The human soul is a theological topic of discussion throughout the world. Many religions, including Christianity, study the subject of the soul and interpret it in their own ways; however, we cannot hear any thesis or sermon which is definite, convincing, and consistent.
The answer to the soul can be found in the Bible. It is because the Bible is the record of God who created the human soul. Then, what does the Bible teach us about the soul? The Old Testament, which was written before Christ came to this earth, shows the truth about the soul, like the dim moonlight at night. On the other hand, the New Testament clearly reveals it like the sunlight shining during the day.
Is the Soul Life or Energy of the Body?
Some people misunderstand the soul, only focusing on the words of the Old Testament. They insist that the soul is the life or energy of the body, so when a man dies, his soul perishes according to their theory. However, the teachings of the Bible are different.
[T]he 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. Ge 2:7
Man was created from the dust and the breath of life, that is, the body and the soul. The important point is that the soul was not made spontaneously when the body was made, but it is a separate being that God breathed into the body. So when a man dies, his body returns to the ground, and his soul returns to God (Ecc 12:7). Since where the two came from is different, where they are going is also different.
If the soul is merely life or energy of the body, it means that our human parents who gave the life of our body gave our soul as well. However, the Bible clearly testifies that the “human fathers” and the “Father of our souls” are separate.
Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Heb 12:9
The Father of our spirits [souls] refers to God. The soul is created by God, regardless of humans fathers. Therefore, the soul that the Bible testifies about is not the life or energy of the body, which is made when the body is born. It is a separate entity that is still alive even after a man dies.
The Soul Continues to Exist Even After the Body Dies.
Jesus taught that a person can kill the body but not the soul.
“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.” Mt 10:28
Apostles John and Peter, who were taught by Jesus, wrote that the soul is alive even after the body dies.
[I] saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, “. . . Sovereign Lord, holy and true . . .” Rev 6:9–11
[T]hrough whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built . . . the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead. 1 Pe 3:19–20, 4:6
In his vision, Apostle John saw the souls of the martyred saints talking with God. Apostle Peter wrote that Jesus preached the gospel to the souls of those who died in the flood in Noah’s day. Some imagine that the souls of the dead are unconscious, but that is also not true. The Bible recorded that Jesus preached the gospel to the souls of the dead. It clearly shows that the soul which exists after death is conscious and able to understand and accept the gospel.
The Soul Is the Essence of Life.
In the Bible, the death of the body indicates the separation of the spirit from the body (Ecc 12:1–7). When the soul leaves from the body, the body dies; on the contrary, when the soul that left the body returns to it, the body comes to life. The essence of life is the soul, not the body.
[S]omeone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. “Your daughter is dead,” he said . . . “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep” . . . he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. Lk 8:49–55
Thus, the soul of a person can be either inside the body or outside the body. In other words, it can exist independently of the body. Apostle Paul, too, mentioned even twice that the soul can exist apart from the body (2 Co 12:2–3). He also testified about the death of the saints as “to be away from the body and go to Christ.”
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far . . . Php 1:21–24
We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 2 Co 5:8
When Apostle Paul spoke of “death” and “living in the body,” he said that it was better to die, that is, to be away from the body and be with Christ. It was because he was convinced that he would be with Christ in Heaven as soon as his soul left his body.
The fact that the soul can exist separately from the body, and that the body from which the soul left is only death shows that the essence of life is the soul, not the body. Therefore, the apostles likened the human body to a tent where the soul dwells for a while (2 Pe 1:13–14; 2 Co 5:1–4), and walked the path of the gospel, looking forward to eternal life in Heaven, not the temporary life on this earth.
In the New Testament times, Christ Himself came to this earth and taught about the soul clearly. In this last age, too, Second Coming Christ Ahnsahnghong made known the existence of the soul and the spiritual world through the Bible to those who were living vain lives on the earth. Whoever listens to His teachings will be able to go to Heaven, the home of their soul.