WHAT IS A LIVING SOUL?

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.

Genesis 2:19

And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

All creatures created for this planet, including man, were formed from the ground.

Every creature on this planet is a terrestrial creature, and when a creature dies, the body decomposes and eventually becomes part of the earth on a molecular level.

But, Adam is the only creature mentioned that had the "breath of life".

Does this mean Adam was physically "dead" when he was created?  Why?

Why would God create every other creature in the same manner as man (from the ground), but create those creatures as living beings, yet create man dead?

If the phrase "living soul" means "a live being", then all creatures would be considered living souls, whether they have a "soul" or not.

There is obviously some distinction being made here regarding the creation of humans, and I don't believe that distinction is that man was the only creature created physically dead.

What I do believe is that like every other creature God created for this planet, God created Adam as a living being, and the "breath of life" God gave Adam was the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Any thoughts on this?1

Genesis 3:1-6

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said,Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

The Holy Ghost was given by Jesus to give POWER to overcome sin, the world, and the Devil. The Holy Ghost is meant to empower a person to fight against their will to do evil. Had Adam had the Holy Ghost, he would have been able to withstand the evil that Eve brought to him. If Eve had the Holy Ghost she would have had much more power to resist the serpent and his enticing speech of lies.

Jesus proved that the Holy Ghost could give him the power needed to overcome the world and the Devil. Jesus, because of the Holy Ghost, never knew sin. Because of the Holy Ghost, Jesus was able to perform every miracle in the Bible. Because of the Holy Ghost Jesus was raised from the dead.

Adam did not have the power of the Holy Ghost. Adam proved this by delving willfully into sin with Eve, even knowing he would die. Jesus willingly, by the power of the Holy Ghost, laid down his life and was raised up from the grave to live eternally.

Adam was a weak, mortal man who lacked the merit of inheritance to allow him to exist eternally. To sustain his mortal life, Adam needed God to provide whatever he needed. Adam was not meant to live forever because he was sustained by the earth. He was a living being living on substances produced by the earth. Adam was always going to perish because he was made perishable. The fruit of the trees and seeds of the earth, what provided life for Adam, perished if not eaten, returned to the earth and grew again.

By fulfilling his call and proofing his perfection, Jesus has earned the right to live forever with God. He is empowered by the Holy Spirit to live eternally without needing anything mortal.

If Adam had the Holy Ghost, he would have had the power to live a sinless life. He would not have sinned, for the Holy Ghost would have given him power over Satan. Therefore, we know, because of Adam’s failure…Adam DID NOT HAVE THE HOLY GHOST!