J. C. Ryle (1816–1900), the Anglican bishop and theologian, wrote:
“Soul love is the soul of all love.”
in his book, The Duties of Parents.
One paraphrase would be To love the soul is the essence of love. Another at the bottom.
Ryle was writing about raising children, but his principle has broader application.
- True love looks beyond immediate happiness. Loving someone means more than making them comfortable, pleased, or successful.
- True love cares about spiritual well-being. We should be concerned about a person’s relationship with God, character, faith, and eternal destiny.
- True love sometimes requires difficult action. Helping someone grow spiritually may involve correction, encouragement, sacrifice, and speaking uncomfortable truths.
The central idea: We do not fully love someone if we care for their physical and emotional needs but neglect their soul.
Ryle was not dismissing physical or emotional needs. Rather, he believed that genuine Christian love must include concern for the whole person, especially their eternal well-being.
In The Duties of Parents, Ryle describes the soul as:
- Immortal: The part of a human being that survives physical death.
- Spiritual: He identifies it closely with the spirit dwelling within a person.
- Eternally significant: The soul can experience salvation and eternal fellowship with God, or separation from Him.
This applies to Christian living, in general, not just parenting.
A good paraphrase of this J C Ryle quote is:
To care for the soul of another person is at the heart of genuine love.
