My Journey to Life - Daily Study Guide

Q2. If our souls aren’t immortal, then what is a soul?

Picture: Q2. If our souls aren’t immortal, then what is a soul? JTLD 94.1

At Creation, “God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being”* Genesis 2:7. A “soul” in Scripture often means “being” or “person,” Ezekiel 18:4; Acts 27:37; Romans 13:1. A person in Scripture is a combination of a physical body and the breath of life from God. “Soul” in Scripture can also mean life, Matthew 10:28; Hebrews 13:17. There are no references in the Bible to “soul” as an independent entity that can think, communicate, or praise God. JTLD 94.2

A living person is made up of a body and breath, and life comes from God. Scripture sometimes refers to a living being as a “soul.” At death, the breath of God returns to Him. There is no “immortal soul” which experiences life—joy, pain, happiness and sadness—away from the body. JTLD 94.3

Body + God’s breath = Soul JTLD 94.4

Unless the body is combined with God’s breath, the soul does not exist. JTLD 94.5

*Entered as “soul” instead of “being” in some translations JTLD 94.6

• Bible Discovery: Genesis 3:19; Job 27:3; Psalms 146:3, 4; Ecclesiastes 12:7; 1 Peter 4:19
• Further Reading: Ellen G. White, Counsels for the Church, p. 74.4