Introduction: The Modern Confusion About the Soul
In the world today, there is great confusion about the nature of the human soul. Popular culture speaks of the soul as naturally immortal, as a divine spark, or even as a part of God Himself. Many believe that the soul lives on forever simply because it is spiritual and invisible.
But the Orthodox Church does not teach the immortality of the soul as something natural to its existence. Instead, Orthodoxy teaches that the soul is created and remains immortal only by the grace of God.
This is not a mere theological distinction, but one that touches the very core of our faith, salvation, and understanding of what it means to be human.
The Orthodox Christian Understanding of the Soul
Orthodoxy teaches that man is created by God with both a body and a soul.
The soul is not pre-existent, nor is it a fragment of divine essence. It is created at the same time as the body and is part of the unity of the human person. In Genesis, we read:
“Then 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.” (Genesis 2:7, LXX)
The soul, then, is not inherently immortal in its own nature. According to the Holy Fathers, it is “immortal by grace,” not by nature. It remains alive because God sustains it.
The Created Nature of the Soul
Saint Gregory Palamas, echoing the teachings of the Fathers before him, emphasized that the soul is a created reality. It is not eternal in the way God is eternal.
The difference between the uncreated and the created is absolute in Orthodox theology. Only God is uncreated, eternal by nature, and self-existent.
Saint Athanasius the Great explains:
“The soul is not immortal by itself, but God grants immortality to it as a gift.”
This view contradicts pagan philosophy, especially Platonism, which saw the soul as an eternal, pre-existing entity.
Some Western traditions, influenced by such philosophies, began to speak of the soul as inherently immortal.
Orthodoxy firmly rejects that idea, holding instead that all things, including the soul, depend entirely on God for their being and continuation.
God Alone Is Immortal by Nature
The Apostle Paul is clear:
“God alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light.” (1 Timothy 6:16, LXX)
The immortality of the soul, then, is not something it possesses on its own. If God were to withdraw His grace and His sustaining energy, the soul would return to non-being.
In this way, the Orthodox Christian teaching preserves the absolute distinction between Creator and creation. The soul is not a divine spark but a created gift.
Saint John of Damascus writes in his “Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith”:
“The soul is a living essence, simple and incorporeal, created by God together with the body.”
It is alive not because it exists independently, but because God gives it life.
The Breath of Life: Not Divine Essence, But Divine Energy
When God “breathed into Adam’s nostrils,” He did not impart a piece of His divine essence.
The Holy Fathers are clear: this breath was the grace of the Holy Spirit, an uncreated energy of God, not His essence.
The difference is critical. If the soul contained divine essence, it would itself be divine and uncreated. But Orthodox Christianity teaches that even this breath is not the divine substance but a divine gift.
Saint Basil the Great clarifies:
“God breathed not His essence into Adam, but His grace. The soul lives by grace, not by essence.”
This is why the soul can die spiritually even while the person remains biologically alive. Saint Paul warns:
“For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23, LXX)
This is not only a death of the body but of the soul — when it is separated from the grace of God.
The Soul Without God: Not Truly Alive
Saint Seraphim of Sarov famously taught that the aim of the Christian life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit. He meant that without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the soul is lifeless, even if it appears to be alive. This echoes the teaching of the Lord:
“Let the dead bury their own dead.” (Luke 9:60, LXX)
A soul cut off from God is dead, just as a branch cut off from the vine withers. The true immortality of the soul is therefore conditional upon its union with God. Apart from Him, it is not alive in any meaningful way.
The False Idea of the Soul as a Divine Spark
Modern spirituality often teaches that the soul is part of God or that it is divine by nature. This is a serious error. Saint Irenaeus of Lyons refuted such claims in the second century, saying:
“The soul is not part of the divine substance, but a creature, fashioned by the hand of God.”
If we claim that the soul is part of God, then we are saying man is divine in his essence. This leads to the heresy of pantheism or gnosticism, where salvation becomes self-realization instead of union with God through Christ.
The Orthodox Church rejects this. Salvation is not remembering who we already are, but being healed and united to God by grace.
Immortality: Not a Right, But a Gift
Orthodoxy teaches that we are not born with an automatic right to immortality. It is not something owed to us. The immortality of the soul is a gift from God, preserved only through grace. The Psalms remind us:
“What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man, that Thou visitest him?” (Psalm 8:5, LXX)
Even the angels, who are also created and spiritual, exist only because God sustains them. How much more the human soul.
Saint Maximus the Confessor explains:
“To exist is not our possession, but a gift of the One Who truly is.”
Immortality, then, is not a natural state. It is given and maintained by the will of God.
The Resurrection of the Dead and True Immortality
In the Nicene Creed, Orthodox Christians confess: “I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come.”
True immortality is not simply the soul living on after death. It is the resurrection of the entire human person — body and soul united, glorified by grace.
Christ is the firstfruits of this resurrection, and we shall follow if we remain in Him.
The Lord said:
“He who believes in Me, though he may die, yet shall he live.” (John 11:25, LXX)
The body will rise. The soul will be judged. And the fullness of immortality will be revealed only in the Kingdom of God.
The Danger of Misunderstanding the Soul’s Nature
Why does this matter? Because if we believe that the soul is naturally immortal, we may begin to think we do not need God. This was the very temptation of the serpent in Eden:
“You shall not die… you shall be as gods.” (Genesis 3:4-5, LXX)
Pride leads man to believe that he is already divine, that he needs no Savior. But the Orthodox Christian knows that we are dust — “for dust you are, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19, LXX) — and yet called to eternal life through Christ.
How the Soul Is Preserved in Life and Death
Through baptism, chrismation, confession, the Divine Liturgy, and constant prayer, the Orthodox Christian nourishes the soul.
These are not rituals for comfort, but channels of divine grace. The Church teaches that the soul, sustained by these sacraments, remains in God even after physical death.
Saint Nektarios of Pentapolis writes:
“The soul remains alive in the Church even after death, for the Church embraces both the living and the departed.”
This is why we offer memorials. We pray not only because we hope, but because we believe that the soul is still in communion with the Body of Christ.
Conclusion: The Orthodox Christian Soul Depends Entirely on God
The soul is not a piece of God, nor is it naturally immortal. It is created, sustained, and preserved by grace. True immortality comes not by nature but by participation in divine life through Christ.
To misunderstand this is to lose the Gospel. But to know it is to live in humility, hope, and the unshakable joy of resurrection.
How Can We Explain the Soul to Our Children?
Parents can teach children that God made us with a soul and a body.
The soul is the part of us that thinks, feels, and loves. It is like a little lamp that shines when we love God and do good. But if we forget God, the lamp gets dim.
Jesus wants to live in our heart and keep our soul alive forever. He gave us the Church, prayer, and the saints to help our soul grow strong and full of light.
And when we die, Jesus takes care of our soul until the great day when He brings our soul and body back together again.