the word “SOUL” means primarily LIFE
All creatures that possess that life are shown to be subject to death
Current Beliefs
The doctrine of the ‘immortality of the soul’ is one of the most ancient religious and philosophical beliefs of mankind*. The origins of this belief are rooted in man’s desperate endeavours to deny the absolute reality of death, in the hope that life will continue in some form or other after the physical body has proven its mortality by falling into death and corruption.
*Please see ‘Further Reading’ section at end of this page for historical comments on this belief.
Bible Teaching
Yet this doctrine is not contained within the pages of the Bible, God’s inspired and infallible Word. As the only source of divinely-inspired knowledge (see topic 5 in this series), the Bible must be consulted if the truth of the matter is to be discovered. The Bible has a clear teaching on the resurrection which is to be covered in Topic 10 of this series.
How did God create man?
Did the Creator implant within mankind an ‘immortal soul’? The Bible tells us in simple, easy to understand terms, how the first man was created:
- “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”. Genesis 2:7
Nothing in these words indicates that man was created with an immortal soul. Adam was merely created a living “soul”. He was energised by “the breath of life” – not the “breath of everlasting life”.
There is nothing in the word “breath” to imply some kind of mysterious divine essence, guaranteeing continuation of life after the death of the body. In fact, the very opposite is taught. After the flood in the days of Noah, the Bible states that apart from the humans and animals who were saved within the Ark:
- “all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: all in whose nostrils was the breath of life”. (Genesis 7:21-22).
This phrase is from the same Hebrew word as occurs in Genesis 2:7 mentioned above in relation to the creation of man.
What, then, of the word translated “Soul”
The word is rendered from the Hebrew nephesh. Hebrew scholars tell us that the word simply means “life, living, a breathing creature.” None of these words has the slightest association with anything “immortal”. In fact the words “immortal” and “soul” never occur in the Bible together, nor even in relation to one another! Moses, the prophets, Christ and His apostles NEVER used the words in all the nearly one thousand times they used the word soul. Immortal was never a prefix to the word soul with them. Surely these facts must be of great significance in understanding the meaning of these important words, and the Bible teaching concerning their usage.
Parkhurst, in his well-known and respected Hebrew Lexicon, has written:
As a noun, nephesh:- hath been supposed to signify the spiritual part of man, or, what we commonly call his soul; I must, for myself, confess that I can find no passage where it hath undoubtedly this meaning.”
In revealing his conscience upon this subject, Parkhurst is consistent with the teaching of Scripture. To find the phrase “immortal soul” you must close the Bible and open theological books, and these will direct you to the words of the “philosophers” as the authors from whom the phrase came.
How the Word “Nephesh” is used
The word nephesh occurs 754 times in the Old Testament. In 326 places the “soul” is said to besubject to death; in 203 places it is said to be in danger of death; and in 123 places it is said to be delivered from death. In the New Testament, the equivalent Greek word, psuche,occurs 106 times. In 45 places it is said to be subject to death; in 29 places it is said to be in danger of death; and in 16 places it is said to be delivered from death.
Therefore upon the basis of Bible teaching, the “soul” could never be described as “immortal”.
Bible references to “Soul”
There are just too many to write out in full so references only are given under the headings:
Souls Die and are Destroyed
Joshua 10:28, Judges 16:16, Job 7:15, Psalm 22:29, 33:19, Psam 78:50, Isaiah 53:12, Ezekiel 13:19, Ezekiel 18:4, 27, Matthew 26:38, James 5:20, Revelation 16:3.
Souls are Destructible and are Destroyed
Leviticus 23:30, Numbers 15:31, Job 33:22, Psalm 35:17, Psalm 63:9, Matthew 10:28, Acts 3:23
Souls Go to and are Delivered from the Pit (grave)
Job 33:18, Psalm 16:10, Psalm 30:3, Psalm 64:15, Psalm 89:48, Isaiah 38:17, Acts 2:31
What about the “Spirit” of Man?
There is an unfortunate confusion in many people’s minds between the soul and the spirit.
Following is a statement from the alphabetical appendix of the Emphatic Diaglott which explains:
“The Hebrew word for spirit is ruach and occurs 400 times in the Old Testament. It is renderedspirit 240 times, breath 28 times, wind 95 times, mind 5 times, and the balance in 18 different ways. The Greek word “pneuma”has been chosen by the inspired writers of the New Testament as the equivalent in meaning of ruach. It occurs 385 times, and is the only word rendered spirit(with two exceptions, Matt 19:26, Mark 6:12). Pneuma, like ruachof the Old Testament, has four significations. 1. It represents primarily the air we breathe. 2. It denotes a being, as angels. 3. It represents an influence from a being. 4. It indicates a state of feeling.. It is believed that there is not a passage where these words rendered spirit occur but what may be classified under one of these significations.”
This confirms what is written at the beginning of this page regarding how God created man. It was the breath of life that God breathed into man to make him a living man. Before that he was a lifeless man. When God takes away the breath of life or the spirit of life, which all creatures possess, the man becomes as lifeless as he was before he received the breath of life. Hence Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 12:7 “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was and the spirit shall return to God who gave it.” The word rendered spirit here is the same as is renderedbreath in chapter 3:19, where it says of man and beasts, “yea they have all one breath”(ruach).
We often say, a proud spirit, a haughty spirit, a rebellious spirit, a meek spirit etc but we use the word for disposition or state of mind, and not for immortal entity. We say a person is in good spirits or is a spirited person: but we do not use the word as theologians do.
Understanding spirit to be used for life, we can understand the words, “Lord Jesus receive my(not ME) spiritand Stephen fell asleep” (Acts 7:59); and, “Jesus, when he had cried with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost,” spirit or life (Matt 27:50). But Jesus died. The spirit was not Jesus; it was that which gave Him life. When He yielded up the spirit He yielded up His life and then He – Jesus Himself – died. If the spirit that He yielded up was Jesus, the Christ, then He did not die, – a claim which would imperil our salvation.
When man dies:
“his breath (ruach spirit) goeth forth, he returneth to his earth, and in that very day his thoughts perish” (Psalm 146:4).
The spirit of God is everywhere – in the air that surrounds us. That portion of it which God enables us to use in respiration (by breathing) is called breath; and as it is by this process of breathing that we live, it is called the breath or spirit of life. It is the same with all creatures; for, as we have seen, “they – man and beasts – have all one breath” (Ecclesiastes 3:19). So our breath or spirit of life comes from God to make and keep us alive; and when we die the breath or spirit of life returns to God who gave it. The giving of it makes us alive, and the taking away of it leaves us dead.
With these facts established, that man is mortal, and that the soul and spirit of man are never spoken of in the Bible as immortal, we would like to clarify more fully the use of the word immortal so that we see that immortality is in no sense our present possession, and that therefore “immortal soul” and “immortal spirit” are invented phrases – not Biblical.
Immortality is the Gift of God to the RIGHTEOUS ONLY
The word immortality is found only six times in the Bible, and never once is used as a prefix to the word soul, ie, immortal soul.
- First, it is said that God is immortal. 1 Timothy 1:17
- Second, that God only hath immortality. 1 Timothy 6:16
- Third, that Christ abolished death (in Himself), and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 2 Timothy 1:10.
- Fourth, that we must by well doing SEEK for immortality. Romans 2:7.
- Fifth, that immortality will be put on at the resurrection, and
- Sixth, that when it is put on, death will be swallowed up in victory. 1 Corinthians 15:53-57
Further reading
Common Concerns re: soul means life
Historical comments re: immortal soul