Can You Kill Your Soul?

[Jakkaru]

I know this may sound like an odd question to ask, and I really don't feel like going into detail why I am asking, but in the Christian ideology, is it possible to eliminate or destroy one's soul?

 

[ContentInHim]

I believe that it's possible to harden your heart by continual sin so that it would would be next to impossible to be saved. Also, you might so destroy your mind by drugs that you wouldn't recognize the call of God on your life. On the other hand, I was saved late in life so with God, nothing is impossible!

 

[heron]

Many people feel an emptiness or deadness, which might lead them to believe something has left them.

But the soul is what defines you -- your body and brain existing by themselves would be sort of android, don't you think?

According to scriptures, you can't give away your soul, or sell it, or lose it.

There are two verses that are translated with the word "lose," but the Greek word used means "damage"

Matthew 16:26
For what is a man profited (5743) , if he shall gain (5661) the whole world, andlose (5686) his own soul? or what shall a man give (5692) in exchange for hissoul?

(Parallel quote in Mr 8:36 )

Ps 16:10
For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

Searching for this, I found there are almost 500 uses of the word "soul" in the Bible! Many of the Old Testament verses used it loosely, when someone refers to themselves.

Job 10:1
I loathe my own life; I will give full vent to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.


1 Thessalonians 5:23
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

​

 

[kulenok]

No. Because a human, just like angels and demons, is eternal. I know it sounds silly, but hte only part of you that dies is your body. your memories, your personality, your inteligence, everythingelse about you is your soul. You go to heaven or hell, but you never ever die in either of them. Although in hell you wish you could die.By nature, humans are eternal, thats why it is impossible to kill a soul.

 

[kulenok]

According to scriptures, you can't give away your soul, or sell it, or lose it.[/COLOR]

​

It is my understanding however, that peoplecan see their souls to Lucifer for worldly goods.

 

[sandman]

Seeing as the soul {biblically} is breath life ……………. when you die your soul life ceases, so my answer would be ……… absolutely.

 

[heron]

It is my understanding however, that peoplecan see their souls to Lucifer for worldly goods.

I know that's a common belief, but that seems to be a Hollywood invention, or a lie made up by Lucifer to deceive people. The devil is a master at tricking us into defeat.

You can do a search for "soul" here... I'm too lazy to wade through these...
http://www.studylight.org/desk/?l=en&query=soul&section=0&translation=nas&oq=&sr=1

There is always hope for redemption, no matter how far you've gone.

Ps 103:17
The mercy of the Lord is from eternity and unto eternity upon them that fear Him.

We retain our identities. The soul is not defined very well in scriptures, but it usually refers to a person's core being -- who they are, how they think, how they view life. The personality and essence beyond the brain.

 

[Stinker]

I know this may sound like an odd question to ask, and I really don't feel like going into detail why I am asking, but in the Christian ideology, is it possible to eliminate or destroy one's soul?

When the Bible talks about a person losing their life, it is the same as that person losing their soul. As Jesus explains:







Matthew 16:24-28 (King James Version)



24Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
26For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
27For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. 28Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

 

[sandman]

Yeah, Hollyweird does a pretty good job of distorting the truth ………………
The Bible does give reference to being born of the devils seed ….this is not like selling your soul, this is a permanent thing, much like getting born again of Gods seed; once it’s done, it’s done.

The idiom “immortality of the soul” is a subjective term whose definition can vary with, and within those individuals of either a philosophical or religious stance.
According to some religious beliefs, the soul is immortal and lives on after death to await the judgment of God; this, in religious terms is called somatic death.
the Bible gives a very different explanation, showing the soul as mortal, not immortal. If you follow the scriptures and the Hebrew words used to define soul, its conclusion, according to the Bible, will show that there is no immortality to the soul; whatever spiritual body we are raised up with at His return will not be with the soul life we possessed here on earth
I Corinthians 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

~~~~~~~~~~`Soul~~~~~~~~~~


Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. {Nepesh chai}

Soul is what gives the body life, our breath life.
The natural man the {five senses man} is comprised of body and soul.
Both men, as well as animals, have soul life.

Genesis 1

:30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing
that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

The words life in these two verses are the words nepesh = soul

:21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good

:24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

Genesis 2:19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

the word creature is the word nepesh = soul

The word living is the word chai meaning moving soul or moving life. Nepesh chai is always used as living life or living soul.

Where is the soul?

As Leviticus 17:11 states “the life of the flesh is in the blood”...

The word lifein Leviticus 17:11 is the same word for soul {nepesh}

There is no immortality, or transmigration of the soul. Soul simply means alive people; that which gives life to the body. As heron stated “a person's core being -- who they are, how they think, how they view life.” When one dies…….. ceases to exist………. takes his last breath……….. the soul itself being breath life, also ceases.
Neither does soul give reference to a believer, as Acts states.

Acts 27:37 And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls.

With the exception of Paul and Luke, the rest of the people on board this ship were unbelievers; so soul cannot be making reference to one who is a Christian

In conclusion, immortality of the soul does not exist according to biblical terminology it only exists only as an idiom within Philosophy and an false belief with some in Christianity.

 

[Adoniram]

I would agree that the soul cannot be destroyed, except maybe by God.

Matthew 10:28
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

But I was wondering about "selling" your soul.

People who dabble in the occult subject themselves to possible demon possession, some probably actually asking for it. Could that be a form of selling your soul?


On the other side of the coin, Paul says

"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s." (1 Cor. 6:19-20)

So you have to consider the terrible price Jesus had to pay to redeem our souls also.

Just some things to think about.

 

[Soldier_For_Christ]

Christianity teaches that a person's soul is indestructible. That is, each soul is a unique creation of God and therefore cannot be just destroyed. That is why the doctrine of heaven and hell is central to Christianity: if you live in service to Jesus Christ and God the Father, then you will live forever in heaven. However, even if you do not, your soul will still exist for eternity, though you will not live in eternal fellowship with God.

 

[Jakkaru]

Hmm I see. Well thanks for the answers everyone. Main reason I am asking is bcuase of my "personality disorder" some of you may know about. I figured I will get various answers from science and theism.

 

[sandman]

Christianity teaches that a person's soul is indestructible. That is, each soul is a unique creation of God and therefore cannot be just destroyed. That is why the doctrine of heaven and hell is central to Christianity: if you live in service to Jesus Christ and God the Father, then you will live forever in heaven. However, even if you do not, your soul will still exist for eternity, though you will not live in eternal fellowship with God.

I am aware of the immortality of the soul teachings in some religious circles I was taught the same thing years ago.
Because the Bible is the final authority when it comes to truth, it is imperative that we give litmus to the things we were taught. If they align, that’s great! If not, we should not beholden to tradition, but to realign with the truth …………..

It is possible I have overlooked some scripture concerning this subject … If you are aware of scripture that teaches immortality of the soul I would be blessed if you would share them.

 

[Soldier_For_Christ]

I am aware of the immortality of the soul teachings in some religious circles I was taught the same thing years ago.
Because the Bible is the final authority when it comes to truth, it is imperative that we give litmus to the things we were taught. If they align, that’s great! If not, we should not beholden to tradition, but to realign with the truth …………..

It is possible I have overlooked some scripture concerning this subject … If you are aware of scripture that teaches immortality of the soul I would be blessed if you would share them.

If we are not being good people in the hopes of eternal fellowship with God, then what reward would God have for us for giving our lives over to Him? I am curious as to your beliefs as to life after death if you do not believe in the immortality of the soul...

 

[sandman]

If we are not being good people in the hopes of eternal fellowship with God, then what reward would God have for us for giving our lives over to Him? I am curious as to your beliefs as to life after death if you do not believe in the immortality of the soul...

If the Bible is correct {I believe it is} then regardless of what Christendom teaches we still need to validate it with the Written Word.
My whole process of interpretation, is to allow the Bible to interpret itself using specific keys, principles, and tools of interpretation. I believe that the Bible fits together from Genesis to Revelation that it is inherent and inerrant throughout. Any seemingly errors or contradictions are due to our mistranslation misunderstanding or deliberate forgery of the Word.
God has not called us to interpret the Bible in a secular, theological, traditional, or intellectual way with preconceived ideas and beliefs, He has called us to rightly divide the Word {i.e. allowing the Bible to interpret itself} II Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
The reason we have over 6000 differing religious denominations is because people interpret rather than rightly divide. You and I could start differing denominations with our opposing views, but if we adhere to the truths of the Word, not what man says about the Word, we will be likeminded on the truth teaching the same things.
I Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

The question in the OP was “can you kill the soul” ………….My response was yes, based upon the biblical terminology of the soul. Irrespective of what Christendom teaches, we have to adhere to what the Bible defines as soul, as my post indicated
http://www.christianforums.com/showpost.php?p=34802101&postcount=9
One other thing about soul – Whatever it was that gave life to dinosaurs, cave men/women, any life pre-existing the attempted overthrow by the adversary between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, was not soul life as we know it, or as it exists in us. We know this because God had to create it {soul life} in Genies 1:21. The term create, albeit is used haphazardly today, is to bring into existence from nothing …….when God uses the word create it did not exist before; when He uses “make” or when He uses the term “God said” it already existed prior.

If we are not being good people in the hopes of eternal fellowship with God, then what reward would God have for us for giving our lives over to Him?

The reward is Family
If we are not being good people, if we do a 180 and go back to our old ways, we are the ones who suffer the misery of this world. Personally I could not imagine a life without peace, without joy, without the love of God in my heart, having the emptiness I lived with so long. The world is a flash in the pan it’s all glimmer and glitz there is nothing solid nothing but despair heartache and unrest ….nothing is a sure thing ……………..except God

 

[Rafael]

Everything comes from God and returns to Him, including the human soul.

 

[Soldier_For_Christ]

If the Bible is correct {I believe it is} then regardless of what Christendom teaches we still need to validate it with the Written Word.
My whole process of interpretation, is to allow the Bible to interpret itself using specific keys, principles, and tools of interpretation. I believe that the Bible fits together from Genesis to Revelation that it is inherent and inerrant throughout. Any seemingly errors or contradictions are due to our mistranslation misunderstanding or deliberate forgery of the Word.
God has not called us to interpret the Bible in a secular, theological, traditional, or intellectual way with preconceived ideas and beliefs, He has called us to rightly divide the Word {i.e. allowing the Bible to interpret itself} II Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
The reason we have over 6000 differing religious denominations is because people interpret rather than rightly divide. You and I could start differing denominations with our opposing views, but if we adhere to the truths of the Word, not what man says about the Word, we will be likeminded on the truth teaching the same things.
I Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

The question in the OP was “can you kill the soul” ………….My response was yes, based upon the biblical terminology of the soul. Irrespective of what Christendom teaches, we have to adhere to what the Bible defines as soul, as my post indicated
http://www.christianforums.com/showpost.php?p=34802101&postcount=9
One other thing about soul – Whatever it was that gave life to dinosaurs, cave men/women, any life pre-existing the attempted overthrow by the adversary between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, was not soul life as we know it, or as it exists in us. We know this because God had to create it {soul life} in Genies 1:21. The term create, albeit is used haphazardly today, is to bring into existence from nothing …….when God uses the word create it did not exist before; when He uses “make” or when He uses the term “God said” it already existed prior.


The reward is Family
If we are not being good people, if we do a 180 and go back to our old ways, we are the ones who suffer the misery of this world. Personally I could not imagine a life without peace, without joy, without the love of God in my heart, having the emptiness I lived with so long. The world is a flash in the pan it’s all glimmer and glitz there is nothing solid nothing but despair heartache and unrest ….nothing is a sure thing ……………..except God

Family doesn't last. I hate to sound heartless because I love my family to pieces, but someday they will all be dead along with me. The blessings we experience on this Earth are great (trust me, God has been very generous to me in how He has blessed my life), but they will all pass away someday....unless you refer to the Family we have in Christ, which he spoke of in Matthew 12:46-50.

In the Genesis 2:7 quote, God is infusing Adam with a living soul; that is, he is infusing within Adam His image of self-awareness and free-will, a kind of soul that surpasses what God gave to the animals of the world. Genesis 1:26: "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that scurry on the earth.'" The only thing that separates humans from animals is we have will to do as we please, either for God's glory or our glory.

Besides, your belief in death of the soul does not leave room for the 1 Thessalonians 4:16: "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first." The first believers in Christ have been dead for thousands of years, their earthly bodies long decomposed. Yet, here in the Bible, it says that these dead people will be among the first to rise; if their earthly remains turned to dust long ago, what could be left of them save for their souls?
Additionally, there is 1 Peter 4:6: "For this is why the good news (the Gospel) was preached [ in their lifetime] even to the dead, that though judged in fleshly bodies as men are, they might live in the spirit as God does." The gospel is preached to the dead so that even though their flesh has been judged, they might live in the spirit as God does. How can this be possible except by the existence of the soul apart from the human body?
Revelation 20:12: "I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by what was written in the books." Now, this does say that the dead are standing before the throne (of God), so that implies a body alright, but we know that if people are dead, then they cannot have bodies...at least, not bodies that we know.
Romans 8:23: "And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us." If our souls are bound to our mortal bodies, then what basis does the Bible have to promise us new bodies if we perish with our bodies on earth?

There are a couple of others, but I want to hit on the main ones: Jesus said in Luke 9:23: "If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me." Now, back then, that meant willingly bearing a physical cross and giving your physical body for God, dying for Him. Yet, the Bible also says: "All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead." How can we be born again if we give our physical bodies and souls for God?
1 Peter 1:23: "For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God."

The Bible itself proclaims that life exists beyond this world. I believe as you believe, sandman, that the Bible is the completely inerrant Word of God, just in case I didn't clarify that. All of these verses support the ideal of life beyond this world, which would not be possible if our souls were permanently tied to our bodies. Therefore, Christians are to live as though every little thing we do has an impact on our eternity, as though we are constantly becoming a more heavenly or hellish creature and that, unless we allow our earthly, hellish creature die, we shall never hope to have a new, heavenly one.

Living a good person for your family is a wonderful thing. Inevitably, there will be days when you will feel as though your efforts are in vain or you feel unappreciated and unnoticed. There will even be times when our family is angry with us for something that has happened. When Satan attacks us like this, if all we hope for is to please our family, then we have failed because no one can be pleased all of the time. However, if we live as though the fate of our soul depends on it, then we will be able to persevere and do the right thing. Living for anything on earth, even the noblest earthly thing, will get us nothing when we die.

As to divisions in the church, I agree with you completely, Sandman. There are thousands of denominations in the modern-day church, and this is not the way things are to be. Jesus told us not to divide the church, and this has happened. It saddens me that we, as the children of God, have failed in this way.

 

[Stinker]

If we are not being good people in the hopes of eternal fellowship with God, then what reward would God have for us for giving our lives over to Him? I am curious as to your beliefs as to life after death if you do not believe in the immortality of the soul...

Since (I think) my beliefs are very close to those of sandman's, I feel I can give my answer to this question as well.

You ask, "What reward would God have for us for giving our lives over to him."

Well, the Bible teaches that the reward is going to be immortality.

This is why those who hold to the teaching of Christian spiritualism cannot see, it's because of this vail. I held to the teaching of Christian spiritualism (immortal spirit/soul) for years because I was first taught this in the church I started my Christian walk in. Seems like what you are first taught is hardest to put down. If anyone had asked me if I thought that it devalued Jesus' and our own resurrection by holding to this teaching I am sure I would have re-examined it much earlier in my Christian life.

 

[x0xJesusIsLovex0x]

I don't really think something can kill your inner soul.

 

[ISeekTruth]

The quick answer is "No" you can not kill your soul. It doesnt belong to you.