I see it spoken here that some say this and some say that. And that to me is sad, for these things are clearly outlined for us in the Scriptures so that they are not a matter of personal opinion. Rather, it is a matter of obtaining the proper Biblical perspective. Perspective is the area which causes the confusion.
Man did not come to have a soul, rather, man came to be a soul: At Genesis 2:7 we are told that God formed the man of the clay of the ground and blew the breath of life into man's nostrils “AND MAN BECAME A LIVING SOUL.”
So now bear it in mind that MAN IS A SOUL as a result of the union of the body of clay and the breath of life from God. There is no such thing as a dead soul. But the reason there is no such thing as a dead soul has nothing to do with the soul being immortal. There is no such thing as a dead soul because the soul is the union of the body and the breath of life from God. Before that uniting of the body and the breath the soul simply does not exist. And yet in the sense that the soul is made to cease at least momentarily by anything which breaks that unity such as killing the body, the soul can be spoken of as if man does destroy it at times. We will consider such texts as do speak of this.
We will look at various Scriptures here to help us grasp this concept a bit clearer. First, however, I would like to comment on Matthew 10:28 "And be not afraid of those killing the body, and are not able to kill the soul, but fear rather Him who is able both soul and body to destroy in gehenna.” (YLT)
The body was first formed of clay and so can be spoken about separate from the soul in the sense that it is not a part of what constitutes the soul until it is united with the breathe of life. Then those two things together constitute “A LIVING SOUL', just as we read at Genesis 2:7.
God gave us that marriage of our bodies to his breath of life. That marriage belongs to God and though man can kill the body, causing it to decay back to dust, that marriage of our body and the breath of life belongs to God who gave it so that man can only temporarily disrupt that unity. For just as God gave us that unity of body and breath which constitutes a living soul, God can restore it. No man can snatch us from God's memory. Our life is not destroyed in the sense of never again existing unless God judges that it is, for he has the power over life and death, he being the creator of all. Thus fear God who can destroy both the body and it's life as a living soul of unified body and breath.
The man the soul is what lives while man is alive:
Genesis 19:20 “lo, I pray thee, this city is near to flee thither, and it is little; let me escape, I pray thee, thither, (is it not little?) and my soul doth live."
1 Samuel 28:9 “And the woman saith unto him, "Lo, thou hast known that which Saul hath done, that he hath cut off those having familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land; and why art thou laying a snare for my soul -- to put me to death?"
Because our soul is us in our completeness as a person, it is our souls which need to be ransomed:
Job 33:28 “He hath ransomed my soul From going over into the pit, And my life on the light looketh."
Psalms 3:2 “Many are saying of my soul, "There is no salvation for him in God." Selah.”
Because the soul is our unified person composed of body, breath, and personality, it can be spoken of as being torn apart as by a lion shredding its prey:
Psalms 7:2 “Lest he tear as a lion my soul, Rending, and there is no deliverer.”
Psalms 7:5 “An enemy pursueth my soul, and overtaketh, And treadeth down to the earth my life, And my honour placeth in the dust. Selah.”
God does not have to allow that unity to be lost to corruption in the grave but can resurrect us from that whole and complete:
Psalms 16:10 “For Thou dost not leave my soul to Sheol, Nor givest thy saintly one to see corruption.”
Psalms 23:3 “My soul He refresheth, He leadeth me in paths of righteousness, For His name's sake,”
Psalms 25:20 “Keep my soul, and deliver me, Let me not be ashamed, for I trusted in Thee.”
Psalms 30:3 “Jehovah, Thou hast brought up from Sheol my soul, Thou hast kept me alive, From going down to the pit.”
Our soul can grow old just as our body for our soul is us in our completeness:
Psalms 31:9 “Favour me, O Jehovah, for distress is to me, Mine eye, my soul, and my body Have become old by provocation.”
And for that reason our souls need healing at times:
Psalms 41:4 “I -- I said, "O Jehovah, favour me, Heal my soul, for I did sin against Thee,"
The spirit which goes back to God is one spirit which gives all of us life. It is not many spirits but one:
Ecclesiastes 3:19 “For an event is to the sons of man, and an event is to the beasts, even one event is to them; as the death of this, so is the death of that; and one spirit is to all, and the advantage of man above the beast is nothing, for the whole is vanity.”
Our being called to one spirit and one body in Christ is a picture of this reality:
1 Corinthians 12:13 “for also in one Spirit we all to one body were baptized, whether Jews or Greeks, whether servants or freemen, and all into one Spirit were made to drink”
We have access to life by one spirit just as we were originally created so that we all have life by one spirit:
Ephesians 2:18 “because through him we have the access -- we both -- in one Spirit unto the Father.”
Babylonian pagan ideas have corrupted this knowledge away from the church in the flesh. When we die we are dead. Death really is our enemy until it is wiped out. But we can view it as being asleep for we can rest assured that our God will not forget us and that he made us and he can rescue us from death.
We are not considered as dead in an absolute sense when we die faithful for it is only temporary like is sleeping. For God will awake us in the resurrection.
John 11:26 must betaken as one complete thought with verse 25:
John 11:25-26 “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” (KJV)
Essentially, Jesus said to her, “Iam the resurrection and the life. He that believes on me, even if he dies he shall live [again]. And whomever lives [again] and believes in me shall never die.” Compare:
Revelation 1:18 “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”
John 6:39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 11:24 “Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”