It's commonly believed that his message was about what will happen to people's immortal souls in the afterlife. An analysis of what he actually said about this in the Gospels shows something quite different though.
This is one of a series examining what the Gospels actually say about some specific topics:
Copyright © 2024, Ray Butterworth.
Each verse is presented here in two translations, the traditional familiar King James Version, which provides a very literal translation of the original Greek language, and the New Living Translation, which is written in modern English and stresses the presumed intended meaning of the original.
Looking at both literal translations and paraphrases can be beneficial when studying the Bible, especially when the two approaches are in agreement.
Studying the text for the purpose of determining what the original authors actually meant, is known as exegesis (critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially of scripture
).
Unfortunately, when paraphrasing the intended meaning, sometimes the translators end up including either their personal beliefs or those of their target audience.
Studying the text for the purpose of confirming what one already believes, is known as eisegesis (the interpretation of a text (as of the Bible) by reading into it one's own ideas
).
The four Gospels contain almost everything that was recorded about what Jesus taught.
Two thousand years ago, Jerusalem had Jewish religion, Greek culture, and Roman governance. Each of the four Gospels was written to present Christianity to a different audience.
The Lawor
The Book of Moses, the most sacred of Jewish scripture, his Gospel is divided into five sections. It stresses Jesus's royal ancestry and presents Jesus as the prophesied Messiah and King.
In the Old Testament, the word soul
is translated from the Hebrew word nep̄eš
(נֶפֶשׁ), a word that has no supernatural connotation.
It refers to a living creature, animal or human, dead or alive.
People aren't given souls, they are souls:
| Verse | KJV | NLT |
|---|---|---|
| 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 [nep̄eš]. | Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person. |
Animals too are souls:
| Verse | KJV | NLT |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis 1:24 | And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature [nep̄eš] after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. | Then God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind — livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” And that is what happened. |
Souls can be dead:
| Verse | KJV | NLT |
|---|---|---|
| Leviticus 21:11 | Neither shall he go in to any dead body [nep̄eš], nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother; | He must not defile himself by going near a dead body. He may not make himself ceremonially unclean even for his father or mother. |
Human souls can die:
| Verse | KJV | NLT |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 18:4] | Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. | For all people are mine to judge — both parents and children alike. And this is my rule: The person who sins is the one who will die. |
Notice that in these verses soul
is translated as person
, living creature
, dead body
, etc.
to avoid the association of the word soul
with the pagan doctrine of an immortal supernatural part of humans.
The Gospel writers used the Greek word psychē
(ψυχή) to have the same meaning as the Hebrew word nep̄eš
.
The word psychē
is often translated into English as soul
(58 times in the KJV).
But it also appears as
life
(40 times),
mind
(3 times),
heart
(1 times),
and heartily
(1 times),
and is not translated (2 times).
As in the Hebrew scriptures, the word does not have any supernatural connotations.
The English word soul
can be used to refer to people, living or dead (e.g. The Titanic's sister ship, Olympic, reported the sinking: One thousand eight hundred souls lost
, without imputing any supernatural aspect to the disaster).
The English word psychology
, the study of the phenomena of the mind
derives from the same Greek word psychē
, and literally means study of the soul
.
Freud's ego
refers to the conscious component of the human mind.
His concept of id (primitive emotions), ego (conscious self), and superego (morality)
loosely correspond to the heart, soul, and mind
mentioned in some of the scriptures below.
We could consider the word soul
as referring to what one perceives someone to be, both physically and mentally.
Just as the Hebrew scriptures used nep̄eš
, the Gospel writers used the corresponding Greek word psychē
without supernatural meaning.
It could refer generally to other persons, or specifically to one's self
, one's innermost being.
| Verse | KJV | NLT |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew 2:20 | Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life [psychē]. | “Get up!” the angel said. “Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.” |
| Matthew 6:25 | Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life [psychē], what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life [psychē] more than meat, and the body than raiment? | “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life — whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? |
| Matthew 10:28 | And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: [psychē] but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul [psychē] and body in hell. | “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. |
| Matthew 10:39 | He that findeth his life [psychē] shall lose it: and he that loseth his life [psychē] for my sake shall find it. | If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it. |
| Matthew 11:29 | Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls [psychē]. | Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. |
| Matthew 12:18 | Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul [psychē] is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. | “Look at my Servant, whom I have chosen. He is my Beloved, who pleases me. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. |
| Matthew 16:25 | For whosoever will save his life [psychē] shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life [psychē] for my sake shall find it. | If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. |
| Matthew 16:26 | For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? [psychē] or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? [psychē] | And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? |
| Matthew 20:28 | Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life [psychē] a ransom for many. | For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” |
| Matthew 22:37 | Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul [psychē], and with all thy mind. | Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ |
| Matthew 26:38 | Then saith he unto them, My soul [psychē] is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. | He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” |
| Mark 3:4 | And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life [psychē], or to kill? But they held their peace. | Then he turned to his critics and asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him. |
| Mark 8:35,36 | For whosoever will save his life [psychē] shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life [psychē] for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. | If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. |
| Mark 8:36 | For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? [psychē] | And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? |
| Mark 8:37 | Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? [psychē] | Is anything worth more than your soul? |
| Mark 10:45 | For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life [psychē] a ransom for many. | For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” |
| Mark 12:30 | And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul [psychē], and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. | And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ |
| Mark 12:33 | And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul [psychē], and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. | And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law.” |
| Mark 14:34 | And saith unto them, My soul [psychē] is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. | He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” |
| Luke 1:46 | And Mary said, My soul [psychē] doth magnify the Lord, | Mark y responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. |
| Luke 2:35 | (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul [psychē] also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. | As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.” |
| Luke 6:9 | Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life [psychē], or to destroy it? | Then Jesus said to his critics, “I have a question for you. Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” |
| Luke 9:24 | For whosoever will save his life [psychē] shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life [psychē] for my sake, the same shall save it. | If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. |
| Luke 9:56 | For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives [psychē], but to save them. And they went to another village. | So they went on to another village. |
| Luke 10:27 | And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul [psychē], and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. | The man answered, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” |
| Luke 12:19 | And I will say to my soul [psychē], Soul [psychē], thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. | And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ |
| Luke 12:20 | But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul [psychē] shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? | “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ |
| Luke 12:22 | And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life [psychē], what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. | Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life — whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. |
| Luke 12:23 | The life [psychē] is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. | For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. |
| Luke 14:26 | If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life [psychē] also, he cannot be my disciple. | “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison — your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters — yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. |
| Luke 17:33 | Whosoever shall seek to save his life [psychē] shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. | If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it. |
| Luke 21:19 | In your patience possess ye your souls [psychē]. | By standing firm, you will win your souls. |
| John 10:11 | I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life [psychē] for the sheep. | “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. |
| John 10:15 | As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life [psychē] for the sheep. | just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. |
| John 10:17 | Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life [psychē], that I might take it again. | “The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. |
| John 10:24 | Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? [psychē] If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. | The people surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” |
| John 12:25 | He that loveth his life [psychē] shall lose it; and he that hateth his life [psychē] in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. | Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. |
| John 12:27 | Now is my soul [psychē] troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. | “Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came! |
| John 13:37 | Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life [psychē] for thy sake. | “But why can’t I come now, Lord?” he asked. “I’m ready to die for you.” |
| John 13:38 | Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life [psychē] for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice. | Jesus answered, “Die for me? I tell you the truth, Peter — before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me. |
| John 15:13 | Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life [psychē] for his friends. | There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. |
| Acts 2:27 | Because thou wilt not leave my soul [psychē] in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. | For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave. |
| Acts 2:31 | He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul [psychē] was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. | David was looking into the future and speaking of the Messiah’s resurrection. He was saying that God would not leave him among the dead or allow his body to rot in the grave. |
| Acts 2:41 | Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls [psychē]. | Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day — about 3,000 in all. |
| Acts 2:43 | And fear came upon every soul: [psychē] and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. | A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. |
| Acts 3:23 | And it shall come to pass, that every soul [psychē], which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. | Then Moses said, ‘Anyone who will not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut off from God’s people.’ |
| Acts 4:32 | And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: [psychē] neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. | All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. |
| Acts 7:14 | Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls [psychē]. | Then Joseph sent for his father, Jacob, and all his relatives to come to Egypt, seventy-five persons in all. |
| Acts 14:2 | But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds [psychē] evil affected against the brethren. | Some of the Jews, however, spurned God’s message and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas. |
| Acts 14:22 | Confirming the souls [psychē] of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. | where they strengthened the believers. They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God. |
| Acts 15:24 | Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls [psychē], saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment: | “We understand that some men from here have troubled you and upset you with their teaching, but we did not send them! |
| Acts 15:26 | Men that have hazarded their lives [psychē] for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. | who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. |
| Acts 20:10 | And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life [psychē] is in him. | Paul went down, bent over him, and took him into his arms. “Don’t worry,” he said, “he’s alive!” |
| Acts 20:24 | But none of these things move me, neither count I my life [psychē] dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. | But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus — the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God. |
| Acts 27:10 | And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives [psychē], | “Men,” he said, “I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on — shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.” |
| Acts 27:22 | And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life [psychē] among you, but of the ship. | But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. |
| Acts 27:37 | And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls [psychē]. | all 276 of us who were on board. |
Throughout the gospels, Jesus used the Greek word commonly translated as soul
to refer to one's selfhood, the state that gives us individual identities.
It is not used to refer to any kind of supernatural component, and certainly never in the sense of immortality.