What effect does sin have on a person’s soul for all eternity? What do you think happens to us (i.e. our souls) once our physical bodies die? I think we can all agree that these are important questions. We think it is important enough to consider what happens to us each and every day of our lives; after all, that is how we describe our existence. But eternity? Do our souls have a place in eternity? If so, should we be more concerned about the eternal destiny of our souls than this temporal existence?
Let’s look closer at the aspects of the spiritual death of a soul. The apostle Paul proclaimed that “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Paul here described the end result of sin. If sin is not forgiven by God, its stain results in what Paul calls “death.” This does not refer to an eternal death for a soul. What Paul is referring to here is that a sinful soul is fruitless, it does not bear the good works that are orchestrated by the Holy Spirit when a person comes with a confessing heart to Jesus Christ. The person that has an unrepentant soul is not thinking about the things of God or His Word, but rather him or herself and the things of this world. In this state, God cannot work through this person in this world and the state of this soul is grim both in this world and forever.
So what is the eternal state of a soul when it ceases to exist in a physical body in this world? The Old Testament prophet Daniel wrote, “Everyone whose name is found written in the book – will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake; some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:1-2; italics mine). The phrase “everlasting contempt” comes from the Hebrew naas which means eternal rejection. This indicates that this soul is not destined for heaven but will still live on in a rejected state. Rejected from what? Isaiah 59:2 claims that “our sins have separated us from God.” This does not indicate what kind of an existence a sinful soul will have, but it will be isolated from God – and that will be a bad thing. There will not be the comforts of this world to occupy this type of soul. Isolation is a very lonely state. What’s more – this temporary state is a place of agony for those who have not confessed their sins, asked Christ for forgiveness, and follow Him and His Word. The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus provides further details.[1] Those sinful souls who lived and passed from this world both before and after the time of Christ will continue in this state until the final judgment in Revelation 20:11-15: “Then I [the prophet and apostle John] saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. . . . And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. . . . Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.” Up until the time of the final judgment an unrepentant sinful soul lives in isolation from God, but after the final judgment it resides in the lake of fire or hell –still in isolation from God. The “lake of fire” is a term for what God’s Word calls the “second death” (Revelation 20:14). The first death is the state of our physical bodies when they cease to function. The second death is the final destination for souls that are unrepentant. So these souls continue to exist (that is, they do not die as one may associate with death), but the destination is one of turmoil and torment. The determination as to whether a soul resides in eternal turmoil and torment or eternal life with God is based on the judgment of Jesus Christ: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades” (Revelation 1:18). Revelation 21:8 describes “death and Hades” as the “fiery lake of burning sulfur.” It is a terrible place that everyone should consider avoiding.
Consider the alternative to eternal death: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Wouldn’t you like to enjoy eternal life rather than eternal death? Ask Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sin and trust Him to be the Lord of your life. Follow Him by reading His Word (the Bible) and worshipping Him in a church environment.
[1] The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31): “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in our lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ Abraham replied, ‘they have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ ‘No. father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”