There are many passages in the Bible that say that we don’t have an immortal soul. In fact, you won’t find in the Bible the expression “immortal soul” from Genesis to Revelation. Yet, we could see that a major doctrine of Christianity today is the immortal soul.

One of the most commonly used passages to prove that we have an immortal soul is Matthew 10:28. It says:

28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

However, a deeper and closer look at this verse will immediately show you that it doesn’t support the immortal soul doctrine.

In this post, let us go through Matthew 10:28 and discover the truth about this verse and the most important lesson we can learn from it that most people missed!

What most Christians believe about Matthew 10:28

As mentioned above, Matthew 10:28 is commonly understood as a passage that supports that the soul is indestructible or immortal.

Notice what Adam Clarke’s commentary has to say about Matthew 10:28:

“Fear not them which kill the body – Των αποκτεινοντων. Those who slay with acts of cruelty, alluding probably to the cruelties which persecutors should exercise on his followers in their martyrdom. But are not able to kill the soul. Hence we find that the body and the soul are distinct principles, for the body may be slain and the soul escape; and, secondly, that the soul is immaterial, for the murderers of the body are not able, μη δυναμενων, have it not in their power, to injure it.”

Albert Barnes, another notable Bible teacher wrote in his commentary about Matthew 10:28:

Them which kill the body – is, people, who have no power to injure the soul, the immortal part. 

Here’s another one from Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible:

…but are not able to kill the soul; which is immortal, and cannot be touched by the sword, by fire and faggot, or any instruments of violence: it is immortal, it survives the body, and lives in a separate state, enjoying happiness and bliss, whilst the body is in a state of death…

Most Christians today share the same belief as what you just read. I can quote more preachers and teachers, but for now, you get the idea. A lot of people believe in the immortal soul doctrine.

How do Christians misunderstand Matthew 10:28?

Jesus Christ (or Yahshua the Messiah) mentioned two things here — the body and soul. Because Christ made a distinction between the body and soul, meaning they are separate, many Christians assumed that the body refers to the flesh of a person while the soul is the spirit that is immortal.

This understanding of the immortal soul is rooted in paganism. Plato, one of the most well-known Greek philosophers believed that human beings have two components, the body (which is physical) and the soul (the immaterial part which can’t die).

The pagan belief about the immortality of the soul eventually crept into Christianity. This should tell us why most Christians today have a wrong understanding of the truth about the soul. Thus, when they see verses like Matthew 10:28, they almost immediately assume that it supports the immortal soul doctrine.

But does it? What is the truth? Let’s continue.

What is the difference between the body and soul?

Much of the misunderstanding of Matthew 10:28 is caused by the words “body” and “soul.” Thus, to truly understand the meaning of Matthew 10:28, we need to look into its Greek words.

“Body” in this verse came from the Greek word “soma.” Thayer’s Dictionary defines soma as the body of both men and animals. It can also refer to a dead body or a living body.

The Greek word for soul is “psuche.” Both Vine’s Dictionary and Thayer’s Dictionary define psuche as the breath of life. Thayer’s Dictionary added that psuche is “the vital force which animates the body and shows itself in breathing men and animals.”

So, none of these definitions actually support the immortality of the soul! Nowhere in Matthew 10:28 that we can find that Christ was saying that we have an immortal soul. You just can’t find it there.

In other parts of the New Testament, psuche is not translated as soul. It is translated as life. Here are some examples:

Matthew 6:25

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life (psuche), what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

Mark 3:4

4 Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life (psuche) or to kill?” But they kept silent. 

Matthew 16:25

25 For whoever desires to save his life (psuche) will lose it, but whoever loses his life (psuche) for My sake will find it. 

As we can see here, psuche simply means life. Matthew 16:25 even tells us that we can lose our psuche or life.

So, Matthew 10:28 can also be translated as, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot destroy the life.”

Notice how the Literal English Version renders Matthew 10:28:

Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the being; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both being and body in Gehenna.

So, Matthew 10:28 isn’t strictly about the soul, but the life of a person — the summation of a person’s consciousness and his potential to be part of God’s Family.

What does “kill the body but cannot kill the soul” mean?

We read Matthew 10:28 again:

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

So, why is it that Jesus was saying that people can kill the body but not the soul? What does this mean?

To answer this question, we need to first establish the fundamental bible truth about the soul. Ezekiel 18:4 clearly tells us that the soul can die:

4 “Behold, all souls are Mine;
The soul of the father
As well as the soul of the son is Mine;
The soul who sins shall die.

Ezekiel repeated this in Ezekiel 18:20:

The soul who sins shall die.

Since the Scripture can’t be broken and it doesn’t contradict itself, we can’t assume that Matthew 10:28 supports the immortality of the soul.

In fact, Christ would later add in the same verse that the soul can actually be destroyed!

Let’s read Matthew 10:28 again:

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

So, with this in mind, when Christ said, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul,” He wasn’t saying that the soul can’t die or it is immortal.

Yes, people can kill the body. They can even destroy the body long after it has been dead. They can mutilate, decapitate, maul, burn, or whatever they want to do with it. However, they can’t kill the soul.

The soul in this passage actually represents the life potential of every human being to be resurrected by God in the future. It means that people may kill the body, but they can’t kill the soul — meaning, they can’t take away God’s power to bring a person back to life!

The soul can die

Instead of supporting the immortal soul doctrine, Matthew 10:28 actually contradicts it!

This might be shocking to many, but Christ, Himself, said that God can destroy not just the body, but also the soul.

I have already mentioned this as we read in Matthew 10:28, “destroy both soul and body in hell.”

The Greek word for destroy here is apollumi. Thayer’s Dictionary defined it this way:

• to put out of the way entirely, abolish, put an end to ruin
• render useless
• to kill
• to declare that one must be put to death
• to perish, to be lost, ruined, destroyed

Of course, even Bible dictionaries are influenced by the wrong doctrine of the immortal soul. Thus, don’t be surprised to see that you’ll find additional commentaries that will tell you that the soul is immortal.

Nevertheless, we can see here that when Jesus said to destroy the soul, He exactly means to destroy, literally to put an end to its existence.

The vital lessons we can learn from Matthew 10:28

Now that we know the truth about Matthew 10:28, we should then learn its true meaning and message for us today.

The first step to learning the important message of Matthew 10:28 is to understand its context.

In Matthew 10:1-4, we read about the twelve apostles of Yahshua. Then, in Matthew 10:5-15, we read how Jesus sent His disciples to the lost sheep of Israel. He gave them instructions on how to accomplish their tasks.

In Matthew 10:16-26, we read about the type of persecution that the disciples of Christ will go through. Because of this persecution, a lot of Christ’s followers would lose heart. They would be discouraged and may even give up on their calling.

That’s why, in Matthew 10:28, we read about Christ’s encouragement to His followers. So, instead of proving the immortal soul doctrine, Matthew 10:28 actually is a message of encouragement, motivation, and inspiration for Christians today!

Fear not!

The core of the message of Matthew 10:28 is for us not to fear men. We should not be afraid of what they can do to us. Yes, we will face opposition, persecution, and trials because of our faith, but Christ was telling us to not fear.

Ultimately, what people can do is simply take away our life. Once they do that, that’s where it all stops. They can’t do any further damage to us. They can destroy our body, but they can’t destroy our soul — meaning, our full potential to be resurrected in the future.

God is the only One who has the power to give us life and He is the only One as well who has the power to give it to us when we have lost it. Not only that but if God can give us life, He can also take it away from us. What’s more amazing is that God could not only take our physical life, but also our chance of getting resurrected in the future!

As you can see, Yahweh, the Most High God, is way more powerful than any human being.

God is unlimited. Humans are limited. God can give life, humans can’t give life. God can take away our chance of being resurrected again. Humans CAN’T take away our chance of being resurrected!

With this in mind, who should you fear even more? Should you fear humans who have limited abilities? Or, would you fear God who has unlimited power?

That’s the main point of Christ. We must not fear people who can only render temporary death. Rather, we must fear God who can render eternal death.

God has the power to destroy you in hell or give you eternal life.

So, don’t fear men. Instead, fear God!

Final words

Matthew 10:28 does not prove that we have an immortal soul. The main message of Matthew 10:28 is for us to fear God, to revere Him and stand in awe of Him. So, the next time Christians tell you that you have an immortal soul based on Matthew 10:28, you should already know the truth!

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