Man is mortal and has no innate immortal soul that goes to heaven at death. Paul says the mortal must put on immortality, so everlasting life is added from outside, and only Christ among those born human possesses it now. At death the body returns to dust just as the beasts' bodies do (Genesis 3:19; Ecclesiastes 3:19-20). The human spirit is the God-given power of understanding, with no life or sentience of its own, and it returns to God for safekeeping (Ecclesiastes 12:7). The dead are asleep, as Jesus said of Lazarus, whom He called dead rather than alive in heaven; Scripture uses "sleep" for the dead over nineteen times. David, a man after God's heart, remains dead and buried, for Peter says he did not ascend into heaven. Immortality is a gift given in resurrection, each in his own order. The righteous receive it in the first resurrection at Christ's return. The rest of the dead rise in a second resurrection to learn and be judged. Those who knowingly reject God face the second death, a real and irrevocable end rather than eternal torment (Romans 6:23). The only suggestion of an inherent immortality is the serpent's lie, "You will not surely die." God barred Adam from the tree of life lest he live forever, showing that eternal life comes only through God's Spirit.

The concept of mortality and the soul is deeply rooted in the understanding that death returns us to dust, as God declared in Genesis 3:19: "In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return." Ecclesiastes 9:5 reinforces this by stating, "The dead know nothing," highlighting the finality of death. Contrary to satan's deception in Genesis 3:4, "You will not surely die," the reality of mortality is clear. Genesis 2:7 describes man as a living being or soul, using the Hebrew word nephesh, which is better translated as "creature" or "being," indicating that man does not possess a soul but is one. This term nephesh applies to animals as well (Genesis 1:20), showing that both share a similar physio-chemical existence and experience death in the same manner. However, humanity possesses a unique element, a spirit in man, as described by Elihu in Job 32:8: "But there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding." This spirit, imparted by God, endows humans with abilities beyond those of animals, such as understanding and reasoning, as affirmed by Paul in I Corinthians 2:11. Upon death, Solomon explains in Ecclesiastes 12:7 that "the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it." This spirit serves as a perfect recording of a person's life, capturing memories, actions, and character. God retains this spirit, and at the time of resurrection, He will return it, making it as if the person had never died. The character recorded in this spirit will determine the nature of one's resurrection, influencing the judgment God makes based on how one has lived.

The question of whether we possess an immortal soul is foundational to understanding what happens after death. The prevailing worldly idea is that the soul is an immortal essence, the seat of human will, understanding, and personality, believed to live on eternally after the body dies. However, the Bible presents a different perspective, defining the soul through Hebrew and Greek terms such as nephesh and psyche, which relate to breath and the concept of a breathing creature. These terms indicate that the soul is the life-force or vital principle of a person, the immaterial gift of life given by God, distinct from and greater than mere biochemical reactions. Biblically, a soul is a living being, emphasizing life and existence, rooted in the breath God imparted to humanity. This life can cease, as scripture clearly states that the soul who sins shall die. God's Word confirms that sin results in death, not eternal life in another form, and that everyone has sinned, thus facing death. Eternal life is not inherent but must be given as a gift by God, just as physical life was initially bestowed. Furthermore, the human spirit, distinct from the soul, is a spiritual record of our character and experiences, returned to God upon death for safekeeping until the resurrection. Yet, this spirit does not possess life or immortality on its own; it requires the infusion of life from God to function. Immortality is not something we currently have; it is a gift to be received in the resurrection through God's Spirit, not through any inherent quality of the human soul or spirit. Scripture affirms that only God possesses immortality inherently, and it is through following His path that we may lay hold on eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

Man does not have a soul but is a soul. God breathed life into Adam, and he became a living soul (nephesh; Genesis 2:7). Man has a body and a spirit, but no immortal soul that survives death. The popular belief that the soul departs to heaven or to an ever-burning hell comes from Gnosticism and the Egyptian and Babylonian mystery religions, and it repeats the serpent's lie to Eve that disobedience would not bring death. Scripture says the soul that sins will die (Ezekiel 18:4, 20), the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), and God alone has immortality (I Timothy 6:16). Man must seek immortality because he lacks it (Romans 2:7). Adam was never immortal; he needed the Tree of Life to live forever. Death is therefore a complete cessation of existence, not the freeing of a soul from the body. In the grave there is no thought and no consciousness (Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10; Psalm 146:4). Nothing happens after death unless God resurrects the person. The saints receive immortality in the first resurrection at Christ's return, being raised with incorruptible spirit bodies. The rest will be resurrected to physical life, judged, and, if they remain in opposition to God, burned in the Lake of Fire. This second death ends their existence, and they do not suffer torment forever.