church of Christ - Articles Rein

church of Christ at 26th and Connecticut
Joplin, Missouri

Phone
417-781-2326
Fax
417-781-2326

   Worship Schedule

Sunday
    Bible Class              9 am
    Morning Worship    10 am
    Evening Worship      6 pm

Wednesday
     Devotional & Class   7 pm

Upcoming Activities

All Events

REINCARNATION

The Bible teaches that when we die, our souls separate from our bodies (Genesis 35:18; James 2:26) and go to a place called “Hades” (Acts 2:27 NASB; Luke 16:19-31). However, some people believe that our souls enter into other bodies. This doctrine is known as “reincarnation.”

Reincarnation Defined

“Reincarnation” is defined as: “(1) rebirth of the soul in another body, as in Hindu religious belief (2) a new incarnation or embodiment (3) the doctrine that the soul reappears after death in another and different bodily form” (Webster’s New World Dictionary). According to our brother Own Olbricht, some people believe, “the souls of the dead will transmigrate and come back in other human bodies, in animals, or in physical objects” (Beyond Death’s Door, pages 44-45).

Reincarnation Denied

The following passages show “reincarnation” to be false:

1. Concerning the dead, Solomon said that: “forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun” (Eccles. 9:6 ESV). This passage would not be true if you were reincarnated and lived again under the sun.

2. Paul wrote: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Cor. 5:10 ESV). Notice that he said “body”—not “bodies.”

3. And then there’s this Scripture: “it is appointed for man to die once” (Hebrews 9:27 ESV). If you came back in a different body, then you would die more than once.

Reincarnation Defended

But, hard as it may seem to believe, some people even use the Bible in an attempt to prove the doctrine of “reincarnation.” For example, someone once told our brother Guy N. Woods:

“My sister, a non-Christian, believes that Matthew 17:10-13 teaches that John the Baptist was really Elijah reincarnated into another body. Please explain this to me in words understandable to me and back it up with proper Bible texts.”

Here’s what this woman’s proof-text says:

And the disciples asked [Jesus], "Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?" He answered, "Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands." Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. (Matthew 17:10-13 ESV)

Reincarnation Defeated

Here’s how Guy N. Woods responded to this defense:

Four hundred years before our Lord came to the earth it was predicted that Elijah would appear. (Malachi 4:5, 6). The Jewish scholars erred in expecting an actual and literal return of the fiery prophet and the disciples were also confused at this point. The Lord clarified the matter for them by explaining that John the Baptist fulfilled the prophecies touching the coming of Elijah (Matthew 17:13.) John, by his stern and fearless denunciation of wickedness in high places, reflected the same disposition and accomplished much the same work as did Elijah, and thus demonstrated the same power and spirit. But, he was not Elijah, in his own person, and said so! When the priests and Levites from Jerusalem questioned him, they asked “Who art thou?” and they persisted in their inquiry, particularly asking, “Art thou Elijah?” John answered “I am not.” (John 1:19-21.) Thus to affirm that John was actually the person of Elijah returned to the earth is to controvert the Baptizer himself. Moreover, Elijah, the great lawgiver, appeared with Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration where the reference is obviously to the ancient prophet and not to the Harbinger of the Christ. (Matthew 17:1-4.) John was an Elijah in will, disposition, and work, but he was not the literal Elijah and said so! There is no support here, or elsewhere, in the Scriptures, for the doctrine of reincarnation. (Questions and Answers, Volume II, page 113).