Part 3 of 6
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What About
the Metaphysical – The Unseen Non-Physical Part Of Man?
If
you were to ask the psychologist about man, he might say that besides a body,
you have a more inward, hidden, composition. Man has a mind - a
consciousness, and a thinking organ. Man also has emotions –
the faculty of an inner feeling sense, capable of loving, hating, being
depressed, and elated. He might also point out that man has a will,
a faculty for choosing, judging, deciding, and making decisions.
The
psychologist would in this way describe man as more than a mere physical
being, as a psychological being also. In short, man is a living, thinking,
feeling, and willing entity. He is not mere animated dust, but a real live
person; with each person having a uniquely distinctive personality.
This, the psychologist would say is you. Your real
self, he would explain, is your inner-self, your hidden psychological
self, while your body is just the outward shell of your being. Scripture
confirms this much about the soul of man. 1 Cor. 15:45s
…The first man Adam was made a living soul; … Genesis 2:7
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life (spirit); and man became a living soul.
According
to the meaning of the word, this psychological part is the soul of man.
“Psyche” comes from the Greek transliteration, “psuche,”
then translated in the Bible as “soul.” Psychology is the study of
the soul. Each individual’s unique faculties of the soul, his mind,
emotions, and will, comprise his inward person, his personality.
The
last two centuries of human history have seen the spectacular rise of the
soul’s powers. The great minds of men have contributed an abundance
of thought and discovery. The great minds and wills of men have
produced an abundance of decisive action in government and culture. Without
doubt the soul has soared to its zenith in recent history – yet in spite of
man’s great accomplishments, the sense of inner emptiness remains.
This is evidenced as we note the number of unhappy people, the suicides, the
addicted and the divorced.
We
can conquer the moon, work with nanotechnology, and investigate the genome of
man, but still, deep within every man’s self, there remains some yet
uncharted territory. In all this the capacity of man’s soul is inadequate to
satisfy man; his highest thoughts are soon forgotten, his deepest
emotions quickly fade, his most adamant determination of will falters.
Within the soul of man, the search for a key to the mystery of man ends in
frustration.
In
order to fathom the mystery of man, we must go beyond the physical realm, and
also beyond the psychological realm, to find the missing key to man.