The Mortality of the Soul in the Bible?
The Holy Scriptures teach the resurrection and glorification of humans, proclaiming the transformation of their souls, their entire existence, and ultimately the whole world. While the Apostolic Creed spoke of the resurrection of the body (Lat. caro), the Nicene Creed did not delve into the "technical" details, it only anchored the hope of resurrection (people resurrect, not just some parts of them). Because the Bible's view of humanity and salvation are intertwined, any concept of the fate of the soul that is foreign to the Scriptures is always based on a perception of humanity and salvation that is also foreign to the Scriptures.
The following will discuss the idea of the mortality of the soul or the concept of "soul sleep". According to this, the soul dies along with the physical body and either perishes or remains unconscious ("soul sleep") until the resurrection. This concept is based on the Old Testament's view of humanity and has repeatedly emerged within the Western Church. Today, mainly Adventist-background and rationalist groups (like Jehovah's Witnesses, Christadelphian Community) hold this belief. They claim that their conception of the soul and its fate was originally part of Jewish-Christian faith. Therefore, in the following, we will analyze biblical passages often cited by them.
"For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other." (Ecclesiastes 3:19)
Claim: The human "soul" is the same as the animal's: mortal.
Rebuttal: According to Ecclesiastes, life without God is in vain. The author does not make a declaration but ponders (thinks, observes, raises questions, and leaves it open, verses 18 and 21). He does not talk about the state of man after death but about the similarity in the earthly fate of man and beast; they both eventually die (verse 19). Their bodies will become dust (verse 20), but where the "soul" of man and beast goes after death is unknown to him (verse 21). The revelation took place in a progressive manner on many topics: for example, Abraham or Solomon could have known almost nothing about the soul and its fate, Jesus said a lot, and even more was given to the apostles. Therefore, in this matter, we cannot refer to Old Testament texts without considering the later New Testament revelations. The translation "the same spirit is in each" [Heb. ruah echad laqol] can be misleading to today's reader, as the term "soul" may be understood differently than the biblical Hebrew term rúah. However, others translations are more accurate: "the same breath of life is in each." Returning to the arguments of Ecclesiastes 3, the finiteness of biological life may not lead animals but can lead humans to fear God and live their earthly lives differently through realization.
"The soul that sins shall die." (Ezekiel 18:4)
Claim: If a sinful soul can die, then the soul is mortal.
Rebuttal: Firstly, God, through the prophet, is contending against an Israeli proverb: "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge," meaning the children are punished for their fathers' sins. Ezekiel's message is clear: everyone is accountable for their own actions before God. Secondly, the literal translation ("which soul...") is misleading, as it merely means "whoever..." It's not about one "part" of a person, the soul (which proponents of soul mortality don't even consider a separate part), but about the whole person and their personal responsibility.
In other texts, the literal translations of the Bible can be misunderstood. Acts 3:23 "And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from the people" - meaning everyone. Joshua 11:11 "And they smote all the souls that were therein with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them" - meaning everyone.
"Fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." (Mt 10:28)
Claim: If the soul can also be "destroyed" along with the body, then the soul is mortal.
Rebuttal: Jesus is speaking to his disciples before sending them out to preach, preparing them for expected resistance (verses 23-27). He warns them not to fear men, who can only kill the body but not the soul (so they do have a soul); rather, they should fear God who can destroy both body and soul.
However, Jesus mentions hell as the place of destruction. This refers to the Valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem, where there was a rubbish burn in Jesus' time. In the religious literature of the centuries between the Old and New Testaments, the image of this smoky valley merged with the underworld and final judgment. Jesus once uses this conception of the underworld in a parable (Lk 16:23, Greek: Hades). In most other New Testament texts, however, hell primarily refers to the lake of fire after the final judgment, where the underworld and death are cast (Mk 9:43, James 3:6, Jude 7, Rev 19:20, 20:14). The key point is that hell will be the place of the sinners' destruction at the final judgment, so in Mt 10, Jesus is not primarily talking about the state of man after physical death or the underworld.
"The dead know nothing." (Ecclesiastes 9:5)
Claim: The dead are in an unconscious state, waiting for the resurrection.
Rebuttal: The overall message of the book (Ecclesiastes) is that life, when viewed without God, seems vain. The beginning of Chapter 9 argues that anything can happen to anyone, whether good or bad, religious or irreligious (verses 1-2). It's not just that life can be unfair; humans, with their wickedness, exacerbate the troubles, and in the end, everyone dies (verse 3). However, as long as one is alive, there is hope (verse 4). The living at least know what will happen to them: they will surely die (and stand before God), but until then, they can change their fate (which gives hope). The dead, however, know nothing and are forgotten over time (verse 5). The earthly matters they fought for fade, and whether they once loved or hated no longer matters; they no longer partake in worldly affairs (verse 6). It's not that they lack consciousness or cease to exist but that they have fallen out of this world. Therefore, the lesson, indeed God's desire, is to enjoy the fleeting life – with work, honor, love, and good spirits – while it lasts (verses 7-9). For what counts beyond is what happened on Earth.
"Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth..." (Daniel 12:2)
Claim: The dead are "asleep", i.e., they either don't exist or their souls aren't conscious, so they wait for the resurrection.
Rebuttal: Firstly, the train of thought surrounding the quoted sentence deals only with Jews, not the entire humanity. Daniel's people will indeed go through great tribulation, but the time will come, and through Archangel Michael, those whose names are written down will be saved. Then, from among those who "sleep in the dust of the earth," many will awake (Heb. quts). Not everyone, just "many", and they are distinguished only by one criterion: were they "wise" (Heb. sakal)? A wise person is one who understands the sealed text about the latter days (12:10) and chooses God's side during the time of trial.
Secondly, the imagery of "sleep" is used throughout the Bible as a euphemistic expression for death. The biblical phrase simply likens the process of dying to another externally similar experience: falling asleep. It doesn't intend to make any claims about the nature of death or the whereabouts and condition of the deceased. If we were to consistently interpret this metaphor literally, as if it speaks about the "state" of death, it would actually affirm the existence of the soul or consciousness after death. This is because a sleeping person does not cease to exist; their consciousness still operates, always dreaming, even if they don't remember it.
"Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ..." (1 Corinthians 15:18)
Claim: Death is the "sleep" of the soul, an unconscious state.
Rebuttal: The term "fall asleep" (Greek: koimaomai) in the New Testament is a euphemism for "to die", and its exact English equivalent is "passed away" (Mt 9:24, 27:52, Jn 11:11, Acts 7:60, 13:36, 1Cor 15:6,18,20,51, 1Thess 4:13, 5:10).
It should be noted that the Bible does not teach that the human soul is intrinsically immortal. However, it does teach that humans aren't just a temporary combination of body and life force: their "soul" survives physical death. This is supported by biblical examples: the spirits of those who died in Noah's time (1Pt 3:19-20) and the souls of the martyred Christians (Rev 6:9-11) or Elijah and Moses talking to Jesus (Lk 9:28-31). Paul did not consider himself synonymous with his body; that's why he wished to depart from the body and be with the Lord (2Cor 5:8). He even considered it possible that he had an out-of-body experience (2Cor 12:2-3). He only considered death as gain because being with Christ was far better than earthly service (Phil 1:23). As the Jewish saints are also alive, for God is the God of the living (Mk 12:24-27); Jesus also promised that whoever believes in Him, "though he dies, will live" (Jn 11:25).
