Love God With All Your Soul
Introduction
Jesus was asked a question about the most important command. In Mark’s Gospel he said, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’” (Mark 12:29–30 NLT). Last week, we talked about loving God with all of our hearts. But what does it mean to love God with all your Soul?
We talk about heart, soul, mind, and strength, each word adds a layer to the main command: Love God. It could be a mistake to treat each one in its own sermon! Many authors believe these elements overlap and basically say the same thing: Love God with everything you have. I agree, but I also see some shades of difference, and we will explore that together.
Many authors have had a hard time defining the word “Soul,” even though it is a common word in the Bible. Today I want us to explore for a moment what the Bible means when it uses the word “Soul”. Then I want us to think about what it means to love God with all of our soul.
1. WHAT IS THE SOUL?
The Biblical Words
- The Hebrew word is nephesh — used over 750 times. Can mean life, person, self, or being.
- The Greek word is psyche — the root of “psychology.” Often translated life, mind, or soul.
Scripture uses “soul” and “spirit” somewhat interchangeably … The word “soul” seems to stand for the entire nonphysical part of man. (Grudem).
Shelly: “Soul” refers to the ego, personality, and likeness [reason, emotion, social nature] to God. ?
Ogden: “We do not have souls; we are souls.” Though you might talk to yourself sometimes - or even argue - and even win the argument - you are still just one person. The soul integrates body, mind, and spirit into one person — the distinct self that God made.
Dallas Willard: “You’re a soul made by God, made for God, and made to need God….The soul is the life center of human beings.”
2. FIVE SOUL TRUTHS
Our soul comes from God. God Breathed Life Into Adam. Genesis 2:7 — “The Lord God formed the man from dust… and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (nephesh).” Our soul is God’s breath in us — His life animating ours.
We can lose our souls. In Mark 8:34-36 Jesus warns that gaining the world means nothing if you lose your soul.
When we live life without God, the Bible calls this being “lost”. When we say YES to Jesus, we are “saved”.
We experience a battle over our souls. 1 Peter 2:11 warns us, “keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.” Our own desires and the Enemy’s work keep us alert to danger and draw us to practices of discipleship.
Our soul exists longer than our bodies. Jesus told the dying thief, “Today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). They would both die in the body, but exist together in paradise.
We love the Lord with all our soul by dedicating the totality of who we are to have victory in this war.
3. HOW CAN WE LOVE GOD WITH ALL OUR SOUL?
-Give Your Full Attention and Devotion to God! Psalm 103:1(NET) “Praise the Lord, O my soul. With all that is within me, praise his holy name.” Psalm 42:1-2 (NLT) “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him?” Our souls thirst for what only God can give — Himself. Without God, what would we be? Loving God with all your soul begins with hunger and thirst for His presence. John 7:37-38 (NLT) “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”
-Seek to Know Him More Deeply. Jeremiah 2:13 “For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me —the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!” Our leaky cisterns include everything that we believe will bring us joy - but is not from God. Psalm 16:11 “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.”
C. S. Lewis “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by an offer of a holiday at sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
The more we know Him, the greater our relationship with Him.
-Relate to Him as your Father. Ogden reflects on the baptism of Jesus: “I can imagine many things that the Father could have said to his Son right then, knowing the hardship that awaited him along the way and his ultimate rendezvous with the cross. There could have been a little coaching talk: “Go get ‘em Son. I am with you all the way.” Or a word of admonition: “Don’t let those so and so’s get you down.” But of all the things that the Father could have said to the Son, he told him simply the place that he has in his heart: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11). When we love God with all of our Soul, we experience a relationship with the Father. 1 John 3:1 (ESV) “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are."
-Keep Growing in Love. Let God’s love for you move you draw closer to Him. Ask God to help you grow in love. 2 Thessalonians 3:5 "May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God … Pray and grow when He answers Psalm 116:1–2 “I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!” Keep Obeying His Word. 1 John 2:5 “But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him.
Conclusion
To love God with all your soul is to love Him with your whole self — your will, desires, emotions, and identity.
To love God with all your soul is to live in complete dependence on the One who gave it —To give Him your full attention and devotion, to Seek to know him more deeply, Relate to Him as your Father, and to keep growing in love throughout your life.
“The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’” (Mark 12:29–30 NLT)
_________________________
To watch videos of sermons from Forsythe Church of Christ:
https://www.youtube.com/ForsytheChurchofChrist
Our church website is http://facoc.org
Forsythe Amazon Wish List
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3T2VA3IW7IRDB
To receive sermon notes in your email inbox, subscribe here:
https://forsythesermons.substack.com/
To receive John Dobbs’ newsletter with photographs, books, Christian thoughts, and miscellany, Subscribe Here:
https://johndobbs.substack.com
John Dobbs is the author of several books. Find them on Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/John-E.-Dobbs/author/B0CZLPDWHL
___________________
Discussion Questions
1. “You’re a soul made by God, made for God, and made to need God.” -Dallas Willard. In what ways does that help you understand the idea of a soul?
2. In what ways does our culture separate the “spiritual” from the “everyday” parts of life? How might understanding that we are souls (not just have souls) change how we view ourselves and others?
3. If God personally breathed life into us, what does that say about how He views each human soul? What might change in our relationships if we truly saw every person as a living soul created by God?
4. Jesus said the soul is worth more than the whole world. What are some “worldly things” people chase that can’t compare to the value of the soul? (Mark 8:36-37)
5. How would our priorities shift if we really believed the soul is eternal?
6. What are today’s “worldly desires” that wage war against our souls? What are the signs of a soul that is being restored and healed?
7. What does it look like to “thirst for God” in practical, daily ways? Why do you think we keep turning to “leaky cisterns” for satisfaction?
8. How does knowing God as Father bring security to your soul?
9. In what ways can worship, Scripture, or community strengthen your soul?
10. What else did you want to talk about in regard to this lesson?
Resources?
Quak, Allan. Sermon series: All in Love. https://sermoncentral.com/sermon-series/all-in-love-sermon-series-from-allan-quak-21761
Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Zondervan, 1994.
Jackson, Wayne. He Restores My Soul. https://christiancourier.com/articles/he-restores-my-soul
Jackson, Wayne. Soul and Spirit: What’s the Difference? https://christiancourier.com/articles/soul-and-spirit-whats-the-difference
Ogden, Greg. The Essential Commandment: A Disciples Gudie to Lving God and Others. InterVarsity Press, 2011.
Ortberg, John. Soul Keeping: Caring for the Most Important Part of You. Zondervan, 2014.
Shelly, Rubel. Heaven: Why It May Not Be What You Have Always Heard, 2025.
