Man’s memory or mind, from previous experience and stored information, also testifies to the rightness or wrongness of man’s decisions in the heart, but the conscience is a definite separate function of the spirit judging, as Paul testifies, not only the decisions of the heart, but the reasonings of the mind as well.

Man’s Purpose is revealed by God through the gifts and manifestations of the Holy Spirit through man's spirit. Jesus said and the Apostle Paul wrote:

"But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom¹⁰⁵ through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge¹⁰⁶ according to the same Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:7-8)

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." (John 14:26)

"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come." (John 16:13)

The Communion of Man’s Spirit is his ability to communicate with and have relationship with God. Only a born again Christian whose spirit has been made alive and who has the life of God in the person of Jesus Christ living in him has this ability. The only way God can communicate with man is through man’s spirit. This is because God is Spirit. Jesus said and the Apostle Paul wrote,

"But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:23-24)

"But just as it is written, ‘Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.’ For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God." (1 Corinthians 2:9-10)

This is also why a man without God has no ability to communicate with or have relationship with God. It is because his spirit is dead. Therefore, there is no means for God to communicate directly to the person through his spirit. Paul writes about the unregenerate man,

"This I say therefore, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God." (Eph 4:17-18)

Residents of Hell, by their own choice, are unable to commune with or know God in any capacity; nor is God able to commune with or know them. This is because God is spirit and residents of Hell are completely devoid of spirit, having no means of communicating with God or knowing God through their spirits.

Man’s Soul is the means by which he has self-consciousness. Second, it is the medium between the spirit and the body. Third, it is what man becomes and manifests through his physical body in personality, vocation, and lifestyle as a result of heart response to, one, what he has learned through his mind body, conscience, and emotions; two, through what he has received from God through his spirit; and three, as a result of those abilities and talents God has chosen to give him individually.¹¹⁹

This is the reason for the resurrection: so man can continue to give expression of his soul-life through his body. In Hell one continues to have self-consciousness and awareness of his or her surroundings, but opportunity to give expression of that soul-life is forever ceased which is what is meant by the destruction of the soul: no means to develop or give expression of the soul-life.

"Then Yehovah Elohim formed⁶⁹ Adam of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath⁷¹ of lives⁷²; and Adam became a living⁷³ soul⁷⁴."

"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit⁷⁶ and soul⁷⁷ and body⁷⁹ be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thess 5:23)

The whole view of the bible is that the life of man is his soul and that the soul itself is man himself. The two passages in the Bible Matthew 16:26 and Luke 9:25 makes this plain. Watchman Nee, in his book The Spiritual Man, comments concerning these two passages:

"This signifies that the Holy Spirit is using Matthew to explain the meaning of ‘himself’ in Luke and Luke the meaning of ‘soul’ in Matthew. Man’s soul is the man himself, and vice versa."^120/41

The soul is the essence of man himself, the medium between his spirit and body. The spirit has no access to the body except through the soul and then only with the soul’s initiated cooperation. In the same way, the body has no access to the spirit. This is talked about more fully in Chapter 8 of this Section titled, "Jesus’ Full Salvation for Man." Man’s soul is also the means by which man carries out God’s will and plan for his life. Jesus reveals his will for our lives though our spirits. The soul then decides whether it will carry it out through the body or not.

The Old Testament states that man’s soul is in his blood:

"For the soul of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the soul that makes atonement. Therefore I said to the sons of Israel, ‘No person among you may eat blood, nor may any alien who sojourns among you eat blood.’ So when any man from the sons of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, in hunting catches a beast or a bird which may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth. For as for the soul of all flesh, its blood is identified with its soul. Therefore I said to the sons of Israel, ‘You are not to eat the blood of any flesh, for the soul of all flesh is its blood; whoever eats it shall be cut off." (Lev 17:11-14)

Blood flowing through man’s veins represents that he is physically alive. As long as we are physically alive and the blood is flowing, the potential of the full development of our souls, as Jesus intended, has the potential of being realized. But if murdered or our blood is shed (Gen 9:4-6) the potential of what we could have become and accomplished in Christ is destroyed. Jesus shed his blood, gave up his earthly soul-life, so that our souls might be saved.

Sin takes place in the soul. Watchman Nee writes,

"We should carefully note that the soul is where man expresses his free will and exerts his own mastery. The Bible therefore often records that it is the soul which sins. For example, Micah 6:7 says, ‘the sin of my soul.’ Ezekiel 18:4, 20 reads, ‘the soul that sins.’ And in the books of Leviticus and Numbers mention frequently is made that the soul sins. Why? Because it is the soul which chooses to sin."^120/48-49

Because it is the soul that sins, therefore it is the soul that needs to be atoned for. Moses wrote,

"You give the heave-offering of Yehovah to make atonement for your souls." (Exodus 30:15)

"For the soul of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul." (See also Numbers 31:50).

Isaiah 53:10-12 tells us that Jesus poured out His Soul, shed His blood, to redeem our souls.

Sin also destroys the potential of the soul. This is why the writer of Proverbs states "He who commits adultery with a woman is lacking heart; he who would destroy his soul does it." (Prov 6:32). It takes discipline and self-control over one’s emotions and lusts to develop his soul-potential. Sin weakens the will (Heart) resulting in lack of discipline and self-control and thus frustrating the soul-potential or destroying it all together.

Jesus, in talking about the soul, said,