Does Man Have an Immortal Soul?

It is widely believed that man has an immortal soul which cannot die, such that when a person dies, his soul departs from his body and goes immediately to Heaven or Hell, where it will remain forever. However, the Bible reflects a very different understanding about the human soul.

Man is a Mortal Soul

When God created Adam, the first human being, it is written that God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Gen. 2:7 KJV). Notice how the text does not say that Adam received a soul when he came alive. Rather, it says that Adam became a living soul. In other words, a person does not just have a soul; he is a soul. In this context, the “soul” of a person is the person himself.

After creating Adam, God warned him, “You shall not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day that you eat from it, you shall surely die.” (Gen. 2:17) This implies that even as a “living soul”, Adam could die; he was not immortal.

Human Souls Can Die

The word “soul” refers primarily to the life of a breathing being. Therefore, a person’s soul can be said to die when he dies.

In Ezekiel 18:4, God said, “Behold, all souls are mine. The soul of the father and the soul of the son are mine. The soul that sins shall die.” Notice how the “soul” here belongs to a human being—and it can die.

In 1 Kings 19:4, where it is written that the prophet Elijah “asked that he might die” (ESV), the Hebrew text more literally says, “he asked for his soul to die.” Likewise, in Jonah 4:8, where it is written that the prophet Jonah “asked that he might die” (ESV), the Hebrew text more literally says, “he asked for his soul to die.” In both passages, the Hebrew word for “soul” is used.

The Bible teaches that in the present time, only God has immortality (1 Tim. 6:16). This implies that no human being currently has immortality—except Jesus Christ, who is the first and only human that has been raised from the dead unto eternal life (1 Cor. 15:20–23).

Immortality and the Resurrection

The Gospel promises that “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). Therefore, “everyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). One day, the saved will become immortal and live forever, but that will be when Jesus comes back—and not any time beforehand (1 Thess. 4:14–17; 1 Cor. 15:53–54).