I'm in onother dating site, this question was asked as "Does souls really live forever?"
What I could pick up from their arguement was that, they don't know what a soul is, hense they argue about plants "that if plants eventually die yet they're souls too, then souls don't live forever"
I don't mean to bring subjects from other sites into this site, its only because this question got me thinking & wondering what really is a soul, let alone if it does live forever, cause it certainly does.
Was taken to my early days with God around 2008 when I got saved. This one time I was thinking of the oportunities that I missed everytime I was told about Jusus & felt that I was just not ready to be saved . Then I asked my self "Why was He chasing after me for so long?" (being glad ofcause that He finaly won me over) then a very soft yet powerful voice answered me "I wasn't interested on your physical being created from the dust but I'm more to what I entrusted the dust with to contain, my very breath. A human being wouldin't have been alive if I didn't breath my iternal breth to him"
I knew that was God talking to me. This questions about souls existing forever reminded me of that conversation with God. Is a souls more of Gods breath that He gave to Adam for him to start living, cause he was lying helpless before God gave He's breath?
Since their is not alot in scripture to support or deny any argument I will offer my opinion to you. We as beings along with the animal kingdom are made up of flesh and soul in the time of our births.
The soul is what our personality is. Amimals have personality also but the personality we have and animals have are not eternal.
Why? Because scripture tell us that we are born into sin and because of that we are dead spiritually.
When a soul is redeemed through belief and repentence in Christ then that soul becomes alive in the spirit.
It is not until God give us bodies that will house our new spirit and our existing soul that we then will be eternal beings.
The same goes for the lost. God has prepared a place for then as well where they will suffer for all eternity. I persoanlly beileve their suffering will be self inflicted.
These questions are of such that they need to be taken by faith because their is no real evidence to prove right or wrong.
If you are having a discussion about eternity one good question to ask is why do you want to be in heaven?
The old testament infers to the soul and spirit semmingly as one.
Man's make up is and has always been this.
Man is a Spirit being
That has a soul, his mind will and emotion's, this part of man is not new when man is born again, it is to be renewed as Romans 12:2 teaches,
Man is a Spirit, that has a soul, that lives in a body.
1 Thessalonians 5:23
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 3:4
Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God�s sight.
"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"
Personally, I think the "soul" is simply "life" or "breath". The original word supposedly means "breath". So God breathed life into us, and we became living souls or living beings.
I do not believe our soul is immortal. Only God possesses immortality, and he removed Adam and Eve's access to the tree of life specifically so we would not be immortal. Also, it becomes a bit of a logical inconsistency for God to offer eternal life as a reward to us if we already have it, and if we have immortal souls, than the wicked and the righteous have the same reward, they just experience it in different locations.
We've got to remember that our various versions of the bible are translations, and on top of that, we're constantly dealing with adaptations and re-definitions of words and influence by other cultures and religions throughout history. So you really have to search the entire bible for the answers to get a cohesive consistent english(or other language) definition of the word in question. It's like a puzzle, and you have to put it together to see the truth.
"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"
Translations are not the problem it is man's belief that he interprets God. One would do best if they are born again to start in the new testament and get in the light according to the word of God, mans is and was created an eternal being, just as his father is, we created just like him in his image and likeness.
the question is what is a soul, it is not what is man
Personally, I think the "soul" is simply "life" or "breath". The original word supposedly means "breath". So God breathed life into us, and we became living souls or living beings.
In genesis that word Soul means person or man, it is not descriptive of man's make up.
I do not believe our soul is immortal. Only God possesses immortality, and he removed Adam and Eve's access to the tree of life specifically so we would not be immortal. Also, it becomes a bit of a logical inconsistency for God to offer eternal life as a reward to us if we already have it, and if we have immortal souls, than the wicked and the righteous have the same reward, they just experience it in different locations.
The soul of man is part of man's spirit, even that it is not spirit it is eternal. Notice in the 23 rd psalm the lord restoreth my soul, notice it is the psalmist not the psalmist himself, typically speaking when the bible refers to man it is man the spirit being, unless otherwise stated the word heart and spirit are typically one and the same.
We've got to remember that our various versions of the bible are translations, and on top of that, we're constantly dealing with adaptations and re-definitions of words and influence by other cultures and religions throughout history. So you really have to search the entire bible for the answers to get a cohesive consistent english(or other language) definition of the word in question. It's like a puzzle, and you have to put it together to see the truth.'
Note the word of God is spiritually discerned, or by man the spirit, the natural man {soul} can not discern the word of god.
TC Shared ~ In genesis that word Soul means person or man, it is not descriptive of man's make up.
*** I do not agree with this statement because soul in Genesis not ONLY means �man� it also is �descriptive� of man�s make up�Hebrew is very interesting language and not easy to translate�however this translation I believe is most accurate�see below�xo
TC, I would like to see the verses you have to support your interpretation. Your reference to the 23rd psalm isn't very descriptive either way.
I think there are many more verses to support that a soul is not immortal.
"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
The body and soul are put in equivalent language there, both are perishable.
"For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality."
To me, the idea of an immortal soul is really just a rehash of Satan's first deception; "you will not surely die". I think the penalty that God has in mind is very clear and direct and conclusive.
"Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die."
"Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who 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."
"Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?"
"For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity."
"The living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun."
"There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."
"The dead praise not the Lord."
I have yet to see any clear compilation of verses that support the immortality of the soul, or even one really.
TC, I would like to see the verses you have to support your interpretation. Your reference to the 23rd psalm isn't very descriptive either way.
1st. there is no basis for man interpreting God's word now or ever, that is simply man exalting himself above God, the idea we tell him what he said.
2nd your approach to God is natural, no man can discern the spiritual, as a natural man. The word of God is always without exception spiritually discerned, the spirit of man, discerns the word of God, that is also spirit.
The intellect , mental realm can not discern the word of God.
3rd. you said my reference to 23 rd psalm isn't very descriptive, my answer is why is it that basic english skills get manipulated and forgotten when it comes to the word of God.
It is not a bad transalation, he restoreth my soul, if it said he restorreth my healt and one wouldn't to argue that truth, they would experience tells us that.
You can not find anywhere in the bible that man is a soul, only scriptures that you have heard presented as that, and that has nothing to do with what is true.
4th Man does not justify his belief by a volume of scripture.
The entire word of god is TRUE.
According to you God is a soul, and not a spirit as you beleive.
He said he is a spirit, you say he is not immortal he says he is.
Prov 4:23 Above every charge keep thy heart, For out of it [are] the outgoings of life. Life comes out of the heart or spirit of man always.
When man his saved he is taken from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God, he is then made a new spirit, the old is buried in baptism.
Notice you ignore the truh of man is a spirit, that answer is very clear, when you accept that, then you can start to see the truth about the soul of man.
Can I ask you please to write me the verses that you've quarted. You've highlighted passages that triggered a lot of things in me & answered a whole lot of questions that I had, apart from the main question that's being spoken of here. Hope you'll be able to remember those verses dear, even if its not all of them.
