Are human souls immortal?

Meaning: perpetuity of existence

The doctrine of immortality is taught in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. The first man, Adam, was created by the eternal God as an immortal soul, and he was very probably given a body that was designed to potentially live forever, healing itself of injury and, if needed, assisted by the healing fruits of the Tree of Life, also provided by the Creator. There was no physical death until Adam sinned.

Q & A

Who is Adam?

About the fall of mankind

When did death begin?

When Adam sinned he instanteously experienced SPIRITUAL DEATH and his inevitable physical death was begun. Having been created directly by God, he and his near descendants had bodies that lasted a very long time—930 years in the case of Adam. This was God’s plan for the pre-Flood world, but not for the later post-Flood Earth where lifespans are significantly shorter.

Old Testament

The immortality of all human souls descended from Adam is plainly implied in the writings of Moses.

Physical death (also called The First Death), separates the immortal soul from the physical body that is part of our universe. The body decays, the immortal soul remains, and as designed and made possible by our eternal God. In the end of time, God will destroy our entire sin-tainted universe and create for us a New Heavens and New Earth, free of sin, death and the curse.

Q & A

What is the 2nd Death?

And Enoch lived 65 years and became the father of Methuselah. Then Enoch walked with God 300 years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he became the father of other sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. —Gen. 5:21-24

And Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of days; and he was gathered to his people. —Gen. 25:8

Then he [Jacob/Israel] commanded them and said to them, “I am about to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, —Genesis 49:29

…“I am [not “was”] the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. —Exodus 3:6 excerpt

King David knew that he would be reunited in eternal life with his physically dead infant son, whose mother is Bathsheba.

The doctrine of the immortality of the soul is more clearly and fully taught in the later books such as Isaiah and Psalms.

With Your counsel You will lead me, and afterward take me in glory. —Psa. 73:24

But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol,
For He will receive me. Selah. —Psa. 49:15

As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness;
I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake. —Psalm 17:15

Sheol from beneath trembles excitedly over you to meet you when you come;
It wakens for you the spirits of the dead, all the leaders of the earth;
It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones. —Isaiah 14:9

Thus, the immortal soul was obviously a doctrine well known to the ancient Hebrews.

New Testament

With the full revelation of the Gospel, this doctrine was “brought to light.”

The rule of Jesus Christ in the Kingdom of God is everlasting.

Then the seventh angel sounded, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying,“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.” —Revelation 11:15

The everlasting Kingdom of God repeatedly referred to in Scripture clearly includes the everlasting children of God.

Q & A

What is a true Biblical Christian?

Jesus Christ plainly taught the truth of eternal life to his followers, and it is obvious that they already understood this basic Old Testament truth.

Jesus said to her [Martha], “Your brother [] will rise again.” Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die—ever. Do you believe this?”

She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, the One who comes into the world.” —John 11:23-27

…some Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to Jesus and asked Him a question, …Now there were seven brothers with us; and the first married and died, and having no seed, he left his wife to his brother; so also the second, and the third, down to the seventh. And last of all, the woman died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her.”

But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying,

‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?

He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” —Matthew 22:23 excerpt

All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. …they aspire to a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He prepared a city for them. —Hebrews 11:13-16 excerpt

…join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been manifested by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel —2 Tim. 1:8-10 excerpt

Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we bore witness against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.

The last enemy to be abolished is death. For He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. And when all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.

…If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. Do not be deceived… But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?”

You fool! That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies; and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own. All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish. There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another.

…So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a corruptible body, it is raised an incorruptible body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. And just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.

Now I say this, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the corruptible inherit the incorruptible. Behold, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. For this corruptible must put on the incorruptible, and this mortal must put on immortality.

But when this corruptible puts on the incorruptible, and this mortal puts on immortality, then will come about the word that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! —1 Cor. 15:12-57 excerpt

Q & A

Click to learn about ADAM, the first manWhat was Adam, the first man, really like? Learn the amazing facts about this unique man from whom we all descended! And see why the FIRST ADAM needed THE LAST ADAM.

“For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.

Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight—we are of good courage and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” —2 Cor. 5:1-10 excerpt

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.

For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.

Therefore comfort one another with these words.” —1 Thess. 4:13-18

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Article Version: September 28, 2024