Man became a living soul when God breathed the breath of life into the body He had formed from the dust, joining a physical body to an immortal soul and spirit.
Genesis 2:7 records that God formed man from the dust and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. Les Feldick teaches that this separated man from every other category of life because man is immortal in the area of the soul, even though the body is not.
Genesis 2:7 — This is the verse where the phrase 'became a living soul' comes from, and it records the moment God breathed life into Adam.
1 Corinthians 15:45 — Paul uses this same Genesis event to contrast the first Adam, who was made a living soul, with the last Adam, who was made a quickening spirit.
Genesis 2:7 says, "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Paul refers back to this in 1 Corinthians 15:44-46: "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual." Paul also uses the word "quickened" in Ephesians 2:1, saying, "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins."
Les Feldick teaches that when God breathed into Adam's nostrils the breath of life, Adam became a living soul, and this separated man from all other categories of life because man is immortal in the area of the soul. The body is not immortal, but the soul or spirit is (Clip 1). He describes the body as a tent, a dwelling place for the real person, and that real self, being a direct creation of God, is eternal as God is eternal. God created man with a will so that man can make a choice (Clip 2). Les also explains that man is body, soul, and spirit, and that the soul and spirit are so closely intertwined that they are usually thought of together. When Adam sinned, his spirit died instantly and lost fellowship with the Creator, while his body began to die (Clip 6). Even so, Paul uses Adam's status as a living soul to contrast the first Adam with the last Adam, Christ, who is a quickening, life-giving Spirit (Clips 4, 7). In the resurrection, the natural body is sown and a spiritual body is raised; believers will have eternal life instead of only three score and ten, and in eternity the body will be flesh and bone with the Spirit as its life source (Clips 3, 5).
Les Feldick says that when God breathed into man's nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul, that separated man from all other categories of life because man is immortal in the area of the soul. The body is not immortal, but the soul or spirit is. The real person is a direct creation of God and therefore eternal, and God gave man a will for the purpose of making a choice.
In 1 Corinthians 15:45 Paul compares the first man Adam, who was made a living soul, with the last Adam, who was made a quickening spirit. Les explains that "quickening" means life-giving, as in Ephesians 2:1 where God has quickened those who were dead in trespasses and sins. So being a living soul describes the natural life that Adam received, while the last Adam, Christ, gives eternal, resurrection life.
Les teaches that man is made of body, soul, and spirit, and that the soul and spirit are so closely intertwined that they are usually thought of together. When Adam ate the forbidden fruit, his spirit died immediately, losing fellowship with the Creator, and his body began to die. So the living soul was not merely physical animation but a tripartite being with eternal spiritual consequences.
Les connects Genesis 2:7 to 1 Corinthians 15. The natural body is sown, and a spiritual body is raised. Believers will have a body like Christ's glorious body, flesh and bone rather than flesh and blood, and in that eternal body the source of life will be the Spirit. Thus the living soul of the first Adam foreshadows the eternal life that the last Adam gives.
Creation of Adam: Body, Soul, and Spirit Explained
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Now isn't that beautiful? What's He claiming? He's the I Am. He is the pre-eternal, self-existent I Am who would be more and more and more revealed. Now just follow that up. We've already seen Him revealed coming up through the Old Testament in various and sundry ways.
Immortal Soul
Les teaches that man's becoming a living soul is what separates humanity from all other life, because the soul and spirit are immortal even though the body is not.
Body as Tent, Eternal Self
Les explains that the body is a tent for the real person, and that the real self, being a direct creation of God, will never die and has a will for making choices.
Natural and Spiritual Bodies
Les uses 1 Corinthians 15:45 to tie Adam's living soul to the hope of eternal life, noting that believers will have a spiritual body with eternal life instead of only three score and ten.
First Adam vs. Last Adam
Les quotes 1 Corinthians 15:45-46 to show that the last Adam is a life-giving Spirit and that the natural came before the spiritual.
Life Source in the Resurrected Body
Les points to verse 45 in the resurrection chapter and explains that the eternal body will be flesh and bone, with the Spirit as its source of life.
Body, Soul, and Spirit at the Fall
Les explains that man is body, soul, and spirit, so when Adam sinned, his spirit died immediately and his body began to die.
Quickening Spirit
Les shows that the last Adam is a quickening, life-giving Spirit, and that God has made those dead in trespasses and sins alive.
Genesis 2:7: And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
This is the foundational verse that states exactly when and how man became a living soul.
1 Corinthians 15:44: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
This verse connects the natural body of Adam with the spiritual body promised in resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:45: And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
Paul contrasts the living soul of the first Adam with the life-giving Spirit of the last Adam, Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:46: Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
This verse explains the order: the natural man came first, and the spiritual comes afterward.
Ephesians 2:1: And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
This verse illustrates what it means for the last Adam to be a quickening Spirit: He makes spiritually dead sinners alive.
Genesis 2:7 says, "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." This is the source of the phrase.
Yes. Les teaches that when God breathed the breath of life into Adam, he became a living soul, and man is immortal in the area of the soul or spirit. The body is not immortal, but the soul and spirit are, because they are a direct creation of God.
In 1 Corinthians 15:45, the last Adam, Jesus Christ, is called a quickening spirit. Les explains that quickening means life-giving, and he connects it to Ephesians 2:1 where God has quickened those who were dead in trespasses and sins.
Watch the Teaching: Creation of Adam: Body, Soul, and Spirit Explained