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  THE SOUL-LIFE
  by Watchman Nee
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Summary: The soul is man's self-consciousness, encompassing all elements
of our personality, and is the key to understanding a person's true
self.

Topics: "The Nature of the Soul", "Understanding Human Identity"
Scripture References: Genesis 12:5, Leviticus 17:11, Psalm 16:10, Proverbs 4:23, Matthew 10:28, Mark 8:36, Luke 12:20, John 10:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Revelation 12:11

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DESCRIPTION
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Watchman Nee explores the concept of the soul as the essence of human
self-consciousness and personality, emphasizing that our intellect,
emotions, and will are all integral parts of the soul. He explains that
the Bible often equates the soul with the heart, suggesting that
understanding a person's soul is key to understanding their true self.
Nee highlights that the soul is not only a reflection of personality but
also encompasses the natural life of man, where the terms 'soul' and
'life' are often used interchangeably in Scripture. This
interconnectedness of soul and life illustrates the depth of human
existence as defined by both spiritual and natural elements. Ultimately,
the sermon calls for a deeper understanding of the soul-life as
foundational to our identity and relationship with God.

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CONTENT
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The soul is man's self-consciousness. We are conscious of our own
existence. This consciousness is the soul. The soul is the organ of our
personality. All of our personality is part of the soul. All of the
elements that constitute us as human beings, our intellect, mind, ideas,
love, sensations, judgments, will, and so forth, are all part of the
soul. Everything that man's personality encompasses belongs to the soul.
The Bible often uses the word heart when referring to our true self. It
may be that in the Bible the heart and the soul mean the same thing. The
soul is our heart, our true self. The Bible often calls man a soul, as
if man is nothing but a soul. For example, Genesis 12:5 uses the word
``souls,'' and there are numerous other scriptural passages that use
soul for man.

This means that the soul is the personality, including all the elements
of the personality. To understand a man, we have to understand his
personality. The existence, characteristics, and life of a man issue
from his soul. This is why the Bible calls a man a soul.

However, in addition to the intellect, love, will, and sensations in the
soul, there is also the life of the soul. This life is man's life, the
natural life of man. In the Bible, many places use the word soul
interchangeably with the word life; many passages translate soul as
life. For example, the word translated life in both Leviticus 17:11 and
Revelation 12:11 is soul in the corresponding original languages. This
is because in the original languages there is no difference between the
words soul and soul-life.

Hence, the various elements contained in the soul are the elements
contained in the soul-life. This soul-life is man's natural life, which
includes the intellect, love, sensations, and so forth.

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/watchman-nee/the-soul-life/
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