Worksheet 1.4: Seeing the Person as a Living Soul
Worksheet 1.4: Seeing the Person as a Living Soul
Course: Become a Soul Coach
Topic 1: What Is a Life, a Soul?
This worksheet helps you practice seeing a person as a living soul before God: a nefesh with a spiritual nature and a physical nature, thinking, feeling, willing, rebelling in sin, needing redemption, and invited into renewal in Christ. This follows the Soul Coach course direction in the master template.
Purpose of This Worksheet
A Soul Coach must learn to see the whole person.
A person is not merely a problem to solve.
A person is not merely a body, emotion, diagnosis, habit, sin pattern, wound, social role, or goal.
A person is a living soul before God.
This worksheet will help you practice whole-person discernment with grace and truth.
Scripture Reflection
Read Genesis 2:7:
“Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
Read Romans 12:1–2:
“Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Read Romans 6:12–13:
“Therefore don’t let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. Also, do not present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”
Part 1: Defining the Living Soul
In your own words, define a living soul.
A living soul is:
How is this different from saying a person merely “has a soul”?
Why does it matter that the human person has both a spiritual nature and a physical nature?
Part 2: Seeing the Whole Person
Think about Rob from Case Study 1.3.
Rob was not merely lazy. He was not merely angry. He was not merely tired. He was not merely spiritually distant. He was a living soul before God.
Complete the following reflection.
What was happening in Rob’s physical nature?
What was happening in Rob’s spiritual nature?
What was happening in Rob’s thoughts?
What was happening in Rob’s feelings?
What was happening in Rob’s will and choices?
Part 3: Naming Sin and Suffering
A Soul Coach must learn to name both sin and suffering.
If we only name suffering, we may remove responsibility.
If we only name sin, we may lose compassion.
Soul Coaching holds grace and truth together.
In Rob’s story, what suffering needed compassion?
In Rob’s story, what sin needed to be named honestly?
Why is it important not to treat Rob as only a victim?
Why is it important not to treat Rob as only a sinner?
Part 4: Whole-Person Soul Discernment
Use the 15-Aspect Soul Growth Discernment Model to reflect on Rob’s situation.
Do not use these aspects to diagnose. Use them to ask wiser questions.
Numerical: What repeated patterns are present?
Spatial: What places, environments, or boundaries matter?
Kinematic: Where is movement, rhythm, or progress stuck?
Physical: What body, energy, sleep, or health issues are present?
Biotic: What life patterns, appetite, sexuality, or vitality issues may be involved?
Sensitive: What feelings, pain, fear, shame, or anger appear?
Analytical: What thoughts, interpretations, or assumptions are shaping the person?
Formative: What habits, skills, work patterns, or disciplines are involved?
Lingual: What words, stories, labels, or self-talk are shaping the person?
Social: What relationships, roles, isolation, or belonging issues are present?
Economic: What stewardship of time, money, energy, or attention is involved?
Aesthetic: Where is harmony, proportion, or fittingness missing?
Juridical: What responsibility, justice, fairness, or accountability is needed?
Ethical: Where is love, forgiveness, self-giving, or compassion needed?
Pistic: What faith, trust, worship, or ultimate commitment is being revealed?
Part 5: Soul Coach Guardrails
A Soul Coach is not a fixer, savior, therapist, doctor, attorney, crisis worker, or replacement pastor.
Read the following situations. Mark which support may be needed.
Use these categories:
Pastor
Doctor
Licensed counselor
Addiction recovery support
Emergency or crisis help
Legal or safety help
Soul Coaching support
Rob says, “I am tired all the time and have not had a physical in years.”
Possible support needed:
Rob says, “I cannot stop drinking once I start.”
Possible support needed:
Rob says, “I am thinking about harming myself.”
Possible support needed:
Rob says, “I need help telling my wife the truth without blaming her.”
Possible support needed:
Rob says, “I feel far from God and ashamed to pray.”
Possible support needed:
Rob says, “My anger is scaring my family.”
Possible support needed:
Part 6: One Faithful Next Step
A Soul Coach helps a living soul take faithful next steps under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Write one faithful next step Rob could own.
Rob’s faithful next step:
When will he take this step?
Who should know or support this step?
What might make this step difficult?
What grace or truth from Scripture could encourage him?
Part 7: Personal Reflection
Think of someone you may help in ministry, coaching, discipleship, chaplaincy, mentoring, or friendship.
Do not write the person’s full name. Use initials or a private description.
This person is:
How might you be tempted to reduce this person to one issue?
How can you see this person more fully as a living soul before God?
What might be happening in this person’s physical nature?
What might be happening in this person’s spiritual nature?
What thoughts, feelings, and choices might need careful listening?
What suffering may need compassion?
What sin or responsibility may need grace-and-truth honesty?
What is one wise question you could ask this person with permission?
Part 8: Soul Coach Prayer
Write a short prayer asking God to help you see people as living souls before him.
My prayer:
Part 9: Readiness Check
Mark each statement.
Use:
Yes
Growing
Not yet
I can define a human being as a living soul before God.
I understand that a living soul has both a spiritual nature and a physical nature.
I can explain how the living soul thinks, feels, wills, and chooses.
I can explain that sin affects the whole living soul.
I can explain that redemption in Christ addresses the whole living soul.
I can avoid reducing a person to one problem, wound, diagnosis, habit, or sin.
I can listen for both suffering and responsibility.
I understand that Soul Coaching is not therapy, medical care, crisis care, legal advice, or pastoral replacement.
I can help someone identify one faithful next step before God.
Closing Statement
Complete this sentence:
A Soul Coach sees a person as a living soul before God by:
Key Takeaway
A Soul Coach does not begin by asking, “How do I fix this person?”
A Soul Coach begins by praying, “Lord, help me see this person as a living soul before you.”
The living soul is spiritual and physical.
The living soul thinks, feels, wills, suffers, sins, repents, and grows.
Sin distorts the whole living soul.
Jesus redeems the whole living soul.
The Holy Spirit renews the whole living soul.
A Soul Coach helps a living soul take one faithful next step under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.