What sets humanity apart from God’s other creations is that we have a living Spirit within us. Animals have a body and minds, but they do not have a soul. Mankind was created with a soul so we can have an intermittent relationship; a connection with our Creator and our God that fish, animals, birds, plants, and tress cannot have. Our spiritual health is as important as having a healthy mind and a healthy body.
Before laying out the idea of a healthy soul, we must ask, “What does it mean to have a healthy spirit?” When we think about having a healthy whole being, we often focus on our physical health and mental well-being. We exercise to strengthen our bodies, educate our minds, develop our careers, and pursue personal goals. Yet we can accomplish all these things and still experience spiritual emptiness. Why? Because physical fitness, intellectual knowledge, and worldly success cannot replace a relationship with our Creator.
Genesis 1:26–27 tells us that God created humanity in His image. Being made in God’s image means that human beings uniquely represent Him within His creation and are accountable to Him. Our value does not come from our accomplishments, intelligence, physical abilities, or social standing. It comes from God, who created us with dignity and purpose.
Our spiritual health is an essential part of understanding what it means to live as people created in God’s image. We were not created merely to exist, pursue our own ambitions, or make our way through life independently of God. We were created to know Him, love Him, worship Him, and live in fellowship with Him. Jesus summarized this calling when He commanded us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37).
William Evans, in The Great Doctrines of the Bible, discusses humanity’s creation in God’s image in connection with our physical, mental, moral, and spiritual nature. Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology likewise examines the image of God as a foundational doctrine of humanity. These theological perspectives help us recognize that our identity involves more than our physical existence.
Jesus gives us a powerful picture of spiritual health in John 15:4–5. He describes Himself as the vine and His followers as the branches. A branch cannot produce fruit independently of the vine; it must remain connected to its source of life. In the same way, we cannot produce the spiritual fruit God desires through our own strength alone.
To abide in Jesus Christ means to remain in Him—to depend on Him, trust His Word, follow His teaching, and live in ongoing fellowship with Him. Spiritual health is not measured simply by how much biblical information we know, how many church activities we attend, or how much work we accomplish for the kingdom. It is also reflected in whether we are walking closely with Christ and allowing His truth to shape our lives.
This distinction matters because we can become so focused on doing things for God that we neglect our relationship with Him. Ministry, service, study, and good works have their proper place, but they must flow from a life rooted in Jesus Christ. Our goal is not merely to accomplish God’s work; it is to serve Him in dependence on Him and to become more like Him.
The NIV Application Commentary on Romans 12:1–2 reinforces this principle: our response to God grows out of His mercy, and the renewal of our minds leads to a transformed way of living. Christian growth is not simply the accumulation of knowledge. It involves offering our whole selves to God and allowing His truth to reshape our thoughts, desires, decisions, and actions.
Supporting Resource
The Holy Bible. English Standard Version, Crossway, 2016.
Genesis 1:26–27; Matthew 22:37; John 15:4–5; Galatians 5:22–23; Psalm 42:1–2; 1 Thessalonians 5:23.
Evans, William. The Great Doctrines of the Bible. Project Gutenberg, www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6038.
Grudem, Wayne A. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. 2nd ed., Zondervan Academic, 2020.
Ligonier Ministries. “Ligonier Ministries.” www.ligonier.org.
The NIV Application Commentary: Romans. Zondervan Academic.
Bible.org. “Bible.org.” www.bible.org.
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