Download your soul!?

Of all that modern science desires, it could be argued that it values the pursuit of immortality above all else. What they do not recognise is that we are already immortal – it is just that their focus is on the body, not the soul. When God created Adam and Eve, He put them in the Garden, intending that they would live joyously forever, both physically and spiritually. However, as we know, they sinned and therefore brought physical and spiritual death to themselves and all subsequent generations (see Romans 5:12-14).

God’s remedy for such a situation was to send His Son to be a sin-bearer for us so that we may be re-born spiritually in order to receive new life in Christ and with it the promise of eternity with Him. Yet, for those who are not living at the time of the rapture, we know that this body we have will continue to deteriorate and die. The focus of scientists is how to preserve the body from death, not realising it is a fool’s errand.

In the UK, a company by the name of BioTeq specialises in implantable technology. BioTeq’s slogan is “Human Re-engineering”. Specifically, their interest is in implanting microchips in human beings. Of course, like most cutting-edge scientists, they believe their cause is noble. One such story reads: Aiding the relative freedom of people with learning difficulties so they can be tracked – an example we are looking at is a young man with Prader-Willi syndrome who has no sense of being satiated so eats uncontrollably. He requires constant supervision and has a wrist band that triggers alarms when he passes through doorways but can remove it! An implant could potentially overcome this provided the ethical considerations are overcome.

Do you see the clever language adopted – we will track him so he can be “free”. Sounds a lot like the words our current politicians are using – you take this vaccine so you can be “free”. Or, scan your mobile phone at the entrance to that supermarket so you can be “free”.

Digital expert Richard Skellett warns of a future in which workers will have chips inserted underneath their skin. And, no surprises here, where does it get implanted? In your hand – specifically in the flesh between your thumb and forefinger. But here is the nexus of their push for implants – Mr Skellett explained: Living forever might sound crazy at the moment because the technology isn’t quite there, but we already have the technology to clone. The only thing is that something may be an exact replica in terms of DNA but it may be nothing like you because we are made up of both nature and nurture. Well I would say that nurture is all to do with learning, you are a product of everything you have experienced, your likes and dislikes and that’s arguably your soul. Your soul is you, it’s your beliefs, it’s your values.

Now, we know we have a soul and it is in fact central to the personhood of a human being. As George MacDonald said, You don’t have a soul, you are a soul. You have a body. In fact, it has been said that there are only two things that last: the Word of God and the souls of men. But rather than accept the Bible’s view of the soul, Mr Skellett goes on to say: So imagine now that you’ve got a chip, and that chip has been collecting all of your personal details, all of your learning, that effectively becomes your soul. It may sound ridiculous, but you may be able to take that chip out and put it in another body and live forever – it’s not actually that ridiculous, is it? Note: yes, it is ridiculous.

Look, let’s be clear. The soul is an imperishable thing. That thought should be both sobering and awe-inspiring. Every person who has ever lived is still in existence somewhere. The question is, where? The souls that reject God’s remedy for sin are condemned to pay for their own sin, eternally, in Hell. But the souls who acknowledge their own sinfulness and accept Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour will live eternally with Him. They are the two choices – accept the punishment for your own sin or accept the One who took the punishment for your sin.