Immortality of the Soul

Definition and Meaning

The immortality of the soul is the doctrine that the human soul does not perish at the death of the body but continues to exist. The term "immortality" denotes that which does not pass away. In Christianity this doctrine is commonly explained in connection with the intermediate state, the condition in which the soul exists apart from the body from death until the resurrection on the last day. Views opposed to this doctrine include soul sleep, the belief that the soul sleeps unconsciously after death, and conditional immortality, the belief that immortality is a gift God grants only to the saved.

Biblical and Historical Background

Proponents of the doctrine cite the following passages in its support:

• "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul" (Matthew 10:28)
• Jesus' words to the thief on the cross: "To day shalt thou be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43)
• Paul's expressed desire to be absent from the body and present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:21–23)

Opponents point to other passages. First Timothy 6:16 speaks of God, "who only hath immortality," and 1 Corinthians 15:53–54 portrays the moment when the corruptible puts on incorruption as the time of the resurrection. They interpret these passages as presenting immortality not as an inherent property of human beings but as something God bestows.

In church history, the idea of the immortality of the soul is often regarded as having been shaped by Greek philosophy, such as that of Plato. Mainstream Christianity, however, while embracing this idea, also confessed the resurrection of the body. During the Reformation, John Calvin wrote a treatise refuting soul sleep. Chapter 32 of the Westminster Confession of Faith confesses that human souls neither die nor sleep but have an immortal subsistence, and that the souls of the righteous go to God, while the souls of the wicked await judgment. In the twentieth century, theologians such as Oscar Cullmann argued that the biblical hope of resurrection should take precedence over the Greek concept of the immortality of the soul, reviving scholarly debate on the subject.

Practice in Korean Churches

The major Korean denominations, including the Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, Baptist, and Full Gospel churches, generally teach that when believers die, their souls immediately go to be with the Lord, and that their bodies will be raised on the last day. Accordingly, expressions such as "has gone to heaven" or "is now in the Lord's arms" are commonly used of the deceased at funeral services and memorial services.

Denominations differ somewhat in emphasis. Presbyterian churches in the Reformed tradition, on the basis of the Westminster Confession of Faith, explicitly affirm the conscious continuation of the soul at the confessional level. Other denominations often convey the same teaching through preaching and instruction rather than through confessional documents.

By contrast, the Seventh-day Adventist Church holds that a human being is a unified whole of soul and body and that the dead remain unconscious until the resurrection. It regards the doctrine of the soul's inherent immortality as derived from Greek philosophy rather than from Scripture. Jehovah's Witnesses also deny the immortality of the soul. Many Korean denominations have cited this difference as one of their grounds for criticizing these groups, which in turn maintain that their views are more faithful to Scripture.

This topic is closely connected to discussions of eschatology, heaven and hell, the Last Judgment, and eternal life.