Christian Article, Christian Doctrine & Lifestyle

Understanding the 3 Wills of Man: Conscience – Reason – Appetite

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Understanding the 3 Wills of Man:

Conscience – Reason – Appetite


profile of a man with gears and a light bulb

Man is a tripartite creature made up of Spirit, Soul and Body.
The bible also teaches us that the soul and the mind are one and the same thing.
The word “soul” in Genesis chapter two is translated from the Hebrew Nephesh” and means “mind or mental creature.” So, when we speak about the soul of man we are speaking about his mind.
Even the New Testament word for “soul” is translated from the Greek word “psuche” (pronounced psoo-khay) from which we get the words “psychic”, psychosis, psychotic, psychology, all referring to our mind or mental processes.
So, there’s nothing mysterious about your soul – It’s your mind, plain and simple!
Your soul or mind consists of your emotions, your intellect and your will.
What many don’t know is that every other part of you has a will of its own and a voice to express that will.


The Voices


Your spirit, your soul and your body each has a voice to express it’s individual will.
The voice of your spirit is your conscience… Conscience tells you what is right and wrong.
The voice of your soul is reason… Reason tells you what makes sense and what doesn’t.
The voice of your body is your appetite… Appetite tells you what feels good and what doesn’t.


Conscience differentiates between right and wrong.
Reason differentiates between sense and nonsense.
Appetite differentiates between pleasure and pain.


For instance, every workday when your spirit tells your body to get up out of that nice warm, comfortable bed, go shower, get dressed and get to work, what does your body say?
Your body actually speaks to your spirit and expresses its will, doesn’t it?
The will of your body is to stay right where it is and not move one muscle, right?
In this illustration, when your spirit says, “get up and go to work” it is stating what it knows to be right!
This is a workday and we are expected to be on the job, we have a moral responsibility to be present at our place of work, this is the right thing to do.
In this scenario your mind or soul usually agrees with your spirit saying, we should get up and go to work because we have bills to pay and we need that salary at the end of the month.
So, it makes sense for us to get up and go to work!
But your body usually disagrees with your spirit and soul and declares: I’m staying in bed and sleeping for the next few hours because that feels good!
Therefore, your spirit and soul may have to gang up on your body and force him out of bed… is this not true?
Yes, I know there are those of us who have disciplined ourselves to the point where this is not a problem anymore but I’m referring to the average person.
In any given situation, your spirit, your soul and your body usually have something to say, and it is not uncommon to find them alternately opposing and agreeing with each other depending on the situation.


Which Voice Are You Listening To?


You must understand that when you become born again your spirit is divinely connected, perfectly transformed and always in agreement with the will of God.
So, the will of your born again spirit is the will of God… But not necessarily the will of your body and soul. 
So it makes sense that the amount of times your body and soul agree with your born again spirit determines how successful you become in life.
The fact remains that each part of you has a will of its own; your spirit, your soul and your body… and a voice to express that will; your conscience, your reason and your appetite. Selah.

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