“Your body is made up of composite parts, each of shape, mass and function—skin and bones, organs and sinews, blood and other fluids, and so on; is it not so?”
“Indeed.”
“These parts can corrupt and die, whether by natural or unnatural causes—and indeed, if the more vital of these parts are separated from the whole, death of the whole is sure to result, is it not?”
“True.”
“But what of the soul? Does it likewise consist of composite and divisible parts?”
“No.”
“Can that which is not composite be dissolved, or that which is indivisible be divided?”
“It cannot.”
“Is it not then logical to say that the soul, being spirit and not corporeal, being incomposite and not the sum of parts, need not be affected by the same corruption and destruction which overtakes our physical nature?”
“I agree, Timothy. On the other hand, the soul seems always to be associated with one body, dependant upon it as its vehicle, so it would not be illogical to conclude that when we breathe our last, our souls may cease to exist as well, for want of a vehicle to carry them further. Either could be true, as I see it.”
“This ‘paradise of joy and happiness’ that you say you hope for; like every human being, you want at all times to be happy, do you not?”
“Of course.”
“Can you achieve complete happiness within the span of your physical life, to the point where you are fully sated with happiness and wish for no more?”
“We will always want more happiness, Timothy! Happiness is not something that we can say one day, we have had enough of! It is human nature always to want more happiness.”
“Then tell me, my logical friend: do you think God would implant in human nature a desire that could never be fulfilled? Would that not be inconsistent with your notion of a perfect, loving and just God?”
“I suppose it would be inconsistent.”
“So there must be a way to achieve this perfect and sufficient happiness that by nature all men desire; don’t you agree?”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
“Well, if during the entire span of our lifetime we do not achieve it, do not stop wanting more happiness, then unless we are to say that God has instilled in us a craving that can never be sated—which we have agreed is not logical—there must be a possibility of life beyond the grave where this perfect and sufficient happiness may be enjoyed, must there not?”
“That would make sense, Timothy, but for one thing: at every moment after death, would we not still want more happiness the next moment, and the next . . . and so on to infinity—so that this craving can still never be satiated, even in heaven?”
“Ah, so on to infinity, you say. I see.” Timothy had that thoughtful gleam in his eyes as he paused, and looked askance for a moment. “I think, perhaps, that you and I mean different things by the phrase ‘eternal life’—or perhaps I should say that our notions of ‘eternity’ are different.”
“How so?”
“By your answer, Mark, I glean that you are equating ‘eternity’ with ‘perpetuity.’ To me, the two concepts are not equivalent. To me, ‘eternity’ suggests an unchanging, immutable and therefore timeless state, while ‘perpetuity’ suggests a temporal component, that is to say, everlasting, for all time, for an infinite duration of time. Do you understand the distinction I am drawing?”
“Perhaps you should explain it further.”
“My notion is simply that time is nothing more than a measure of change. Think of it this way: If all were static—if the universe were completely motionless—then rational, sentient beings within that universe would have no conception of time. So it is one thing to say that after the body dies, the soul lives on in perpetuity, for all time; that would entail the notion of everlasting existence in a universe of change. It is quite another to posit that after the body dies, the soul remains for eternity, unchanging and immutable, outside any realm that can be measured by time—or space. To the extent that it is eternal, then, the soul would be as free of the temporal dimension as of the physical dimension—and equally free of dependence on the physical and changeable body.”
“Ah! Now I see the distinction.”
“And do you also see which is better able to be fully happy and need for no more: a soul that thereafter experiences change, or one that does not?”
“The latter.”
“So if, after death, the soul experiences no ‘next moment,’ but only an eternal ‘now,’ would you then agree that this desire for happiness, insatiable while we live in the flesh, could indeed have been instilled in us by a just, loving and perfect God, without the logical objection that your notions of infinity and perpetuity entail?”
“I would agree.”
“And let us look at this from the opposite perspective. Tell me, Mark; do you believe not only in heaven, but in hell?”
“I do. I think of hell as a place—perhaps I should say a ‘state’—of eternal punishment for the wicked.”
“But during a man’s life, no matter how extensive his wicked deeds, surely he can only have been finitely evil, not infinitely so—at least as you reckon infinity; am I right?”
“You are.”
“If God is indeed just, then, surely He would not mete out infinite punishment for finite evil, would He?”
“I suppose not.”
“Then a place or ‘state’ of eternal punishment cannot be consistent with the notion of a just God—if ‘eternity’ is simply ‘temporal infinity.’ Agreed?”
“Agreed.”
“So whether in terms of heaven or hell, must we not say that eternal life is indeed different than perpetual life?”
“We must, if we are to believe God to be just.”
“Precisely, Mark. And if such a concept of eternal life follows rationally from the concept of a just, loving and perfect God, should we not also explore God’s justice, love and perfection for clues as to how eternal life is to be obtained—what you have been calling ‘salvation?’”
“I am anxious to do so!”
“We have agreed that it is not illogical for the soul to survive the body and enjoy eternal life—but neither is it necessary that all souls will do so. I take it, by phrasing your question as one of ‘salvation’ you mean ‘being saved from the absence of eternal life’—saved from eternal death, in other words?”
“True.”
“So, if one needs to be ‘saved’ from eternal death, then such eternal death must be what awaits us if we do nothing,
