Human beings are complex machines. Molecular biologists tell us that upon conception, the zygote already has some 35,000 genes with 3.2 billion pieces of vital information. No two people are alike. Even identical twins are different from each other. The same genes on the identical genome may remain at the “off” position, or were turned “on” in a different time sequence. Each person reacts differently to the same environment. In conclusion, both individuals and the human species are unique.

Among the 1.5 million living species on earth, humans are the only species having the ability for language or to seek and understand meaning. Human beings also show tremendous capacity for intelligence, compassion and morality. Scientific data suggests that our existence is the result of a careful design. If random chance cannot explain this, one must ask why mankind has these unique characteristics. We must entertain the possibility of design. And if there is design, there must be a Designer.

Our ability to comprehend concepts and to interpret meaning suggests that we might have been designed to receive messages from an intelligent Designer. If so, this thing that only human beings have that nothing else in the entire universe has is the soul.

The soul contains the sum total of all our unique experiences and the decisions we make. The soul drives the mind and re-wires the brain. The soul is the driver of our life.

If a Designer gave us our soul for the purpose of knowing Him, what evidence exists that He is actually interested in us? The Designer our Creator has already made efforts to alert us that He is real and has indeed visited mankind. In essence, there is already a record for this event in history: “The Word became flesh.”

Had we not been given the ability to understand these words, the efforts of the Creator would have entirely been in vain. Now that you know you have a soul, the Bible tells us that for those who believe in Christ, their soul lives eternally with Him. You too can have this eternal life. Just turn your present life circumstances over to God and believe the wonder of His Word.

(Dr. Richard Yen is a cell biologist, founder of a biotech company and advisor to the West Coast Chinese Christian Conference.