Soul

What does a person gain by getting everything and losing the self? Jesus asks it plainly: “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” The word reaches across Scripture, from the psalmist saying “God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave” to the command to love God with all your soul. Christians differ on whether the soul is a separate part of a person or the whole living person. Psalm 49 and Matthew 16 are good places to begin.

175 verses

Genesis

Genesis 5:24

And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

2 Samuel

2 Samuel 12:23

But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

2 Kings

2 Kings 2:11

And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

Nehemiah

Nehemiah 9:5

Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up and bless the LORD your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.

Job

Job 4:17

Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?

Job 4:18

Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly:

Job 4:19

How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?

Job 4:20

They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it.

Job 4:21

Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? they die, even without wisdom.

Job 14:13

O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!

Psalms

Psalms 16:10

For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Psalms 16:11

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Psalms 21:4

He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever.

Psalms 22:26

The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.

Psalms 23:6

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Psalms 31:5

Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.

Psalms 36:9

For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.

Psalms 37:18

The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.

Psalms 37:27

Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.

Psalms 49:7

None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:

Psalms 49:8

(For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)

Psalms 49:9

That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.

Psalms 49:14

Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.

Psalms 49:15

But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.

Psalms 73:26

My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

Psalms 86:12

I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.

Psalms 102:4

My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread.

Psalms 102:25

Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.

Psalms 102:26

They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:

Psalms 102:27

But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.

Psalms 102:28

The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee.

Psalms 121:8

The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

Psalms 133:3

As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

Psalms 145:1

David's Psalm of praise. I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.

Psalms 145:2

Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.

Proverbs

Proverbs 14:32

The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.

Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 3:21

Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

Ecclesiastes 12:7

Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

Isaiah

Isaiah 14:9

Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.

Isaiah 25:8

He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.

Isaiah 26:19

Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.

Isaiah 38:18

For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.

Isaiah 38:19

The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.

Ezekiel

Ezekiel 32:31

Pharaoh shall see them, and shall be comforted over all his multitude, even Pharaoh and all his army slain by the sword, saith the Lord GOD.

Daniel

Daniel 12:2

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 12:3

And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

Matthew

Matthew 10:28

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Matthew 16:26

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Matthew 19:16

And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?

Matthew 19:17

And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

Matthew 25:46

And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Mark

Mark 10:30

But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.

Mark 12:26

And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?

Mark 12:27

He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.

Luke

Luke 9:25

For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

Luke 10:25

And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

Luke 10:26

He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?

Luke 10:27

And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

Luke 10:28

And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

Luke 20:36

Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

Luke 20:37

Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

Luke 20:38

For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.

John

John 3:14

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

John 3:15

That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:36

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

John 5:39

Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

John 5:40

And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

John 6:39

And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

John 6:40

And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:44

No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:47

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

John 6:50

This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.

John 6:51

I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

John 6:53

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

John 6:54

Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:58

This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

John 10:28

And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

John 11:25

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

John 11:26

And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

John 14:19

Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

John 17:2

As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

John 17:3

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Acts

Acts 20:32

And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

Acts 23:8

For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.

Acts 23:9

And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees' part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.

Acts 26:7

Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.

Acts 26:8

Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?

Acts 26:18

To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Romans

Romans 2:7

To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

Romans 6:22

But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 7:22

For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 15:12

Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?

1 Corinthians 15:13

But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:

1 Corinthians 15:14

And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

1 Corinthians 15:15

Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

1 Corinthians 15:16

For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:

1 Corinthians 15:17

And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

1 Corinthians 15:18

Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

Based on Nave's Topical Bible by Orville J. Nave (1896). Public domain. KJV scripture text, public domain.