Do not fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28). The word soul, derived from the Greek psuche and the Hebrew nephesh, refers to a living, breathing creature, whether man or animal, and simply means life. Soul pertains to the physical life of any being, as seen in Leviticus 17:11 where the soul of the flesh is in the blood. Jesus gave His life, His soul, as a ransom by pouring out His life's blood for sin (Mark 10:45; Isaiah 53:12). The Bible shows that a soul can perish, as Ezekiel states, The soul who sins shall die (Ezekiel 18:4, 20). God has the power to destroy both the physical body and the soul, while man can only take the body's life, resulting in the first death (Luke 12:4-5; Hebrews 9:27). If God judges a person unworthy of His Kingdom, that person will face the second death in the Lake of Fire, from which there is no resurrection, and both body and soul will be destroyed forever (Revelation 20:14-15; Malachi 4:1). Therefore, we should not shape our lives by threats from men, but live in total obedience to God and His laws, for if men kill us, it is temporary, but if God kills, it is forever (Acts 5:29).

The belief in the immortality of the soul, widely accepted among nominally Christian churches, holds that man is born with an immortal soul, shaping many related teachings. However, this doctrine is seen as one of the most enticing yet destructive, founded on a flawed understanding of God's Word. It distorts the clear evidence of God's Plan for humanity, leading many to believe in God without living as He does. God's Word teaches that man is mortal, and at death, the physical body decomposes into dust, akin to animals. The human spirit, which grants understanding and intellect, departs at death and returns to God for safekeeping, showing no indication of inherent life or sentience apart from a living being. Scripture describes the dead as sleeping, with their life and abilities ceasing as their spirit returns to God. Immortality is a gift from God, promised to believers at specific times, each in their own order, through resurrections. The righteous will rise to eternal life, while evildoers face a resurrection of condemnation. Some, despite knowing God's truth, will reject immortality by choosing their own way, facing a different resurrection and fate. Eternal life is not inherent in humans; it is a gift granted through God's Holy Spirit, sealing believers for their inheritance until the resurrection. Even King David, a man after God's own heart, remains in the grave, his body decayed, awaiting a future resurrection as king over Israel, just as God has a glorious future planned for all who choose His way of life.

The question of whether we have an immortal soul is foundational to understanding man's destiny after death. The prevailing idea in the world is that the soul is the immortal essence of a human being, the seat of will, understanding, and personality, believed to live on eternally after the body dies. However, the Bible presents a different view, defining the soul through Hebrew and Greek terms like nephesh and psyche, which relate to breath and the breath of life. These terms indicate that the soul is the life-force or vital principle of a living being, a creature that breathes, distinct from and greater than mere biochemical reactions. Biblically, the soul is a living being, emphasizing life given by God through breath. It is not inherently immortal, as scripture clearly states that the soul that sins shall die. God warned in Genesis that disobedience brings death, and this is reiterated in Ezekiel, where the living being who sins faces death. The New Testament confirms this, declaring that the wages of sin is death, not eternal life in some other form. Eternal life is a gift from God, not something we possess inherently. Furthermore, the human spirit, distinct from the soul, is a record of our character and experiences, stored by God upon death for the resurrection. Yet, this spirit is not immortal on its own; it requires the infusion of life from God to function. Immortality is something we must put on, as Paul states, and it is only through God's Spirit that we receive the promise of eternal life in the resurrection. Scripture is clear that only God possesses inherent immortality, and we are called to pursue it through righteousness, not as something we already have. Thus, we do not have an immortal soul or spirit, but we can attain true immortality in the Kingdom of God as a gift from Him.

The concept of the immortality of the soul, as introduced by the Serpent to Adam and Eve, marks the beginning of apostasy, false religion, pain, and death. The Serpent's lie, "You shall not surely die," convinced them they already possessed an immortal soul, leading them to deify themselves and set their own moral standards. This false belief, that humans are inherently immortal at birth, became a cornerstone of paganism and a major departure from God's way, dominating spiritual thinking in virtually all religions apart from the faithful descendants of Abraham who adhere to the truth. This deceptive doctrine infiltrated the early church even during the apostles' lifetimes through false conversions influenced by Gnostic teachings. Today, the majority who call themselves Christian assume that at death, their soul departs the body and retains consciousness, heading to heaven, hell, or purgatory. This notion, a prime motivator to sin, undermines the desire to follow God's way, as it did with Adam and Eve, by implying that death is not a final consequence. God's original teaching to Adam and Eve was clear, with the strongest prohibition against taking from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Yet, the Serpent cleverly twisted this into a positive implication supporting his lie. Though they did not die immediately, die they did, illustrating God's point that sin leads to death. We, too, can sin and not die immediately, but the danger remains that we might fall into the same deception as Adam and Eve, missing the critical truth that sin kills and we are not immortal. The Apostle Paul, in I Timothy 6, emphasizes that only God possesses immortality, underscoring that neither Adam and Eve, nor Paul himself, nor we, have it yet. This immortality is a future determination based on whether we pursue life as God lives. Paul admonishes us to fight the good fight of faith, resisting sin, and reminds us that God is the giver of all life, including resurrection life, which we will not receive until He grants it. The false doctrine of the soul's immortality, taught by satan against God's truth, was subtly introduced into the first-century church as part of a package of Gnostic falsehoods, undermining faith and motivating sin. This lie nearly destroyed the early church and continues to test believers today. One factor that causes Christians to stumble is not fearing sin and its consequences as we should. Contrasting biblical truth with pagan philosophy, the attitude of Jesus Christ toward death starkly differs from that of Socrates, who believed in the soul's immortality and viewed death as a friend. Jesus, however, greatly feared sin and death, understanding it as a hostile force and satan's tool, foreign to God's purpose for humanity. Death, as the ultimate separation from life and relationships, is an enemy to God, Jesus, and mankind, and must be overcome and destroyed. Jesus' death and resurrection reveal the truth about the glory of life and the horror of death. Unlike Socrates' calm acceptance of death based on a lie, Jesus faced death with profound distress, crying out in agony and feeling forsaken. His battle against death, satan's most powerful weapon, was titanic, demonstrating that death is not divine or beautiful but a dreadful enemy. Jesus had to conquer death by truly dying, not by living on as an immortal soul, proving that no human, including the Son of God, is inherently immortal. Resurrection to immortality and God-life requires a divine act of creation, issuing from the nothingness of genuine death, not from an already living soul. God, who alone has the power to give immortal life, quickens all things, and through Jesus' resurrection, the first of the firstfruits, He promises to make all things new. In contrast, the belief in the soul's immortality negates the need for such a creative act, falsely asserting that true life continues after the body's destruction. The death of our God-given physical life is the destruction of

This sermon explores the biblical reality of death, including its inevitability, complex meaning, and hope for eternal life through the sacrifice and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The subject of death recurs throughout the entirety of Scripture, beginning with God's warning to our father Adam in Genesis to the warnings of the "second death" in Revelation, demonstrating that it constitutes a central theme of human existence. While many mistakenly view death as a vague transition or displacement of cosmic energy, Scripture affirms that death is real, appointed to all, and occurring under God's sovereign authority. Ecclesiastes stresses that life and death ae inextricably linked, though foolish choices can hasten life's end. No one ever dies outside God's will, even the tiny sparrow, but God values humans created in His image on a higher level. Christ urged His disciples not to fear men, but to fear God, who alone has power over life and death. If we reflect on God's sovereignty which is displaced across the entirety of creation, we can deduce that God has power over death and promises us resurrection from the dead. It is Jesus Christ Who has died and now lives forever who holds the keys of death and Hades. For Christ's chosen saints, death is not the final end, but a passage toward eternal life. While the world offers distractions, God alone provides true comfort, healing broken hearts as well as offering hope beyond the grave. We cannot deny or escape death, but trust God, who promises resurrection and restoration. We must develop deep trust in Christ's resurrection, realizing that He alone has conquered death and offers to us eternal life.