What is the soul?

Nope. That buys into false premises that the spiritual is less real, ephemeral, shadowy, mental, unsubstantial, intangible, transparent, invisible, etc… What we know for certain from the Bible 1 Cor 15 is that the spiritual (when alive or resurrected) is imperishable, more powerful, made of the stuff of heaven, and (at least in our case) comes after the physical. When the spirit is dead. however, it can be shadowy, ghostly and such. But when alive (connected with God), the spiritual is more real and capable in every way and it is the physical which is less real by comparison – a temporary coordination of particles like the way images on a tv screen is a coordination of pixels.

Yes. Life is more than just existence. Life is growth and learning. The physical universe is quite big and promises a considerable amount of growth and learning. But once our connection with the physical ends then we need a relationship with the infinite creator of the universe. Then with no end to what God has to give, growth and learning – life not just existence – can continue forever.

Because God has given us so much in the physical universe, many experience life to the fullest already – exploring all the opportunities already available to us. We all have self destructive habits, but not all in the same measure. And so while for some all seems great and they see no need for God, for others the value of life drains away much more quickly, more desperately needing a connection with God to even make it through the day. For others it may simply be misfortune that tips the balance. But regardless of fortune, in the end, it is like the law gravity, where everything comes down eventually – call it the law of sin if you like. And so our need for God is twofold – not only because He is the source of life, but because He is the only one who can remove our sins (something which is not possible without our cooperation).