(PART 3)

Just what does the Bible say a "soul" is?

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

As shown by this verse, the soul is the spark of life, given by God. When God breathed life into Adam, he became a living soul (creature). Please notice that it does not say God put a soul into Adam. You are a soul because God breathed life into you.

(Dust of the Ground + Breath of Life = Living Soul)

Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind. ~ Job 12:9,10

And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again. And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. ~ 1st Kings 17:17,21-22

In the above account of Elijah, the return of the child's soul and breath are identical in meaning. You do not have some phantom immortal soul that survives at death. Life makes you a soul. Without life you perish.

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 died in the sea. ~ Revelation 16:3

Notice that even the inhabitants of the sea are referred to as living souls, just like Adam. This is because the soul is only the spark of life, which is given by God alone. It is not a ghost living inside you.

Look at the story of the rich man. He thought he was set and had a life of leisure because his barns were full:

But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? ~ Luke 12:20

The rich man's soul did not move to heaven but rather he lost his life. He lost his soul (life) and perished. He ceased to live and his goods then became the property of someone else. All his planning was futile.

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? ~ Matthew 16:25,26

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? ~ Mark 8:35-37

The above two passages make plain that the words soul and life are using the same meaning. When you die, you lose your soul, which is to say you lose your life. The wicked man who rules the world, but loses his soul, does not take up habitation next in hell for eternity. Rather he perishes, he ceases to exist, he loses his life. The ramification being that he has foolishly traded away his eternal life for earthly wealth.