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"NOTABLE TO KILL THE SOUL"
(Matt.10: 28)
FEW passages of Scripture are more frequently wrested than this. It is supposed by many to be quite sufficient proof of the doctrine of the immortality of the soul. But see the context: "Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Here Christ declares the soul to be destructible and not inherently immortal.
But here comes the first "wresting" of the passage by an objector. He says “destroy" does not mean to annihilate or bring to an end, but to afflict or torment. This, however, is very wrong. It means here to put to death without remedy, that is, without the possibility of any future life supervening. The meaning of the word is illustrated in all New Testament usage. Thus, of the infant Jesus, it was said, "Herod will seek the young child to destroy him" (Matt. 2: 13). The Jews "persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus" (Matt. 27: 20). In the wilderness, the disobedient Israelites "were destroyed of serpents" (I Cor. 10 : 9). Many other passages might be cited to show that, as applied to man, "destroy” means to put to death. And now as to
"SOUL”: It is popularly supposed that this word of itself conveys the ideas of immortality and immateriality. Nothing could be further from the truth. From one end of the Bible to the other the Scriptures are full of proof to the contrary.
"In the 754 places where the Hebrew word nephesh (soul) occurs in the Old Testament Scriptures, it is said in 326 places to be subject to death ... The soul is said in 203 places to be in danger of death, and in 123 places to be delivered from death, implying its liability to death."
"In the 106 places where the Greek word psuche (soul) occurs in the New Testament Scriptures, it is said in 45 places to be subject to death ... The soul is said in 29 places to be in danger of death, and in 16 places to be delivered from death, implying its liability to death."-Waller-s Concordance on the Soul.
Nepheshis translated "life" 119 times in the Old Testament; and the corresponding Greek word, psuchi, is translated "life" many times in the New Testament.-And it means "life" in this place. The term "soul" is not restricted to man, but is frequently applied to the lower animals, as in Gen. 1: 21,24. As applied to man, it means person, life, mind, etc; "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 soul" (Gen. 2: 7). He became a living creature, but not an ever-living or immortal creature; God did not breathe into or place an "immortal soul" in man, but "the breath of life"; and all living creatures have this: "They all have one breath... all are of the dust, and turn to dust again" (Eccl. 3: 19, 20). Therefore, when it becomes a question of withstanding "the haughtiness of men", "Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of? " (Isa. 2 : 11, 22).
As to Adam, the first man, when he sinned, the Lord God prevented him from becoming immortal, saying, "Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” And "He drove out the man, and placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubims and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life." This was lest he should "take of the tree of life, and eat and live for ever" (Gen. 3 : 19-24). Evidently, therefore, man has not an immortal soul. Moreover, this word nephesh (soul) is applied to dead bodies (Num. 9 : 6, 10; Lev. 21 : I I; Hag. 2 : 13). And Paul, in I Cor. 15 : .1-1-45, says, "There is a natural body; and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit." Here, according to the apostle, "a natural body" is "a living soul", which is according to Scripture usage in hundreds of places.
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THERESURRECTION AND THE LIFE”: Christ’s doctrine Of eternal life is that it is to be bestowed upon the obedient of mankind by bodily change after resurrection and judgment; and he himself, in his resurrection from the dead to eternal life, illustrates his doctrine in the clearest and highest possible manner. In the chapter under consideration (Matt. 10) we read that he sent out his disciples to preach the Gospel and do miracles of healing. But he warned them against men (v. 17), and comforted them with the reminder that their enemies could do no more than "kill the body". They could not "kill the soul" in the sense of finally blotting out the life. They could not prevent God bestowing eternal life by resurrection.
This was Christ's meaning, and his own experience presently exemplified it. The Jews "killed his body", but could not "kill the soul" of life. God raised him from the dead the third day, and he thus became, a quickening(life-giving) spirit. In view of this we can understand Christ's exhortation in the context of the passage under consideration: "He that findeth his life (Psuche) shall lose it; and he that loseth his life (psuche) for my sake shall find it" (Matt. 10: 39). Here we have the same word (psuche)as is rendered "soul" in v. 28. it means "immortal soul" there, it must mean the same here. But obviously, you could not speak of one losing his mortal soul" for Christ's sake. But many a man has lost his life for Christ’s sake, and will find it at Christ's hands in the day of judgment. And many a man has saved his life by rejecting Christ, only to lose eternal life in that day.
After the days
of the Apostles, some of whom lost their lives for Christ's sake, the faithful
"overcame . . . by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their
testimony, and they loved not their lives unto death" (Rev. 12:11). They
suffered persecution and death willingly, for they believed the word of Christ,
and that of the Apostles whom he had sent. Your life is hid with Christ in
God" (Col. 3: 3). "This is the record, that God has given to us
eternal life, and this life in his Son" (1 John 5 :11). "When
Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in
glory" (
DESTROYINGSOUL
AND BODY IN HELL: "Fear him which is able to destroy both soul(life) and body
in hell" (Matt. 10 : 28); or, as it is expressed in Luke12 : 5, "Fear
him which after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell." It is
God alone who has this power: "I kill and I make alive" (Deut.
32:39). "In his hand is the soul (marg., life) of every living thing, and
the breath of all mankind" (Job 12: 10). "There is no power but
of God" (Rom. 13: 1). "The Lord killeth and maketh alive, he bringeth
down to the grave (sheol), and bringeth up" (I Sam. 2: 6). The word
for “hell" here is Gehenna (see the R.V. margin). This is
properly the
In New
Testament times the valley was the common cesspool of