Buddyjc,
I am by no means a teacher, but here are some scriptures that might help you in future discussion on this subject.
We know that the words of Christ are SPIRIT… and … LIFE.
John 6:63
63: It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
You state: “It is my understanding that the soul is the evidence of life”
Look at the creation account in the second chapter of Genesis 2,
Genisis 2:7
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.
From this passage, I would not state that “the soul is the evidence of life”… but rather that God’s breath is the difference between a “living soul” and a soul that is dead.
Ezekiel 18:4
4: Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sins shall die.
Ezekiel 18:20
20: The soul that sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
These are things that are definitely IMPOSSIBLE to understand when we attempt to grasp them in the flesh, “THE FLESH IS HOSTIL TO GOD” and “THE FLESH CANNOT PLEASE GOD,” …
Romans 8:5-9
5: For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
6: To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
7: For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, indeed it cannot;
8: and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9: But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Any one who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
But as God begins to move in us by the Spirit of truth, He will guide us into ALL THE TRUTH.
John 16:13
13: When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
You have stated correctly, “GOD IS SPIRIT.”
John 4:24
24: God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
Now, notice what it is that Christ (the Word) & the Father have in them.
John 1:1-4
1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2: He was in the beginning with God;
3: all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.
4: In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
John 5:25-27
25: "Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
26: For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself,
27: and has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of man.[/color]
They have life in them, and not only does God possess life…. He is “THE LIFE.”
John 14:6
6: Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.
To reason that because man has a soul and is alive, does not justify that we should assume or deduce that God must also have a soul. GOD IS NOT A MAN.
Numbers 23:19
19: God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should repent. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
1 Samuel 15:29
29: And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or repent; for he is not a man, that he should repent."
Let me point you to one more scripture, one that is often quoted:
1 Corinthians 15:43-46 (RSV)
43: It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.
44: It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body.
45: Thus it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
46: But it is not the spiritual which is first but the physical, and then the spiritual.
But take another look at it, this time in the Concordant Literal Version:
42 Thus also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is roused in incorruption.
43 It is sown in dishonor; it is roused in glory. It is sown in infirmity; it is roused in power.
44 It is sown a soulish body; it is roused a spiritual body.
45 If there is a soulish body, there is a spiritual also. Thus it is written also, The first man, Adam, "became a living soul:" the last Adam a vivifying Spirit.
46.But not first the spiritual, but the soulish, thereupon the spiritual.
The soul is part of the “corruptible”…. but one day we shall be resurrected to a life this is “incorruptible,” “WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM.”
1 John 3:2
2: Beloved, we are God's children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
The soul is part of the physical life, but it is not the evidence of life, rather God Himself is the evidence of life, for He is "THE LIFE" and "THE LIGHT OF MEN."
Hope this helps my friend.
Grace and Peace.
Josh