“The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7.
God created man in two steps. First, He formed him out of the dust of the ground and created his physical body (body, bones, organs, etc). Second, He breathed life into man’s body and at that time man became alive - literally a living “Soul.” Humans are made up of both “material” (visible or tangible) and “immaterial” (invisible or intangible) parts. The immaterial qualities (soul, spirit, intellect, will, conscience, etc) are all closely related to one another, are what make humans different than anything else that God created, and exist beyond the physical lifespan of the individual. In its simplest meaning the Biblical word for “Soul” in both the Old and New Testament is life, the “spiritual” life that was given to humans by God in creation, and is separated from the Body at death to spend eternity in heaven or hell. Humans do not just have a soul, but humans are a soul. The immaterial, invisible, eternal part of our creation.
