The First Production of Man's Soul

The human soul is not an outpouring or sharing of the substance of God. God is pure actuality and absolute simplicity. His substance, therefore, cannot be divided or parceled out. The human soul is not a thing eternally existing in God’s being. Itis a creature. It is a thing made.

The soul is made by God’s creative act. It is created; it is made out of nothing. It is a spirit, having in itself no material element nor any essential dependence upon whatis material. Now, such a spiritual being can have no possible origin but by the direct creative act of God.

Since creation is an act proper to God alone, in which no creature can serve as a medium (such as an instrumental cause ora ministering cause), the soul must be created immediately by almighty God.

The human soul is not created and held in readiness for union with its body. For every soul is the soul of one definite human being, and not just a soul, suitable for any one ofa number of bodies. The soul bears a definite real relation toits own body, that is, the body which it is to constitute as the living body of one individual human being. There is nopre-existence of human souls. Soul and body together make one substantial thing, one essence and nature; the soul begins to exist when this one nature begins to exist. Therefore, the human soul isnot produced before the body.