What Does The Bible Say About Hell?

The question of the nature of Hell depends on another, whether or not everyone has an immortal soul according to the Bible. If everyone has an immortal soul, sinners will eternally endure the lake of fire and eternal conscious torment would be the punishment of the unbeliever. If, however, man is biblically mortal by nature and only believers put on immortality to live forever, we could conclude that sinners suffer and eventually die in the lake of fire.

What The Bible Says

A search of the term ‘immortal’ in the Bible reveals the following 7 results. Why don’t we use these as a simple way to test where the Bible leads us?

1. and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. (Romans 1:23)

2. to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; (Romans 2:7)

3. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:53)

4. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” (1 Corinthians 15:54)

5. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:17)

6. who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. (1 Timothy 6:16)

7. and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, (2 Timothy 1:10)

Notice that only God is immortal (Romans 1:23, 1 Timothy 1:17, 1 Timothy 6:16), man is mortal by nature (Romans 1:23, 1 Corinthians 15:53) and must receive immortality through Jesus Christ in order to be saved (Romans 2:7, 1 Corinthians 15:53-54, 2 Timothy 1:10).

Notice that ‘immortality’ is synonymous with ‘eternal life’ in Romans 2:7. If you believe in Jesus, you have eternal life (i.e. immortality). Notice also that through immortality, death is defeated (1 Corinthians 15:54, 2 Timothy 1:10). This is because death is synonymous with mortality. Immortality is the death of death.

Why the confusion?

Many Christians have accepted the traditional view of eternal suffering in Hell (not on the basis of Scripture alone but) because they believe in the immortal soul. This concept of inherently immortal souls does not find its roots in Scripture (biblically only the exact opposite is taught), rather it arose from a strong Greek influence on the early Church. Platonic ideas crept into the mainstream Christian tradition because Greek philosophy was held in such high esteem (even among believers) in the regions where God’s Word was first received.

Bible verses (such as Romans 6:23) that speak of the punishment for sin being ‘death’ are re-interpreted on this basis. ‘Death’ can no longer mean what it does. Instead, we interpret 'death' as an eternal conscious existence of suffering since we assume that we have immortal souls. Similarly, we take ‘eternal life’ to mean an eternal conscious experience of joy, rather than the wonderful privilege of immortality.

In these verses, such ideas are corrected. We find that death means death and life means life. One who lives forever will not die (Luke 20:35–36, John 3:16, 6:50–51, 8:51, 10:28, 11:26 etc.)! One who does not live forever will die (Luke 13:5, Romans 6:23, Revelation 20:14 etc.).

God means what He says.