Following is a list of 50 questions for conditionalists, annihilationists. They are for clarification since a lot of their writings are not clear on specific issues. If anyone wishes to debate me about annihilationism, you must answer all of the following questions. Otherwise, I will not debate you. But, answering all the questions does not commit me to a debate. If anyone writes a “refutation” of any of my articles on conditionalism, would you be so kind as to answer the following questions? This is because if I respond to your attempt at refutation, I will understand what perspective you have within annihilationism, so I can better respond. After all, different conditionalists have different views. I’ve found that much of conditionalist writings are not clear in some of the issues that need to be addressed. For example, I found the article “What does Conditional Immortality affirm and deny?” to get close, but not close enough to dealing with the critical issues. Therefore, the following list of questions. They deal a lot with the nature of the human soul. So, for simplicity, I define the soul as that part of our non-physical being that animates our bodies, the life principle, contains our self-awareness, is our mind, etc. Please add any comments that you think are necessary for clarification.
Quoting the Questions for Conditionalists and SEO
If you want to reproduce the questions with answers in this article and place them, on your website, you have my permission under either of the following conditions. This is because search engines will penalize both articles in organic searches (yours and mine) if the same information occurs on both sites without the proper documentation. Here is how to avoid this problem. If you don’t agree to either one of the following, then you do not have permission to reproduce the entire article. You can, of course, quote segments of it with the blockquote tag.
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If you answer the questions, please send them [email protected] with a statement that I may or may not reproduce your answers and publish them on CARM. Finally, iIf you do not want to answer all the questions, would you consider answering the 27 that are underlined?
Thanks
Matt Slick
GOD AND TRINITY
- Do you affirm or deny that there is only one eternal God in all existence, all time, and in all places?
- Do you affirm or deny that the Christian God is the one and only, necessary, Trinitarian Being who consists of three eternal, distinct, and simultaneous persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?
- For more information, see the CARM article, What is the Trinity?
- Do you affirm or deny that the Christian God consists of one person who manifested in different forms?
- If you deny the Christian Trinity view of God, what view of God do you hold?
- Do you affirm or deny that the Trinitarian God, is timeless?
- If you affirm that the Trinitarian God is timeless, can you explain what it means for God to be timeless – with Scripture, if possible?
JESUS’ NATURE
- Do you affirm or deny that the second person of the Trinity, the Word, became flesh in the single person of Jesus?
- Do you affirm or deny that the single person of Jesus, according to Scripture, exhibited attributes of self-awareness, awareness of others, could reason, speak, think, etc., thereby demonstrating the attributes of personhood?
- Do you affirm or deny the doctrine of the hypostatic union, which states that the one person of Jesus presently has two distinct and simultaneous natures, the divine and the human?
- For more information, see the CARM article What is the hypostatic union?
- Do you affirm or deny the doctrine of the communicatio idiomatum, which states that the attributes of both natures of Jesus (human and divine) are ascribed to the single person of Jesus?
- For clarification, the coummicatio idiomatum means that the attributes of both natures were attributed to the single person of Christ. Jesus, the single person said, “I am thirsty,” (John 19:28), claiming the attributes of human nature, and, “I am with you always even to the end of the earth,” (Matt. 28:20), claiming attributes of his divine nature. For more information, see the CARM article, Communicatio Idiomatum.
HUMAN NATURE AND DEATH
- Do you affirm or deny that a human person is a single unity that cannot be broken into physical and spiritual parts?
- Do you affirm or deny physicalism regarding human nature?
- By physicalism is meant the idea that the physical brain produces the mind, that the mind is a function of the physical brain.
- Do you affirm or deny physicalism regarding human nature so that when the physical brain dies physically, the human soul ceases to exist?
- Do you affirm or deny physicalism regarding human nature so that when the physical brain dies, the human mind/soul continues to exist in a state of consciousness?
- Do you affirm or deny physicalism regarding human nature so that when the physical brain dies, the human mind/soul continues to exist but in a state of unconsciousness?
- Do you affirm or deny mind/body dualism?
- By mind-body dualism is meant that the soul is different than the physical brain and that upon the death of the person, the soul continues to exist apart from the death of the physical brain.
- Do you affirm or deny soul sleep?
- By soul-sleep is meant that the human soul continues to exist after the person’s physical death but is unconscious and inactive.
- Do you affirm or deny that upon a person’s physical death, his soul (spirit) returns to God?
- Do you affirm or deny that upon death, if the soul (spirit) returns to God, that the human person ceases to exist?
- Do you affirm or deny that upon death, if the soul (spirit) returns to God, does that mean the person has lost his personal identity?
- Do you affirm or deny that upon death, if the soul (spirit) returns to God, that it means the soul is part of God’s personhood?
- Do you affirm or deny that upon death, if the soul (spirit) returns to God, that it means the soul is distinct from God’s personhood?
- If your position is that upon the person’s death, only the physical nature, including the soul, ceases to exist, then is it re-created upon his resurrection?
- If your position is that upon the person’s death, only the physical nature, including the soul, ceases to exist, and that he is re-created by God, then how is the continuity of the person maintained?
DEATH OF JESUS – WHOLE PERSON
- Do you affirm or deny that the phrase “whole person of Jesus” means that in the one person of Jesus are two distinct natures, the divine and human? (This is called the hypostatic union)
- Do you affirm or deny that the phrase “whole person of Jesus” means that the attributes of both his divine and human natures were ascribed to, and claimed by, the single person of Jesus? (This is called the Communicatio Idiomatum)
- Do you affirm or deny that the whole person of Jesus died on the cross?
- Do you affirm or deny that if the whole person of Jesus died on the cross, that it means both his natures died on the cross?
DEATH OF JESUS – HUMAN NATURE ONLY
- Do you affirm or deny that only the human nature of Jesus died on the cross?
- If only the human nature of Jesus died on the cross, then how is the sacrifice of Jesus of divine value?
- Do you affirm or deny that between the death of Jesus and his physical resurrection, his human nature ceased to exist?
- Do you affirm or deny that only the human nature of Jesus died on the cross and also ceased to exist, then was it re-created upon his resurrection?
- If your position is that upon the death of Jesus, only the human nature ceased to exist, can you please explain how the hypostatic union of Jesus is maintained?
- Do you affirm or deny that between the death of Jesus and his physical resurrection, his human nature continued to exist but was in a state of unconscious soul sleep?
- Do you affirm or deny that between the death of Jesus and his physical resurrection, his human nature continued to exist and was conscious and active?
DEATH OF JESUS – DIVINE NATURE
- Do you affirm or deny that at the death of Jesus, his divine nature ceased to exist?
- If you deny that both the divine and human natures ceased to exist in his physical death, then can you please explain what happened to each of Jesus’ natures upon his physical death on the cross?
JUDGMENT AND PUNISHMENT
- Do you affirm or deny that an unbeliever ceases to exist after his physical death, and his soul is resurrected to be judged to annihilation?
- Do you affirm or deny that when a person dies and ceases to exist, and his soul is later resurrected to be judged to eternal life or extinction, that the continuity of the person is disrupted?
- By continuity means the existence of the essence of something continues and is uninterrupted.
- Do you affirm or deny that when a person dies and ceases to exist, and his soul is later resurrected to be judged to eternal life or extinction, that the continuity of the person is not disrupted?
- Do you affirm or deny that upon the death of an unbeliever, he is automatically and permanently annihilated?
- Do you affirm or deny that an unbeliever will undergo a time of conscious punishment that corresponds to his sin before his annihilation?
- Do you affirm or deny that the state of non-existence is the final punishment for unbelievers?
- Do you affirm or deny that the unbeliever continues to exist in a conscious state after physical death and that he is undergoing punishment during that time?
- Do you affirm or deny that an unbeliever, in a state of soul sleep, is not undergoing punishment?
- Do you affirm or deny that an unbeliever, in a state of soul sleep, will be awakened,
- Do you affirm or deny that the only way a person can be conscious is when he is united with his living, physical body?
ANGELIC REALM
- Do you affirm or deny that good angels will continue to exist forever?
- Do you affirm or deny that the wicked angels will be annihilated?
- Do you affirm or deny that the devil will be judged and condemned to conscious, eternal punishment without end?
Thank you for considering these questions for conditionalists, annihilationists. If you hold that position, perhaps the questions got you to think.
