Debate on Immortality by B. A. Stephens

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Aug 29, 1878

Debate on Immortality.

By B. A. Stephens

A SHORT debate was held on the evening of August 6, in the tent in Placerville, Cal., with Elder E. A. Hazen, the Methodist pastor, upon the immortality of the soul. He flourished the original Greek, but dared not deny Brother Smith's criticisms in Man's Nature and Destiny. He held up his Greek testament to show that in his edition the comma was before the word "to-day" in Luke 23:43; but said nothing more when reference was made to Quackenbos' Rhetoric (page 81) that "the ancients originally wrote their manuscripts without marks or divisions of any kind." We showed that the present punctuation made a contradiction between Luke 23:43 and John 20:17, and that this contradiction could only be removed by placing the comma after the word "to-day." "Some Greek manuscripts, according to Griesbach, place the comma after 'to-day' in this declaration [Luke 23:43]."—Man's Nature, page 179.

He also said that in the 8th chapter of Ecclesiastes it declared that "the spirit went to God." He referred to Eccl. 12:7. But, lo, it says no such thing! It reads, "The spirit shall return unto God who gave it." If the spirit here is the mind, etc., why does not one remember ever being with God? There is quite a difference between returning and simply going to a place. If the term spirit here refers to the so-called immortal soul, then the pre-existence of the soul is proved. But Job 27:3 says, "The spirit of God is in my nostrils." Does any one believe, because the term spirit occurs in this passage, that, therefore, an immortal soul resides in the nose! The margin says, "The breath which God gave him, Gen. 2:7." Here, then, is the breath or spirit (Latin spiritus, from spirare, to breathe, to blow.—Webster) which "God gave man." The text simply affirms that it departs from him at death, but God will restore it in the resurrection of the dead. See Ezek. 37:1-14.

He then turned to Phil. 1:23 to prove that Paul (as Elder H. said), had "a desire to die, and to be with Christ immediately in heaven." He did this to contradict a statement we had made from 2 Cor. 5:4 that Paul did not desire to be unclothed with his earthly house or die. But in saying this Elder H. contradicted John Wesley, the father of Methodism, as well as contradicting the divinely-inspired Paul. Mr. Wesley says (Ser. Vol. 2, Rich man) that "it is, indeed, very generally supposed that the souls of good men, as soon as they are discharged from the body, go directly to heaven; but this opinion has not the least foundation in the oracles of God." But Paul in 2 Cor. 5:4 does not contradict himself in Phil. 1:23. The following criticism was offered. The Emphatic Diaglott renders Phil. 1:23 as follows: "I have an earnest desire for the RETURNING and being with Christ." The word analusis, is rendered depart in Phil. 1:23, is translated return in Luke 12:36. "And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord, when he will RETURN from the wedding." "In twenty-two manuscripts of the Septuagint, including the Oxford, this word [analusis] is used in Joshua 22:8 for the Hebrew word which always means to return."—Grant vs. Clayton, page 61. Liddell and Scott's Greek Lexicon defines it thus: "Analusis, . . 4. . A RETURN." Robinson's Greek Lexicon says: "Analusis, . . . In New Testament, tropically [i. e. figuratively] departure from this life. 2 Tim. 4:6; compare Phil. 1:23." "Analuo, . . . a) in the proper and literal sense, Luke 12:36; here the idea of returning home is implied. So Macc. 9:1. . . b) Tropically, to depart from life, to die." The Lord's appearing was Paul's "blessed hope." Titus 2:13. He desired to be with Christ at his return, not at death. See 1 Thess. 4:13-17.

Elder H. claimed we misquoted Eccl. 3:21. But if this passage proves that man has an immortal soul, it proves the same of horses, etc., for it mentions "the spirit of the beast." Peter Cartwright, a famous Methodist preacher, once said, in urging a weary horse, which he was riding to a camp-meeting, that horses had no souls, while at the camp-ground there were souls of men to be saved. The passage is not a positive declaration, but a question asked. The answer is found in the two preceding verses. "For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them; as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath [Hebrew, ruach, spirit], so that a man hath no pre-eminence above a beast, for all is vanity. All go unto one place, all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again." Eccl. 3:19, 20.

John 11:26 was next quoted to prove the soul never died. The passage does not contain the word soul, much less declares it to be immortal. The subject was the resurrection (as Lazarus was about to be raised), and the events to transpire at the last day. The context and the verse say: "He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." Paul's language in 1 Cor. 15:51, 52 is an exact parallel: "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible." Two classes are presented. One class live until the Saviour returns and do not sleep in death; being translated at his second coming, they never die. The other class are now dead, yet shall they live in the first resurrection. Simply that and nothing more.

The language of the martyr Stephen (Acts 7:59), "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit," was advanced. The context says that Stephen fell asleep, died, and was buried. See Acts 7:60; 8:1, 2. David uttered the same language, and yet he "is not ascended into the heavens," but wicked men had "devised to take away his life." Ps. 31:5, 13; Acts 2:34. As David, the Saviour, and Stephen each committed this life to the keeping of God; it may be interesting to know where this life is now. "Your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then [not at death, but when he appears, then] shall ye also appear with him in glory." Col. 3:3, 4. This Scripture does not well agree with modern theology, which teaches that we appear with Christ in the glories of heaven when we die, and long before his second appearing, while Paul says we shall not appear with Christ until his return. Which shall we believe?

Elder H. grew quite eloquent in eulogizing death, calling it a welcome messenger. Now, turn and read in Isa. 38:1-19 the account of King Hezekiah. What a poor, foolish man he was! He might have died, and gone to heaven fifteen years before his death actually occurred but, instead of improving this opportunity, he "wept sore," and prayed the Lord to extend his life fifteen years, and thus keep him that length of time out of heaven. He was not a bad man, and afraid of having his immortal soul cast into a never-ending hell immediately at death, but had a "perfect heart," and did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and, according to latter-day theology, would go directly to heaven. But he was simple enough to wish to be shut out of such happiness for fifteen long years! Is that the truth? You know it is not. Said Hezekiah, "In the cutting off my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave [hades]." "Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption, . . . for the grave, [hades], cannot praise thee." Such was his song of gratitude. He well knew he would not go to paradise, or the third heaven, 2 Cor. 12:2, 4, but to hades, the grave, where "the dead know not anything," "for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, the grave, [hades], whither thou goest." Eccl. 9:5, 6, 10.

An appeal was made to 2 Cor. 12:1-4 to prove that the phrase, "out of the body," etc., justified the idea of a distinct entity. But when is the immortal soul out of the body? Only at death. Well, does the record state that Paul's body died, and his deathless "spirit, released from its clay," soared up to heaven? If so, how many times did Paul die? Only once. Paul is not here talking of death, but of "visions and revelations." See verse 1. The scenes presented to his mind in vision seemed so real that he could not realize whether he was bodily present, or it was simply a supernatural picture to the mind. That passage teaches that man has an intellectual entity, that can live out of the body, is an absurd position, and far from the truth.

Elder H. stated that the Bible many times said man had immortality. He quoted John 6:54: "Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood hath eternal life." Then only the good have immortal souls. But the sentence does not stop here; it goes right on: "And I will raise him up at the last day." Then will the righteous get the gift of eternal life. Rom. 6:23. The same apostle further says: "God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in [us? No; but in] his Son." 1 John 5:11. And this life that is in the Son of God will not be received until the resurrection. See John 5:26-29.

One remark he made was, "The soul will die an eternal death." So will. See Ezek. 18:4, 20; Rev. 21:8. Perhaps the elder meant what Wesley said:— "Nothing is worth a thought beneath, But how I may escape the death That never, never dies." If he escapes that kind of death, "He'll make his own election sure, And when he gets to heaven secure The life that never lives." Is not one just as sensible as the other? Certainly. The "second death," Rev. 21:8, will be like the first one, except that its "blackness of darkness forever," Jude 13, will never be dispelled by a resurrection morn.

The Lord helped with his Spirit to reply to all objections, and to present his truth clearly, and we believe that good was done. B. A. STEPHENS. Oakland, Cal., Aug. 23, 1878.