When we look at the NT, we see that eternal life was wrapped around the concept of resurrection. Unfortunately, the immortality of the soul slipped into Christian thought and diluted the importance Paul placed on resurrection as the hope of eternal life. Many will say that the two are compatible. However, when we look at the biblical evidence and study it exegetically, we see that this is not so.
We see that Paul preached the resurrection to the Gentiles. The Gentiles were pagan Greeks and Romans who believed that the soul was immortal. As a matter of fact, we see that Paul was mocked by many Gentiles for preaching resurrection. Why? Because the Greeks believed in the immortality of the soul! A resurrection was useless. Yet the fact that in the face of this belief, Paul emphasized the necessity of the resurrection for eternal life in such blatant terms shows that this was in contrast to the immortality of the soul, not a condoning of the belief.
To explain away some of the conditional mortality texts that show that man does not have an immortal soul,many will say that when the bible talks about mortality, it is merely speaking about the body; the soul, however, is eternal. The Bible, however, makes no distinction. Rather we see in the NT how important the resurrection was to Paul for eternal life for the Christian. For Paul and the NT Christians, there was no ‘body/soul reunification’. It was the whole man that either lived or died.
If after the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me if the dead rise not? Let us eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die! – 1 Corinthians 15:32
Paul is saying that if there is no resurrection, then we might as well live life in excess for there is no existence after life!
But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen...for if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised...And if Christ is not raised your faith is in vain...Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished – 1 Corinthians 15:13,16-18
Those that have fallen asleep in Christ have not perished if they exist in some form in heaven already. If this is merely talking about the body, then we have a God who might allow the death of the soul because it is dependent on the body. This is completely redundant for the survival of the soul to begin with if it is dependent on the body for life.
We see how our hope in eternal life is wrapped up in the resurrection and the resurrection of Christ. One precedes the other and without the one, the other would not exist and there is no hope:
But I would not have you to be ignorant brethren concerning them which are asleep. That you sorrow not even as them which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus God will raise them up in the same manner. For the lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ will rise first. - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15
If souls went to heaven at death, why would Paul tell them to not "sorrow as those who have no hope" and then continue to tell them about the resurrection? The reason is because the resurrection is our ONLY hope. Without it, there would be no eternal life but eternal death. Without the resurrection, all those Christians would perish and there would be no hope. We see that there is no room for a disembodied soul that survives death in this theology.
But now Christ is risen and has become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive – 1 Corinthians 15: 20-22
So when does this ‘being made alive’, this ‘eternal life’ occur? Is it at death?
But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits, afterward they that are Christ's at his coming - vs 23
Notice when Paul expected to receive his reward:
For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. Henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge shall give me at that day. And not to me only, but unto them also that love His appearing - II Timothy 4:6,8
This is the same resurrection day spoken of by Job in Job 14:14, as the next verse will corroborate.
This then culminates in vs 51-56 which shows that death is conquered only at the resurrection and immortality is finally given.
Behold I show you a mystery! We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in the moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. For the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 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 puts on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory! O death where is your sting? O grave where is thy victory? –I Corinthians 15:51-56
To take this verse to mean that Paul is only talking about the body and not the soul is to not only read in an unproven assumption the text doesn’t make, but to also ignore the context and importance of the previous verses. ONLY at the resurrection is death conquered. ‘THEN shall be brought to pass the saying, ‘death is swallowed up in victory’’. If souls survived death, then death is swallowed up in victory at the time of death and not at the resurrection. Paul is not speaking of two lives and two deaths, but rather one body and one life and one death. Notice his language describing the whole of man - ‘this mortal’. You absolutely cannot get the idea that only the body is being spoken about here. To Paul, like the rest of those in the scriptures, man was a wholistic being, not a dualistic one.
We see that Paul preached the resurrection to the Gentiles. The Gentiles were pagan Greeks and Romans who believed that the soul was immortal. As a matter of fact, we see that Paul was mocked by many Gentiles for preaching resurrection. Why? Because the Greeks believed in the immortality of the soul! A resurrection was useless. Yet the fact that in the face of this belief, Paul emphasized the necessity of the resurrection for eternal life in such blatant terms shows that this was in contrast to the immortality of the soul, not a condoning of the belief.
To explain away some of the conditional mortality texts that show that man does not have an immortal soul,many will say that when the bible talks about mortality, it is merely speaking about the body; the soul, however, is eternal. The Bible, however, makes no distinction. Rather we see in the NT how important the resurrection was to Paul for eternal life for the Christian. For Paul and the NT Christians, there was no ‘body/soul reunification’. It was the whole man that either lived or died.
If after the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me if the dead rise not? Let us eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die! – 1 Corinthians 15:32
Paul is saying that if there is no resurrection, then we might as well live life in excess for there is no existence after life!
But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen...for if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised...And if Christ is not raised your faith is in vain...Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished – 1 Corinthians 15:13,16-18
Those that have fallen asleep in Christ have not perished if they exist in some form in heaven already. If this is merely talking about the body, then we have a God who might allow the death of the soul because it is dependent on the body. This is completely redundant for the survival of the soul to begin with if it is dependent on the body for life.
We see how our hope in eternal life is wrapped up in the resurrection and the resurrection of Christ. One precedes the other and without the one, the other would not exist and there is no hope:
But I would not have you to be ignorant brethren concerning them which are asleep. That you sorrow not even as them which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus God will raise them up in the same manner. For the lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ will rise first. - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15
If souls went to heaven at death, why would Paul tell them to not "sorrow as those who have no hope" and then continue to tell them about the resurrection? The reason is because the resurrection is our ONLY hope. Without it, there would be no eternal life but eternal death. Without the resurrection, all those Christians would perish and there would be no hope. We see that there is no room for a disembodied soul that survives death in this theology.
But now Christ is risen and has become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive – 1 Corinthians 15: 20-22
So when does this ‘being made alive’, this ‘eternal life’ occur? Is it at death?
But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits, afterward they that are Christ's at his coming - vs 23
Notice when Paul expected to receive his reward:
For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. Henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge shall give me at that day. And not to me only, but unto them also that love His appearing - II Timothy 4:6,8
This is the same resurrection day spoken of by Job in Job 14:14, as the next verse will corroborate.
This then culminates in vs 51-56 which shows that death is conquered only at the resurrection and immortality is finally given.
Behold I show you a mystery! We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in the moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. For the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 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 puts on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory! O death where is your sting? O grave where is thy victory? –I Corinthians 15:51-56
To take this verse to mean that Paul is only talking about the body and not the soul is to not only read in an unproven assumption the text doesn’t make, but to also ignore the context and importance of the previous verses. ONLY at the resurrection is death conquered. ‘THEN shall be brought to pass the saying, ‘death is swallowed up in victory’’. If souls survived death, then death is swallowed up in victory at the time of death and not at the resurrection. Paul is not speaking of two lives and two deaths, but rather one body and one life and one death. Notice his language describing the whole of man - ‘this mortal’. You absolutely cannot get the idea that only the body is being spoken about here. To Paul, like the rest of those in the scriptures, man was a wholistic being, not a dualistic one.