God’s Design for Humans – Mind, Body, and Spirit

As we continue our quest for health and wholeness greater than we’ve had before, we have to uncover God’s design for us as humans. God created each of us – spirit, soul (mind, will, and emotions), and body. When we become believers, receiving Christ as our personal Savior, our relationship with God changes because the Holy Spirit lives in us. 

In Genesis 2:7 we read, “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” God created us with three parts - God formed the body from the “dust of the ground,” then the “living being” which is the soul (our mind, will, and emotions), and the spirit that is the “breath of life.” The Hebrew word translated as “breath” is neshemah which means “spirit.” 

In Proverbs 20:27, we see the word again – our spirit, breathed into us when we were created, as the deepest part of our humanity. In 1 Corinthians 2:11, we learn our spirit invigorates us, affecting our mental and emotional well-being, and giving us the capacity to love, create, communicate, and serve God.  

Our soul (mind, will, and emotions) is unique and distinct from our spirit. While on earth, we exist as souls with an earthly body and a human spirit, yet our souls are eternal, central to our personhood. Our minds, along with our will and our emotions, make up our souls and are crucial aspects in our overall wellness. 

We are reminded in Romans 12:2 to “renew our minds” which means to continually reassess our point  of view and look at the world from God’s perspective. We are instructed to see all of life including the difficulties, challenges, health issues, etc. through God’s eyes so we can harness the good He has for us and find health and wholeness in Him. I’m praying you can do just that this week!