he Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of
rivers of oil? shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit
of my body for the sin of my soul?" Micah 6:7. Since it is the soul that
sins, of necessity the soul becomes the responsible man.

Sin Produces Death To The Soul.

"The soul that sinneth, it shall die." Ezek. 18:4.

The Value Of The Soul.

"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose
his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Mat.
16:26. Here the "soul," the "inner man," is considered of greater worth
than this world. He who secures the eternal safety of his soul has
accomplished more than he who should gain this whole world.

The Soul Does Not Lose Consciousness When The Body Dies.

"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the
flesh, this is the fruit of my labor: yet what I shall choose I wot not.
For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart and to be with
Christ; which is far better: nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more
needful for you." Phil. 1:21-24.

If there is no conscious existence after death until the final
resurrection from the grave, how could it be "far better" for Paul to
depart? For him to depart this life is to be with Christ. "We are
confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be
present with the Lord." 2 Cor. 5:8. How can language be plainer than this?
To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

The Place Of The Soul While The Body Lies In The Grave.

The Son of God in his beautiful narrative of the rich man and Lazarus
certainly teaches a conscious existence of the departed souls of both the
wicked and the righteous. The soul of the rich man was in torment in the
flames of hell. The angels carried the poor beggar to rest and bliss in
Abraham's bosom.

"There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen,
and fared sumptuously every day: and there was a certain beggar named
Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed
with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs
came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and
was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died,
and was buried; and in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and
seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus