Does God have a soul?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The soul is the immaterial part of us. Just like we need a body, so we need a soul. While any discussion about the soul falls into metaphysics, anything such as our minds and wills which are immaterial are found in the soul. So, a soul is an integral part of who we are. The Bible refers to God as having a soul in a few passages. However, because God is spirit and is not made up of multiple parts, He does not have an actual soul in the way that we do. Instead, just like how the Bible refers to God having body parts to help us to better understand God, it refers to Him having a soul for the same reason. Known as anthropomorphic language, God spoke using simple language so that we could understand the incomprehensible God in some small way. While God does not have a soul, His Son, Jesus, does. Though fully God, He added on humanity (Philippians 2:7) becoming like us (Hebrews 2:17). In His humanity, Jesus has a soul (Matthew 26:38). Because of this, He can sympathize with us in our weakness (Hebrews 4:15) and is the perfect example of how we are to live righteously within our very being.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• The first time the Bible mentions a “soul” is with the creation of the first man, Adam. “Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:1). The word translated as “being” in the NASB is nephesh, which means “breath,” “life”, “person,” or “soul.”
• Humans are unique among God’s creatures, being created in His image (Genesis 1:26–27). When He breathed life into Adam, He made Him a living person, creating His soul at that moment.
• The Bible refers to God having body parts to help us to better understand God (1 Chronicles 6:9).
• There are some verses which speak of God’s “soul.” For example, God speaks about His Servant as “My chosen one in whom My soul delights” (Isaiah 42:1).
• Scripture often uses anthropomorphic language—metaphors that describe God with human traits like hands, ears, or a soul—to help us understand Him, even though God is spirit (Isaiah 59:1) and not made up of parts like we are; this gracious use of human terms gives us a relatable way to grasp the nature of the incomprehensible, perfectly unified God.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• In Matthew 12:18, Matthew applies Isaiah 42:1 to Jesus, saying, “Behold, My Servant whom I have chosen; My Beloved in whom My soul is well-pleased.” Here, the Servant (Jesus) is pleasing to the “soul” of God. However, as mentioned in the Old Testament section, God’s “soul” should be understood as metaphoric language. Though “soul” is used metaphorically for God, because His Son, Jesus, was fully human, He also had a human soul.
• God is spirit (John 4:24) and is not made up of multiple parts like a soul. However, Jesus being fully human means He also had a soul, or an immaterial part, often described as our mind and will.
• When He was in the garden just before His crucifixion, Jesus asked for His disciples’ help, saying, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me” (Matthew 26:38). When He said that, He was not speaking anthropomorphically—He truly was deeply affected by His impending death such that it weighed on His mind and emotions.
• In Peter’s first sermon after Pentecost (the start of the church), he applied Psalm 16 to Jesus, saying, “You will not abandon my soul to Hades” (Acts 2:27a). This shows that Jesus had a soul that went to Hades for a period after His death but that was not left there. That is, while Jesus’ material body was in the grave, He was in the land of the dead (c.f., Acts 2:31).
• Though fully God, Jesus added on humanity (Philippians 2:7) becoming like us (Hebrews 2:17), thereby having a soul. Because of this, He can sympathize with us in our weakness (Hebrews 4:15) and is the perfect example of how we are to live righteously within our very being. Jesus did not simply look like us on the outside—He was like us right down to His soul.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Gratefully, God revealed Himself to us using language that we can understand. Because of His great kindness in doing that, we can know Him and enter into a relationship with Him. Though we will never understand how God can be truly One, we do understand that He loves and deeply desires. In human language, we can say that He feels within His soul. We should praise Him for graciously speaking down to us so that we can look up to Him.

We also learn about how we are to feel in our soul. Because we all sin (Romans 3:8–10), all our emotions are tainted with sin. However, God made us in His image (Genesis 1:26–27), which means we were originally given a soul for the purpose of showing His goodness to the rest of creation. As believers, when we live, we should strive to do so in a way that our mind and will are as in-line with God as possible (see, for example, Romans 12:1–2).

Since Jesus added on full humanity, including a perfect soul, we can look to His example of how we are to righteously feel, think, and do. When He was about to die, Jesus asked that His Father remove the “cup” (the crucifixion) if there was any way possible to do it. Jesus felt deep sorrow in His soul at the coming pain and wrath of God He was to bear. However, He willingly and humbly submitted His desire to the Father’s desire, saying “not my will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). In so doing, He showed us how we are to be entirely submitted to God in the very core of what makes us, us.

UNDERSTAND

• God does not have a soul because He is spirit and not made of parts like humanity.
• References to God’s “soul” are metaphorical, helping us understand Him.
• Jesus, fully human, has a real soul and models perfect righteousness.

REFLECT

• How does knowing that God used human terms like “soul” to help us understand Him help you better relate to Him?
• How does Jesus’ example of a perfect soul challenge you to align your mind and will with God’s?
• When your emotions feel overwhelming, how do you remember that Jesus, in His soul, felt deeply too yet without sin?

ENGAGE

• What does it reveal about God’s character that He uses anthropomorphic language to help us understand Him?
• How does understanding Jesus’ fully human soul deepen our appreciation for His sacrifice and example?
• What implications does God's simplicity—His being without parts—have for how we worship and trust Him?