"And being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him" (Hebrews 5:9).
In this two-part study we are going to investigate what we mean by 'The Immortality of the Soul.' There are many cults and even truly born again believers who misunderstand the Bible's teaching on this subject.
The Bible teaches us that only God has immortality of and in Himself, “Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting” (1 Timothy 6:16), but that all life (both spiritual and physical) is derived from Him. All spirit beings are incapable of spiritual destruction and death, i.e. God, angels, devils, and man. The first man, Adam, would have remained physically immortal if he had not brought sin into the world, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die … In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 2:17, 3:19).
The Old Testament saints looked beyond physical life and death to eternal life in the presence of God in Heaven, “I have set the LORD always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of life: in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore … But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for He shall receive me … For great is Thy mercy toward me: and Thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell” (Psalm 16:8-11, 49:15, 86:13). Job knew that there was life after the grave (which the word ‘hell’ in the above texts probably refer to) and that man was not annihilated, nor did he enter into soul-sleep, “For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me” (Job 19:25-27). Daniel also spoke of existence beyond the grave, “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2). The prophets Isaiah and Hosea make mention of the immortality of the soul too, “Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise … I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes” (Isaiah 26:19, Hosea 13:14). Though not counted as Scripture I found an interesting verse in the Apocrypha that reflects pre-New Testament thought on the subject of immortality, “For God created man to be immortal, and made him to be the image of His own eternity” (Wisdom of Solomon 2:23),
The New Testament writers also speak of the immortality of the soul, but in a much fuller manner. Use is made of various Greek words that express the continuance of life (life never ending).
a) ‘Aphtharsia’ (noun) means Incorruptibility, imperishable, and immortality. This word can be found in Romans 2:7, “To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life”; 1 Corinthians 15:42,50,53-54, “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption … Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption … For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory”; 2 Timothy 1:10, “But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel”. The adjective of ‘aphtharsia’ is ‘aphthartos’ which means incorruptible. This word is seen in such places as Romans 1:23, “And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God”; 1 Timothy 1:17, “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever”; 1 Peter 1:4, “To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you”.
b) Another Greek word that means Deathless is ‘athanasia’. The meaning of the word is described by Paul in 1 Timothy 6:16 and 1 Corinthians 15:53-54 as immortality.
c) ‘Azoen aionion’ is a phrase that means simply Eternal Life (or life of the ages). This term is a favourite phrase used by the apostle John in John 3:15-16, 10:28, 17:2-3, 1 John 1:2, 2:25. It is used by Paul in Romans 2:7, 5:21, 6:22-23, Galatians 6:8, 1 Timothy 1:16, 6:12, 2 Timothy 2:10, Titus 1:2, 3:7. On each occasion it refers to the continuance of life after this present life in the flesh.
These verses and Greek words prove that the concept of the immortality of the soul was well established in the Bible despite the fact that certain religious groups, such as the Sadducees, denied the resurrection of the dead and the immortality of the soul. The Resurrection of Christ is certain proof that the dead do rise again, and since they rise, there must be life after death, “Now if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ: whom He raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised ” (1 Corinthians 15:12-16).
We shall delve further into this subject in our next study.
Page created 28 April 2006