Then in the face of scores of passages of Scripture that show that the wicked
shall be destroyed, etc., how can it be that, in the almost universal doctrine of
Christians, eternal life is given to the wicked. True, by this doctrine they are to
remain in misery eternally without dying; but if the wicked live eternally, that is
eternal life, and the fact that they are in misery, does not in the least affect the
duration of their existence. But against such doctrine there stands the word of
God that "the wages of sin is death," and if the wicked live eternally even in
torment, then there can be no such thing as death. Again the Scripture speaks of
a time when there shall be no more pain (Rev. 21:4); but if the wicked are
tormented eternally there never can be a time when there shall be no more pain.
Again we ask, How then can it be that in the beliefs of men eternal life is
given to the wicked? How is it that, in spite of the plain Bible answer to the
question as to what the end shall be of them that obey not the gospel of God, so
many are perplexed upon the question? The perplexity on this question arises
from the same source that it does on all the other questions which we have
examined, that is, from the doctrine which we have examined, that is, from the
doctrine of the immortality of the soul. As a Doctor of Divinity once said, "If we
believe in the immortality of the soul we must believe in the eternal torment of the
wicked."
Immortal means "exempt from death," "exempt from liability to die." It is the
doctrine of the unconditional immortality of man, therefore, which gives eternal
life to the wicked. But such a view cannot be held consistently with the Bible. This
is plain from the few texts cited, and the Bible terms referred to above. And that
the doctrine of the immorality of the soul may be still held, the language of the
Bible has to be, and is, forced into channels where that of no other book would
be allowed to go.
Words when found in the Bible are made to mean exactly contrary to what
they mean when found in any other place in human language. And all to sustain
the dogma of the immortality of the soul. But that is just where this method of
interpretation belongs. It was the introduction of this doctrine into the Christian
church, that created the necessity for this scheme of interpretation. The one man
who, more than any other, is responsible for it was Origen, who lived from A.D.
185 to 253. Says Mosheim:–
"The Christian doctors who had applied themselves to the study
of letters and philosophy, soon abandoned the frequented paths,
and wandered in the devious wilds of fancy. The Egyptians
[Alexandrians] distinguished themselves in this new method of
explaining the truth. . . . Origen was at the head of this speculative
tribe. This great man, enchanted by the charms of the Platonic
philosophy, set it up as the test of all religion, and imagined that the
reasons of each doctrine were to be found in that favorite
philosophy, and their nature and extent to be determined by it. . . .
He alleged that it was not in their literal force and import that the
true meanings of the sacred writers were to be sought, but in a
mysterious and hidden sense. . . In this devious path he displays
the most ingenious strokes of fancy, though generally at the
expense of truth, whose divine simplicity is rarely discernible
through the cobweb of allegory. Origen expresses himself in the
following manner. Origen expresses himself in the following
manner: 'The source of many evils lies in adhering to the carnal or
external Then in the face of scores of passages of Scripture that show that the wicked
shall be destroyed, etc., how can it be that, in the almost universal doctrine of
Christians, eternal life is given to the wicked. True, by this doctrine they are to
remain in misery eternally without dying; but if the wicked live eternally, that is
eternal life, and the fact that they are in misery, does not in the least affect the
duration of their existence. But against such doctrine there stands the word of
God that "the wages of sin is death," and if the wicked live eternally even in
torment, then there can be no such thing as death. Again the Scripture speaks of
a time when there shall be no more pain (Rev. 21:4); but if the wicked are
tormented eternally there never can be a time when there shall be no more pain.
Again we ask, How then can it be that in the beliefs of men eternal life is
given to the wicked? How is it that, in spite of the plain Bible answer to the
question as to what the end shall be of them that obey not the gospel of God, so
many are perplexed upon the question? The perplexity on this question arises
from the same source that it does on all the other questions which we have
examined, that is, from the doctrine which we have examined, that is, from the
doctrine of the immortality of the soul. As a Doctor of Divinity once said, "If we
believe in the immortality of the soul we must believe in the eternal torment of the
wicked."
Immortal means "exempt from death," "exempt from liability to die." It is the
doctrine of the unconditional immortality of man, therefore, which gives eternal
life to the wicked. But such a view cannot be held consistently with the Bible. This
is plain from the few texts cited, and the Bible terms referred to above. And that
the doctrine of the immorality of the soul may be still held, the language of the
Bible has to be, and is, forced into channels where that of no other book would
be allowed to go.
Words when found in the Bible are made to mean exactly contrary to what
they mean when found in any other place in human language. And all to sustain
the dogma of the immortality of the soul. But that is just where this method of
interpretation belongs. It was the introduction of this doctrine into the Christian
church, that created the necessity for this scheme of interpretation. The one man
who, more than any other, is responsible for it was Origen, who lived from A.D.
185 to 253. Says Mosheim:–
"The Christian doctors who had applied themselves to the study
of letters and philosophy, soon abandoned the frequented paths,
and wandered in the devious wilds of fancy. The Egyptians
[Alexandrians] distinguished themselves in this new method of
explaining the truth. . . . Origen was at the head of this speculative
tribe. This great man, enchanted by the charms of the Platonic
philosophy, set it up as the test of all religion, and imagined that the
reasons of each doctrine were to be found in that favorite
philosophy, and their nature and extent to be determined by it. . . .
He alleged that it was not in their literal force and import that the
true meanings of the sacred writers were to be sought, but in a
mysterious and hidden sense. . . In this devious path he displays
the most ingenious strokes of fancy, though generally at the
expense of truth, whose divine simplicity is rarely discernible
through the cobweb of allegory. Origen expresses himself in the
following manner. Origen expresses himself in the following
manner: 'The source of many evils lies in adhering to the carnal or
external part of Scripture. Those who do so shall not attain to the
kingdom of God. The Scriptures are of little use to those who
understand them as they are written.' But the philosophy which this
great man embraced with such zeal was one of the sources of his
delusion. He could not find in the Bible the opinions he had
adopted, as long as he interpreted that sacred book according to its
literal sense."–Church History, century 2, part 2, chap. 3,se who do so shall not attain to the
kingdom of God. The Scriptures are of little use to those who
understand them as they are written.' But the philosophy which this
great man embraced with such zeal was one of the sources of his
delusion. He could not find in the Bible the opinions he had
adopted, as long as he interpreted that sacred book according to its
literal sense."–Church History, century 2, part 2, chap. 3,
