Welcome to Defenders, the teaching class of Dr. William Lane Craig.

Today, the Doctrine of Man, Part 9.

For more information and resources from Dr. Craig, go to reasonable faith.org.

We've been looking at the Apostle Paul's doctrine of the body and soul, particularly with

respect to the intermediate state of the soul between bodily death and bodily resurrection.

And we saw that in Paul's letters, we have evidence that Paul thought of the soul as a freestanding

ontological constituent of human beings that can survive the death of the body and be with Christ

until the time of the eschatological resurrection. But this is not a doctrine that is peculiar to the Apostle Paul.

In addition to Paul's letters, let's look at a couple of other New Testament passages

that suggest that we are, in fact, dealing with an ontological dualism of body and soul.

For example, in the teachings of Jesus himself found in Luke chapter 16 versus 19 and following,

Luke 16 versus 19 and following, we have Jesus' parable of the rich man

and Lazarus. Jesus said, and I quote, there was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen,

and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate

lay a poor man named Lazarus, full of sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich

man's table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores.

The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom.

The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham

far off and Lazarus in his bosom. And he called out, Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send

Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue

for I am an anguish in this flame but Abraham said son remember that you in your lifetime received your good things

and Lazarus in like manner evil things.

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