Christian conditionalism

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In Christian theology, conditionalism or conditional immortality is a concept of special salvation in which the gift of immortality is attached to (conditional upon) belief in Jesus Christ. This doctrine is based in part upon another theological argument, that if the human soul is naturally mortal, immortality ("eternal life") is therefore granted by God as a gift. This viewpoint stands in contrast to the more popular doctrine of the "natural immortality" of the soul. It is usually paired with mortalism and annihilationism, the belief that the unsaved will be ultimately destroyed and cease to exist, rather than suffer unending torment in hell. The view is also connected with the idea of soul sleep, in which the dead sleep unconscious until the Resurrection of the Dead to stand for a Last Judgment before the World to Come.

Protestantism

During the Reformation the German reformer Martin Luther was among notable advocates of conditional immortality, which prompted the French reformer John Calvin to criticize him for embracing the doctrine of "soul sleep."

The British Evangelical Alliance ACUTE report states the doctrine is a "significant minority evangelical view" that has "grown within evangelicalism in recent years".^[1] In the 20th century, conditional immortality was considered by certain theologians in the Eastern Orthodox Church.^[2]

Proponents of conditional immortality ("conditionalists") point to Genesis 2 and Revelation 22, where the Tree of Life is mentioned. It is argued that these passages, along with Genesis 3:22-24 teach that human beings will naturally die without continued access to God's life-giving power.

As a general rule, conditionalism goes hand in hand with annihilationism; that is, the belief that the souls of the wicked will be destroyed in Gehenna (often translated "hell", especially by non-conditionalists and non-universalists) fire rather than suffering eternal torment. The two ideas are not exactly equivalent, however, because in principle God may annihilate a soul which was previously created immortal.^[3] While annihilationism places emphasis on the active destruction of a person, conditionalism places emphasis on a person's dependence upon God for life; the extinction of the person is thus a passive consequence of separation from God, much like natural death is a consequence of prolonged separation from food, water, and air.

In secular historical analysis, the doctrine of conditional immortality reconciles the ancient Hebrew view that humans are mortal with the Christian view that the saved will live forever.^{[citation needed]}

Mortalist groups such as Seventh Day Adventists, Christadelphians, the Bible Students and Jehovah's Witnesses sometimes argue that the doctrine of natural (or innate) immortality stems not from Hebrew thought as presented in the Bible, but rather from pagan influence, particularly Greek philosophy and the teachings of Plato, or Christian tradition. These groups note verses for example that Paul teaches in 1 Timothy 6:15-16 that "God… alone is immortal," while in 2 Timothy 1:10 he writes that immortality only comes to human beings as a gift through the gospel. Immortality is something to be sought after (Romans 2:7 NIV) therefore it is not inherent to all humanity.^[4]

These groups may claim that the doctrine of conditional immortality reconciles two seemingly conflicting traditions in the Bible: the ancient Hebrew concept that the human being is mortal with no meaningful existence after death (see שאול, Sheol and the Book of Ecclesiastes), and the later Jewish and Christian belief in the resurrection of the dead and personal immortality after Judgment Day.

Eastern Orthodox view

For many centuries inherent immortality, supported with the Platonic arguments about the simplicity of the soul, was accepted among many famous Fathers of the Eastern Church, such as Athanasius, Gregory of Nyssa or John of Damascus. But current Eastern Orthodox theologians, who hold that the Incarnation united the Divine and human natures, and hold that each man is a hypostasis comprising spirit and body, deny inherent immortality and profess "immortality by grace" (κατὰ χάριν ἀθανασία kata charin athanasia). Beyond using Biblical verses that present immortality as a result of Christ's victory over death and His resurrection, they also stress the witness of the patristic writings of the 2nd century, when Christian apologists highlighted the contrast between their view and the Platonists' view. A classic example is the statement of Tatian, who said: "The soul is not in itself immortal, O Greeks, but mortal. Yet it is possible for it not to die" (Oratio ad Graecos, 13).

Nevertheless, in the view of many Eastern Orthodox theologians, there is no place for annihilationism, since the church holds that immortality is bestowed on all men by means of Christ's incarnation and resurrection, inasmuch as they participate in the nature of man. The uncreated Divine Light (ἄκτιστο φῶς aktisto fos) is offered to all.

See also

• Annihilationism
• Soul sleep

References

1. ^ Evangelical Alliance; Alliance Commission on Unity and Truth among Evangelicals (2000). "Conclusions and Recommendations". In Hilborn, David. The Nature of Hell. London: Paternoster Publishing. pp. 130–5. ISBN 978-0-9532992-2-5. http://www.eauk.org/theology/acute/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&pageid=9164. 
2. ^ Florovsky, Georges (February 13, 2004). "The 'Immortality' of the Soul". Holy Trinity Orthodox Mission. http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/immortality_soul.htm. 
3. ^ Evangelical Alliance; Alliance Commission on Unity and Truth among Evangelicals (2000). Hilborn, David. ed. The Nature of Hell. London: Paternoster Publishing. p. 74. ISBN 978-0-9532992-2-5. 
4. ^ Pearce F. After Death What?

External links

• Jewish not Greek Shows how Biblical hermeneutics proves "conditional immortality" and not the Greek philosophical view of innate immortality.
• The Resurrection and Immortality An exhaustive study into the biblical definition of immortality and proof of conditional immortality.
• Fudge, Edward William; Cousins, Peter (1994). The Fire That Consumes: The Biblical Case for Conditional Immortality. Carlisle: Paternoster. ISBN 978-0-85364-587-0. OCLC 31168600. 
• Froom, Le Roy Edwin (1966) [1959]. Conditionalist Faith of our Fathers. 1. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald. LCCN 64-17664. http://www.adventistarchives.org/doc_info.asp?DocID=52969. 
• Froom, Le Roy Edwin (1965) [1955]. Conditionalist Faith of our Fathers. 2. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald. LCCN 64-17664. http://www.adventistarchives.org/doc_info.asp?DocID=52968. 
• Pinnock, Clark H. (2008). "The Destruction of the Finally Impenitent". Truth According to Scripture. http://www.truthaccordingtoscripture.com/documents/death/destruction-of-the-finally-impenitent.php. 
• Welch, Charles (c. 1910). "The Immortality of the Soul and The doctrine of demons". The Berean Expositor 1: 64–6. http://www.truthaccordingtoscripture.com/documents/death/immortality-of-the-soul-doctrine-of-demons.php. 
• Freedom From Fear: What happens when you die?
• Truth About Death Comprehensive site covering questions and answers regarding Christian conditionalism
• Fudge, Edward William; Cousins, Peter (1994). The Fire That Consumes: The Biblical Case for Conditional Immortality. Carlisle: Paternoster. ISBN 978-0-85364-587-0. OCLC 31168600. 
• Ball, Bryan W. (2008). The Soul Sleepers: Christian Mortalism from Wycliffe to Priestley. James Clarke Company. ISBN 978-0-227-17260-5. 
• Petavel, Emmanuel (1892). The Problem of Immortality. http://books.google.com/books?id=x31CAAAAIAAJ&dq=petavel%20immortality&pg=PR3#v=onepage&q&f=false.  A Tour de Force for conditional immortality by a Frenchman.
• Petavel, Emmanuel (1889). The Extinction of Evil: Three Theological Essays. http://books.google.com/books?id=uS7l5sxKjEEC&dq=inauthor%3A%22Emmanuel%20P%C3%A9tavel-Olliff%22&pg=PR1#v=onepage&q&f=false.  Three early essays from one of the classical advocates of conditional immortality. See especially "Appendix 1: Answers to Objections Urged Against the Doctrine of the Gradual Extinction of Obdurate Sinners," beginning on page 147 of the book.
• Hudson, Charles Frederic (1857). Debt and Grace as Related to a Doctrine of the Future Life. http://books.google.com/?id=Q9IrAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=charles+frederic+hudson+debt#v=onepage&q&f=false.  Perhaps the best and most sophisticated demonstration of conditional immortality, both rationally and biblically. See Hudson's book Christ Our Life listed immediately below for an expanded biblical defense.
• Hudson, Charles Frederic (1860). Christ Our Life: The Scriptural Argument for Immortality Through Christ Alone. http://books.google.com/books?id=prkrBONc_rYC&dq=charles%20frederic%20hudson%20debt&pg=PR1#v=onepage&q&f=false.  A thorough, sophisticated argument from the Bible for conditional immortality.
• White, Edward (1878). Life in Christ: A Study of the Scripture Doctrine On the Nature of Man, the Object of the Divine Incarnation, and the Conditions of Human Immortality. http://books.google.com/books?id=lHxCAAAAIAAJ&dq=edward%20white%20life%20in%20christ&pg=PR1#v=onepage&q&f=false. . Exceptional biblical argument for conditional immortality, though White posits an intermediate conscious state of the soul pace the standard conditional immortality belief that the dead are unconscious.
• Bacchiocchi, Samuele (1997). Immortality or Resurrection? A Biblical Study on Human Nature and Destiny. Berrien Springs, Michigan: Biblical Perspectives. ISBN 1-930987-12-9. OCLC 38849060. http://www.friendsofsabbath.org/Further_Research/Bacchiocchis%20Research/Immortality%20or%20Resurrection.pdf.  An excellent place to begin a study on conditional immortality from a Seventh-Day-Adventist scholar.
• Afterlife.co.nz The Conditional Immortality Association of New Zealand Inc. is a non-profit organization established to promote a Biblical understanding of human nature, life, death and eternity as taught throughout Scripture.