Matthew 22.37

Many who do not want to believe man is spirit, soul and body go to Matt. 22.37 to try to denounce man's tripartite nature.

"You shall love the Lord your God wilth all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Matt. 22.37).

Naysayers say, why does not God say spirit, soul and body here? The answer is a simple one. The heart, being the the mind, understanding and intellect as well as including the conscience of the spirit, is larger in scope than the soul, for it includes the spirit also. Then God becomes even more specific by mentioning just the soul. And then, He becomes even more precise by mentioning a particular function of the soul; that is, not the emotion or the will, but the mind.

God is a jealous God (Ex. 20.5). He wants all our affection for Him and to share it with no one else. He does not even want us to direct our own affection for Him or to share some with another, but for Him to be lord completely over our lives, even to be the source of our affection.