THE BIBLE'S VIEWPOINT/The Soul

Is the Soul Separate From the Body?

WHAT PEOPLE SAY

The soul animates the boy while the person is alive but then  departs at death.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS

The Bible describes a mother as giving birth to "souls" -That is, living, breathing persons.   (Genesis 46:18) In fact, the Hebrew word  used in the Bible for "soul" can be translated "a breather."  Sometimes the term is even used to designate animals.  Furthermore, the Bible describes the soul as needing food.  ( Deuteronomy 12:20) If a soul were an entity separate from the body, would it need to breath or to eat?  In the Bible the word "soul" most often refers to a complete living person, including the body, the emotions, and the personality.

What Happens to the Soul at Death?

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS 

As surely as our bodies perish at death, "there is no work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the Grave." (Ecclesiastes 9:10) The Scriptures tell us that when someone dies,  "he returns to the ground; on that very day his  thoughts perish." (Psalm 146:4) A dead soul is in a state of inactivity, and thus, the Scriptures often metaphorically refer to the dead as "sleeping." -Matthew 9:24. 

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

When you lose those you love in death, you want to know the answers to such questions as these:  Where are they? What state are they in? Are they suffering? Since the Bible assures us that the dead are unconscious, we can be comforted in knowing that Jehovah promises to awaken  unconscious dead souls back to life in a future time. -Isaiah 26:19. 

Next time: THE BIBLE -A STORY OF SURVIVAL/A Story That Matters

From The Watchtower magazine