The Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 2

II. Thom—Innate Immortality Inference “Falls to the Ground”

DAVID THOM, D.D., Ph.D. (fl. 1828-1867), was author of Soul and Spirit (1867), but long before that, of Three Questions proposed and answered, concerning the Life forfeited by Adam, the Resurrection of the Dead, and Eternal Punishment (1828, 1835, 1849, 1855). In his earlier treatise Thom asks:
“Is there any authority in Scripture, or in reasonings legitimately derived from Scripture, for the ordinary doctrine that the wicked shall be eternally punished, in a state of existence succeeding the present?” ⁶ CFF2 356.2

His answer is very incisive, emphasizing that Eternal Life is only in Christ. And he asserts that the postulate of the “natural immortality of man” has “vanished into the air.” CFF2 356.3

1. DEATH OF THE SOUL INEVITABLE

Asked concerning the immortality of the soul, Dr. Thom denies the assumption, declaring that man had “conditional immortality conferred” upon him. “But the condition was violated. Genesis 3:1-6. Of this violation, the death of soul was the immediate and necessary result.” And he states categorically that man “is mortal.” ⁷ On the next page he adds that “the supposed inference that it [the soul] is naturally and essentially immortal, falls to the ground with the premises upon which it is erected.” ⁸ CFF2 356.4

This he augments with the statement that the “soul by its very nature depending on body, must share its fate.” ⁹ CFF2 357.1