The common teaching in Christian churches today is that a soul is a spiritual part of us that is immortal and persists as consciousness after death. Basically, they teach that the body dies and the soul, a separate entity of the human, continues on to live and either goes to heaven or hell. This implies that the soul and the body are the two components that make us human. But is this teaching biblical? Let's take a look.
What is a soul?
The first biblical record of a soul is found in the book of Genesis. In Genesis 2:7 we're told: “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.”
If we break this down a little, we find here that man or humankind is made up of two things.
Dust
God's breath
The dust of the ground is what God used to form man. In other words, it's what He used to make the body.
God's breath on the other hand is what makes the body come to life.
The breath of life given by God to the body is like gas to a car. The gas in it of itself is useless if not put in a proper body so to speak. The same thing for God's breath. If it isn't breathed into something, nothing happens.
1. Dust + 2. God's breath = 3. Living soul
This is the equation given to us in scripture. Many teach that we have a soul when in fact the Bible tells us that we are a soul. It is the combination of dust and God's breath that makes us a soul.
"And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit." 1 Corinthians 15:45
When we look at the root of the word soul in both the Hebrew (Genesis 2:7) and the Greek (1 Corinthians 15:45) it becomes even clearer.
In Hebrew, the word soul means "a breathing creature". You can also say, "a living being". In the Greek, the word used here for soul means "that in which there is life" or "a living being".
1. Dust + 2. God's breath = 3. Life / Living being / Human
so....
A living soul = A living being
A soul is not a spiritual part of us.
It's not what we have, it's what we are.
Otherwise the equation in Genesis 2:7 would have looked like this:
1. Dust (body) + 2. Soul = 3. Living being
This leads us to ask the questions:
» If a soul is simply a living being, can a soul die?
» What happens when it dies? What happens when we die? Do we either go to heaven or hell?
» If a soul can die, why do so many teach that the soul is immortal?
» Is the immortality of the soul biblical?
» What are the roots of the common teaching of the immortality of the soul?
These are all things that we are going to look at in the upcoming posts.
There are a few passages in the Bible that can seem to imply that the body and the soul are two separate components of a living being. For those of you seeking to understand these texts better, I want to invite you all to check out this book by Francis D. Nichol:
To find answers as pertains to the nature of a soul, here's a list of questions answered in the book:
Objection 70 Christ said, 'Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell!' Matt. 10:28. This proves that the soul and the body are two distinctly different things, that the body can be destroyed and the soul remain, and therefore, that the soul is a separate entity that lives on forever after the body is dead. See page 169
Objection 71 Paul says, "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." 2 Cor. 4:16. This proves that the real man, the soul, is something different from the body, and flourishes despite the perishing of the body. See page 170
Objection 72 When Stephen was martyred he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Acts 7:59. Christ on the cross said, 'Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit!' Luke 23:46. This proves that at death the real man, that immortal entity called the "spirit," departs from the body. See page 170
Objection 74 Paul makes it clear that it was possible for him to be "out of the body." This proves that the real man is an immaterial soul or spirit, that is independent of the body. (See 2 Cor. 12:2, 3.). See page 173
Objection 81 The Bible describes the death of Rachel by saying that "her soul was in departing!' Gen. 35:18. See page 188
Objection 84 During the time between His crucifixion and His resurrection Christ went and preached to the spirits in prison. (1 Peter 3:18-20.) This proves that there is an immaterial spirit, the real person, which departs from the body at death. See page 194.
I hope this will help shed some light on your study of the soul. May God lead you into all truth through His Spirit and don't forget to go into the study of the Bible with an open mind. Sometimes a belief we thought was scriptural for the longest time can prove to be wrong. Not because the Bible is wrong but because mankind is not perfect and makes mistakes. So in all your studying I encourage you to ask the Spirit to lead you rather than yourself and you will find such wonders in the word of God.
God bless you all!
Much love and smiles,
Nahisha :)