“And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your mind.'”
Matthew 22:37 (ESV)
The soul—that mysterious essence that makes you uniquely you. It’s not easy to parse the difference between the heart and soul. For our purposes here, let’s say the heart represents our emotional and volitional core while the soul is the personality that’s wrapped around that core. When Jesus commands us to love God with all our heart and soul, He’s calling us to offer our complete selves, holding nothing back.
In Hebrew thinking, the word “nephesh” (soul) often refers to the whole person—body, mind, and spirit united. It’s not just a part of us; it’s the totality of who we are. This is why loving God with all our soul is so comprehensive—it means loving Him with our entire existence, every aspect of our personhood.
Consider what happened when God breathed into Adam’s nostrils “the breath of life” and man became “a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). The word “breath” is the same as the word translated “spirit.” The infusion of God’s Spirit into the physical body He’d just made for the first man resulted in a living “soul.” The soul is what makes us alive, what gives us personality, what makes us capable of a relationship with our Creator. To love God with all our soul means to offer Him not just our Sunday selves or our best moments, but our complete, authentic, living selves.
This wholeness of love is beautifully illustrated in the life of Mary of Bethany. When she poured expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet, she wasn’t just giving a gift—she was pouring out her soul. Her act was criticized as wasteful, but Jesus defended her, saying she had done “a beautiful thing.” Why? Because her love was total, unreserved, soul-deep.
Loving God with all our soul means bringing our entire personality into our relationship with Him. Are you naturally analytical? Bring that to your study of Scripture. Are you artistic? Let that creativity flow in worship. Are you compassionate? Channel that heart into service. God didn’t create us as standardized units; He crafted each soul uniquely, and He delights when we love Him through our distinctive personalities.
This kind of love also requires vulnerability. The soul that loves God completely doesn’t maintain carefully constructed facades. It’s the difference between performing for God and being real with God. When we love Him with all our soul, we don’t hide our struggles, our questions, or our weaknesses. We come as we are, knowing that He sees us fully and loves us completely.
But loving God with all our soul also means surrendering our will to His. The soul is where our deepest desires reside, where we make our most fundamental choices about what we want from life. When Jesus faced the cross, He prayed, “Not my will, but yours be done.” This is the posture of a soul that loves God completely—ready to align its deepest desires with His purposes, even when it’s costly.
Consider the rich young ruler who came to Jesus. He wanted eternal life but wasn’t willing to love God with all his soul. When Jesus told him to sell everything and follow Him, the man “went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” His possessions weren’t just external things—they were bound up with his soul’s identity and security. He couldn’t love God completely because he was unwilling to let God have all of him.
Loving God with all our soul also means offering Him our entire life story—not just our victories but our failures, not just our strengths but our broken places. The soul that loves God wholly doesn’t compartmentalize, saying “God can have this part of my life but not that part.” Instead, it invites His presence into every corner of experience.
This is why authentic worship is so crucial. Worship isn’t just singing songs; it’s the soul expressing its love for God. Whether through music, service, creation, or simply living faithfully, worship is the natural overflow of a soul that loves God completely. It’s not about perfection—it’s about offering our whole selves in love.
The practical implications are profound. When we love God with all our soul, we approach each day asking not “What do I want?” but “What does the One I love want?” We make decisions not based solely on what benefits us but on what honors the relationship that defines us. We face difficulties not as victims of circumstance but as souls belonging to a loving God who works all things together for good.
Perhaps most importantly, loving God with all our soul means accepting His love. God doesn’t love us because we’re perfect; He loves us because we’re His. When we truly grasp this—that we are precious to Him—it becomes natural to offer ourselves back in love.
The soul that loves God completely finds its truest fulfillment. As Augustine prayed, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” The soul finds its home in God’s love.
Prayer: Lord, I offer You my entire soul—all that I am, all that I’ve been, all that I hope to become. Help me love You not just with part of myself but with my complete being. Make my soul a dwelling place for Your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Lance is the founding and lead pastor of Calvary Chapel Oxnard where he has served since 1982. Lance & David Guzik co-pastored the church for six years before David planted a church in a nearby community.
Lance & his wife Lynn were married in 1980 and have three adult children and five grandchildren. Lance loves teaching the Bible, History, and Leadership. He holds Masters-of-Arts in Biblical Studies and Ministry.
Lance serves as a chaplain for both the Oxnard and Port Hueneme Police Departments and enjoys backpacking, wood-working, working out, gardening, home improvement projects, reading, and graphic design.
The popular Communio Sanctorum: History of the Christian Church podcast can be found in both audio and video at the Into His Image website along with a growing inventory of Lances teaching.
Beautifully said. Lord bless your service.
Thanks