CHAPTER TWO
Life or Death
Eternal life or immortality is never said to be something a person is born with, but something that only Christians will inherit in the future.
Many continually preach, "The wages of sin is death," but then by what they preach they contradict them self by preaching that unbelievers will have eternal life in Hell; therefore, "The wages of sin is an eternal life of torment in Hell" not death.
The changing of life and death.
Eternal life is a conditional gift to the saved at the resurrection and judgment. “He that has the Son has eternal life. He that has not the Son has not life” (Immortality) (1 John 5:12.) "He that hears My word, and believes Him that sent Me, has eternal life, and comes not into judgment, but has passed out of death into life" (John 5:24).
"I have set before you life and death" (Deuteronomy 30:19). Life and death are two of the most misused words in the Bible. Many are unwilling to believe that when God said, "The wages of sin is death" that He did really mean what He said, that death is death and not eternal life in some other place. Death is not a lifelong imprisonment with torture. Death is death, not a better life in Heaven, or a worse life in Hell; it is life or death. Death is the exact opposite of life, and death cannot be changed to be eternal life with torment. For a person to have an immortal soul from birth, death as the wages of sin must be explained away. Innate inborn immortality is hostile to God's word. If a person is born with an immortal "immaterial, invisible part of men" (W. E. Vine) that is not subject to death, and this "soul" is the only part of a person that will survive death, the law of God has no power over whether that soul lives or dies, for according to innate inborn immortality a soul cannot die; God can only say how or where this "immaterial, invisible part of men" is to live if this "part of man" is not subject to death and must always live some place.
"He that hears my word, and believes him that sent me, has eternal life, and comes not into judgment, but has passed out of death into life…they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life" (John 5:24-29). Not a soul that has eternal life passing out of one kind of eternal life into another kind of eternal life, but a person (“he”) that has passed out of death into life. If there were a soul that now has eternal life, it could not be resurrected “out of death into life,” the life could not be literal (real) life if the death was not literal (real) death.
"It is appointed unto man once to die, and after this comes judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). "For the hour comes, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment" (John 5:28-29). We now bear the image of Adam, and like Adam, we all will die, but both the saved and those not saved will be raised at the second coming of Christ and be judged. The saved will bear the image of Christ and have life forever (1 Corinthians 15:45-49). The church at Smyrna was told, "Be you faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life...He that overcomes shall not be hurt of the second death" (Revelation 2:10-11). Throughout the Gospels, Christ promised life to all who believed Him. Paul says, "His servants you are whom you obey; whether of sin unto death, or obedience unto righteousness" (Romans 6:16). "What fruit then had you at that time in the things whereof you are now ashamed: for the end of these things is death. But, now being made free from sin and become servants to God, you have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end eternal life" (Romans 6:21-22). As clear as human language can be, Paul says, "For the wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
In Romans 6:23, the issue is:
LIFE - - - - - - - - - - - - - OR - DEATH
Not life in one place-Heaven – OR - life in another place-Hell
Death is the absence of life – NOT - another kind of life,
which will be either better
or worse than this life
All who obeys Christ and "overcomes," will at the judgment be given the crown of life, and shall not be hurt of the second death (Revelation 2:11). The clear implication is that anyone who does not overcome shall be hurt of the second death at the judgment. "He that overcomes shall inherit these things: and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part shall be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone; which is the second death" (Revelation 21:7-8).
There may be more in the New Testament on life and death than any other subject. If God can destroy a person (the whole person, Matthew 10:28), unconditional immortality cannot be true. If a person can lose his life (Matthew 10:39) unconditional immortality cannot be true. Those who believe a person has a part that cannot die knows "the wages of sin" (Romans 6:23) must be changed to be something other than death for if "death" means "death"; the sinner will die; he cannot live forever in Hell. The Bible teaching on death must be done away with or there can be no Hell.
John 3:16: If all have eternal life at birth, why did God give His Son that all who believe on Him would have eternal life and not perish? If we are born with eternal life, how could the gift of God to those who believe and obey Him be eternal life? Eternal life is only for those who believe. Just as sure as those that believe on Christ will have eternal life, those who do not believe on Christ will not have eternal life any place.
1 John 3:11-12: “God gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that has the Son has the life; he that has not the Son of God has not the life.” The immortal soul doctrine, that all are born with a soul that has eternal life, makes John be completely wrong when he said, “He that has not the Son of God has not the life.
John 11:25: "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes on me, though he die, yet shall he live; and whosoever lives and believes on me shall never die." If no one “shall never die,” then why did Jesus promise something that all, even sinners already had? "And declare unto you the life, the eternal life" (1 John 1:1). Only those who are raised with Christ through baptism have life. Only those in Christ are the only ones who, “Though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). Christianity without a resurrection to life for those in Christ is inconceivable.
(1) LIFE
The gift of God is eternal LIFE, but only to those in Christ. God's gift of LIFE is not just a reward to those who are born with eternal life and cannot die.
Psukee (life) is the only word that is translated soul in the New Testament. The adjectives eternal and everlasting are never used with psukee. Psukee is translated: life 40 times, you 1 time, us 1 time, mind 3 times, heart 1 time, heartily 1 time, soul 57 times in the King James Version. Psukee (life) is the natural life of a person from Adam, and the natural life of any living being (Revelation 8:9; 16:3). It is the life common to all living creatures, man, and all animals; psukee—life is never said to be eternal. All living creatures by natural birth have psukee (life) from birth to death. "The first man Adam become a living soul (psukee-living being)" (1 Corinthians 15:45): psukee is the same as nehphesh in the Old Testament. Adam became "a living soul"—nehphesh—a living being (Genesis 2:7). It is the life Adam had in common with animals and all living creatures, life that can be destroyed, saved, laid down, end, loss, put in danger, die.
Psukee is used 50 times in the four gospels. In spite of the belief of the King James translators they were compelled to translated it “life” 28 of the 50 times, and “soul” only 21 of the 50, “us” 1 time. Life and soul are not synonymous in English; they do not mean the same thing. In trying to put Plato’s teaching into the mouth of Christ they had to translate the same word into two words that are not even close to meaning the same thing. Unfortunately most English readers never see what they did.
Zoee (life) is a gift from Christ to those who believe, the eternal life He gives to those who are His, life that those that are not His will never have. "Zoee" is used about one hundred thirty times, and is translated "life" every time. It refers to the life given by Christ to believes in all but about ten of the about one hundred thirty times it is used, and in those ten it is life or existence in this life time, “Seeing He Himself gives to all life (zoee), and breath, and all things” (Acts 17:25); all life to persons or animals is a gift from God.
Zoee (life) is the life Christ gives to believers; a life that is beyond this earthly life that nonbelievers do not now or will ever have. Life (zoee) that Christ gives to believers is existence for believers as opposed to non-existence or death for nonbelievers. The penalty for sin is death, but Christ made the atonement for our sins by his death; life for us is only through Christ’s atonement, and without his atonement there is only death, not eternal life anyplace with or without torment. The wages of sin is death, and Christ has not made the atonement for the sins of the wicked that never believe Him, and there is no life for them; without eternal life they cannot be eternally tormented.
The promise of eternal life at the judgment only to those who believe in and obey Christ is positive proof that we do not now have immortality, but this promise of eternal life to the faithful is so certain that it is often spoken of as something they now have; “And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that has the Son has life; and he that has not the Son has not life” (John 5:11-13); life depends on having a relationship with Christ; “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:1-4). A born again person cannot be given immortality at the judgment if all men are now immortal and cannot die, for all, both the saved and the lost, would have been born with eternal life and born immortal. The theology that says a person is born with an immortal soul that is deathless gives life to all and robs Christ of giving the gift of life only to all who believes and gives life to all even the worst sinner at birth. These passages make no sense if we are born with a soul that has life, and that can never die, and this soul that is not subject to death is the only part of us that will be in Heaven. This theology makes Christ give life only to a part of a person that is already immortal and already has eternal life from birth, and it cannot die? Immortality is conditional on being in Christ; there is no eternal life except to these in Christ.
Eternal life is the gift of Christ to those who obey Him, not something all mankind possess without obeying Christ. Innate immortality denies that Christ will give eternal life to those that believe by teaching that all already have eternal life. It is not a better life in Heaven, or a worse life in Hell; it is life of death. We can choose between life and death, not a better life, or a worse life of torment.
ETERNAL LIFE
WHEN DO WE RECEIVE ETERNAL LIFE?
Paul writing to Titus said, “In hope of eternal life, which God who cannot lie, promised” (Titus 1:2). Eternal life will be given at the Day of Judgment to those who “seek for glory and honor and incorruption…in the day when God shall judge the secrets of man” (Romans 2:5-16); could it be said in a more positively way that immortality is something Christians “seek for,” and not something that they now have? “Should have eternal LIFE (zoee); and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:40). Those who are believers will “sleep” just as a