The Doctrine of the Immortality of the Soul and Greek Philosophy
Advocates of CI often point out that many exegetes have unconsciously imported into their
reading of relevant texts an unbiblical anthropology stemming from Plato and the doctrine of the
immortality of the soul. Thus Clark Pinnock argues: If a biblical reader approached the text with
the assumption that souls are naturally immortal, would they not be compelled to interpret texts
that speak of the wicked being destroyed to mean that they are tortured forever, since according
to that presupposition souls cannot go out of existence (italics mine)?
Pinnock goes on to argue, as Fudge115 and others have done,116 that immortality is something only
God possesses (1 Tim 6:16). God can, however, bestow immortality upon his people (1 Cor
15:21, 50, 54; 2 Tim 1:10). But all the rest of humanity, that is, those outside a saving
relationship with Christ, are by nature mortal and cannot exist forever. Therefore, if they cannot
exist forever, they cannot suffer consciously forever. The traditional view is thus predicated upon
an erroneous view of man which itself has been unconsciously and consistently “read into” the
biblical material.
But this argument, as presented by Pinnock, is fallacious for at least two reasons: (1) just because
there is similarity in the two views of the immortality of the soul, i.e., between Platonic and
Christian views, this does not mean that the latter was derived from and is, therefore, necessarily
indebted to the former.117 That the Christian view is not directly dependent on the Platonic view
is indeed the case, according to Erickson. This is confirmed when we consider two important
differences between the two.118 First, the Greek view presents the immortality of the soul in both
directions, i.e., eternally before embodied existence and eternally after physical death. But no
Christian view holds to the immortality of the soul before the existence of creation (neither the
traducian nor creationist view). Second, the Greek view often looks as if it entails the idea that
the soul is naturally or inherently immortal, but no informed Christian view argues that either.
Rather, what is argued is that God, by his free decision, has decided to render all people
immortal and to uphold their being by his word (cf. Heb 1:3). These two differences are
important and render Pinnock’s (and others’) claim groundless; (2) yet even if one could
establish certain causal links between the Platonic view and the view of many Christian
theologians, this would in itself not answer the question of the truthfulness of the Christian
theologians’ view; that would be to commit the genetic fallacy. That debate must be adjudicated
on scriptural grounds, something Pinnock does not do.
Another important consideration is this regard is the issue of resurrection. Jesus states in John
5:29 that there will indeed be a resurrection of the unrighteous to judgment. It seems strange and,
though not absolutely logically impossible, that this leads to their annihilation or their simply
passing out of existence. The resurrection would seem to guarantee their eternal existence. This
seems especially appropriate because of the parallel with the resurrection of the righteous which
has eternal life in view (which in the minimum involves never-ending existence).
The Doctrine of God’s Love
God is boundlessly merciful, loving and forgiving. Every Christian, whether a week old in the
faith, or a veteran, knows this to be true. Indeed, the longer a person is in the faith, the more they
ought to realize this truth. But the traditional view of hell pictures a God who tortures people
endlessly, with no hope of restitution. This is cruel and sadistic according to at least one
evangelical writer.119 How then can we square the fact of God’s love with such a view of eternal
damnation and torment? The bottom line, or so it is urged, is that “we cannot.” We are sure of
the first premise (God’s love) and unsure of the second (eternal conscious punishment), therefore
the second must go lest we lose the first as well.
Response
Several things need to be said in response to this. First, it is admittedly difficult to reconcile the
love of God with eternal, conscious punishment. This is especially true when one thinks of the
love of God as expressed in the cross. I think that all sides recognize this. Second, even though
God is love, he is also holy. It seems that on many occasions when conditionalists argue against
eternal, conscious punishment, their reliance on the doctrine of God’s love precludes a strong
sense of his holiness. Third, it would seem that the way in which conditionalists talk of the
incompatibility of eternal, conscious punishment with divine love, God should not be permitted
to judge anyone at all. The conditionalist who argues so vehemently from God’s love, as Pinnock
does, must realize that he may have proven too much, for it is hard to see how CI as a form of
annihilationism protects or at least salvages the doctrine of God’s love. If God shouldn’t judge
the wicked with eternal, conscious punishment, it is hard to see how such a loving God could
possibly subject any person to prolonged agony and torment only to see them annihilated at the
end. In other words, conditionalism is not insulated from the problem nor is it any less impaled
on the horns of the dilemma. Pinnock’s oft repeated adjectives, namely, “bloodthirsty monster”
and “sadist” seem to apply to his God as well.120 Fourth, conditionalists constantly seek to
diminish the harsh realities of the traditional view. But we may ask whether much of Jesus’
teaching fits with their idea of God’s love. After all, it was he who said, “Cut him (i.e., the
wicked servant) into pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites where there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt 24:51). This is extremely harsh language and, under
Pinnock’s view of divine love, one wonders what happened to Jesus’ view of God’s love. Thus,
in light of Jesus’ brutally harsh words, we may ask if Packer and Erickson aren’t correct in
referring to Pinnock’s and Stott’s view as influenced by secular sentimentality, despite
protestations to the contrary.121 Fifth, we do not have any substantive idea how great the offense
is of those who repeatedly spurn, distort, and suppress the love of God in Christ. While we may
have an inkling, we are in no place to suggest that such a great love spurned will not result in
eternal, conscious punishment. After all, it was committed against an eternal and infinite love.
Sixth, proponents of CI often refer to the love of God as if it were a blind, overpowering force
with no will and choice behind it. But, both God’s “providential kindnesses” and his special,
redeeming grace are not automatic and uncontrollable; they involve the decisions of a free person
to engage a fallen world in various ways and to a greater or lesser extent with different
individuals.
So the bottom-line is: appeals to the apparent contradiction between God’s love and eternal,
conscious punishment are inconsistent and just as lethal for conditionalism. In condemning the
other view, it would seem that CI has unwittingly disqualified itself. But, in the end, we simply
cannot answer this question with appeals to God’s love. Finally, when the Bible talks about the
fact of hell, it does so in connection with God’s judgment and therefore his holiness. The love of
God has often been brought into the discussion under the pretense of analogia fides, but we must
be reminded that the proper context in which to reflect on hell is firstly and ultimately God’s
holiness and true justice. Let us not blur that reality. If we are going to talk about the love of God
in connection with the nature of hell, let us talk about that love, spurned.
The Doctrine of God’s Justice
But the eternal, conscious suffering of the wicked raises not only questions in connection with
God’s love, but also in connection with his holiness and, in particular, his justice. Do sins, no
matter how egregious, require the punishment of eternal suffering? To make it more explicit, for
sins committed in time and therefore finite, is eternal suffering, in which case billions of years is
only a drop in the bucket, really fair and just; is there not a “serious disproportion” here?122
Response
First, as creatures hopelessly polluted by sin—a fact which both sides agree upon for the most
part—is it really possible for us to determine what God’s justice requires and the limits he ought
to put on his retribution? Sin is ultimately against God himself, an attack on his holiness, an
attempted coup d’tat, a rebellion of the most heinous kind. Therefore, even as reconciled rebels,
we are in no position to argue that his justice does not necessarily demand eternal, conscious
punishment.
Second, the CI argument from the justice of God may impale itself on the horns of a dilemma. If
the wicked are punished until their sins are paid for, why then are they annihilated? Surely,
justice has been served and they should be free to go (into heaven). But, if their sins have not
been paid for, why are they annihilated? Justice would require that their sins be paid for, so they
must remain until that is accomplished. It is precisely at this point that one hears the tip-to of
“secular sentimentality” in the basement below the main floor.
This raises another interesting question: Can people experience punishment when they are
extinct? Does punishment, then, for one’s own sins, require consciousness? Could God punish
people who never existed? The CI’s will undoubtedly say “no” to this last question since they
argue that extinction is the last element of the punishment. But they betray the opposite in their
critique of the traditional view when they say that God keeps people alive forever just to punish
them endlessly. Thus they believe that consciousness is necessary for the experience of
punishment to exist. We may ask, then, whether “extinction of being” is really punishment at all.
Punishment requires that the person so punished experience pain, loss, etc. If that pain is not
experienced, then there is no punishment experienced and none being executed.
Third, the issue of the justice of hell is often broached in scripture in terms of degrees of
punishment. Not everyone will experience the same degree of pain and suffering in hell. Some
will be beaten with few blows, relatively speaking, and some with many (Luke 12:47-48).
Fourth, even Stott admits that if people were to continue in sin in the eternal state, then eternal,
conscious punishment would be just.123 But he cites no scriptural evidence to the point. However,
there is some evidence that this will indeed be the case. First, hell is a place where there is pain
(weeping) and violent anger (gnashing of teeth). This would seem to indicate sinful behavior.
Second, people will continue to rebel against God even while they are experiencing enormous
judgment, pain, and suffering. This, of course, has occurred in the past, but will occur again
during the great tribulation.
Revelation 9:20-21
20 The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of
their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and
wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic
arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Revelation 16:9-11
9They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over
these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him. 10The fifth angel poured out his bowl
on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. Men gnawed their
tongues in agony 11and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they
refused to repent of what they had done.
These two passages illustrate that men do not always repent when they are under divine
judgment—even when that judgment is of the severest nature. Thus, we are not surprised to find
scriptural evidence that unrepentant attitudes will probably persist into the eternal state. This
seems to be the point John makes in the last chapter of the Bible:
Revelation 22:10-11
10 Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is
near. 11 Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let
him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy.”
This text says in v. 10 that “the time is near,” referring to God’s final judgment. A person may
wonder, then, how Rev 22:10-11 could provide evidence of attitudes and practices in the eternal
state since it describes attitudes and behaviors up to that point. Carson comments:
Of course, the primary emphasis here is on the time from “now” until judgment: there is a kind
of realized judgment, within time, that sometimes takes place. Nevertheless the parallel is telling.
If the holy and those who do right continue to be holy and to do right, in anticipation of the
perfect holiness and rightness to be lived and practiced throughout all eternity, should we not
also conclude that the vile continue their vileness in anticipation of the vileness they will live and
practice throughout all eternity?124
The inference Carson draws from this passage is substantiated, not only by the parallel in the
passage, but also by the reference to Jesus’ coming in the next verse and the allotment of the
righteous (v. 14) and the wicked (v. 15). The righteous live out their righteousness and the
wicked continue in their wickedness, outside the gate of the city, of course.
So we conclude from this that God is just when he punishes the wicked forever, with everlasting,
conscious punishment, since it seems likely that they continue in their rebellion, magic, murders,
idolatries, and immoralities.
The Doctrine of God’s Universal Reign
Some advocates of CI argue that if hell is to persist throughout eternity, then God’s universal and
unmitigated reign will be threatened for there is still “quadrants in the galaxy,” i.e., “a corner of
the kingdom” that is not under his complete dominion. They argue that hell contradicts the
universal reign of God. Hughes says,
The renewal of creation demands the elimination of sin and suffering and death…The conception
of the endlessness of the suffering of torment and of the endurance of ‘living’ death in hell stands
in contradiction to this teaching. It leaves a part of creation which, unrenewed, everlastingly
exists in alienation from the new heaven and the new earth.125
Response
This argument suffers from at least two important flaws. First, it adds a step in the outworking of
God’s plan that is not there in the Biblical materials. It argues that hell and the glorified eternal
state cannot coexist. Then it says, at some point after the final judgment (e.g., 2 years, 10,000
years, who knows), God will annihilate hell and all who are in it. The problem is, however, that
the Bible knows nothing of this second move after the final judgment. The only thing it
recognizes after the final judgment is a city which only the righteous can enter and the wicked
remain outside (Rev 22:14-15). Revelation 22:14-15 is a clear indication that wickedness and
righteousness can coexist in the eternal state. Second, why is it so difficult to conceive of the
pure, unmitigated, and just expression of God’s judgment in the eternal state? God is no longer
tolerating any rebellion, or allowing sins to go unpunished (cf. Acts 17:30), but is instead
exercising continual judgment on sin and the finally impenitent. In this scenario, nothing is a
threat, either in theory or practice, to his glorious rule. In fact, in such a scenario, eternity
becomes the stage for the endless pure expression of the holiness of God.
The Marred Condition of the Eternal State
Some advocates of CI have argued that the presence of people suffering in hell will mar the joy
of heaven.
Response
Packer points out that “this cannot be said of God, as if the expressing of his holiness in
retribution hurts him more than it hurts the offenders; and since in heaven Christians will be like
God in character, loving what he loves and taking joy in all his self manifestation, including his
justice, there is no reason to think that their joy will be impaired in this way.”126
The Process of Condemnation
We hinted at this problem above. Concerning God’s dealing with the finally impenitent,
proponents of CI argue that first God will judge with “fire that annihilates.” Then he will bring
eternal punishment which is in fact a statement about the non-reversing of the annihilation.127
Thus, the advocate of CI serializes the final judgment. But is this how the Bible deals with it?
Response
There is no serialization of the final judgment in the way envisioned in CI. The two verses of
Matthew 25:41, 46 are critical in this regard. They read as follows:
25:41 Then he [Jesus] will also say to those on his left: “Depart from me, accursed ones, into the
eternal fire which has been prepared for the Devil and his angels…25:46 These will go away
into eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.
It is clear that eternal fire is to be read in parallel with eternal punishment as a reference to the
same thing. They are not meant, on any plain reading of the text, to be understood as referring to
two different judgments, one before the other (i.e., in serial). Thus a major premise in the
doctrine of CI is without support. Further, if the fire is said to be eternal, involving endless time
(though it may connote severity as well), why isn’t the punishment endless as well? The parallel
with eternal life seems to further put the matter beyond dispute.
The Doctrine of Heaven
The Desire for Heaven
To know God deeply and to be without hindrance in the pursuit and experience of his love, is the
unending desire of every sanctified heart. This, of course, only happens on a certain level and to
a certain degree in this life. As both Jesus and Paul taught, we live in the “now, not-yet” of
salvation, so that while we love God now, we do so only imperfectly and with great difficulty
and struggle at times. We serve him with joy, but a joy often mixed with tears of sadness. There
are times when our hearts get weary of serving him and through the deceitfulness of sin and the
distractions in the world we are hardened and for a time led astray from our sincere devotion.
Nonetheless, our deepest longings, implanted and renewed daily by the Spirit of grace, are to be
free of indwelling sin and to worship and serve the Lord in a manner thoroughly pleasing to him.
The good news is, Christ has prepared a place in which pure worship and bliss will be ours.
Concerning that place, often referred to as “heaven” in scripture, Paul says that “no eye has seen,
no hear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1
Cor 2:9-10). Through the indwelling Spirit—who continuously mediates the presence of Christ
to us—we taste that future day now, but it is only a taste (no matter how intense). In the future
we shall actually “see him face to face” (1 John 3:2-3). Who can really imagine what great things
God has in store for those who love him? To meditate upon the Biblical doctrine of heaven is one
of the most encouraging and stimulating of all the spiritual disciplines. The goal of this section is
to give you some thoughts, however terribly inadequate they may be, to bring before the Lord in
worship and praise. In short, they are thoughts about our future with God—thoughts that
hopefully teach us how to live for God now. In this way the future will not seem so strange when
we get there.
The Term "Heaven"
In the Bible the term “heaven” (shamayim in the OT and ouranos in the NT) is the first element
in a merism which itself refers to all of creation, as in the expression "the heavens and the earth"
(Gen 1:1). The term is also used as a partial synonym for God, though more is entailed than just
a reference to his person, per se. It is used this way, for example, in John 3:27, where Jesus says
that "no person can receive anything expect what is given him from heaven." But there is also a
third way in which the term is used, namely, as a reference to a special place where God dwells
in the fullness of his person and blessing.
The Nature of Heaven
As we said above, heaven seems to be a real place. Jesus repeatedly claimed to have come "from
heaven" (John 6:41, 52; cf. 7:28-29) and after his resurrection, he ascended "into heaven" and
someday he will be revealed "out of heaven" (Acts 1:11; 1 Thess 4:16). He is currently "in
heaven" preparing a place for his own (John 14:3; cf. Heb 9:24). Thus, whether we can, by our
senses, detect heaven or not, it is likely somewhere within our space-time universe since Jesus is
there in his real, resurrected corporeal body. Our ultimate destiny, as those who have been
eternally joined to the savior, is to dwell in heaven forever, in the presence of Christ, serving his
Father day and night (Eph 2:6-7; Rev 22:5).
But there is some question over whether heaven is really more a state than a place. But,
depending on how we understand these terms, the answer is probably both/and. If by a state we
exclude physical realities, then we are certainly in error. Heaven is not described in scripture as
some amorphous, platonized, spiritual existence. For we will reign in heaven in our resurrected
bodies (Rom 8:17). Second, there will be a new heavens and a new earth, which implies location
in space and time (cf. Rev 21:1). But just to focus on the physical features of eternal life with
God is to miss the "new" state of things into which God is bringing us. In heaven, God will be
present to bless us in ways unheard of or hitherto experienced. There will be no sin, but only
perfect desire to worship, love, and serve him. There will be joy, continual revelation (for God's
being and knowledge are infinite), extreme bliss, and grateful service. This is both qualitatively
and quantitatively different than anything we have ever experienced.
Other questions have been surfaced in discussions about heaven as well. Some folk worry
whether their sins and the remembrance of them will follow them into heaven. This is not likely,
for God will deal with that at the final judgment and "there will be no more death or mourning or
crying or pain (Rev 21:4). This is not a license to live however one pleases, since it must be kept
in mind—even if we are unable to understand it—that there will be degrees of reward in heaven
for faithful service here on earth. We must always make it our aim to please him, whether we are
at home in the body or away from it (2 Cor 5:9).
Some people wonder whether there will be physical pleasures in heaven such as sex, eating, and
drinking, etc. It seems that since there appears to be no marriage in heaven, there will be no
sexual relations. Jesus' statement in Matthew 22:30 seems to suggest that insofar as the angels
are not married and do not have sexual union, neither will glorified human beings. Perhaps, there
will be no need for procreation in heaven; we are not given the specific rationale.128 Regarding
"eating and drinking," all that we can perhaps say, is that while we may be able to do so, there
does not appear to be any reason why we must do so.129
The New Heavens and the New Earth
The Lord explicitly promises to create “a new heavens and a new earth” where He will be
present to bless His people with unimaginable glory and unfathomable riches (Isa 65:17; 66:22; 2
Pet 3:13; Rev 21:1). This is where all those who have loved God will dwell forever, in unbroken
fellowship with Him. The Father longs to bless us with His presence and has indeed saved us for
this very reason (cf. Eph 2:6-7).
Thus, there will be no more crying or mourning or death or pain for the old order under sin will
be finally dealt with. In fulfillment of God’s deepest desires, “He will be our God and we will be
His people.” Through the cross of Christ the Father has won the victory, secured us for his
courts, and ushered in the kingdom without limit or opposition. We will reign with him in the
new heavens and earth forever (rev 5:10).
Now it seems fairly clear in scripture that the new heavens and the new earth will be a physical
place and we will love and serve God in it. The fact that Jesus is now there in his resurrection
body and that we too will someday receive resurrection bodies to make us fit for God’s presence,
seems to indicate that “the new heavens and new earth” refer not simply to spiritual realities or
spiritual modes of existence (though it certainly includes them), but also to physical realities. The
glorified Jesus now dwells in heaven at God’s right hand (Acts 1:11; 7:55-56).
That the physical creation will be renewed is taught in several passages. The apostle Peter speaks
of a new heaven and earth:
3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; when it comes, the heavens will disappear
with a horrific noise, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a blaze, and the earth and every
deed done on it will be laid bare. 3:11 Since all these things are to melt away in this manner,
what sort of people must we be, conducting our lives in holiness and godliness, 3:12 while
waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God? Because of this day, the heavens will be
burned up and dissolve, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a blaze! 3:13 But, according to
his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness truly
resides.
Paul also speaks generally of the same hope in Romans 8:18-25
8:18 For I consider that our present sufferings cannot even be compared to the glory that will be
revealed to us. 8:19 For the creation eagerly waits for the revelation of the sons of God. 8:20 For
the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly but because of God who subjected it—in
hope 8:21 that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of decay into the glorious
freedom of God’s children. 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers together
until now. 8:23 Not only this, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan
inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 8:24 For in hope we
were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? 8:25 But if
we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with endurance.
Notice in Romans 8 that although “the whole creation groans” right now (that is, between the
inauguration of the kingdom at Christ’s first coming and the consummation at His second) it will
be liberated from its decay (through sin) in the future—an event connected closely with the
redemption of our bodies.
There is some debate in Christian circles as to whether the present creation will be entirely done
away with (followed by a new creation) or whether it will be renewed and made perfect by God.
There are passages that seem to indicate a complete removal of what presently exists (e.g., 2
Peter 3:10, Rev 20:11; 21:1) and others that seem to speak of a renewal of what presently exists
(e.g., Matt 19:28). But the answer to this question is not entirely important. One can hold to
either view and still maintain a high view of creation at the present time. What is important,
however, is that in one way or another creation will be changed, made new, and fit for eternity. It
will be a place entirely suited for righteousness; redeemed human beings will faithfully, loving,
and intelligently worship and serve the King of Kings!
This is perhaps a fitting place to end, that is, with our eyes focused on eternal realities and the
joy of loving God. It is my conviction that we’re actually attracted to God because of his
magnificent beauty. We gaze forward into eternity through the lens of a city whose brilliance is
that of jasper, whose doors are glorious pearls, and whose foundation consists of all sorts of
multi-colored, precious stones. And, of course, the light for that city is not the light of the sun or
moon, but that of the Lord and his lamb! The fundamental reality that characterizes this city is
God’s presence, and therefore, life. And that life is represented by the river that flows endlessly
from the throne of God and the two trees of life that provide eternal healing for the nations. This
description, as the angel says, is “trustworthy and true.” It is the great hope of every Christian
and the certain victory of God (cf. Rev 21-22)!
