As God breathed into Adam, life began to flow from God through the complex network of his nervous system. His muscles expanded and contracted; his heart and lungs moved in rhythm. The combination of the body and “the breath of life” made man “a living being,” “a living soul” (KJV).

Note that the Bible does not say Adam received a soul—rather it says that “man became a living soul.”

So we might write the human equation like this:

“Dust of Ground” + “Breath of Life” = “A Living Soul”
Lifeless Body + Breath from God = A Living Being

Each of us has a body, intelligence, memory, a reasoning mind, a conscience, and a will. We have one personality and one character. So we’re one whole entity, not two or more distinct parts thrown together. Just as long as we continue to breathe, we will be a living human being, a living soul.