Years ago when I had attended a Methodist church, I asked a very important question to my Sunday school teacher of 35 years; “where does it say in the Bible that the soul is immortal?” Sunday after Sunday I had reminded the teacher of my question and with that came the excuses about why she was unable to give an answer. It was then I decided to find my own answers with the help of Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.
To my surprise, the term, ‘immortal soul’ was not found in Scripture at all, but verses that clearly state the opposite “…every living soul DIED in the sea” (Rev. 16:3) and “…the soul that sinneth IT SHALL DIE” (Ez. 18:18). I also found it interesting that the term “immortal” is only used of Christ, and not of man. Only later, in resurrection will man PUT ON immortality (1 Cor. 15:53). Ask yourself this question: How can we put on immortality if we already possess it as so many believe?
But you’ll find that many Christians will not believe the previous verses and continue to insist that souls live on forever in some form of a never-dying entity that floats up to God immediately after death. Most of us have been taught this belief. But according to Scripture, is it the truth?
This belief promotes false doctrines such as; the transmigration of souls, spiritism, purgatory, reincarnation etc… The result of believing these untruths causes confusion concerning one of the most important topics in all the Bible; the resurrection of the believer.
The Word clearly states that:
And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he (Christ Jesus) that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. John 3:13
And here’s another important fact:
Who (Christ) ONLY hath IMMORTALITY, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen, (1 Tim. 6:16).
I believe it is of great importance to beware of the traditions and philosophies of men and to realize that just because an error is believed by the masses does not mean it is the truth, but tradition.
Col 2:8. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
What value does God give to His Word? We are told “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”(John 17:11); … I (Christ) am the way, THE TRUTH, and the life…(John 14:6) and that all men will be judged by the Truth (John 5:22). If we will be judged by the Truth, do you think it is important to stand for the truth? Do you value the truth above all treasures? If so, then you will rejoice in the following eight lessons taken from the Word concerning the important subject of the ‘soul’. It is my hope that it will encourage you to open the Word and dig for your own treasures.
Lesson 1
The Word gives its own meanings concerning the ‘soul’ within Its own context. By comparing spiritual things with spiritual things, we are not left in the dark concerning the subject of ‘soul’. But once we go outside of God’s Word, we are at the mercy of man’s ideas and the imaginings of his heart. The result of going outside of the Word is what you hear today in many pulpits and platforms, the preaching that the soul is immortal and can never die.
John 8:32 – And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Through this study we will begin with the original language of Hebrew for the word ‘soul’.
The word translated ‘soul’ in the Hebrew language is ‘nephesh’ and occurs 683 times in the O.T.
By comparing Psalms 16:10 with Acts 2:27, the Holy Spirit reveals to us that the Greek word for ‘soul’ in the N.T. is ‘psuche’ and it occurs 95 times.
The first occurrence of the word ‘nephesh’, translated ‘soul’ in the KJV, is in Gen. 2:7 and refers to the creation of man. But the first occurrence of ‘nephesh’ occurs before that in Gen. 1:20 and refers to the living creatures of the seas.
Gen. 2:7- 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 (nephesh).
Notice 2 things happened to create this living soul (nephesh).
1. A formation of the dust of the ground
2. The breath of life that God breathed into this formation.
Then, man became a living soul.
Just as the combination of water and heat creates steam, so does the combination of dust and breath create a soul. One without the other cannot make a living soul.
This is extremely important – notice it does not say ‘he HAD a living soul’ as so many Christians assume. That would be adding to the Word of God, words and meanings that are not intended. Scripture clearly says that he became a living soul. To say that Adam had a soul is saying that God gave him something that is not there.
You are a living soul, just as Adam was a living soul. Anything living is a
‘soul’. You may ask, “Where does it say that?”
Back in Gen. 1:20, you’ll find the first occurrence of ‘nephesh’, the Hebrew word for ‘soul’. This time it is not translated ‘soul’ but “life.”
Gen. 1:20 – And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life (nephesh), and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
Notice that nephesh refers also to life in the waters. These moving creatures had life just as Adam had life. Anything that has life or is alive is a living nephesh, a living soul. It doesn’t necessarily require the air that made man to create a soul. Creatures in the seas live by breathing water, so that is how they became a living nephesh.
Gen. 1:21 – And God created great whales, and every living creature (nephesh) that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Notice again that the word nephesh, translated ‘creature’ are living creatures that move. They have life, they are living nephesh, living creatures.
Getting back to Gen. 2:7 – Adam was made a living soul when God created him from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Those two things caused Adam to move, to live, just as the living nephesh of the waters lived and moved by God’s creation.
Gen. 1:30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life (nephesh), I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
Also, everything that is creeping upon the earth has ‘nephesh’ (life). They are living ‘nephesh’ (souls).
From the previous lesson we learned that:
1. The Hebrew word ‘nephesh’ is translated ‘soul’ in Gen. 2:7 and refers to man.
2. The first occurrence of the Hebrew word ‘nephesh’ is before Adam was created in Gen. 2:7 and occurs in Gen. 1:20, 21.
3. Animals are called living nephesh just as Adam was called a living nephesh (soul). They are both living nephesh.
4. Anything living is called a living nephesh.
5. Anything that is creeping upon the earth is a living ‘nephesh’.
‘Nephesh’ has other meanings and we will continue the next lesson with more verses with the word ‘nephesh’ in them.
Lesson 2
The word ‘nephesh’, translated ‘soul’ is also used as pronouns for persons, such as, ‘himself’, ‘themselves’, ‘yourselves’, ‘herself’, and ‘he’.
The following verses are a few examples of these usages:
YOURSELVES
Jer. 17:21 – Thus saith the Lord; Take heed to yourselves (nephesh), and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem;
Lev. 11:43 – Ye shall not make your selves (nephesh) abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby.
THEMSELVES
Est. 9:31 – To confirm these days of Purim in their times appointed, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they had decreed for themselves (nephesh) and for their seed, the matters of the fastings and their cry.
Is. 46:2 – They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but themselves (nephesh) are gone into captivity.
HIMSELF
Job 18:4 – He teareth himself (nephesh) in his anger: shall the earth be forsaken for thee? and shall the rock be removed out of his place?
Job 32: 2. Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself (nephesh) rather than God.
HE
Ps. 105:18 – Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he (nephesh) was laid in iron:
SOUL
Lev. 4:2 – Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul (nephesh, i.e. person) shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them:
Lev. 23:27 – Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls (nephesh, i.e. yourselves), and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.
1 Sam. 1:26. – And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul (nephesh, i.e. ‘I’) liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord.
Ps. 35: 13 – But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul (nephesh, i.e. myself) with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.
Prov. 6:32. But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul (nephesh, i.e. himself). Notice how this soul (person) can be destroyed. Tradition teaches that a soul can never die, but this is contrary to the teaching of the Word of God.
Lesson 3
So far we’ve learned that God created living souls such as man, beast, fish, and creeping things.
Job 12: 9, 10 – Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul (nephesh) of EVERY LIVING THING, and the breath of all mankind.
It was shown in our last study that the word ‘nephesh’, translated ‘soul’ can be used of individuals as well as multiple persons and that it can be substituted into pronouns, such as ‘myself’, ‘You’, ‘I’ ‘themselves’ etc…
Is.46: 2. – They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but themselves (nephesh) are gone into captivity.
Prov. 19:8 – He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul (nephesh i. e. loveth himself): he that keepeth understanding shall find good.
‘Soul’, Nephesh, is also used of man, a person, performing certain acts, i.e. a soul performing certain acts:
Ps. 35:13. – But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul (nephesh) with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.
Soul, nephesh, is also used of Man possessing appetites and desires:
Deut. 12:15 – Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul (nephesh) lusteth after, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee….(i.e. this soul , person, lusts after food)
Prov. 6:30. – Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul (nephesh) when he is hungry; (i.e. to satisfy himself when he is hungry)
Is. 56:11. – Yea, they are greedy (nephesh) dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. Once again these souls, these persons are greedy and could never have enough.
Deut. 23:24 – When thou comest into thy neighbour’s vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure (nephesh); but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel.
This soul finds pleasure in getting his fill of grapes.
Nephesh, i.e. soul, is used of Man as exercising certain mental faculties and manifesting certain feelings and affections. In each of these occurrences ‘nephesh’ is translated ‘soul’.
Gen. 42:21. – And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul (nephesh), when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.
He was an anguished soul or his soul (he) was anguished.
Deut 6:5. – And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Such emotion is exhibited – to love the Lord with all thy being, with ALL thy soul.
Ps. 31:9 – Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly. The soul, the whole person is consumed with grief.
Job 10:1 – My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. Once again, such emotion is portrayed, His soul (his whole being) is weary and bitter.
Ps. 35:9 – And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in his salvation. Here, their whole being is joyful in the Lord.
In the following verses, ‘nephesh’ is also translated into various words that express the feelings of man:
Gen. 23:8 – And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind (nephesh i. e. if it be your desire) that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and intreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,
Judges 18:25 – And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry (nephesh) fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household.
1 Sam. 22:2 – And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented (nephesh), gathered themselves unto him;…”
Ez. 27:31 – And they shall make themselves utterly bald for thee, and gird them with sackcloth, and they shall weep for thee with bitterness of heart (bitterness of heart = nephesh) and bitter wailing.
So nephesh can be used of man expressing different emotions and manifesting different feelings.
Here are other references (there are many more) of nephesh that express actions, as well as emotions, passions, or affections: Ps. 6:3 (sore vexed), Job. 3:20 (bitter), 1 Kings 2:4 (walk), Ps. 11:5 (hateth), Ps. 34:2 (boast), Ps. 13:2 (taketh council), Isa. 55:2 (delight).
From this lesson we’ve learned that souls, persons, can express and manifest many different feelings and emotions as well as exercising mental capabilities and actions.
Now that we’ve covered the O.T. definition of soul, in our next lesson, I will show how ‘nephesh’ in the Hebrew O.T. is equivalent to ‘psuche’ in the Greek N.T.
Lesson 4
From our previous studies we’ve learned that animals and creeping things are souls just as man is a living soul.
Job 12: 9, 10 – Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul (nephesh) of EVERY LIVING THING, and the breath of all mankind.
Also, ‘nephesh’ means persons or individuals and can be replaced with pronouns such as ‘he’, ‘myself’, ‘themselves’, etc…
Is. 46:2 – They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but themselves (nephesh) are gone into captivity.
In our last lesson we learned that souls, persons, can express and manifest many different feelings and emotions as well as exercise mental capabilities and actions.
Is. 55:2 – “….. hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight (nephesh) itself in fatness.”
In this lesson we will learn that ‘psuche’ in the N.T. Greek is equivalent to ‘nephesh’ in the O.T. Hebrew.
How do we know they are the same? By comparing Scripture with Scripture, we find that ‘nephesh’ is equivalent to ‘psuche’ in the N.T.
Here are a few examples:
Compare:
Gen. 2:7 – 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 (nephesh).
With –
1 Cor. 15:45 – And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul (psuche); the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
Compare:
Acts 2: 27. Because thou wilt not leave my soul (psuche) in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
With –
Ps.16:10 – For thou wilt not leave my soul (nephesh) in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Compare
Matt. 22: 37. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul (psuche), and with all thy mind.
With –
Deut. 6:5. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul (nephesh), and with all thy might.
In the N.T. there are 95 occurrences of ‘psuche’, which is equivalent to ‘nephesh’ in the O.T.
In our next lesson we will show from the Word, contrary to traditional belief, that souls die.
Lesson 5
We learned in our last study that ‘nephesh’ and ‘psuche’, translated ‘soul’ have the same exact meaning. This has been proven by listing the same Scripture verses from the O.T. and the N.T.
From our earlier studies we’ve learned the various meanings of the word ‘soul’ and that animals and creeping things are souls just as man is a living soul.
Job 12: 9, 10 – Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul (nephesh) of EVERY LIVING THING, and the breath of all mankind.
It cannot be found in the Word of God that souls never die. As a matter of fact, the opposite is stated:
“The soul (person) that sinneth IT (that person) SHALL DIE. (Ez. 18:4, 20). Are we to believe God or man?
Now we are told explicitly to beware of anything that is after the “tradition of men” .
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit. AFTER THE TRADITION OF MEN, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Col. 2:8).
In the last 4 studies it was shown from the Word the various meanings of the word ‘soul’ (nephesh). Many Christians have no concept that animals are living souls just as man. I would ask them “Since animals are souls, do they live forever after dying?” The answer is, of course not.
Many have no understanding of the meaning of the word ‘soul’. They have not studied this subject at all from the Word of God. They believe that if a doctrine is taught for years and passed down from one pastor or teacher to another, then it must be true. Actually, if what is believed by the masses is not based on the Word of God, it is called ‘tradition’.
Tradition teaches that souls never die and use the following terminology that cannot be found in the Word of God. Why not check this out for yourself by using any exhaustive concordance? Here’s the list:
1. Immortal soul
2. Immortality of the soul
3. Immortal spirit
4. Immortality of the spirit
5. Spiritual death
6. Disembodied spirit
7. Disembodied soul
8. Never-dying soul
9. Purgatory
10. Spirits of the dead
Although the phrases above are continually used by Christians in reference to ‘fundamental doctrine’ these cannot be found in the Word of God. Search and See.
In the next lesson I will be listing more verses that show from the Word of God that souls die.
Lesson 6
From our previous study we touched on the fact that tradition believes that souls never die and that we are to beware of these ‘traditions of men’ (Col. 2:8).
Now we will proceed with Scripture verses showing that ‘nephesh’ (souls) die.
Ex. 31:14. Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be PUT TO DEATH: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul (nephesh) shall be cut off from among his people.
Josh.10:28 – ” And that day Joshua took Makkedah, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof he UTTERLY DESTROYED them, and all the souls (nephesh) that were therein; he let none remain…”
Ex. 22:25. There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have DEVOURED souls (nephesh); they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.
Prov. 28:17. A man that doeth violence to the blood of any person (nephesh) shall flee to the pit; let no man stay him.
You will remember that ‘nephesh’ means pronouns, such as he, she, as well as persons and animals possessing life. Life can be taken away from that soul. This is clear from the previous passages.
Here are passages in the N.T. that show souls die. Remember “psuche” in the N.T. is equal to ‘nephesh’ in the O.T.
Acts 3:23. And it shall come to pass, that every soul (psuche), which will not hear that prophet, SHALL BE DESTROYED from among the people.
John 10:11. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life (psuche) for the sheep.
Rev. 16:3. And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul (psuche) DIED in the sea.
Mark 10:45. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life (psuche) a ransom for many.
Rev. 12:11. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives (psuche) unto the death.
Rev. 20:4. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls (psuche) of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Keep in mind that the previous verse was a vision of John. The Lord told him to ” Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which SHALL BE HEREAFTER” (REV. 1:19). John wrote of future events. He saw those souls (persons) that were killed for Christ, the SOULS THAT WERE BEHEADED for the witness of Christ. These are the Overcomers that will be resurrected in the future.
Understanding the meaning of the word ‘soul’ solves so many problems. To believe that ‘immortal souls’ are beheaded just doesn’t make sense and those that were beheaded were believers! But once you understand that souls are people, living beings that had life or possessed life at one time, then it will make sense.
Lesson 7
In our last study it was shown that souls die.
Josh. 11:11 – 11. And they smote all the souls (nephesh) that were therein with the edge of the sword, UTTERLY DESTROYING THEM: there was not any left to breathe: and he burnt Hazor with fire
It will be shown in this lesson that souls (persons, beings, etc…) are mortal and subject to death of various kinds from which they can be delivered and life prolonged. Just as a fireman can save a soul from death by rescuing a person from a burning building.
Gen. 12: 13 – Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.
Here Abram told Sarah to pretend that she was his sister to prevent the Egyptians from killing his soul (him).
Jer. 20:13. Sing unto the Lord, praise ye the Lord: for he hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers.
In the following verse David is telling Saul that he did not seek to kill him. Yet Saul hunted David to kill him, to take his life.
1 Sam. 24: 11. Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it.
1 Kings 1: 29. And the king sware, and said, As the Lord liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress,
The Psalmist is wanting the Lord to keep him safe from those that hate him, those who can cause him harm.
Ps. 25:19, 20. Consider mine enemies; for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred. O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee.
James 5:19, 20. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;. Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul (him) from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
The previous passage is easy to understand if one knows the context and the meaning of ‘soul’. Those who were living during that time could suffer an instant judgment of death if they loved not the truth. They would miss the Kingdom. But if someone shows him his fault, and he turns away from his sin, it would prevent the impending judgment of death.
This is similar to the passage in 1 Cor.5:5 concerning those who commit fornication which is another type of sin unto death. The destruction of the flesh is the same as the destruction of the person, the soul. In turn, that soul could be saved from death if he turned away from his sin. It is apparent that Kingdom laws were in force during that time.
In our next lesson it will be shown that “nephesh” is used of man as a dead corpse.
Lesson 8
In our previous lesson it was shown that a soul can be saved from impending death and that souls (persons, beings, etc…) are mortal and subject to death of various kinds from which they can be delivered and life prolonged.
Jer. 20:13. Sing unto the Lord, praise ye the Lord: for he hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers.
In this lesson it will be shown that “nephesh” is used of man as being dead. It is rendered 3 different ways:
1. “the dead” in Lev. 19:28, 21:1, 22:4, Num. 5:2, 6:11
2. “dead body” Num. 9:6,7,10
3. “body” in Lev. 21:11 Num. 6:6, 19:11, 13 and Hag. 2:13
Let’s take a look at some of these:
Lev. 19:28 – Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead (nephesh), nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord.
Lev. 21:1 – And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead (nephesh) among his people:
Num. 5: 2. Command the children of Israel that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is defiled by the dead (nephesh).
Num. 9:6. And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body (nephesh) of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day:
Hag. 2:13. Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body (nephesh) touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.
So “nephesh” can also refer to a corpse, a dead body.
This ends our definitions of the word “soul”. From the last 8 lessons it was shown:
1. That “nephesh”, translated “soul” occurs over 740 times in the Bible and that “psuche” in the N.T. is the equivalent to “nephesh” in the O. T.
2. The definitions of “soul” are as follows:
A. Persons or living beings – Animals or anything that hath life, which includes oceanic life and creeping things.
B. Persons as pronouns such as: him, her, themselves, himself, etc…
C. As persons expressing desires, appetites, or feelings, such as my soul hateth, my soul doeth magnify the Lord, my soul thirsteth etc..
D. As persons or animals that die, i.e. “and every living soul died in the sea.” and that souls can be delivered from impending death.
E. As a dead body, a dead corpse – a dead soul.