What does the Bible say about our souls?
Bible Topic · WEB
The Bible teaches that our souls belong to God, are bound up with our whole person, and will answer to him in death and judgment. Genesis 2:7 portrays humanity as God’s living creation, dependent on his breath and sustaining power. Ecclesiastes 12:7 reminds us that at death the body returns to dust while the spirit returns to God who gave it. Jesus teaches in Matthew 10:28 that God alone has final authority over both body and soul, so we should fear him rather than man. Ezekiel 18:4, 20 stresses personal accountability: the soul who sins shall die. Yet God mercifully gathers and saves people through Christ, as Acts 2:41 shows, calling us to repent, believe, and live before him.
Top passages, ranked by readers
Rankings: OpenBible.info Topical Bible (CC BY) · Scripture: World English Bible
- Matthew 10:28
Don't be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.
- Genesis 2:7
Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
- Ecclesiastes 12:7
And the dust returns to the earth as it was, And the spirit returns to God who gave it.
- Ezekiel 18:20
The soul who sins, he shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be on him.
- Acts 2:41
Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls.
- Ezekiel 18:4
Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins, he shall die.
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