The soul of man

[Jim Parker]

Luke 20:35 does tell us that there are those who are worthy to attain to that age AND to "the resurrection from the dead". Christ being the first and only foundational basis for anyone else also being worthy of "the resurrection from the dead"

Your misreading of that verse has already been noted.
Your failure to harmonize your opinion with the teaching of the rest of scripture has also already been noted.

If you think any of these passages above are speaking of the resurrection of the lost,........

Those are not the only verses which speak to the resurrection.
Your error is in your insistence on "proof texting" rather than considering the whole of scripture on the subject.

All of mankind, righteous and unrighteous, will be raised from the dead.
Death will no longer have dominion over any of mankind, righteous or unrighteous.
That is the teaching of scripture.

 

[dianegcook]

No, I am not.
Everyone whose name is not written in the book of life (Rev 20:15) experiences the second death, not eternal life.
Eternal life is NOT the same as immortality. Immortality is the condition of being physically alive. One can be physically alive and "spiritually" dead. (Eph 2:1)
The only being who has life by nature is God. To have eternal life is to be intimately united to God in Christ. (Thus the metaphor of the church being the bride of Christ and one flesh with Christ.)
Those separated from God after the resurrection will experience (be completely aware of being in a state of) eternal death.

Strong's also gives: "metaph. to devote or give over to eternal misery in hell."
That is the appropriate understanding.

Rev 20:11-15 says absolutely nothing about anything called a "spiritual death" or the "death of the soul."
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
The resurrected people who are judged are not resurrected as "souls"; they are complete people with bodies, souls and spirits. There is nothing to suggest otherwise.
He also said that the righteous will enter into eternal life and the condemned will go into eternal punishment. The word for "eternal" is the same for both eternal life and eternal punishment: αἰώνιος (aiōnios).

Right, Jesus said that. But he wasn't talking about the eternal condition of people after the resurrection so by applying it to that topic, you take the words out of their context and attempt to make them mean something that was not intended. The message of that verse is that we should not fear what men can do but what God can do.
Mat 10:28 “And do not fear those who kill (Gr: ἀποκτείνω [apokteinō]) the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy (Gr. ἀπόλλυμι [apollymi]) both soul and body in hell."
Both words, ἀποκτείνω and ἀπόλλυμι, have the same metaphorical meaning of "to devote or give over to eternal misery in hell."

There is no Biblical teaching that the souls (and/or bodies) of the condemned are utterly destroyed or reduced to ashes or otherwise annihilated.

iakov the fool

No, I am not.
Everyone whose name is not written in the book of life (Rev 20:15) experiences the second death, not eternal life.
Eternal life is NOT the same as immortality. Immortality is the condition of being physically alive. One can be physically alive and "spiritually" dead. (Eph 2:1)
The only being who has life by nature is God. To have eternal life is to be intimately united to God in Christ. (Thus the metaphor of the church being the bride of Christ and one flesh with Christ.)
Those separated from God after the resurrection will experience (be completely aware of being in a state of) eternal death.

Strong's also gives: "metaph. to devote or give over to eternal misery in hell."
That is the appropriate understanding.

Rev 20:11-15 says absolutely nothing about anything called a "spiritual death" or the "death of the soul."
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
The resurrected people who are judged are not resurrected as "souls"; they are complete people with bodies, souls and spirits. There is nothing to suggest otherwise.
He also said that the righteous will enter into eternal life and the condemned will go into eternal punishment. The word for "eternal" is the same for both eternal life and eternal punishment: αἰώνιος (aiōnios).

Right, Jesus said that. But he wasn't talking about the eternal condition of people after the resurrection so by applying it to that topic, you take the words out of their context and attempt to make them mean something that was not intended. The message of that verse is that we should not fear what men can do but what God can do.
Mat 10:28 “And do not fear those who kill (Gr: ἀποκτείνω [apokteinō]) the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy (Gr. ἀπόλλυμι [apollymi]) both soul and body in hell."
Both words, ἀποκτείνω and ἀπόλλυμι, have the same metaphorical meaning of "to devote or give over to eternal misery in hell."

There is no Biblical teaching that the souls (and/or bodies) of the condemned are utterly destroyed or reduced to ashes or otherwise annihilated.

iakov the fool

Hi again Jim
In 1Cor.15:53
This mortal( liable to die soul) must put on immortality, (deathlessness)
Strong's #2349, thnetos ,meaning liable to die...
At the last trump...
Rev.11:15-18
When the day of the Lord comes all will be in spirit...
2Peter 3:10-12
The heavens shall pass away, the elements (evil rudiments) shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
Like the 3 in the fiery furnace....
All evil is burnt up.

You said Strong's also say to devote or give over to eternal misery in hell..
My Strong's does not state this for the word "perish"

Besides, hell is cast into the lake of fire...

Something to ponder on..
Ezek.28:18,19
I will bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee...
Thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be anymore..
Psa.37:20, Matt.10:28

Good evening

 

[Jim Parker]

Something to ponder on..
Ezek.28:18,19
I will bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee...

That's the verse that the 7th Day Adventists and JWs use to attempt to "prove" their heretical teaching.

 

[chessman]

Your misreading of that verse has already been noted.
Your failure to harmonize your opinion with the teaching of the rest of scripture has also already been noted.

Those are not the only verses which speak to the resurrection.
Your error is in your insistence on "proof texting" rather than considering the whole of scripture on the subject.

All of mankind, righteous and unrighteous, will be raised from the dead.
Death will no longer have dominion over any of mankind, righteous or unrighteous.
That is the teaching of scripture.

There's zero apologetic content in this post. Merely name calling. Are you prepared to defend your position Biblically or are you simply interested in 'name calling' and personal attacks toward those that disagree with you???

 

[freewill]

Annihilation is not a biblical teaching. It is a heresy.

What has been written in chapter 3 of Genesis and elsewhere in the Bible, was ignored or disregarded when forming the doctrine that speaks of an immortal soul being given to all men: In Genesis 3:19 we can see what God said after Adam gave in to Satan's temptation and died spiritually through valuing his desire to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil above his Father's warning: "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return". The fallen Adam then was clearly told that not just his physical body but the whole corrupt person he had become was going to return back into the state of dust before he was made, and there is nothing here to suggest that that state was going to be anything other than precisely that: the state of dust before he was made - (i.e. a state of zero awareness of anything).

God also makes it clear in Genesis 3:22-24 NASB that He was not going to allow the corrupted person whom Adam had become to live forever. After God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, he might stretch out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever" this is what happened next: God drove the man out from the Garden of Eden, He then placed "cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life" in order to keep fallen man from eating and living forever.

What I see in Genesis 3:22-24 then is the God of perfect love, compassion, mercy and predestination (in whom I trust) making it quite clear these newly loved but lost and naive self-deceiving children were never going to wander blindly into an endless life of rebellion against God and the endless torment that would ultimately follow. Furthermore, if God had made Adam with an immortal soul (having an immortal mind of reason being able to sense and perceive) then it would have been pointless to place cherubim and a flaming sword guarding the way to the tree of life in order to make sure he would not find a way to live forever.

To cause or allow any suffering beyond what is necessary for the eternal safety or well-being of creation would be as offensive to God as it would be alien to reason and love. Sorry you can't agree

 

[Jim Parker]

When the day of the Lord comes all will be in spirit...

What do you mean by "all will be in spirit"

The heavens shall pass away, the elements (evil rudiments) shall melt with fervent heat

According to Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, at 2Peter 3:10, 12, the word "elements" refers to "the substance of the material world".

hell is cast into the lake of fire...

Not just hell:
Rev 20:12-15 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

 

[Jim Parker]

There's zero apologetic content in this post. Merely name calling.

There was zero name calling.

Are you prepared to defend your position Biblically or are you simply interested in 'name calling' and personal attacks toward those that disagree with you???

I have defended my position Biblically. I apologize if that offends you.

 

[Jim Parker]

The fallen Adam then was clearly told that not just his physical body but the whole corrupt person he had become was going to return back into the state of dust before he was made, and there is nothing here to suggest that that state was going to be anything other than precisely that: the state of dust before he was made - (i.e. a state of zero awareness of anything).

The physical body "returns to dust."
There is an aspect of the human being which remains. We refer to it as the soul or the spirit. (I am not familiar with a precise definition.)
At Luke 16:10-31, Jesus parable of Lazarus and the rich man is recorded. In it, both the rich man and Abraham, who had died and "returned to dust" were awake, alert, and sentient.
It being awake, alert, and sentient after death are not the actual state of the soul or spirit of man then the parable is meaningless and Jesus was babbling incoherently.
Also, if the soul is not awake, alert, sentient, etc., the appearance of Moses speaking with Jesus at the transfiguration was a hallucination.

What I see in Genesis 3:22-24 then is the God of perfect love, compassion, mercy and predestination (in whom I trust) making it quite clear these newly loved but lost and naive self-deceiving children were never going to wander blindly into an endless life of rebellion against God and the endless torment that would ultimately follow.

True: God limited man's life, and thereby, limited the increase of sin.
Not true: any indication of predestination.

if God had made Adam with an immortal soul (having an immortal mind of reason being able to sense and perceive) then it would have been pointless to place cherubim and a flaming sword guarding the way to the tree of life in order to make sure he would not find a way to live forever.

That is illogical. You are conflating body and soul.
It is only the physical body that eats fruit, not the soul.

 

[OzSpen]

The physical body "returns to dust."
There is an aspect of the human being which remains. We refer to it as the soul or the spirit. (I am not familiar with a precise definition.)
At Luke 16:10-31, Jesus parable of Lazarus and the rich man is recorded. In it, both the rich man and Abraham, who had died and "returned to dust" were awake, alert, and sentient.
It being awake, alert, and sentient after death are not the actual state of the soul or spirit of man then the parable is meaningless and Jesus was babbling incoherently.
Also, if the soul is not awake, alert, sentient, etc., the appearance of Moses speaking with Jesus at the transfiguration was a hallucination.

True: God limited man's life, and thereby, limited the increase of sin.
Not true: any indication of predestination.

That is illogical. You are conflating body and soul.
It is only the physical body that eats fruit, not the soul.

Well stated, Jim. You are upholding what the Scriptures teach about the nature of the soul/spirit and what happens to it at death.

Jesus' assessment in Mark 8:36 (NLT) was, 'And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?'

Oz

 

[chessman]

I asked you:

If you think any of these passages above are speaking of the resurrection of the lost, then please explain why since they all speak of being either "worthy", Christ being "the first" or "glory"?

Then answered your question on my view and suggested:

It might be more fruitful for you to actually post the exact Scripture that teaches you that the lost are raised with immortality (since that's your view evidently) and we can go on from there.

Those are not the only verses which speak to the resurrection.

True. But from what Scripture(s) do you get the idea that the lost gain their immortality which is rewarded to those judged worthy of it? That's the question you need to answer to defend your position.

 

[Jim Parker]

But from what Scripture(s) do you get the idea that the lost gain their immortality which is rewarded to those judged worthy of it?

The loss of immortality was the consequence of sin.
By His incarnation, death and resurrection, Jesus has defeated the power of death to hold mankind.
1Co 15:56-57 (NKJV)The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
By God's hypostatic union with man in Christ, the mortality of mankind, which was the consequence of sin, has been overturned. At the resurrection, all will be raised immortal.
1Co 15:20-22 (NKJV) But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.
At Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus describes the judgment. All of mankind is brought before Him and they are judged by their works. The righteous are given eternal (Gr.: αἰώνιος [aiōnios]) life and the condemned are given eternal (Gr.: αἰώνιος [aiōnios]) punishment.
Rev 14:9-11(JKJV) Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
That passage describes a punishment that continues to afflict the condemned forever. In order to be afflicted forever, one must be immortal.

 

[chessman]

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:57-58 (LEB) But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! So then, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. ​

Do you mean that those who are not called brothers (i.e. The lost, all those in Adam only) also have victory over death through Jesus Christ? I don't see anything in 1 Cor 15 that would lend any support for lost being rewarded with victory over death. It just doesn't make any sense. Yes, they are raised bodily and judged and found to be quilty and NOT in Christ. But my question remains unanswered from anything in 1 Cor 15.

At Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus describes the judgment. All of mankind is brought before Him and they are judged by their works. The righteous are given eternal (Gr.: αἰώνιος [aiōnios]) life and the condemned are given eternal (Gr.: αἰώνιος [aiōnios]) punishment.

Correct. But I once again don't see where the lost are given immortality. In light of what Paul says, immortality seems to be given to the saved only, not to the lost.

Romans 2:7-8 (LEB) to those who, by perseverance in good work, seek glory and honor and immortality, eternal life, but to those who act from selfish ambition and who disobey the truth, but who obey unrighteousness, wrath and anger.
​

Rev 14 ...
That passage describes a punishment that continues to afflict the condemned forever. In order to be afflicted forever, one must be immortal.

​

That passage is John's vision of events which coccur prior to the harvesting and prior to Beast worshippers' being raised and judged. Plus, It doesn't say they are immortal. Doesn't all mankind get raised, judged and either rewarded with immortality or not based on whether they are either in Christ or not?

In order to be afflicted forever, one must be immortal.

It doesn't say they are afflicted or tortured forever. It says they are afflicted with God's full wrath. Sure, the smoke of their torment rises forever afterward. But so does the smoke left from the wrath of God's destruction of Sodom. I don't see where this Scripture teaches that the lost receive immortality. Even if it did, wouldn't it be saying that for Beast worshippers?

Exodus 29:18 (LEB) And you will turn into smoke on the altar all of the ram; it is a burnt offering for Yahweh; it is a smell of appeasement, an offering by fire for Yahweh. ​

It sounds to me like they are made to pay for their sins, not receive immortality.

Anyway, thanks for defending your view. If you ever do find where the Bible says that the lost are raised immortal, please let me know.

 

[chessman]

By God's hypostatic union with man in Christ, the mortality of mankind, which was the consequence of sin, has been overturned.

I've spent some time thinking about your statement here. I can see how the hypostatic union and The God-man's sacrifice (death) on the cross justifies God's rescue of all those who are in Christ Jesus But it makes no sense how that justifies all those who are not in Christ being raised immortal. Certainly not from anything Paul says in 1 Cor 15 or anywhere else that I am aware of.

Plus, I'm pretty sure Jesus knows more about the depths of the hypostatic union than you or I do.

Since Jesus said (as the hypostatic union):

Matthew 10:28, 32-33 (LEB) And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul, but instead be afraid of the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. ​

If Jesus thought His incarnation (the hypostatic union) and His impending death and resurrection meant that all mankind were made immortal (or raised immortal), why would He say God is able to destroy the body and the soul of man in Hell?

“Therefore everyone who acknowledges me before people, I also will acknowledge him before my Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies me before people, I also will deny him before my Father who is in heaven.​

Once again, like in Paul's 1 Cor 15 passage (and others), I see a distinct difference between lost mankind versus saved men. You seem to lump ever man into immortality where the Scriptures do not.

 

[dianegcook]

What do you mean by "all will be in spirit"

According to Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, at 2Peter 3:10, 12, the word "elements" refers to "the substance of the material world".

Not just hell:
Rev 20:12-15 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, the word elements refers to rudiments, #4747
Yes, not just hell, but all spiritually dead...how can one be tormented in hell for eternity, when hell itself will be destroyed?

What do I mean all will be in the Spirit?
Isa.11:4-9
He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked..
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid...
The cow and the bear shall feed, their young ones shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
No carnivores..
Rev.1:7
He cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him, and all kindred of the earth shall wail because of Him...
Those whom pierced Him, should be spiritual now...

When one dies, the body returns to dust, and the spirit returns to God...
God is a consuming fire, you are tried by fire..
2Peter 3:7-14
Verse 8 speaks of the Lord's Day, 1000 years as one day....Verse 11, seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved..look for new heavens and a new earth....

 

[dianegcook]

I've spent some time thinking about your statement here. I can see how the hypostatic union and The God-man's sacrifice (death) on the cross justifies God's rescue of all those who are in Christ Jesus But it makes no sense how that justifies all those who are not in Christ being raised immortal. Certainly not from anything Paul says in 1 Cor 15 or anywhere else that I am aware of.

Plus, I'm pretty sure Jesus knows more about the depths of the hypostatic unioun than you or I do.

Since Jesus said (as the hypostatic union):

Matthew 10:28, 32-33 (LEB) And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul, but instead be afraid of the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. ​

If Jesus thought His incarnation (the hypostatic union) and His impending death and resurrection meant that all mankind were made immortal, why would He say God is able to destroy the body and the soul of man in Hell?

“Therefore everyone who acknowledges me before people, I also will acknowledge him before my Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies me before people, I also will deny him before my Father who is in heaven.​

Once again, like in Paul's 1 Cor 15 passage (and others), I see a distinct difference between lost mankind versus saved men. You seem to lump ever man into immortality where the Scriptures do not.

:amen

 

[freewill]

Annihilation is not a biblical teaching. It is a heresy.

A heresy according to your church, not according to Scripture.

The physical body "returns to dust."
There is an aspect of the human being which remains.

Jim, either you have misunderstood or you are deliberately trying to twist the meaning of God's words. Something which Satan did in Genesis 3:4-6 ESV.

God did not say "to dust your body will return" what He said quite clearly was "to dust you will return". God did not say "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until your body returns to the ground" what He said quite clearly was, "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground" as Genesis 3:19 NIV clearly explains. Try and understand, this verse is not just a reference to Adam's physical body, it is a referrence to the whole corrupt person Adam had become. Can you see now?

Yes, God can and will resurrect the dead when it suits Him, either to eternal life with Him or to be condemned, and this word "condemned" like "everlasting punishment" can be seen in the light of Scripture to have more than one meaning: Varying degrees of punishment will depend on the varying degrees of sin or evil committed by each condemned soul.


I will come to the parable of the rich man and Lazarus once I think we have established what God means by the word "you" in Genesis 3:19.

 

[Jim Parker]

I've spent some time thinking about your statement here. I can see how the hypostatic union and The God-man's sacrifice (death) on the cross justifies God's rescue of all those who are in Christ Jesus But it makes no sense how that justifies all those who are not in Christ being raised immortal.

It may make no sense to YOU but that is the historic teaching of the church.
Christ destroyed the power of death. (period) That means that death cannot hole anyone, righteous or not because death has no power to hold them.

Have to go.
Will get back.

 

[OzSpen]

Hello everyone,

If, like Calvinists and many other evangelical Christians, you happen to believe the souls of all men will live forever, could you explain to me please exactly where in the Bible such a doctrine comes from? The reason I ask is because I am a Christian who has regularly attended an evangelical church these last 19 years… https://0testsite00.wordpress.com/2016/09/01/immortality-vs-mortality/

freewill,

There is only one Person who is truly immortal – God Himself, as stated in 1 Tim. 6:15-16 (ESV), “He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion.” Therefore, only God is immortal in the sense that He is the Owner and Originator of human life and he Himself has always existed and will always exist.

Our immortality of the soul is in a derived sense and applies to all people, believers and unbelievers. Second Timothy 1:10 (ESV) speaks of God’s purpose and grace “which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

I have found that many people (eg Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christadelphians, and Seventh-Day Adventists) who object to the immortality of the soul are those who reject eternal punishment in hell for unbelievers. Some of these choose to promote annihilation of the unbeliever.

Let’s check out what the Bible says.

By immortality of the soul, I mean “the belief that human persons, at least in their spiritual dimension, consciously survive death and live on forever” (Geisler 1999:350). Or, for human beings, immortality means “deathlessness” (Hendriksen 1959:46).

C. S. Lewis wrote: “The earliest Christian documents give ascent to the belief that the supernatural or invisible part of man survives the death of the body” (1966:29).

Since the Bible teaches progressive revelation from the Old Testament (OT) to the New Testament (NT), we do not see a full expression of the immortality of the soul in the OT. Fuller explanations come from the NT and especially after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Oz

Works consulted
Norman L. Geisler 1999, Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

William Hendriksen 1959, The Bible on the Life Hereafter, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

C. S. Lewis 1966, Miracles, Macmillan Co., New York.

 

[Jim Parker]

freewill,

There is only one Person who is truly immortal – God Himself, as stated in 1 Tim. 6:15-16 (ESV), “He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion.” Therefore, only God is immortal in the sense that He is the Owner and Originator of human life and he Himself has always existed and will always exist.

Our immortality of the soul is in a derived sense and applies to all people, believers and unbelievers. Second Timothy 1:10 (ESV) speaks of God’s purpose and grace “which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

I have found that many people (eg Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christadelphians, and Seventh-Day Adventists) who object to the immortality of the soul are those who reject eternal punishment in hell for unbelievers. Some of these choose to promote annihilation of the unbeliever.

Let’s check out what the Bible says.

By immortality of the soul, I mean “the belief that human persons, at least in their spiritual dimension, consciously survive death and live on forever” (Geisler 1999:350). Or, for human beings, immortality means “deathlessness” (Hendriksen 1959:46).

C. S. Lewis wrote: “The earliest Christian documents give ascent to the belief that the supernatural or invisible part of man survives the death of the body” (1966:29).

Since the Bible teaches progressive revelation from the Old Testament (OT) to the New Testament (NT), we do not see a full expression of the immortality of the soul in the OT. Fuller explanations come from the NT and especially after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Oz

Works consulted
Norman L. Geisler 1999, Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

William Hendriksen 1959, The Bible on the Life Hereafter, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

C. S. Lewis 1966, Miracles, Macmillan Co., New York.

Amen.
Well said.
Thanks.

 

[Jim Parker]

According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, the word elements refers to rudiments, #4747

The KJV translates Strongs G4747 in the following manner: element (4x), rudiment (2x), principle (1x).
"rudiment" According to the Miriam-Webster dictionary
noun ru·di·ment \ˈrü-də-mənt\
Definition of rudiment

1. 1 : a basic principle or element or a fundamental skill —usually used in plural <teaching themselves the rudiments of rational government — G. B. Galanti>
2. 2 a : something unformed or undeveloped : beginning —usually used in plural <the rudiments of a plan> b (1) : a body part so deficient in size or structure as to be entirely unable to perform its normal function (2) : an organ just beginning to develop

A basic principle cannot be "burned up."

Yes, not just hell, but all spiritually dead...how can one be tormented in hell for eternity, when hell itself will be destroyed?

Nowhere in scripture does it say that hell will be destroyed.

What do I mean all will be in the Spirit?
Isa.11:4-9
He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked..
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid...
The cow and the bear shall feed, their young ones shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
No carnivores..
Rev.1:7
He cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him, and all kindred of the earth shall wail because of Him...
Those whom pierced Him, should be spiritual now...

Great. As I am unable to guess what you might imagine those verses mean, that response does not answer my question.
What do YOU mean by "All will be in the spirit."?