Shorts; The churches and the soul

Shorts: The churches and the soul.

Your church probably teaches that the soul (Hebrew nephesh) is
immortal. The Bible nowhere says that. So it is not an obvious fact.

The Bible does teach of a "soul". And just like English words, the
Bible "soul" has multiple meanings. I will discuss just one here.

When I grew up I was taught that when a person died, his soul survives
and immediately awaits a judgment of Heaven or Hellfire. 

BLEEP!!! BIBICALLY TOTALLY WRONG.

1st, 
the soul is NOT immortal. It dies:

Ezekiel 18:4  Behold, all souls [nephesh] are mine; as the soul
[nephesh] of the father, so also the soul [nephesh] of the son is
mine: the soul [nephesh] that sinneth, it shall die. (King James
Version) [brackets mine]

That concept came from among others including Plato and Aristotle:

Funk and Wagnall's Encyclopedia shows why the churches' present
teaching of a "soul" strayed away from the Bible's teaching. It says,

"Early Judaism considered the human personality as a whole, without
making a sharp distinction between body and soul....The Christian
doctrine of the soul has been strongly influenced by the philosophies
of Plato and Aristotle." 

2nd 
So, what is this thing that is not immortal because it can die?

YOU. Yes, you ARE a soul. (and so are other life forms) Notice what
Adam was called when he became alive:

Genesis 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]. (King James Version) [brackets mine]

3rd
And a soul is other living things:

Genesis 1:20  And God said, Let the waters swarm with swarms of living
souls [nephesh], and let fowl fly above the earth in the expanse of
the heavens. [brackets mine] (Darby's Bible)

[NOW RECALL THAT A "SOUL" CAN ALSO HAVE OTHER MEANINGS. So if you have
a question, don't hesitate to ask]

Politics and religion.
What the Bible says.
Go to: jw.org (7/21/2026)
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