Let's start at the first mention of the word "soul" in the Bible. 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." The Hebrew word used here is nephesh. It is properly rendered a breathing creature and refers to both man and all other living creatures.
Prior to God breathing life into Adam, he was simply lifeless body of clay. When God breathed into his nostrils, Adam came alive and then became a living soul. The soul is not the body, which is created from the dust of the ground, The soul is the result of God breathing life into that body. Every living being is a soul. What distinguishes the human soul from all other living creatures? Genesis 1:26 "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."
Mankind is elevated above all other living beings in that God not only gave man the breath of life, but with that life something more; a spirit, the ability to think and reason and plan. It's this spirit in man that forms our character and the intelligence to make decisions and create, the ability to actually have a relationship with our Creator that all other creatures have not been given though they too are a nephesh or soul. 1Corinthians 2:11 "For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?"
But, again, does this soul depart from the body at death and enter another realm? Is it immortal outside of this fleshly body? Speaking of God, we are told in 1Timothy 6:16 "Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen."
Let's continue in Genesis with Adam and Eve in the garden. Genesis 2:16 -17 "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
Genesis 3:1-5 "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."
Satan has been peddling that lie for the last six thousand years and the Church has bought into it.
What was God's response to their disobedience? Genesis 3:19 "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."
Genesis 3:22 "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever. Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."
If Adam and Eve had obeyed God they could have partaken of the tree of life but, instead, they listened to Satan's lies and were banished from the garden.
They did not possess an immortal soul. God told Adam that in the day he ate of the forbidden fruit, he would die. 2 Peter 3:8 "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." Genesis 5:5 "And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died."
Adam's disobedience resulted in death, not only his but also his offspring. Romans 5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."
We are made of dust and to dust we shall return at death. Psalm 115:17 "The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence." Ecclesiastes 3:20 "All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again." Ecclesiastes 9:5 "For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten." Ecclesiastes 12:7 "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." We are living souls. At death, that lifeforce returns to God for safe keeping until our resurrection.. Throughout the Bible, death is likened unto sleep.
Hebrews, chapter 11 recounts the lives of our ancient forerunners who lived by faith; men and women like Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and many more.
Hebrews 11:13 "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth."
Hebrews 11:39-40 "And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise. God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect."
The Old Testament books of Kings and Chronicles, speak of the death of each king as sleeping with their fathers, beginning with David. 1Kings 2:10 "So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David."
Did David ascend to heaven at death? In Acts 2:29 Peter addressed the crowd on the Day of Pentecost with these words. "Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day."
Daniel was given a vision of the last days. Daniel 12:1-2 "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."
Daniel 12:13, Daniel was instructed by the angel "But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days."
The scriptures are replete with the state of the dead, too numerous to include here. Man is not immortal in his present state, nor contains an immortal component that ascends from him at death. He is simply asleep awaiting the resurrection.
Job 14:14 "If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come."
Yes, man will indeed live again and those who put their trust in Jesus have a glorious future ahead of them. The day will come when they will arise from their sleep and be forever with their Lord in the Kingdom of God.
Please read my article "The Resurrection" to discover when and how these mortal bodies will be exchanged for immortal bodies that will never die.
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