Soul in the Bible
In the Creation account, Adam, the newly created man, came alive when God breathed into him “the breath of life.”
Then Yahweh GOD formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7)
The original Hebrew phrase for ‘living soul’ is nephesh chayyah and means literally a ‘living breather.’ It is used of animals, both aquatic and land, as well as humans (see Genesis 1:24; 2:7). The word nephesh refers particularly to that physical life force which animates all breathing creatures, the seat of which is in the blood (Genesis 1:30; 9:4). However, the Bible also speaks of a ‘dead nephesh,’ referring to a human being or animal formerly alive (Numbers 6:6). The common English translation ‘soul’ is misleading – except when taken in the restricted sense of ‘individual’ or ‘being.’ (from “The Original Bible Project,” ©2000)
Belief in a soul or spirit separate from the body, which lives on after a person dies, is of speculative, man-made “philosophy and empty deception” (Col 2:8-10) rather than from the living word of God. Man does not have a soul; he IS a soul. In Biblical Hebrew and Greek, soul = life…the opposite of death. (Psalm 146:3-5; Job 34:14, 15; Matthew 16:24-27)
Therefore, the implication of this true teaching is that when a person dies, according to the Bible, he ceases to exist (Eccl 9:3-6; Is 26:14-19). Hence, he is in need of a resurrection from the dead – which only God through Christ can do (Dan 12:1-3; John 6:39-63; 11:24), if he hopes to live forever with Christ and the holy ones in God’s righteous and peaceful kingdom on earth. (Is 32; 2 Thess 1; Luke 20:27-40; Matt 5:5; Rev 5:9, 10).
And so, as God says to those who are repentant and obey Him in Christ:
For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:40)