Is the Soul eternal?

[Blest]

A friend sent me a document that she has been questioning on this issue. Here is a condensed version:

Do we have an eternal soul?

Genesis 2:16-17 - thou shalt surely die (has this changed?)

2Peter 3:8 -

Genesis 5:27

Romans 6:23 - wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (only through Jesus Christ can we have eternal life for our soul.)

Hebrews 9:27 - ...appointed unto men once to die...

Rev. 20:13-15 - ....whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire (the lake of fire is the second death, where the soul will die after it has served its judgment)

Rev. 2:7 ...To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God (tree of life not available to those cast in the lake of fire, so how will they live for eternity?)

Ezek. 18:4 ...the soul that sinneth, it shall die
v.9 . Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live
v.21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins... and do that which is lawful and right he shall surely live, he shall not die.
v24 ..... and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die
v27 ....doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save
his soul alive.

James 5:20 ....he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death..

Matthew 10:28 but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Destroy means to destroy fully, die, lose, mar, or perish)

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (the opposite of everlasting life is to perish or die)
1John5:11-12 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life,
(this is a key verse. This eternal life is the Holy Ghost - Jesus in us.)
1John 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life (If you don't have eternal life abiding in you, then you will perish or die)




This is the heart of her paper. Your thoughts?

Blest

[tufluv]

BLEST:
I don't get what she's questioning, its all answered in : Romans 6:23: ..(only through Jesus Christ can we have eternal life for our soul.)

What inevitably DIES is our fleshly body., (absent from the body, present with the LORD!) and even before that, spiritually speaking, we are crucified with CHRIST, buried with him at acts2:38 baptism and raised as a new creation, while our fleshly body invariably retains some fleshly lusts/desires, that must be spiritually crucified even daily. Fasting/prayer avails much to that end.
And there's more...as we shall soon hear from other posters!!
Much more eloquent than myself!:bow:

[Blest]

To clarify the questionable part, she is asking if the soul that does not make heaven will actually have an eternity in hell, or everlasting suffering.

Blest

[Mike]

Blest,

See the thread called "Is There a Literal Hell.

[Xerf]

Matt 25:41 "Then He 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 ; 42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me [nothing] to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' 44 "Then they themselves also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' 45 "Then He will answer them, saying, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' 46 " And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

The fire is "eternal." (Mt 25:41)
It was not prepared for man. It was prepared for the devil and his angels (demons.) (Mt 25:41)
The punishment is "eternal" (vs 46)

Go back and reread the scriptures paying close attention to the word "eternal."

If the punishment is eternal then the one being punished MUST also be eternal. There is eternal life in heaven and hell, but due to the lostness of the soul in hell it is called eternal death! An everlasting death and an everlasting punishment. Man is "dead" in trespasses and sins--yet he is alive. This terminology is used in speaking of the sin condition contrasted to the "life" in Jesus Christ!

[nytxn1971]

Death is the absence of life.
God is the source of life.
No God = no real life.

[ddc101]

There is a teaching called annihilation of the wicked and it seems the lady in the original post kind of gravitates that way.But the word says:

Heb 6:2
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
(KJV)

Jude 1:7
7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
(KJV)

Note Eternal Judgement and Eternal Fire
Here is the definition of Eternal:

166 aionios (ahee-o'-nee-os);

from 165; perpetual (also used of past time, or past and future as well):

KJV-- eternal, for ever, everlasting, world (began).

Hope this helps.sis.c

[Blest]

Thank you all for your posts. I will show her your responses, and we will discuss it further.

God Bless
Blest