“Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever.”
The Bible tells us quite a bit about souls, but it doesn't say that our souls existed in any way before we were first conceived in our mother's womb. Our souls come into existence at the moment of conception (Psalm 139:13-16), and our souls will continue on for all eternity. God knew we would exist before we were in our mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5).
Misunderstandings About Souls
As my theology professor once said, "God does not have a storage closet of souls." The idea that our souls existed before we were conceived is based on manmade fantasies—not God’s truth. Our enemy, the father of lies, would love for us to be confused on the truth about souls.
Some of the lies people have bought into are:
Our souls already existed before we were born.
Our souls were created at some earlier time and kept in “storage” until the time was ripe for our soul to become a living being.
Our souls used to be in another body and now has now taken up residency in our present body (a.k.a. reincarnation).
Remember, God exists outside of time, so He doesn't see things in the same linear way we do. He knows everything and has sovereignty over all. Nothing is impossible for God.
Biblical Truth Deconstructs Lies
“The dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”
Our souls do have a beginning but will go on forever when the body has died—either in God's presence or completely alone in torment. Souls weren't always existent—only God is. Souls have never been stored in a celestial closet nor inhabited any other body than our own.
If our souls had always existed, that would mean that we were not created by God or that we were created by a different god or that we are somehow self-sustaining. But the Bible explicitly says there is one God who created everything—including our souls (Genesis 5:1; 1 Timothy 2:5).
If our souls were kept in “storage” until it was time to be born, then God had nothing to do with creating our individual souls. It wasn't until after God breathed the breath of life into Adam that he became alive (Genesis 2:7).
If our souls existed in another body, then there would be no end to experiencing physical death. The Bible affirms that we only have one body and one life (Hebrews 9:27). We will all face final judgment from God and be held accountable for the choices we've made in our singular life (Romans 2:6).
Better Understanding the Soul
“Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.”
Death can help us understand the unique qualities of our souls. Throughout the Old Testament, the Bible refers to a time when a person is “gathered to his people” (Deuteronomy 32:50). That means that our souls leave our bodies at the point of death and go to the presence of God (2 Corinthians 5:8). Our souls do not transmigrate into another body (a.k.a reincarnate).
Jesus can help us understand the soul better too in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. At the time of Lazarus’ death, he's taken to “Abraham’s side” (Luke 16:22). This illustrates that when we die, we don’t occupy another body.
We're given one soul, one body, one life. The same body you have today is the only body you'll ever have. At the resurrection of the Church in the future, our bodies will be glorified, but we'll still have the same body (1 Corinthians 15:42).
The Soul Who Existed Before All Souls
“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
There's only one human who ever existed before He was conceived—Jesus Christ. He was conceived in His mother's womb as a physical person, but before that moment, He was God and was with God (John 1:1; Colossians 1:17; Colossians 2:9).
“Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.”
John the Baptist testified to the pre-existence of Jesus by saying that Jesus existed before he did, even though John was born 6 months earlier than Jesus (John 1:30). Jesus also testified to His pre-existence by saying that He existed before Abraham (John 8:57-58). But Jesus is a singular exception, and His specific situation has never been repeated.
God knew our names before we came into existence, because He is omniscient and outside of time (Ephesians 1:4; Revelation 13:8). He knew we would appear on humanity's timeline. We are each individual, special creations—with unique souls placed in unique bodies and each living our own unique lives on earth.
“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.”