In Mark 12:29-31 (KJV) Jesus told us that the greatest commandments are: love God with our entire being and love our neighbor as we love ourselves. He quoted these from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (KJV) and Leviticus 19:18(KJV) respectively.
"And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." (Mark)
Get this, Jesus reveals something very interesting in this scripture about what a human being is when He said we must love God with our entire Heart, Soul, Mind and Strength. Is man a four-fold being? Let us examine the scripture.
The Greek word translated ‘Heart’ is KARDIA, pronounced kär-dē'-ä. It refers to the core of man or the middle, central or innermost being. It comprises both the vigor and sense of the physical life (Luke 21:34; Acts 14:17) as well as the center and seat of the spiritual life (Romans 10:9; Galatians 4:6). I believe this is where the struggle between the sin nature and the mind of the Spirit occurs (Romans 7:22-23).
The Greek word translated ‘Soul’ is PSYCHE, pronounced psü-khā'. It consists of the feelings, desires, affections and aversions and is listed in numerous scriptures synonymous with these (for example, Luke 2:35; II Peter 2:8; III John 2). It is also referred to as breath or the vital force which animates the body (Acts 20:10).
The Greek word translated ‘Mind’ is DIANOIA, pronounced dē-ä'-noi-ä. It consists of the faculties of understanding, feeling, desiring, reasoning and thinking (including imagination), inherent within the spirit (compare it to the ‘spirit’ (Greek—PNEUMA) of man in I Corinthians 2:11, as well as the ‘spirit’ (Hebrew—NESHAMAH) of man in Proverbs 20:27).
The Greek word translated ‘Strength’ is ISCHYS, pronounced ē-skhü's. It refers to force, strength, power and might having to do not only with the physical body and its five senses (I Peter 4:11) but to one’s ability or propensity to be strong.
Interesting is an understatement. In my coming to the knowledge of Christ, this was one of the greatest revelations to me. God Bless You!
About Me
- S. Morgan
- Fukuoka, Japan
- Christian blogger, KJV Bible apologist, legal researcher, teacher, learner, family man, writer, entrepreneur, born Jamaican, son of the soil, traveler... it's complicated. "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, [are called]: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, [yea], and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence." 1 Corinthians 1:25-29 (KJV)
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