Yes. In order to understand the difference, we must first consider the makeup of the human being. This is denned in Genesis 2:7: 

“And 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.”  

 God originally made man to consist of three parts: a soul, a body, and a spirit. We call this a “trichotomy”. Man did not remain in this condition; he sinned. As the result of this sin, his spirit no longer ruled within him. Instead, his spirit and soul became mingled together. Fallen man thus became two parts or a “dichotomy”. This is why unregenerate man is soulish and is unable to know spiritual things.  

When man is born again, his spirit is restored to its rightful place. It is made alive again by the Spirit of God (Ephesians 2:1). We are born again of the water and of the Spirit, because only that which is born of Spirit is spirit (John 3:3-6). We become a new person through the new birth-a complete person for the first time in our life. This makes a difference in what happens at the time of physical death.  

 The body of the believer and the unbeliever undergo the same changes in death. 

When the soul and spirit leave the body, the body ceases to function. Decay begins. Since this part of death follows natural law, it makes no difference what the spiritual condition of the soul was when the body died.  

 The spirit and soul of the believer are carried into the presence of God at death. 

The difference is in what happens to the soul and spirit. The Christian need not fear the transition from earthly existence to eternal existence. God is with him all the way-He is our guide even unto death. Paul talks about this transition as being absent from the body to be present with the Lord. Angels carry the believer’s spirit and soul into God’s presence to await resurrection and judgment. This place is called Paradise. It is a place of conscious pleasure and freedom from pain.  

 The spirit and soul of the unbeliever continue in separation from God. 

The unbeliever actually experiences two deaths-two distinct kinds of separation. The first death is the physical death common to all men, the separation of soul and spirit from the body. The second death is spiritual separation from God, an everlasting banishment from His presence. When physical death comes to an unbeliever, his spirit and soul leave his body and are carried to a place in the center of the Earth to await the last judgment. This place is called Hades or Sheol.