What is a Soul? PART ONE

Rev. Tina Marino
May 02, 2003

To understand what is a soul, we must understand a few things first! I will start with what I call Triune Analogies.

Triangles are unique, aren't they? They are symbols of balance. Picture the great pyramids, the most famous of triangles! What do they represent to you? To me they stand for solidity, strength, endurance and support. Triangles are made up of three parts that all support each other. The number three stands for that which is solid, substantial, complete and entire. Is that not what we all want to have in our own lives? Balance, completeness, wholeness. The first 'triangle' I'm going to talk about here is:

The Holy Trinity

In Christianity it is believed there are three parts to God - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. When Jesus came to earth and died for our sins, He then rose again and ascended into heaven where He now sits at the right hand of the Father (Colossians 3:1). When He left earth, He told His disciples that it was indeed better for them that He was going away, as the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, the third part of the Holy Trinity, was going to come and stay with them (John 16:7). That means that God the Holy Spirit is here now on the earth! 1 Corinthians 6:19 says that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit; that means that He lives IN us! If you really could comprehend that God, God Himself, resides inside of you, can you imagine the transformation that would take place in your life?

Several years ago, the Lord gave me a vision. It was during a time of worship at a church service. I was kneeling in awe of the presence of God; my eyes were closed. All of a sudden, I was transported to the throne room! The majesty was indescribable. The spirit was sweet. Glory was all around. I knew God the Father was sitting on the throne; He was incredibly large, just a huge presence. Sitting on His right side was God the Son. He looked so kind, so full of compassion. As I knelt before Them, I said to the Father: "What am I seeing, God?" I saw His left hand extend out to me. I reached out and hesitantly grabbed onto it with my right hand. Then God the Son, Jesus, stood up and with His right hand, He reached and took my left hand. We three now formed a Triangle! God the Father answered me: "We are a Triune Being. We have covenant together!" It was beyond words! I was a bit bewildered, though, and asked "But where is the Holy Spirit?" God the Son replied: "He is in you!"

To say I was overwhelmed would be an understatement. The Truth was now clear, if I had ever questioned it, which I did! God cares enough about me to take up residence in me! I realized, at that very moment, that if God the Holy Spirit is in me then I have access to everything I could possibly need for walking in abundance and authority in this life! Wow! I cannot possibly count the number of times I have since gone back to that vision for strength, peace and affirmation of my right standing with God.

For those who do not know what "covenant" means, let me explain this powerful concept to you. Civilized countries have a harder time grasping the true definition of covenant than third world countries because they have boiled covenant down to legal agreements put in place on paper by attorneys, and, sad to say, can be broken very easily. A true covenant is an exchange between two people and is based on their word and cannot be broken.

A story will help illustrate. A missionary to Africa met up with a revered tribal leader. The tribal village was in a state of lack. The missionary had a goat, which the tribal leader wanted so the villagers could be nourished by its milk. The tribal leader entered covenant with the missionary. In all true covenants, a symbol is given to represent the covenant. The tribal leader gave the missionary his staff in exchange for the goat. Now, the missionary at first did not think this was too balanced a deal - a wooden stick for a valuable goat! However, when the missionary was later attacked, his violators saw the staff. They recognized it as an instrument of power and authority and they instantly stopped their attack! The missionary then realized the value of the covenant he had entered into with that tribal leader - and greatly appreciated it!

The covenant that was spoken about in my holy vision that night was the New Covenant we have as Christians. It speaks of the Great Exchange! In exchange for my believing and trusting in Him, He bore my sins, sickness, and grief's and paid the price for them all, so I didn't have to. If that wasn't enough, He also chose to dwell inside of me and to give me power - the same power that rose Jesus from the dead! (Romans 8:11) He has given me the ability to have all good things that pertain to godliness and success in this lifetime.

What a covenant! What a bargain! Do you not agree that God sure got the short end of the stick in this deal?

Do you understand, friend, how important it is to grasp that we are indeed in a Triune relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit? I don’t know about you, but just knowing this revs my engine! It empowers me to go on in grace, hope and excitement for life! We are part of a divine triangle of balance, power and glory - the Holy Trinity.

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