Beyond the Sunset

What is the soul?

Agenda

• Soul Definitions• Does the soul exist outside the body?• Is the soul immortal?

Soul Definitions

• Substance of Life– Genesis 2:7 – Psalms 78:50

• Group of People– 1Peter 3:20

• Spirit– Acts 2:27

Soul Definitions

• Distinct from “spirit”– Hebrews 4:12– I Thessalonians 5:23

DISCUSSION: In these verses, soul is distinctly different than spirit. What does soul represent here?

Does the soul exist outside the body?

The Claims• The dead “cease to

exist”• The soul does not

survive death

[The dead are] “wholly unconscious, being entirely out of

existence except in God’s memory.” ~ J.F. Rutherford

Does the soul exist outside the body?

• God of the living– Luke 20:37-38

• Gathered unto his people– Genesis 25:8-10

DISCUSSION: What does “gathered unto his people” mean?– Genesis 11:28

Does the soul exist outside the body?

“You don't have a soul. You are a Soul.

You have a body.”

C.S. Lewis(1898 – 1963)

Is the soul immortal?

The claims• No Bible verse explicitly

states the soul is immortal• Only God is immortal–1 Tim 6:14-16

Josephus stated, the Sadducees believed:• the soul was not immortal• there was no resurrection• there was no afterlife

Is the soul immortal?

Logical Reasoning:• Major Premise: God is an immortal spirit– John 4:24; 1 Timothy 1:17

• Minor Premise: We are the offspring of God– Acts 17:29; Genesis 1:27

• Conclusion: Our image, that of an offspring, is an immortal spirit

Is the soul immortal?

• Death cannot kill the soul – Matthew 10:28

• The cry of the martyrs– Revelation 6:9-10

Conclusion

• “Soul” has numerous definitions• The soul does live outside the body• The soul is immortal