soul Summary and Overview
Bible Dictionaries at a Glance
soul in Schaff's Bible Dictionary
SOUL . Gen 2:7. The Scriptures evidently distinguish between the soul and the spirit. 1 Thess 5:23; Heb 4:12. The word which we call "soul" is used to denote mere animal life - the seat of sensations, appetites, and passions. Gen 1:20. Here the word translated "life" is the same with that which is elsewhere translated "soul." Hence it may be inferred that, as we have our bodies and animal life in common with brutes, it must be the spirit which was created in the likeness or image of God, and which raises man above the brutes that perish and makes him a rational and accountable being. Very often, however, the word "soul" is used in a wider sense, and designates the whole immaterial or spiritual nature of man; as when we say that man consists of body and soul. The immortality of the soul is a fundamental doctrine of Christianity, which brought life and immortality to light; so what the ancients hoped or guessed we know. Even among the Jews the truth was only partially revealed. Much more is said about the grave than of the life beyond, and the prevailing tone, in view of death, is one of great sadness. In Christ, however, we are made alive, and can never die. To the Christian, death is robbed of its sting; it is converted into a friend who ushers the soul into the company of the blessed. It is the immortal soul which is the subject of future reward or punishment.