God cannot separate the soul from the body for the purpose of final judgment, for immediately the judgment will be found at a standstill.
2For if the soul be found all by itself, it would reply when judged, 'The cause of sin is not of me, but of that corruptible and earthly body, in fornication, adultery, lasciviousness; for since it left me, I have done none of these things,' and it will have a good defence and will paralyze the judgment of God.
3The body cannot be judged apart from the soul: for it also could reply, saying, 'It was not I that sinned, it was the soul: have I, since it departed from me, committed adultery, fornicated, or worshipped idols?' and the body will be withstanding the justice of God, and with reason.
4On this account, therefore, God brings our dead bodies and our souls to a second birth.