jehovah's witnesses, can you explain Matthew 10:28 where it signifies body and soul being seperate?

Question

"And do not become fearful of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul..."
this scripture was even placed in one of your kingdom melodies of which i sang at least 50 times as a child and never did understand why i was singing something that was contridicted by the WTBTS.. can you explain?

to lintera verde-
i want to thank you for taking the time to explain your beliefes to me. and to help me understand your point of view or the original greek and hebrew. however, i think i will get a second oppinion.

Answer 1

Very simply, a "soul" is a LIFE, with no implication regarding some immortal otherwordly entity.

It is remarkably eye-opening to re-read bible verses with the word "soul", while mentally replacing each instance first with "ghost" and then with "life". Nearly every occurrence makes perfect sense when the term "life" is used, while very few make sense as an otherworldly ethereal being.

As in Matthew 10:28, each deceased life is in Jehovah God's remembrance (with the potential for future resurrection). A human could kill the body of another human, but only Jehovah could end the future prospects for life.

Of course, the idea is completely consistent with the rest of the bible. The dead do not exist anywhere but memories until and unless the life is resurrected. A "soul" is not immortal, but can die.

(Ezekiel 18:4) The soul that is sinning - it itself will die.

(Ecclesiastes 9:5) For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all

(Ecclesiastes 9:10) there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol ["hell"]

(Genesis 2:17) But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad you must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die.”

(Genesis 17:14) And an uncircumcised male who will not get the flesh of his foreskin circumcised, even that soul must be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant.”

(Judges 16:30) And Samson proceeded to say: “Let my soul die with the Philistines.” Then he bent himself with power, and the house went falling upon the axis lords and upon all the people that were in it, so that the dead that he put to death in his own death came to be more than those he had put to death during his lifetime.

(Job 33:22) And his soul draws near to the pit, And his life to those inflicting death.

(Psalm 78:50) He did not hold back their soul from death itself; And their life he handed over even to the pestilence.

(Isaiah 53:12) he poured out his soul to the very death

(Acts 3:23) Indeed, any soul that does not listen to that Prophet will be completely destroyed from among the people.’

(Revelation 16:3) And the second one poured out his bowl into the sea. And it became blood as of a dead man, and every living soul died, yes, the things in the sea.

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/lmn/index.htm?article=article_08.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/19970515/article_02.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/20050501/article_02.htm

Answer 2

(Genesis 2:7) 7 And Jehovah God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul. It doesn't say that he was given a soul, but that he become a living soul. The Bible also mentions a "dead soul" (Numbers 6:6) 6 All the days of his keeping separate to Jehovah he may not come toward any dead soul. Now what confuses people is that some versions do not use the word "soul" in these verses and in other places. The "New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures" is the most accurate one overall. You can do research on the net or in the library to confirm this fact. Sometimes the word soul is used in the Bible to mean not just the soul itself but life as a soul.The soul does not survive the death of the body and while many religions apart from the Bible teach that it is immortal and survives the death of the body, the Bible teaches that the soul dies. (Ezekiel 18:4) 4 Look! All the souls—to me they belong. As the soul of the father so likewise the soul of the son—to me they belong. The soul that is sinning—it itself will die. Christians do believe in the hope of life after death, but that hope is the resurrection. If you use a Bible concordance and look this word up you can see what the Bile itself says about it, or you can ask anyone of Jehovah's Witnesses to explain it to you from the Bible. Here is a portion of a comment on your last scripture: *** Rbi8 p. 1578 5D The Releasing to Be With Christ *** In no way is the apostle here saying that immediately at his death he would be changed into a spirit to be with Christ forever. Such getting to be with Christ the Lord will first be possible at Christ’s return, when the dead in Christ will rise first, according to the apostle’s own inspired statement in 1Th 4:15-17. It is to this return of Christ and the apostle’s releasing to be always with the Lord that Paul refers in Php 1:23. He says there that two things are immediately possible for him, namely, (1) to live on in the flesh and (2) to die. Because of the circumstances to be considered, he expressed himself as being under pressure from these two things, not making known which thing he would select. Then he presents a third thing, which he really desires. There is no question about his desire for this thing as preferable, namely, “the releasing,” for it means his being with Christ. Therefore, the expression to a‧na‧ly′sai, “the releasing,” cannot be applied to the apostle’s death as a human creature and his departing from this life. It must refer to the events at the time of Christ’s return and presence and the rising of all those dead in Christ to be with him forever.

Answer 3

Jesus did not say that the soul was immortal. He stated the opposite. He said we should fear God who could destroy both body and soul. If God can destroy our soul, then why do people refer to the supposed immortality of the soul? The truth is that the Bible uses the word soul in different ways.

Regarding this text, The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (edited by C. Brown, 1978, Vol. 3, p. 304) states: “Matt. 10:28 teaches not the potential immortality of the soul but the irreversibility of divine judgment on the unrepentant.”

Also, Bauer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (revised by F. W. Gingrich and F. Danker, 1979, p. 95) gives the meaning “eternal death” with reference to the Greek phrase in Matthew 10:28 translated “destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” Thus, being consigned to Gehenna refers to utter destruction from which no resurrection is possible.

Basically, the way we should understand Jesus' use of the word soul, in that context, is that God ultimately determines our everlasting destiny. Men can only take our life in this existence. But, because of our fear of death, Jesus was trying to get us to see the bigger picture so that we would not compromise our faith when faced with the threat of what ultimately would prove to be only a temporary death—provided we are faithful in death.

Jesus intended to say that God has the power to cause a permanent death if we betray him. The point is that we should fear God and not mere mortals

Answer 4

The English word “soul” in Mat 10:28 can mean the following in Greek.
1a) the breath of life, 1b) Life, 1c) that in which there is life.

So in Mat 10:28 the soul means the Life. Men can kill the body but God can kill the soul (life) of that person by not giving him eternal life, or by not resurrecting him.

Answer 5

I'm not a Jehovah's witnesses. I am a Christian in Matthew 10:28 it stats ,

Mt 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

the first part Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul . IS talking about people who can do harm the body to the point if death.but thy can't harm the soul last bart Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Is talking about the devil who can destroy the body and soul. I hope this helps

Answer 6

life from God... the memory God has of his faithful servants.
If someone kills us physically, Jehovah is able to resurrect us in the new system...

Answer 7

another point for the Christians, and another unanswerable question for the JW's

Answer 8

To know that the Jehovah Witness faith is in error, please read Revelation Chapters 21 and 22.