What is a soul?

Answer 1

A soul is the immaterial part of a human being or animal which is immortal.

Answer 2

In Judaism, the soul contains a number of things, including the life-force, the emotions, the conscious, and the conscience. Animals have something incomparably less than a human soul.

Answer 2

In general terms it can be said that "soul" in Scripture is conceived to be an immaterial principle created by God, which is usually united to a body and gives it life;

However, the soul is said to continue or to exist after death in human beings.

The term soul is rarely used with precise definition in philosophy or religion.

It is generally regarded as an entity related to but distinguishable from the body,the spiritual part of human beings that animates their physical existence and survives death.

Christian theology and worship have adhered firmly to the conviction of the soul.

A personal survival after death, rooted in the love of God and the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Supplementary Answer:

The true meaning of 'soul' can only be appreciated when the terms body and spirit have been clearly understood.

An organic body, living or dead, is the physical structure and material substance of an animal or plant. The Scriptures and secular science both state that a body is formed entirely from the natural matter of the earth. From this, it appears that a body and a soul are two different things (Micah 6:7, Matthew 10:28 - all references here are made using The Bible, the NIV version at BibleGateway.com)

The organic (physical) life of a body may be observed as a combination of all the active physiological processes necessary to its continued integrity and functioning. These are processes that are carried on without the creature needing to be aware of them.

In contrast, the sentient and self-aware side of an animal's life includes, for instance - perception, deliberate muscular action, planning, creativity, problem solving, fellowship and emotional responsiveness (all easily identifiable in dogs, horses and dolphins). This is the consciously active side of its life, referred to as the 'soul' of the animal.

The word 'soul' is not used very frequently. In the case of men and women, we are inclined to call ourselves persons rather than souls. In the same way, we tend to call any canine, a dog, rather than a soul. Although the word is not used much, we may occasionally use it in a sympathetic expression such as, "You poor soul!", or in an appreciative expression like, "What a brave soul!"

Soul is used to refer to the conscious, willing-acting-thinking-and-feeling individual rather than to his or her physical body (Job 24:12, Psalm 103:1, Psalm 119:28, Proverbs 2:10, Ezekiel 27:31, Matthew 10:28, John 12:27). However, the soul requires the physical body as its vehicle and instrument of expression.

Occasionally, the word soul is used in place of the word life (a person's life). (See, for example, Psalm 26:9, Matthew 10:28 and Matthew 16:26)

The organic life of the body, and the conscious life of the soul, interact with one and other (Proverbs 16:24, Psalm 31:9, Psalm 84:2, Job 21:25, Job 33:20). It is well known to medical and alternative health professionals that spiritual/mental states can affect organic/physical states, and vice versa.

Since organic life is represented by a combination of the physical processes that maintain the integrity and functionality of the body, then, exactly where does the soul - the conscious and self-aware life - come from? This conscious life is given in the spirit of the creature. (Job 32:8, Psalm 77:6, Malachi 2:15, Zechariah 12:1, 1 Corinthians 2:11)

The word spirit is not only used to mean a mood or an attitude; nor does it merely refer to an imaginary force of nature (such as a Sprite, a 'life'-force, a god or a fairy). The spirit of a breathing creature is the invisible and essential element that provides both the root of its organic life (breath) and its conscious life (soul). (Genesis 2:7, Job 34:14-15, Ecclesiastes 3:21, Luke 8:40-56)

Needless to say, the body purely of itself, whether organically alive or not, cannot be classed as the soul. The soul is the expression of the ongoing conscious life of the creature. The body is the physical and material means through which that inner life is expressed. The life itself flows from the spirit.

Consider the case of a woman who has become irrevocably comatose. She is still breathing, but with assistance; life-support is in place. By these means, her organs continue to work and her body remains warm. The body thus may seem to remain 'alive' in that sense, yet at the same time it is noticed that there is no soul - no personal presence. As soon as the life-support is removed her organs will cease to work and decay will set in. If the spirit is gone, then the life is gone.

The body without the spirit is dead (Psalm 146:4, Job 34:14-15, Ecclesiastes 12:7, James 2:26).

God is a living and personal being. You are a material entity with a life-giving inner being made in the image of God. God is a Spirit, and we men and women are made in his likeness (Genesis 1:26, John 4:24). We each have a human spirit which expresses its life through a physical body; all of us are souls who directly mirror the Soul of our Creator.

A soul is a conscious and self-aware being having a continuous, live presence. The soul is the ongoing expression of the life in a creature's spirit through the means of its physical body.

The very significant difference between human beings and all other breathing animals is that men and women are made in the likeness of their Creator. And our Creator has a very good reason for doing this; he wants to share his own (eternal) kind life and being with us! (John 1:9-13, Romans 8:19, 1 Corinthians 15:53, 2 Timothy 1:10)

All references here are made using the NIV version of The Bible.