Welcome, Guest: Register On Nairaland / LOGIN! / Trending / Recent / NewStats: 3,195,054 members, 7,956,936 topics. Date: Monday, 23 September 2024 at 11:08 PM |
Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Religion / Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? (729 Views)
What Is The Difference Between Life And Soul (spirit Or Whatever We Call It) / What Is The Difference Between SOUL & SPIRIT? / Soul & Spirit - Whats the difference? (2) (3) (4)
Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? by haibe(m): 4:12pm On Oct 05, 2013 |
Do we have a soul? Is it IMMORTAL? Where did it come from? Upon death, does it go to heaven to experience eternal joy or to Hell to endure pain and suffering FOREVER? What exactly IS man? God made man in his own image, but he was not composed of the same substance as God. God is spirit and immortal. He possesses self-inherent eternal life. Man, on the other hand, came from the elements of the earth and was an inert, physical corpse of organic matter - until God breathed into him the breath of life. Genesis reveals man’s special creation by the Creator personally breathing into him the breath of life. "And God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of heaven and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that crawls upon the earth." . And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him. He created them male and female." (Genesis 1:26-27) "Then 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 being." (2:7) It is at this point that man became a living soul or being (Genesis 2:27), which is the heart of the discussion about what man is. To modern Christians the word "soul" denotes something that is immortal and conscious after death, something that goes to heaven or hell. However, the Biblical usage of the word is quite different. The Hebrew expression translated "living soul" (or 'living being') in Genesis 2:7 is nephesh. This word is used in several other places in Genesis 1 and 2 as well as throughout the Old Testament. It is in 243 different Bible passages, and translated in 11 different ways. The King James Bible translators translated nephesh as "living creature" in Genesis 1:21 where it refers to sea animals. They rendered it "living creature" in verse 24 where it refers to land animals. In verse 30, this same Hebrew expression is used to describe all living things on the earth. The word translated as "living creature" in Genesis 2:19, where Adam names the animals, is again from the Hebrew word nephesh. So, when we are told that Adam became a "living soul," we are not informed that he was given any inherent immortality. What does it mean to be MORTAL? Every indication in the Old Testament is that, of and by himself, man is mortal creature, subject to decay and death. God told Adam after he had sinned, "In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return." (Genesis 3:19) There is no reference here to a conscious, immortal soul going to heaven, hell or limbo when the body goes to the grave. Rather, the indication is that when the body returns to the dust, the conscious man, the "living soul", ceases to exist. Of course, it was not long before Satan appeared on the scene contradicting God's warning about sin and its deadly consequences. Tempting Eve with the forbidden fruit he said, "And the serpent said to the woman, "In dying, you shall not surely die! For God knows that in the day you eat of it, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be like God, deciding (determining for yourself) good and evil."" (Genesis 3:4-5) In a sense, the modern concepts of the immortal soul and reincarnation convey the same idea - that man is inherently immortal - that he won't really die. Ezekiel stated just the opposite of this supposition. "The soul that sins, it shall die." (Ezekiel 18:4, 20) So, whatever a soul is, in the Old Testament sense of the word, it can die. Solomon, the wisest king of Israel, wrote about the fate of humans, "All things come alike to all; there is one event that happens to the righteous and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean . . . For the living know that they shall die; but the dead do not know anything, nor do they have any more a reward; for their memory is forgotten." (Ecclesiastes 9:2, 5) Solomon corroborates the statements of Genesis that death is the cessation of conscious life. The Psalmist wrote that the dead do not praise God. "The dead do not praise the LORD, nor do any who go down into silence." (Psalm 115:17; compare with Psalm 6:5; 1 46:4) The idea that death is merely a separation of a conscious, immortal soul from the body came not from the Bible but from Greek philosophy. An interesting philosophy, but it is nowhere taught in the Old Testament! Even modern theologians who believe in the immortality of the soul admit frankly that it is not taught in the Bible. Consider what The New Catholic Encyclopedia has to say about the Hebrew word nephesh or nepes: "Nepes comes from an original root . . . to breathe, and . . . thence, breath of life. Since breath distinguishes the living from the dead, nepes is used in regard to both animals and humans... After death, the nepes goes to Sheol rest, (Hebrew word for grave). The above summary indicates that there is no dichotomy of body and soul in the Old Testament . . . other words in the Old Testament such as spirit, flesh, and heart also signify the human person and differ only as various aspects of the same being. The notion of the soul surviving after death is not readily discernible in the Bible. The concept of the human soul itself is not the same in the Old Testament as it is in Greek and modern philosophy . . . (in the) Old Testament means not a part of man, but the whole man - man as a living being" (The New Catholic Encyclopedia, 1967). There is no support in the Old Testament for the idea that a conscious immortal spiritual entity goes to heaven or hell (or some other place) at death. Rather, all indications are that conscious life ceases until the time of a future resurrection. "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." (Daniel 12:2) "But you (Daniel), go your way till the end be, for you shall rest and stand in your lot at the end of the days." (Daniel 12:13) Both verses compare death to a sleep, an unconscious state, which is to continue until the time of the resurrection. What do we find in the New Testament? The Greek word psuche, the virtual equivalent to the Hebrew word nephesh, is the only word that is translated "soul" in the New Testament. You will find the word 105 times in the New Testament. It is translated "soul" only 58 times. The word has also been translated as "life" (40 times), "mind" (3 times) and others. There is no indication that this entity continues in a conscious state following death. Rather, the evidence shows that it refers to a living mortal being who can die. Consider the following verses. "For even the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life (psuche) as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45) Isaiah wrote that Jesus " . . . and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He has poured out His soul (nephesh) to death" (Isaiah 53:12) Clearly, Jesus' nephesh or psuche was given up and ceased to exist. it was not merely separated from His body as Greek philosophy would have one believe. John, in the book of Revelation wrote that when the second angel poured out his bowl, "And the second angel went and poured out his vial into the sea; and it became blood, like that of a dead man; and every living soul (psuche) in the sea died." (Revelation 16:3) Consider the following statement from The New Catholic Encyclopedia: "The soul in the Old Testament means not a part of man, but the whole man as a living being. Similarly in the New Testament, it signifies human life: the life of an individual conscious object" (Matthew 2:20-6:25; Luke 12:22; 14:26; John 10:11,15,17; John 13:37; Acts 27:10,22; Philippians 2:30; 1Thessalonians 2: " Recent exegetes... have maintained that the New Testament does not teach the immortality of the soul in the Hellenistic sense of survival of an immortal principle after death" (The New Catholic Encyclopedia article Soul, Human, Immortality of, In The Bible) How do humans live forever? The Greek concept of the eternal soul assumes that individuals already possess eternal life - that the only question is where this eternal life is spent after death. In stark contrast, many Bible passages portray eternal life as a gift given by God. Paul refers directly to the fact that God alone has immortality (1Timothy 6:16). In a well-known statement to the Romans, Paul insists that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. In other words, the normal consequences of sin is death; but to be immortal, the opposite of death, is something that man does not have of and by himself; it comes only as a gift from God (Romans 6:23). John reiterates Paul's statement in 1John. "And this is the witness: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. The one who has the Son has eternal life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have eternal life." (1John 5:11-12) Jesus, referring to Himself, prayed to the Father just before He was crucified. "Father, the hour has come; glorify Your own Son, so that Your Son may also glorify You; Since You have given Him authority over all flesh, in order that He may give eternal life to all whom You have given Him. For this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom You did send." (John 17:1-3) If man is inherently immortal and his life continues eternally beyond the death of the body, these passages don't make sense - unless, of course, one redefines death as separation of soul and body, a definition not supported in the Bible. If, however, death is the absence of life and consciousness, these statements make very good sense. How is death like SLEEPING? Throughout the Bible, death is compared to sleep. Notice a couple of Jesus' statements: "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going so that I may awaken him." (John 11:11) "For the damsel is not dead, but is sleeping." (Matthew 9:24) Matthew records that at the time of Jesus' death something very usual took place. "And the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had died arose. And after His resurrection, they came out of the tombs and entered into the holy city, and appeared to many." (Matthew 27:52-53). If these saints were already experiencing the bliss of heaven, it would have been cruel to bring them back to frail human existence to live and then die again; but if they were truly asleep, unconscious, it would have been a blessing to them and to all who were witnessed to by their new lives. The Apostle Paul referred to dead Christians as sleeping until awakened by the last trump at the resurrection (1Corinthians 15:51 and 1Thessalonians 4:14;5:10). Daniel wrote of both believers and nonbelievers as sleeping - until they are resurrected (Daniel 12:2). Notice that the focus is on the resurrection - not on a reward in heaven or punishment in hell experienced by a conscious immortal soul at death. Is there a SPIRITUAL element in man? What IS man? What IS man? To those who believe in the senseless idea of evolution, man is merely a product of time and chance, the outcome of countless years of randomness. Man is, however, much more than even many Christians understand. He is a special, glorious creation, made in the very image of God, with the potential of living forever. In addition, something separates him from animals. It is a spiritual dimension, a capacity to understand spiritual, eternal, godly things. Several passages of the Bible indicate what might be called a "spirit in man" - a spiritual ingredient that makes a man human, that turns an animal brain into a human mind, that gives him the capacity to reason and plan and to consider spiritual questions. Paul refers to a "man's spirit" in 1Corinthians 2:1 1. Solomon, in Ecclesiastes, wrote about it returning to God. "And the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it." (Ecclesiastes 12:7) This "spirit in man" unites with the Holy Spirit when a person experiences conversion - a spiritual essence that is not conscious apart from the body. Regardless of whether a person is a Christian or not, his "spiritual essence" returns to God at death. The important fact is that although man does not have an immortal soul, he can receive eternal life through accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. |
Re: Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? by RayMcBlue(m): 4:41pm On Oct 05, 2013 |
"This is madness!" "Madness? This is Sparta!" [img]http://2.bp..com/_rVC2QbjSS3E/SjCUumcdgkI/AAAAAAAAAHY/s_4I-qaMnaI/s400/this-is-sparta-7.jpg[/img] |
Re: Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? by Rossikk(m): 7:07pm On Oct 05, 2013 |
You ask a question and then you assault us with a barrage of Jewish bible passages as though that were the only possible source for an answer. So you must have found your answer in there. Why bother us with your questions? |
Re: Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? by haibe(m): 7:41pm On Oct 05, 2013 |
Rossikk: You ask a question and then you assault us with a barrage of Jewish bible passages as though that were the only possible source for an answer. So you must have found your answer in there. Why bother us with your questions? Ever heard of a rhetorical question? |
Re: Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? by Nobody: 8:31pm On Oct 05, 2013 |
@haibe That orientation Ȋ̝̊̅§ derived from jehovah witness church. Are u 1? That been said, i don't believe in hell, heaven nd spirit or last day resurrection. I believe u die its done. τ̲̅ђǝ world continues endlessly. Unless there'll be gr8 natural disaster t̶̲̥̅̊ơ wipe out every living thing on τ̲̅ђǝ face of τ̲̅ђǝ earth. And A̶̲̥̅♏ sure not every living thing wȊ̝̊̅ℓℓ be wiped out in this regard, life must go on. IMO! Peace!!! |
Re: Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? by haibe(m): 9:08pm On Oct 05, 2013 |
meka chuko: @haibe Am not a jehovah witness, neither is it an excclusive jehovah witness teaching, the bible doesn't teach immortality of the soul like some christians go about saying. Man is mortal, he only becomes immortal at the resurrection, he doesn't have a spirit or soulish entity in him, the spirit in man is not a person that can exist separately from the body. Now the problem is that you don't believe the resurrection, there is resurrection to everlasting life for the godly and to everlasting contempt for the ungodly, the bible clearly teaches that, why don't you believe it? Hell or lake of fire is a place of destruction for the unrepentant sinners which will be available after the second resurrection not immediately a person dies, hell is not a temporal place of torment before the resurrection. Heaven is a complex word, it could mean the sky, the outer space or where God dwells, some people use paradise and heaven interchangeably but paradise will be brought down from heaven to the earth, its in this paradise the godly will dwell eternally not God's abode(heaven), the bible teaches this. So why don't you believe in the resurrection, hell(lake of fire) and heaven? |
Re: Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? by Nobody: 9:53pm On Oct 05, 2013 |
haibe:Good question. I don't believe because of lots of contradictions that totally made M̶̲̅ε t̶̲̥̅̊ơ rethink. Now, ♈☺ΰ are of τ̲̅ђǝ opinion that τ̲̅ђǝ dead wȊ̝̊̅ℓℓ be resting in their sheols till τ̲̅ђǝ last day. When τ̲̅ђǝ righteous wȊ̝̊̅ℓℓ be resurrected t̶̲̥̅̊ơ eternal life while τ̲̅ђǝ unjust wȊ̝̊̅ℓℓ be resurrected t̶̲̥̅̊ơ eternal condemnation. But same bible asserts that after death, judgment follows immediately. Secondly, when was hell created?? It was never recorded in τ̲̅ђǝ bible. Talking about resurrection, Ȋ̝̊̅§ it in flesh or spirit?? Either way, its nt possible. Because last day wȊ̝̊̅ℓℓ never come. Finally, i believe heaven Ȋ̝̊̅§ a state of mind not a place. One last question, y do u fink satan wȊ̝̊̅ℓℓ punish pple fr doin' his wȊ̝̊̅ℓℓ ?? |
Re: Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? by haibe(m): 10:17pm On Oct 05, 2013 |
meka chuko: Good question. The bible never said we go to heaven or hell immediately after death, i know the passage you are talking about, "it is appointed once for a man to die , after this is judgement" This verse doesn't imply the great white throne judgement, it means the fate of a person has been determined immediately he dies. The word judgement is synonymous with fate, i hope you get it now? |
Re: Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? by haibe(m): 10:20pm On Oct 05, 2013 |
meka chuko: It doesn't matter when it was created, what matter is when it will be available for the ungodly and the bible says it is after the second ressurection not immediately a person dies. |
Re: Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? by haibe(m): 10:30pm On Oct 05, 2013 |
meka chuko: 1). The resurrection of the godly will be in a spiritual/immortal body not a natural/physical body 2) Satan will not punish people in hell for doing his will, he himself will be destroyed in hell after the second resurrection, its a greek mythology that there is a demon or devil waiting for the ungodly in hell immediately after they die, this idea was originated by plato and is not scriptural. |
Re: Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? by haibe(m): 10:33pm On Oct 05, 2013 |
Now my question is why don't you believe this events, do you believe the bible? |
Re: Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? by Nobody: 10:42pm On Oct 05, 2013 |
haibe:i wish i got it. Where Ȋ̝̊̅§ τ̲̅ђǝ immortal soul/spirit all τ̲̅ђǝ while, in τ̲̅ђǝ grave too?? Or just hanging in τ̲̅ђǝ air?? Waiting for τ̲̅ђǝ perpetual last day. |
Re: Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? by Nobody: 10:47pm On Oct 05, 2013 |
haibe:i see. It dosen't matter when it was created right? 1 quick question. Where Ȋ̝̊̅§ satan and his angels @ τ̲̅ђǝ moment?? If hell Ȋ̝̊̅§ not available yet. |
Re: Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? by haibe(m): 10:51pm On Oct 05, 2013 |
meka chuko: i wish i got it. The bible says the dead will be raised incorruptible in a spiritual and immortal body, its not a disembodied soul or spirit. This transformation will be done by God. |
Re: Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? by Nobody: 10:51pm On Oct 05, 2013 |
haibe:τ̲̅ђǝ resurrection of τ̲̅ђǝ ungodly nko?? Perhaps in flesh because spirits/ immortal body can't b killed. |
Re: Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? by haibe(m): 10:56pm On Oct 05, 2013 |
meka chuko: i see. It dosen't matter when it was created right? 1 quick question. Satan and his demons are just roaming around the earth posessing and tempting people, they will be thrown into the lake of fire before Jesus sets up his eternal paradise on earth. |
Re: Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? by haibe(m): 11:02pm On Oct 05, 2013 |
meka chuko: τ̲̅ђǝ resurrection of τ̲̅ђǝ ungodly nko?? Perhaps in flesh because spirits/ immortal body can't b killed. The bible only says the saints will be raised in an immortal body to eternal life, i don't know about the ungodly, perhaps they resurrect in their mortal body. |
Re: Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? by Nobody: 11:02pm On Oct 05, 2013 |
haibe:Lemme get this straight. Do you mean same body and everything?? But this time, incorruptible cum immortal also spirits @same time?? |
Re: Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? by haibe(m): 11:06pm On Oct 05, 2013 |
meka chuko: Lemme get this straight. Same body but will be changed to an incorruptible and spiritual body |
Re: Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? by haibe(m): 11:08pm On Oct 05, 2013 |
Can you do a study on 1 corinthians 15? |
Re: Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? by Nobody: 11:10pm On Oct 05, 2013 |
haibe:you mean satan and his demons are right here with mere humans on earth?? Hmmmm! If this Ȋ̝̊̅§ true, then i can't help but say that satan run τ̲̅ђǝ earth and if God Ȋ̝̊̅§ powerful than satan but still allows her/him t̶̲̥̅̊ơ tempt and possess ordinary human, who Ȋ̝̊̅§ t̶̲̥̅̊ơ blame?? And why eternally condemning humans in lake of fire when its obvious that him(God) and satan are having personal beefs. |
Re: Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? by haibe(m): 11:13pm On Oct 05, 2013 |
meka chuko: you mean satan and his demons are right here with mere humans on earth?? Hmmmm! If this Ȋ̝̊̅§ true, then i can't help but say that satan run τ̲̅ђǝ earth and if God Ȋ̝̊̅§ powerful than satan but still allows her/him t̶̲̥̅̊ơ tempt and possess ordinary human, who Ȋ̝̊̅§ t̶̲̥̅̊ơ blame?? And why eternally condemning humans in lake of fire when its obvious that him(God) and satan are having personal beefs. I don't know why God allows temptation but i know God has a purpose for everything he allows. What matters most is sticking to his plan and purpose for you and i. |
Re: Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? by Nobody: 11:23pm On Oct 05, 2013 |
haibe: Can you do a study on 1 corinthians 15?i just studied τ̲̅ђǝ verse you suggested. Have got couple of questions, but answer this first. Based on your belief, do you think you might have been existing somewhere in τ̲̅ђǝ spiritual realm before you were conceived?? |
Re: Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? by haibe(m): 12:53am On Oct 06, 2013 |
meka chuko: i just studied τ̲̅ђǝ verse you suggested. Have got couple of questions, but answer this first. Based on your belief, do you think you might have been existing somewhere in τ̲̅ђǝ spiritual realm before you were conceived?? No |
Re: Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? by Efere701(m): 9:59am On Oct 15, 2013 |
Adam said nothing about his existence somewhere before he was created. Lazarus when brought back to life said nothing about HELLFIRE or Heaven. my point is, if you hold the bible as God's word and your final authority, you shouldnt believe in an immortal soul because the soul that sinneth,it shall die - Ezekiel 18:4 |
Re: Does Man Really Have An Immortal Soul/spirit? by haibe(m): 11:18am On Oct 15, 2013 |
Efere701: Adam said nothing about his existence somewhere before he was created. Lazarus when brought back to life said nothing about HELLFIRE or Heaven. my point is, if you hold the bible as God's word and your final authority, you shouldnt believe in an immortal soul because the soul that sinneth,it shall die - Ezekiel 18:4 Very true bro, the concept of immortality of the soul is not biblical, we only become immortal at the resurrection to eternal life. |
(1) (Reply)
Do We Love Or Fear God ? / Vatican To Display Bones Of Saint Peter For The First Time / .
(Go Up)
Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 68 |