The term ‘immortality’ is defined by Webster’s dictionary as ‘unending life’. We hope to show from the scriptures that the doctrine as taught by the prophets and apostles is not the doctrine preached from most of the pulpits of our churches today. Now, such a statement might come as quite a shock to many of you, but please, before you form an opinion let us examine the issue ; first from the standpoint of the churches then from the scriptures themselves.
The common belief held by most Christians can be summed up in simple terms as follows : A human being is born with a soul which is believed to be the permanent and conscious personality of the person. That when a person dies, this conscious entity leaves the body taking with it the identity and character of the person. This immortal soul or spirit as it is sometimes called is then transmitted to one of two places depending upon the deeds and conduct of the person in life.
According to the popular belief the places designated for the spirit’s reception is either one of Glory beyond the skies or a place of eternal torment beneath the surface of the earth. Some even tell of a third place called Purgatory where temporary punishment or cleansing takes place. This, dear friends is believed by millions throughout the world. Most of them, sorry to say, make little effort to check out these doctrines by the Bible. Most are content to leave the matter of their personal salvation in the hands of their pastors or spiritual leaders. We want to encourage men and women to search the scriptures for themselves as did the noble Bereans of old in order to determine whether the things taught them were true.
Now, for a few moments lay aside preconceived ideas and prejudices and examine with us the true doctrine of immortality and you will see that what is principally being taught is not the doctrine of scripture.
It might be advisable to look at the nature of man from the account of his creation in Genesis. The narrative tells us that ” . . 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). It nowhere states that God gave Adam a soul but rather that Adam became a living soul. And the word “soul” here is translated from the Hebrew word `nephesh’ which means creature. So Adam became a living creature energized by the breath of life which God breathed into him and with which God also energized all other living creatures.
As a further illustration, in the account of the great flood, it states in Genesis 7:21-22 “And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl and of cattle, and of beast . . . and every man: all in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land died.” Now Solomon, the wisest man with the exception of Christ, tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:19 “For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts ; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other ; yea, they have all one breath ; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast : for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust and all turn to dust again.” Do you know, that such terms as ‘immortal soul’ or ‘immortality of the soul’ are not found anywhere in the Bible ? You will not find them from Genesis to Revelation.
If we were to stop here our case for the future of mankind would seem quite hopeless, wouldn’t it ? We shall not stop here. We shall go on and show you that the Bible doctrine of immortality is one of beauty and grandeur far exceeding the hope of the human mind. For immortality is a promise, not a present possession. Consider one of the most quoted verses in scripture, John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” What does this tell us ? Does it not tell us that apart from God’s gift of His beloved Son, mankind would perish? What then does it mean to perish ? Perish means to cease to exist. But how could man perish if lie has an immortal soul? He couldn’t. He might be transferred to some other realm, but with an immortal soul his conscious existence could not perish. But the passage we have read tells us that apart from the Divine intervention man would perish. But our hope lies in this, that God has given His beloved Son that those who believe in him might through their belief and obedience obtain everlasting life or in other words, immortality.
The term ‘immortality’ appears only five times in the Bible, yet these five passages yield much information on the subject, let us examine them.
First, in I Timothy 6:16, Paul in speaking of God says “… who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto.” Of course Paul means here immortality underived, for at his writing the Lord Jesus had received immortality and we are told the angels are immortal. Jesus informed the Sadducees in Luke 20:36 that those who are accounted worthy at the resurrection shall become like the angels to die no more.
In II Timothy 1:10 the apostle Paul tells us that ” . . . Our Savior Jesus Christ . . . abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” Now this is important for the Apostle is speaking of the purpose of God. The Gospel has been preached ever since Adam’s sin. And the need for the abolition of sin and death has been fulfilled in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In his own body he has accomplished this and consequently brought the hope of immortality to his followers.
In Romans 2:7 the word immortality appears again, and here it is quite plain that immortality or eternal life is a gift from God, and is bestowed upon those who earnestly seek for it. Here is Romans 2:7 “To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life.” Now let us look at I Corinthians 15:53-54, here again it is clearly shown that man by nature is mortal and that immortality is to be experienced at some future time when Jesus Christ having returned to the earth, the dead shall be raised and immortality shall then be given.
Let us read the 53rd and 54th verses of I Corinthians 15: “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.” Thus we see the very transformation of the nature of the human body, from that of pain, sickness and gradual deterioration to permanent health and vitality and everlasting life, sustained by God’s eternal Spirit.
Yes, the promise of immortality is a promise of eternal health, joy, and happiness which no man can take away. So you see. immortality is not something we have now, but something to be hoped for, and not to be experienced until the Saviour returns to bestow it upon his faithful followers. The Apostle Paul explains it in Philippians 3:21 “We look for the Savior from heaven who shall change our vile body that it shall be fashioned like no his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself”.
The Gospel of the kingdom of God is the Gospel or good news of God’s kingdom of world rule to replace the faulty governments of men. A kingdom to be under the control of the immortalized Christ and his immortalized followers. This is the divine plan for the human race. This is the only hope for mankind.
The offer of immortality and the opportunity to rule with Jesus Christ in his kingdom is offered to you and me. We are asked to believe the things concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, to be baptised and to conduct our lives in accordance with our belief. A word picture is presented in Revelation 5:9-10 of the future for those who have taken this step and are faithful. In this word picture a song is addressed to Christ, the Lamb in these words: ” … thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue and people and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One