What Is Life According To The Bible?
What is life according to the Bible? By the definition of life in the Bible, it is the presence of a soul in a body—not the breath or the blood, but the soul.
What Is Life For Mankind?
From the moment a soul is present in your body, you are alive. When the soul vacates your body you are dead. The breathing lungs and the beating heart are signs of life but they are not the source of life. The soul is the source of life.
The Biblical Definition Of Life
So, what is life according to the Bible?
Life: The body contains a soul.
According to the Bible, life is the presence of a soul in a body.
In Genesis 2:7 it discusses God creating man and giving him life, it says that "man became a living soul," not "man became a living breath."
Genesis 2:7 (KJV) 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.
When this passage is referred to in the New Testament the emphasis is on the soul and spirit, not the breath. The emphasis on the life of the physical body of Adam was the soul and the spirit, not his breath.
1 Corinthians 15:45 (KJV) And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
The soul gives the body life. Breathing is a sign of life. Blood flowing through the veins is also a sign of life. The Bible refers to both the "breath" and the "blood" as signs of life. It refers to the soul as the source of life. The soul is the cause of life. When the soul is gone the lungs stop breathing and the heart stops beating. After the soul is gone, you can pump air into the lungs and pump blood through the veins but those efforts will not bring the soul back into the body once the soul has departed.
The Biblical Definition Of Death
So, what is death according to the Bible?
Death: The soul leaves the body.
According to the Bible, death is when a soul leaves its body.
Genesis 35:16 discusses the death of Rachel. It very clearly defines death as the soul leaving the body... "her soul was in departing."
Genesis 35:16 (KJV) ¶ And they journeyed from Beth-el; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour.
Genesis 35:17 (KJV) And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.
Genesis 35:18 (KJV) And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Ben-oni: but his father called him Benjamin.
Genesis 35:19 (KJV) And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Beth-lehem.
Genesis 35:20 (KJV) And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day.
Rachel Died When Her Soul Left Her Body
After Rachel's soul departed from her body, she stopped breathing and she also stopped pumping blood through her veins... she died.
If you:
- cut off someone's air so they can't breathe
- or drain their blood
- their soul will leave their body, they will die.
After Rachel's soul left her body, her body was placed in a grave. Graves are for bodies that no longer contain a soul. No soul, no life... the being is no longer living, it is dead.
David Knew That The Absence Of A Soul Was Death
When David talks about living and being delivered from death he talks about his soul being delivered from death, not his breath being delivered from death.
Psalm 56:11 (KJV) In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
Psalm 56:12 (KJV) Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee.
Psalm 56:13 (KJV) For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?
When God Takes Back Your Soul You Die
God defines death as taking back the soul He gave to a person.
The rich man planned on living a life of luxury but God said that he would die that night. The Bible phrases it as "...thy soul shall be required of thee...," not "thy breath." God was going to take his soul from him.
Luke 12:16 (KJV) And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
Luke 12:17 (KJV) And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
Luke 12:18 (KJV) And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
Luke 12:19 (KJV) And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
Luke 12:20 (KJV) But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
Luke 12:21 (KJV) So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
This rich mans soul was going to leave his body, he was going to die. Yes, he stopped breathing too... and his heart stopped working.... and he wasn't able to move any more... Why? His soul was gone. Life and death depends on the soul. Breathing lungs and flowing blood are signs of life (a soul present in the body) but they are not the source of life.
What Is Life In The Animal Kingdom?
The Biblical definition of life in for the animal kingdom is that the living body of every animal contains a soul. Plants are living but they do not contain a soul. Animals are living and they do contain a soul. All living birds, fish, beast, and humans have a soul.
The Breath Of Life
Although this passage does not specifically mention the soul it shows that there is a difference between plant life and animal life. It also shows that some life breaths air and some life doesn't breath air. A living being does not have to breath air to be alive.
Not All Living Beings Breathe Air
God spcifically stated that life, that lived on earth, and that breathed air would die. Life that did not breath air or did not live on the earth would not die. The fish were alive and they would survive.
Genesis 6:13 (KJV) ¶ And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Genesis 6:14 (KJV) Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
Genesis 6:15 (KJV) And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
Genesis 6:16 (KJV) A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
Genesis 6:17 (KJV) And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
Living Beings That Breathed Air And Lived On Dry Land Died
All of the land-dwelling animals died. Because they couldn't breathe "the breath of life" they drowned. When they couldn't breathe any more their life ended... their soul departed. The water-dwelling animals still lived. They didn’t breathe air (have "the breath of life") but still had a soul in their bodies and lived. Just because something is not breathing air does not mean that it is not alive. It is the presence of a soul that determines life.
Genesis 7:13 (KJV) ¶ In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;
Genesis 7:14 (KJV) They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.
Genesis 7:15 (KJV) And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.
Genesis 7:16 (KJV) And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.
Genesis 7:17 (KJV) ¶ And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.
Genesis 7:18 (KJV) And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters.
Genesis 7:19 (KJV) And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.
Genesis 7:20 (KJV) Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.
Genesis 7:21 (KJV) ¶ And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:
Genesis 7:22 (KJV) All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.
Genesis 7:23 (KJV) And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.
Genesis 7:24 (KJV) And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.
The Blood Of Life
The Bible speaks of the blood in the same manner it speaks of the breath. They are both necessary for a body to live. However, the soul is the source of life, not the blood or the breath. The breath of life is similar to the blood of life, if either the breath or the blood is removed from a body the body will die. The soul will vacate the body and the body will die.
Genesis 9:4 (KJV) But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
Leviticus 17:10 (KJV) ¶ And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people.
Leviticus 17:11 (KJV) For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
Leviticus 17:12 (KJV) Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood.
Leviticus 17:13 (KJV) And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust.
Leviticus 17:14 (KJV) For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.
Deuteronomy 12:23 (KJV) Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.
The Soul Of Every Living Thing
Every living animal contains a soul. Plants do not have a soul. If a tree dies, no soul leaves it because no soul was ever present in it. However, if an animal dies (beast, fowl, or fish) a soul leaves the body.
Job 12:7 (KJV) But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:
Job 12:8 (KJV) Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
Job 12:9 (KJV) Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?
Job 12:10 (KJV) In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.
The soul gives the body life, the breath is an indicator that a soul is present.
Every Living Soul Died
In the sea there are whales, dolphins and various mammals that breathe air to live. But there are a lot of fish that don't need to come to the surface for air to breathe. Just like a child that is still in its mother's womb, it is not breathing air (like the fish in the sea) but it is still alive.
Revelation 16:3 (KJV) And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.
All of these animals, mammals or non-mammals, have a soul in them and all of them died... every living soul died. Even the souls that didn't need to breathe "the breath of life" to live... died.
The Bible's definition of life (soul) even applies to the fish in the sea. When the soul leaves a mammal, it dies. When an animal dies (the soul leaves its body) it stops breathing, and moving, etc... because it has no soul, it is dead. When the soul leaves a fish, even though it doesn’t breathe air like a mammal, it dies too. When the soul leaves a child that is in its mothers womb the child dies too.
The life is in the soul, not the breath. However, breathing is a sign that the soul exists in the body.
What Is Life In The Womb?
It is a child. Before a baby is born, before it takes its first breath, it is alive. There is a soul in the body of that baby. A child in its mothers womb is alive and can be killed.
Jeremiah wished that God had killed him while he was still in his mother’s womb. By the definition of life in the Bible, Jeremiah was living from the moment of conception. You cannot die if you are not alive. You are only alive if there is a soul in your body. Therefore, while he was a child in his mother’s womb he had a soul in his body and he was alive. He wished that he had died in his mother’s womb and that his mother’s womb would have been his grave.
Jeremiah 20:14 (KJV) ¶ Cursed be the day wherein I was born: let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed.
Jeremiah 20:15 (KJV) Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man child is born unto thee; making him very glad.
Jeremiah 20:16 (KJV) And let that man be as the cities which the LORD overthrew, and repented not: and let him hear the cry in the morning, and the shouting at noontide;
Jeremiah 20:17 (KJV) Because he slew me not from the womb; or that my mother might have been my grave, and her womb to be always great with me.
Jeremiah 20:18 (KJV) Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?
Breath and blood are indicators of a soul’s presence, but not the source or cause of life. Once the soul departs, breath and blood cease to function. What is life? It is defined by the existance of a soul in a body. The soul is given by God. Terminating a pregnancy is ending a life, because the unborn child possesses a soul.