For some 1700 years the Institutional Church has believed that man has an immortal (incapable of death) soul which is the “real man,” that man’s soul either ascends to heaven or descends to hell immediately upon death and that it is the soul that thinks, speaks, etc. The church also teaches that the soul lives within a temporary flesh body that will return to dust. The immortal soul, she believes, will live eternally in either paradise or hell. Is any of this Scriptural?

In Romans 7:18 Paul says, “… in ME, that is, in my FLESH ….” Here Paul equates himself, the real man (“ME”) and his flesh (“MY FLESH”), thereby proving true what Jesus said in John 3:6–that man is born flesh, not spirit, for “… that which is born of the flesh IS FLESH, and that which is born of the spirit is SPIRIT.” Paul identified HIMSELF–THE REAL MAN (“ME”) as his flesh body (“MYSELF”).

In order to better understand the spirit-flesh situation, let us return to Genesis to see how Adam came into being. In Genesis 2:7 we find the Gods (Elohim-plural) creating man in their (“OUR”) image and likeness out of dirt. This accom- lished, we find that Adam (Heb.-“man”) was dead following his creation. Though complete in every way, he lacked one thing–life. So God “… breathed into his nostrils the BREATH OF LIFE AND MAN BECAME A LIVING SOUL.” Before receiving the breath of life from God, Adam was a DEAD SOUL. Note that the soul did not change; it simply came alive. Upon receiving the BREATH OF LIFE a dead man/soul became a living man/soul. God did not breathe an immortal soul into a dead man; He simply gave the DEAD SOUL oxygen, which turned the DEAD SOUL into a LIVING SOUL. THE BREATH OF LIFE IMPARTED LIFE INTO THE DEAD SOUL.

To prove that the “breath of life” is not reserved only for man, let us turn to Genesis 7:21,22 where we find written that every creature (created entity) “… in whose nostrils was the BREATH OF LIFE died.” Everything–man, animals, birds–that depended on oxygen died. If the church is right–that the soul never dies–then every creature that has received the BREATH OF LIFE has also received an IMMORTAL SOUL, meaning that all animals, birds, etc. will live forever along with man, that THEIR SOULS ARE IMMORTAL–CAN NEVER DIE. However, God promises immortality only to human beings–true saints–godly people who have been sanctified by Him in order to live holy lives.

The Hebrew word for “SOUL” is “nephesh” which refers to both living and dead physical bodies that have breathed or are still breathing oxygen. Therefore the flesh body (nephesh) is merely an oxygen-breathing physical entity (man, animal, bird, etc.) that is subject to death and decay which turns it back into the material from which it was made–dirt. Such a body is born as flesh, lives as flesh, dies as flesh then returns to its natural state–dirt.

In sermon and song the Counterfeit Church declares that “… the soul of man never dies.” True? Is it impossible for man’s soul to die? Let God answer: “… the SOUL that sins, it shall DIE” (Eze. 18:4,20). If the church is right–that man’s soul can- not die, then God lied to us through Ezekiel. And if this is so, then He also lied when He said that it is appointed unto man once to die (Heb. 9:27), and that He cannot lie (Titus 1:2). Alas, the church repeatedly accuses God of lying. Adam and Eve believed Satan’s words that because they were created by God, talked with Him face-to- face, etc. that the fix was in–they were guaranteed immortality: they would “… not surely die” even if they defied God and ate of the forbidden tree (sinned). This is the same message delivered by Satan’s messengers to the modern man: “Listen to our message, join ‘the church,” obey its doctrines and you will live forever in paradise. Obedience to God is impossible due to Adam’s sin, therefore you need only take Jesus as your personal Savior.” Churchman, like Adam, Eve and the Israelites of old love to hear such “smooth things, lies and deceits” (Isa. 30:10), having been deceived by Satan into believing them (Rev. 12:9).

If, as we are told, the immortal soul is the “real man,” and if the souls of church people who have died are already in heaven enjoying their rewards, and if the body is merely a worthless shell, then there is no reason for a resurrection. Yet God declares that all men will be resurrected and rewarded according to their deeds, either good or evil (Jn. 5:29). If those who have “joined the church” go directly to heaven at death, from whence will they be resurrected, from heaven? In future postings relative to the three resurrections of man and life after death I will discuss the issue of man’s post-death situation from different perspectives.