I love getting questions. I’m not able to answer all of them, but to receive one and spend some time thinking, praying and researching the topic is always stimulating and a process filled with thankfulness that our God has revealed himself to us through his Word.
So, another question landed in my inbox and it’s a doozy. The question looks like this:
Most of the Christian preachers/teachers explains that the soul consist of the mind, will & emotions. Does this also mean that animals have souls?
The question came paired with a couple of articles. I don’t intend to interact much with these articles except to briefly say that I think the first one makes too much of the distinction between soul and spirit (and body) which has its roots more in Greek philosophy of separating the spirit/soul/body rather than the scriptural view seems to take a more holistic view of humanity: we are soul, spirit AND body – and Christ’s resurrection achieves a resurrection for our spirits and bodies.
The second article lays a good enough foundation for some of the debate about animals having souls – but then ends up in sentimentality in order justify the appearance of beloved pets in heaven. With due respect to the author, it’s a terrible argument.
At the heart of this question is really the question: ‘What is the soul’?
If you do a word search of ‘soul’ in the bible it reveals a whole heap. And much of it affirms the definition in the question I received – the soul consists of the mind, the will and our emotions. On top of that I’d add our affections – as defined by Jonathan Edwards: The affections are no other than the more vigorous and sensible exercises of the inclination and will of the soul.
When it comes to the spirit of a person I tend to think it more a synonym – so when scripture speaks of our souls and spirits I don’t think it’s making the point that they are distinct things, but is speaking of humans in a holistic manner.
The Psalms capture this holistic picture best. For instance, in regards to the soul you have lines like this:
- On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased – Psalm 138:3
- For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation – Psalm 62:1
- Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! – Psalm 103:1
And this in regards to the spirit of man:
- Into your hands I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, o Lord, faithful God – Psalm 31:5
- The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. – Psalm 34:18
- Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled. – Psalm 143:4
This should be sufficient to establish that there is substantial overlap between the ‘soul’ and the ‘spirit’ and I do not think that scripture intends any major distinction between the two.
Coming back to the question at hand, I’d suggest the best way to approach the question is to look at it through the lens of the gospel – the death and resurrection of Jesus.
In regards to whether animals have souls scripture seems fairly silent. Animals do appear in the new heavens and the new earth, but that doesn’t not mean they have souls redeemed by the resurrection of Jesus. It’s only humans who are offered the resurrection of the soul and body. In death, the Christian has hope that death is not the end. No such hope exists for my faithful cat, or my goldfish. There is no promise that any pet will be resurrected.
What do you think the bible says on this topic? Have any other burning questions? I can’t promise to answer all of them, but post them in the comments below.
Update: 30th June, 2014AD
I had intended to get around to this update sooner, but life – well, holidays! – have gotten in the way. There were some interesting comments on my Facebook feed about this post, with some interesting articles posted up. Suffice to say the issue was a hot one for some.
The original question focused primarily on whether animals have souls (implied: in the same way that humans do). My initial answer to that question, after reading the articles posted, remains the same – because scripture is vague on this notion, and because scripture is clear that Jesus’ death on the cross redeems the souls of humans, then it’s difficult to provide any clear hope that your faithful pet will be resurrected in the new heavens and the new earth. Most of the articles which suggest that they will be there are based primarily on sentimentality – even if it’s reasonably argued by the likes of CS Lewis (who still affirms that his view is speculation at best).
I want to add that I’m an animal lover myself. Steph and I adopted a stray cat a few years ago and he was a tremendous addition to our family life. I remember moments of his ill health which affected us deeply. So don’t hear me as being cold-hearted about the fate of animals in general. I find Lewis’ argument for animals gaining a sense of self when in contact with image-bearing humans compelling – but I must necessarily fall back on what is assured to me in scripture.
And what is assured? That God is good. That the new heavens and the new earth are going to wildly exceed my imagination and comprehension. That animals will be present there. And that there will be no more tears of pain and loss. Perhaps it’s better that scripture is vague on the notion of our beloved pets. In the same way it is ambiguous on the eternal state of infants who have died far too young, perhaps it is a good thing – for if scripture was clearer… could you imagine the atrocities that might have been wrought in its name?
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