are following the advice of your father.”
When we have not repented and sought God’s forgiveness, Jesus tells us whose children we have chosen to be. “For you are the children of your father the devil and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character for he is a liar and father of lies. So when I tell the truth you just naturally don’t believe me! Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin? And since I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me? Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God, but you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God.”
Who do you belong to and who do you listen to on the things of truth and faith? Our soul is in trouble because we have listened to the teachings of universalism that tells us we can live and believe anything we want and live any kind of life for we are all going to heaven. We have listened to phony religious professors, phony minister, phony Bishops and a phony media that produces a sin sick people. This has produced a phony so-called church. It is a phony church when we don’t accept Jesus as our Savior.
The only way we can say it is well with my soul is to say it through faith in the living Christ. The hymn writer of “It is Well With my Soul” tells us how to have the true joy of faith that gives us living happiness in our soul. “My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul. It is well with my soul. It is well. It is well with my soul.”
If you have a troubled soul today, come and meet the Jesus that wants you to know His love. All of our sins, He will nail to His cross and heal our broken soul. This is the only source that changes the life of a lost soul. We are all lost until we accept for ourselves, by the power of faith, the forgiveness of Jesus. How is it with your soul today?
