What is an Immortal Soul?
Created for Eternity
We are each born with an immortal soul. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says God has set the world in their heart. The word world here is not the Hebrew word meaning this earth, but means “eternity.” Therefore, it is at death that one’s eternal destiny in either Heaven or Hell is sealed. Matthew 25:46 supports this as Jesus Himself says, “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment…” Both the judgment and the blessed life are designated by the same adjective, “eternal” (Greek anionios), clearly indicating their equal duration. This eternal judgment is in keeping with Revelation 14:11 and 19:15.
1 Corinthians 15:53 speaks of our mortal body, not souls. Our bodies will put on immortality after the resurrection of the body. The soul will already be with Jesus, according to 2 Corinthians 5:8.
The judgment to follow for Christians is not to determine whether they go to Heaven or Hell, but to determine what rewards they will get (Matthew 5:12; 16:27; Mark 9:41; Luke 6:23, 35).
Our Souls Deserve Destruction
The truth is that we all deserve to suffer eternally in hell fire. And God would be perfectly just to do so. But God in His grace, love, and mercy sent His Son to pay the awful penalty for our sins. It took the death of the only perfect human being that ever lived, our Lord Jesus Christ, to satisfy our sin debt. This is the price that had to be paid for the ugliness of our sins. Christ suffered an eternal punishment; He experienced total separation from God, because He took our sins upon Himself. Yes, it is we who should suffer eternally, but praise His name, He suffered so we do not have to (Hebrews 9:28)
But woe to him who spurns the love of God and rejects the forgiveness provided in Jesus Christ. This is not a small mistake, but a serious sin that will commit one to an eternal torment in Hell. John 3:36
May we believe God’s Word in this matter, grasping the seriousness of rejecting Christ, and do all within our power to warn our family, friends, and neighbors of the eternal wrath to come if they fail to receive Christ as Savior (Hebrews 2:3).
