Making the first return visit on someone who showed interest What the Bible says about the

e soul

E. Hi Jean. Its good to see you again. Last time I stopped I had left you a tract about the condition of our dead
loved ones. Did you get a chance to look at it?
M. Yes, I did. I actually found a lot of comfort in it since my cousin had recently passed away. But I did have a
question in the tract, it never mentioned that we each have a soul which lives on after death. I have always
been taught in my church that we have immortal souls which go to heaven.
E. That is a very good point. Many people believe that their dead loved ones have a spirit that lives on and goes
to heaven. Lets see what the Bible says about the soul to answer that question. I have my Bible here which has
a glossary of Bible terms. Im going to look up the word soul which will show us where the scriptures where
the word soul is used in the Bible. From this, we can examine the different contexts in which soul is used.
M. OK, that sounds good.
E. Ok. So here it says In examining the way the terms soul is used in the Bible, it becomes evident that they
refer to 1. People, 2. Animals, or 3. The life that a person or an animal has. It then cites a few scriptures to back
up this statement. Lets look at the first scripture, Gen 2:7. Could you read this when I find it?
M. Reads Gen. 2:7. Also read the footnote.
E. So did you notice the relationship between the first man Adam and the word soul?
M. It says that Adam came to be a living soul.
E. Exactly, he was not given a soul but rather, he became a soul, or a living person.
M. I see. But where does the soul referred to in the Bible mean the life that a person has? Does the Bible ever
mention that the soul, or life of a person, would live on after death?
E. Actually, the glossary here notes that the term soul is used in connection with earthly creatures, and refers
to that which is material, tangible, visible, and mortal. An interesting scripture which refers to the soul as the
life of a person is at Gen 9:5. Ill read this one. So note that the soul is said to have blood, and we know that
spirits do not have blood. Another scripture that discusses how souls can be considered mortal and tangible is at
Josh 11:11. Could you read this?
M. Reads Josh 11:11a. Read footnote
E. So did you note how the word soul is described here?
M. It says that the souls were struck with the sword. So this shows me that souls, as referred to in the Bible,
were not spirits but were mortal and could be touched by the sword.
E. Yes, thats right. So just from these few scriptures, we can see that the Bible refers to the soul as a person, or
the life that a person has, which is both tangible and mortal.
M. I see. Thank you for reviewing these scriptures with me-they have really given me something to think about.
But if the Bible says that the soul is mortal and can die, how do we have a hope for the future? Do we still go to
heaven even if the soul dies?
E. Thats a very good question, but it might require some more time to go over. Do you mind if I stop by again
next week at this time and we can go over what the Bible says about what happens after we die?

Making the first return visit on someone who showed interest What the Bible says about the soul

M. I would like that.