Soul

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The son of a widow in Zarephath died and was raised to life by the return of his soul. By Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld

The soul [spirit] was made of God’s breath of life, as the root of life and the driving force that enables people to live and act. The soul is a subject that arouses curiosity and debate even among atheists, but the religious world has not established solid fundamentals either, so it is taught in various ways. In an attempt to prove the existence of the soul through medicine or science, some people even proceeded with the AWARE project.[1][2]

In the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, there are many records about the soul. By connecting and studying both the Old Testament and the New Testament, we can find the fundamentals of the soul. “Where does the human soul come from?” “Why does our soul put on flesh and live in this sinful world?” “Where does our soul go after we die?” These three questions are the core truths that must be solved for the hope of mankind, who is destined to die after living a short life on earth. When we clearly know where the human soul comes from and where it goes, the goal of our faith and hope, too, can be clear.

Meaning of the Soul

Dictionaries define the soul as an immaterial entity that resides in the body, takes charge of the functions of the mind, and is believed to give life.[3] The soul is expressed as breath, spirit, or wind in the Bible.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] In the Old Testament written in Hebrew, neshama (נְשָׁמָה),[12] nephesh (נֶפֶשׁ),[13] ruah (רוּחַ),[14] and nishmat chayim (נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים) refer to soul, spirit, or breath of life. Neshama and ruah, which mean spirit, were translated into the Greek word pneuma (πνεῦμα);[15] and nephesh which means soul were translated into psuché (Ψυχή).[16] Nephesh is also translated as desires, appetite, and heart, as well as soul.

The soul is recorded in two meanings in the Bible. In the Old Testament, the soul mainly refers to the life of the living, and in the New Testament, it refers to the spirit of the dead. The soul usually indicates the spirit of the dead, but it also refers to the living because it exists in a living person.

Existence of the Soul

God made Adam out of the dust and the breath of life.

God, who created the heavens and the earth, made mankind on the sixth day. The Bible describes the process of God’s making man as follows.

The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Genesis 2:7


The dust refers to the body and the breath of life refers to the soul. A living person is formed when the body and the soul are joined together. And when a man dies, his soul and body are separated.[5] The soul is God’s breath of life. When it is taken out of a man, he dies, and when it is returned, he lives.[17][18] For Jesus said, “You fool! This very night your life [soul, KJV] will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”[19]

The soul is independent of the body and can put on the body or take it off. The body is formed from the dust of the earth; it is like a house in which a living soul dwells temporarily. Apostles Peter and Paul compared the physical body to a tent.[20][21] Paul testified that his soul could either be in or out of his body. As he said, the essence of man is the soul,[22][23] not the body, and the subject of salvation is the soul.[24]

The soul is clearly visible before God, but it is invisible to human eyes. The reason the existence of the soul is controversial is because the soul is invisible to human eyes. However, the Bible tells us how mankind was created, which testifies about the existence of the soul and clearly shows its past and future.

Life of the Soul

Previous Life

The soul began to exist in the previous life. The soul did not come into existence at our physical birth, but it already existed in heaven by receiving life from God, our spiritual Parents.[25][26][27]

Solomon, the king of wisdom, wrote that he had already existed before God’s deeds of old.[28] God told Job that his soul had already been made before He laid the earth’s foundation.[29] God also said that the king of Tyre was a cherub (angel) who lived in glory in heaven.[30] These words show that people living on the earth had been with God in heaven before they were born into the world. Jacob referred to himself and his ancestors who lived on earth as strangers,[31] and the New Testament, too, testified that the forefathers of faith had longed for their heavenly home, regarding the earthly life as a life of strangers.


All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one.

Hebrews 11:13–16


Present Life

The Good Shepherd by James Tissot, 1886–1894: The parable of the lost sheep contains the truth about the soul.

This world is a dwelling place of the souls cast down from heaven. We can understand the reason the souls of mankind, who had enjoyed glory in heaven as children of God, came down to the earth, through Jesus’ parables and teachings. Jesus revealed things hidden from the creation of the world through parables,[32] and among them, the Parable of the Lost Sheep contains the truth about the soul.


“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

Luke 15:4–7


Jesus is the shepherd who seeks the lost sheep.[33] If Jesus came to this earth to seek the lost sheep as the shepherd, mankind who lives on the earth is the lost sheep. Since the joy of finding the lost sheep was compared to the repentance of a sinner, we reach the conclusion that mankind was lost from heaven and came down to the earth because of their sins. That is why Jesus said that He came to the earth to seek and save what was lost[34] and that He came to call sinners.[35]

All people living on earth were initially created as spiritual beings, but after sinning in heaven, they came to this world in the form of sinners, that is, in the flesh. Therefore, the earth is like a prison for the souls who sinned. The body is like the clothing that restricts the freedom of the soul while living on this earth.

For details, refer to: City of Refuge

Afterlife

The Lapidation of Saint Stephen by Hans von Aachen, 1600: Stephen was not afraid of being stoned to death because he was convinced of the existence of soul and the afterlife.

The Bible explains death as the separation of the body and the soul, not the eternal destruction of the body and the soul. The soul is still alive even when the body dies because the soul exists as a separate entity. If the soul came into being at the birth of the body, it perishes when the body dies. On the other hand, if the soul already existed in the previous world before putting on the body, it is natural that the soul exists even after the body dies.


The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

Ecclesiastes 12:7

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Matthew 10:28


Generally, the body does not live for more than 100 years; eventually, it is buried in the ground and perishes. But the soul returns to God as soon as it leaves the body. Regarding Lazarus’ death, Jesus said, “Lazarus has fallen asleep,” or “Lazarus is dead.”[36] The reason death is expressed as sleep is that there is an afterlife. If there is no life after death, there is no need to wake up again. Realizing this, the apostles neither feared death nor regarded it as hopeless.[37][20][38][39]

Judgment and Resurrection

Judgment

The Bible teaches that when the physical life ends, the soul will face judgment before God.

Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, . . .

Hebrews 9:27

The soul who stands before God is rewarded or punished according to his deeds.[40][41][42][43] If the souls of human beings, who were expelled from heaven after committing sins, receive the forgiveness of sins, they will return to their heavenly home, the kingdom of heaven. However, if they do not receive the forgiveness of sins, they cannot return to heaven and be punished in hell and eventually perish.[44] This is the death of the soul, that is, the second death.[45]

For details, refer to: Last Judgment

Resurrection and Transformation

The souls of the saints, who receive the forgiveness of sins through the blood of Christ by keeping the new covenant, will be transformed into spiritual bodies[46][47][48] on Judgment Day when God’s redemption work ends, and they will live in a new heaven and a new earth, the kingdom of heaven;[49] they will also reign forever and ever in heaven where there is no more death, pain, or sorrow.[50][51]

There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

Revelation 22:5

Being in the flesh, the veil of sin, people lose memories of their previous world, so it is hard to imagine the glory of heaven no matter how much they use their imagination.[52][53] However, those who understand the soul run diligently toward the spiritual world, even though they cannot see it.[54] The physical body is for a short life of at most seventy or eighty years on the earth full of pain,[55] but the spiritual body, which will be changed like the glorious body of Christ, is for eternal life in a world full of joy and pleasure.

For details, refer to: Resurrection

FAQs About the Soul

  • Q: When the body dies, does the soul die together?
    A: Jesus, who is in nature God the Creator, said that the soul exists even though the body dies.[56] Apostle Peter said that Jesus preached the gospel to the spirits in prison who had died during Noah’s flood.[57] If the soul perishes after death, the spirits cannot be imprisoned, and Jesus cannot preach the gospel to them. The Bible also says that the souls of the martyrs who were slain are under the altar in heaven.[58] Therefore, the insistence, "The soul perishes when the body dies," is false.
  • Q: Doesn’t the Old Testament record that there is no soul?
① Psalm 6:5 No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave? ② Psalm 115:17 It is not the dead who praise the LORD, those who go down to silence. ③ Psalm 146:4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. ④ Ecclesiastes 9:5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. ⑤ Ecclesiastes 9:10 For in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. ⑥ Ecclesiastes 3:19–20 Man’s fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless. All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.
A: Verse ① does not mean that no one has the spirit after death, but it means that no one can give thanks to God in the grave unless he is saved.[59] Verse ② also means that if anyone fails to be saved and goes to hell, he cannot praise God.[60] Verse ③ means that there is no one whom we can trust except God; even though one is a prince with power in this world, all his plans which he trusted in will perish on the day he dies and goes into the ground.[61] Literally, verses ④, ⑤, and ⑥ seem to mean that when a man dies, his spirit ceases to exist, and that his fate is like that of the animals after death. However, the same book of Ecclesiastes clearly testify about the spirit. The reason there seems to be a contradiction about the matter of the souls is that the words for the body and the words for the soul are recorded separately.[10][5]

Related videos

  • The Soul

  • Does the Soul Exist?

See also

References

  1. ↑ AWARE NDE Study, Psi Encyclopedia
  2. ↑ What do people experience at the border between life and death?, Medical News Today
  3. ↑ spirit, dictionary.com
  4. ↑ "Ezekiel 37:9".
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Ecclesiastes 12:7".
  6. ↑ "Job 26:4".
  7. ↑ "Job 12:10".
  8. ↑ "1 Thessalonians 5:23".
  9. ↑ "Job 33:18".
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Ecclesiastes 3:21".
  11. ↑ "Acts 5:10".
  12. ↑ Strong's #5397 - נְשָׁמָה, Study Light
  13. ↑ Strong's #5315 - נֶפֶשׁ, Study Light
  14. ↑ Strong's #7307 - רוּחַ, Study Light
  15. ↑ Strong's #4151 - πνεῦμα, Study Light
  16. ↑ Strong's #5590 - ψυχή, Study Light
  17. ↑ "Luke 8:53–55".
  18. ↑ "1 Kings 17:21–22".
  19. ↑ "Luke 12:20".
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "2 Peter 1:13–14".
  21. ↑ "2 Corinthians 5:4".
  22. ↑ "2 Corinthians 5:8–9".
  23. ↑ "Philippians 1:21–24".
  24. ↑ "1 Peter 1:9".
  25. ↑ "Hebrews 12:9".
  26. ↑ "Matthew 6:9".
  27. ↑ "Galatians 4:26".
  28. ↑ "Proverbs 8:22–30".
  29. ↑ "Job 38:4, 21".
  30. ↑ "Ezekiel 28:11–17".
  31. ↑ "Genesis 47:8–9".
  32. ↑ "Matthew 13:34–35".
  33. ↑ "John 10:10–11".
  34. ↑ "Luke 19:10".
  35. ↑ "Matthew 9:13".
  36. ↑ "John 11:11–14".
  37. ↑ "2 Corinthians 5:8".
  38. ↑ "Philippians 1:23".
  39. ↑ "Acts 7:59–60".
  40. ↑ "Revelation 20:12".
  41. ↑ "Revelation 22:12".
  42. ↑ "Luke 12:47–48".
  43. ↑ "Romans 2:6".
  44. ↑ "Romans 6:23".
  45. ↑ "Revelation 20:13–14".
  46. ↑ "1 Corinthians 15:51–52".
  47. ↑ "1 Corinthians 15:42–44".
  48. ↑ "Philippians 3:21".
  49. ↑ "Revelation 21:1".
  50. ↑ "Revelation 21:4".
  51. ↑ "Revelation 20:6".
  52. ↑ "1 Corinthians 2:9".
  53. ↑ Chapter 3 Life and Activities in the Angelic World, VISITORS FROM THE ANGELIC WORLD, Ahnsahnghong, pg. 23, Melchizedek Pub. Co., Ltd, ISBN: 978-89-6186-213-4, Man cannot even express one–ten thousandth of the glory of the angelic world with their own wisdom or understanding.
  54. ↑ "2 Corinthians 4:18".
  55. ↑ "Psalms 90:9–10".
  56. ↑ "Matthew 10:28".
  57. ↑ "1 Peter 3:19–20".
  58. ↑ "Revelation 6:9–11".
  59. ↑ "Psalms 6:1–4".
  60. ↑ "Psalms 115:18".
  61. ↑ "Psalms 146:3–4".
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