Scott,
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share with you. Hopefully I will be able to provide at least some answer to you. I have been a Christian for over 30 years but have only recently began to examine the issues around origins and it has definitely caused me to rethink a lot of what I thought I knew and held to be true. It has been a good experience for me though and I believe that God has led me through it.
Before talking about our spirits I would like to digress a little bit. I believe very much that God is responsible for all of the creation, everything we see around us. Why did he do that? Some might say that it was for his own amusement. But I believe he had a bigger purpose than that.
Now I don’t pretend to understand just what that purpose is. But the Bible indicates that this life we are living here is only temporary, along with all that we see around us. When this universe is long gone, God will still be and the Bible teaches us that we will still be with him.
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.” I do not know with any certainty what mechanism God used in this ‘forming from the dust’, but I am willing to accept evolution for now. But after that forming was done God breathed into him the ‘breath of life’ and he became ‘a living soul’. This is the eternal spirit I was referring to in my essay. This is distinct from what is described for any other critter that we share the earth with. I would not claim that this makes me superior to other creatures but it does make me different, having an element that they do not.
John 14:2-3 says “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” The point of this passage is that Jesus, who was God in human form, is preparing a place for me to spend eternity with him. This body will wear out long before eternity sets in, but the spirit he put within me will endure beyond the end of the earth.
2 Corinthians 4: 16-18 says “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” Here you see Paul talking about an outward man (our body) and an inward man (our spirit).
Paul says that the things we can see and experience with the body are temporary. The things we can not see with our body, but can with our spirit, are eternal, and are much better than the physical things. 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 also deal with this topic and may be helpful to you.
So back to your question, ‘what is your reason for positing an eternal soul, and why would a soul be necessary?” I believe in an eternal spirit in man first of all because the Bible teaches it. And secondly, because logically I have a hard time believing that God created this universe without a purpose. At least one possibility for that purpose is to create a people who will be with him for the rest of eternity. Why is a soul necessary? It is that part of me that will survive physical death. When this body I live in becomes worm food, I will continue to live. My spirit will continue on for eternity.
Hopefully this has been at least a little bit helpful. If I have not been able to adequately answer your question please try again. I would very much like to continue this discussion as long as it is at all useful.
Oldman