It says in Genesis 1:26-27 that God created man in his own image and in Genesis 2:7 that he did this by forming man out of the “dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” Afterward, God put the man in the garden of Eden and commanded him, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in that day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:15-17). Dying was “not intended to be a natural aspect of being human. It came about through unbelief and rebellion against God (Genesis 3:4)” (H4191). Jesus told his disciples that he came “that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). The life that Jesus was talking about has to do with the immaterial part of man that is usually referred to in the Bible as the soul. The Greek word psuche (psoo-khayˊ) means “breath, i.e. (by implication) spirit” (G5590). Psuche corresponds with the Old Testament word nephesh (nehˊ-fesh) which is translated breath of life in Genesis 1:30. Nephesh is properly translated as “a breathing creature” and refers to “the inner being with its thoughts and emotions…When this word is applied to a person, it doesn’t refer to a specific part of a human being. The Scriptures view a person as a composite whole, fully relating to God and not divided in any way (Deuteronomy 6:5; cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:23)” (H5315).

Paul told the Colossians that though he was absent from them in body, he was still with them in spirit (Colossians 2:5). The Greek word pneuma (pnyooˊ-mah), which is translated spirit, refers to “the vital spirit or life, the principle of life residing in man. The breath breathed by God into man and again returning to God, the spiritual entity in man (Matthew 27:50; Luke 8:55; 23;46; John 19:30; Acts 7:59; 1 Corinthians 15:45; Revelation 13:15)” (G4151). Paul wanted the Colossians to understand that the material and immaterial aspects of man do not operate according to the same rules. Paul explained in his letter to the Corinthians, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). The Gnostics, false teachers who were influencing the Colossian church, “believed that all the secrets of God were in the mind or appeared in an immaterial identity and that the possession of knowledge was the only requirement for salvation. They separated matter from thought and did not attribute humanity to Jesus Christ because they considered material things to be evil. They taught that the body of Christ only appeared to be material, but in reality, it was spiritual. They ignored or diminished the significance of the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus as not being real but simply apparent. This is why Paul stressed that ‘For in him [Christ, as he appeared on earth] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily (v. 9). Jesus was truly God in the flesh (John 1:14; Colossians 1:19)” (note on Colossians 2:8-23).

Paul emphasized the connection between the body and the spirit because salvation affects both of these aspects of man and are necessary for a person to be alive in Christ. Jesus differentiated between physical birth and spiritual birth when he explained to Nicodemus what it means to be born again. Jesus told Nicodemus, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:5-8). Jesus used the example of wind to describe the inner person, the immaterial part of man that is not governed by the laws of physics. The Greek word that is translated born in John 3:5-8, gennao (ghen-nahˊ-o) means “to procreate” and is “spoken of God begetting in a spiritual sense which consists in regenerating, sanctifying, quickening anew, and ennobling the powers of the natural man by imparting to him a new life and a new spirit in Christ (1 John 5:1). Hence, Christians are said to be born of God and to be the sons of God (Romans 8:14; Galatians 3:26; 4:6)” (G1080). Paul’s explanation of the workings of the inner and outer self was intended to make it clear that the material and immaterial aspects of man are both necessary to accomplish God’s objective of restoring his image in mankind through salvation (2 Corinthians 4:16-5:10). One of the key points in Paul’s gospel message was that Christ’s physical death resulted in a resurrection that enabled his and our whole self, body and soul to live forever.

Paul described the mechanics of Jesus substitutionary atonement in order to make it clear to the Colossians that Jesus’ physical death and resurrection was done on their behalf. It was not necessary for them to try, and they could not on their own, achieve perfection. Paul said:

In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. (Colossians 2:11-15)

Paul emphasized the point that Jesus had already gained the victory over sin and death that was necessary for the record of debt against every person to be cancelled by God.

According to Paul, God made believers alive in Christ when Jesus was resurrected from the dead (Colossians 2:12-13). Paul used the phrase made alive together, which means “to reanimate conjointly with” (G4806) to indicate that by associating oneself with Jesus’ death on the cross, a person also becomes associated with his resurrection three days later (2:12). Reanimation, by implication, means “to give eternal life, to make alive forever in the bliss and privileges of the Redeemer’s kingdom (John 6:63; 1 Corinthians 15:45; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Galatians 3:21)” (G2227). The Greek word suzoopoieo (sood-zo-op-oy-ehˊ-o), which is translated made alive together in Colossians 2:13, appears in the aorist active indicative form, indicating that God made us alive together with Christ instantaneously, at a particular point in time. The instant that Jesus was reanimated, whoever had, or would from that point forward, place their faith in the powerful working of God that raised Christ from the dead, were also reanimated (Colossians 2:12), or more specifically, were given eternal life.

Jesus used the word zoopoieo (dzo-op-oy-ehˊ-o), the root word of suzoopoieo, to explain his authority to give eternal life to those who believe in him. Jesus said:

For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. (John 5:21-29)

Jesus indicated that everyone who is dead will be resurrected, but being alive in Christ will result in the resurrection of life, whereas all who have not believed in him will participate in the resurrection of judgment (John 3:18-20). This judgment is described in Revelation 20:11-15. John said the dead were judged according to what they had done (Revelation 20:14), “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).