VI

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DIE?

Death, for Lhe Christian, is an incident-a major one, to be sure -in his life, not the end of it, because he possesses eternal life through union.by.faith with Christ. The assurance of the New Testament is that whether he lives or dies he is "with Christ". His body dies, but his being is reconstituted in a new body bestowed on him by God and suited to a new life even more closely unit.ed with Christ. Physical death does not determine his final salvation, whidl awaits the complete fulfilment of God's purpose for all His people and His universe at the return of Christ.

The popular idea of what happens at death is that the body is buried or otherwise disposed of, while the soul is judged and goes either to Heaven or Hell, to stay there forever. Roman Catholics and some others ,vould add to this the doctrine of Purgatory-that most of tbe saved who are bound for Heaven are not fully sanctified at the time of death and have to go to Purgatory for a period of penance and purificatiOn before they are finally received into the bliss of Heaven.

Does this picture of human destiny agree with the teaching of the Bible? Even apan from the idea of Purgatory, which is discussed else­where, we have to say that it does not. It leaves out one important feature of the Bible's teaching on the subject-that the destiny of the individual is inseparably linked with the final fulfilment of God's purpose for the whole of mankind and for the universe, It also contra­dicts another important Biblical teaching-that man attains final salva­tion through the resurrection of the body. In other words, the Bible 1'efuses to separate either the individual from the whole human com­munity or the soul fTOm the body.

God does not purpose to save us ajJart from this world I-our friends and families, our social life, and in fact the whole of human history­but with this world. He does not purpose that we should be redeemed

'This may seem to contradict such a passage as Galatians 1; 4, where Paul speaks of Jesus as having delivered us "from this present evil world", but this is really "the present cd! age" (the R5V's translation). God wills to rescue IL~ from this age dominated by evil.

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from our bodies, but rather with them. In fact, we may put these two thoughts UltO One and say that it is not God's will to save individuaLs apart from the l"est of creation. but along with it. And by "creation" we mean the universe, lhe "hole order of nature including our bodies amI the whole of human history and culture. The fulfilment of the individual's destiny is part of God's purpose for His creation and it will not be complete until that comprehensive salvation lakes place and

od brings into being His Dew creHion. The (ull attainment of the individual'S destiny must await this consummation of all things.

11 l11is present life "no man is an island," complete in himself. 'iVe are interdependent in every way. "We are interdependent not only

ccause of what we possess or what we lack, but also by what we are. vVe belong together. This is as true in death as in life. The perfection of joy wuich is Heaven is not sometlling we can win Eor ourselves. God must give it to us, and. if we are to believe the New Testament, He wills to give it to us not alone out in company with all His people. The Letter to tlIC Hebrews speaks in a famous passage of the great heroes of the Faith and says that "all ulese, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart fTom us they should not be made perfect."l They are waiting for ust That is bound to be a very humbling thought; but we in our turn must wait also.

vVe lJelieve that here anal now the Christian can enter into the reality and joy of eternal life. VVe believe Ulat after death we shall enler into it more fully. However, the act of dying, by itself, does not give any advantage to the dead over the living, since the climax of joy and praise of which the life with God must consist will not be attained until the whole company of the redeemed is complete. As a great Cluistian, Donald Baillie, wrote not long before his deatb, one of the things "we need to be saved from is precisely our self-cenrredness, our selfish individualism. We need to be brought back into oommunity. and finally into the perfect community of the redeemed in heaven,"

In the me,llntime, mell, women illld children die. In what condition do they await the consummation or all things and the [uJness of their own salvation? Various answers have been given to this question.

There are some who point to I Thessalonians 4: 13-17. and say that after dealh the Christian "sleeps" until the return of Christ, and then is raised from death to be with Christ forever. By "sleep" Paul

'Hebrews 11: 39-40.

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means of course, simply "death", so that t11is passage seems to say that between his death and the return of Christ the CluisLian remains in death, alLhough his resurreclion is a sure and certain hope because he is "asleep in Christ", or is one of "the dead in Christ".l

Some scholars are of the opinion Lhat Paul's understanding of these matters underwent a process of growth and development as his mind and spirit matured in fellowship with Christ. As a former Pharisee, it would. be natural for the young Paul to retain familiar Jewish views regarding the resurrection as well as other subjects. It is known that I Thessalonians was one of Paul's earliest letters. It is possible to hold, therefore, that the picture of the resurrection in 1 Thessalonians 4: 13­17 b~longs to Paul's early days, and that he appears to have discarded it at a later date in favour of a more mature view of the resun-ection.

The suggestion that a passage ot the Bible written by an inspired Apostle could contain a view which he outgrew and discarded may disturb some people. But we are faced with the fact that there are passages which seem to contradict each other, and we therefore have no alternative except to explain the contradiction. We can only try to discover the meaning which the Bible as a whole sets forth by comparing one passage with others, while depending on the enlightenment of our minds by the Holy Spirit. "The infallible rule of the interpretation at the scripture," says tbe Westminster Confession, "is the scripture itself; and theref.ore when there is a question about the true and full sense of any scripture ... it must be searched and known by other places that speak more cJearly:'2

Even in II Corinthians, however, one of Paul's later letters, he seems to suggest that there is an intermediate state between the Christian's death and the full salvation to be bestowed on him at "the last Day". But here he speaks of it not as a death-sleep, but as a "nakedness". Paul is con,fident. that there is "3 building from God", that is, a resurrection­body ready for us when this mere "tent" of our present body is destroyed by deatb.3 But in verse 4 of the same chapter he adds that. a Christian longs to inherit this new body, or be clothed with it (Paul mixes his metaphors!), without having to die, that is, by having this present body "swallowed up by lire". This, however, can only bappen at the last day when Christ shall return and accomplish tbe complete fulfilment of God's purpose. So, then, if death comes before the last d.ay, it means

II Corinthians 15: 18 and 1 Thessalonians 4: 16. 21,9. :lII Corintllians 5: 1.

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tbat the Christian will be awaiting ChriH's retulll in a son of "naked­ness" where the physical body !las been "put off" and the new spiritual body bas not YCt been "put on".

B. There are other passages in the New Testament which provide a different picture of the resunection than these from I Thessalonians and II Corinthians. In one of Paul's later letters he says that (or him "to live is Christ, and to die is gain ... My desire is to depart and be with Christ, Cor that is far belter. But to remain in tIte flesh is more necessary on your account."l

From this passage it is clear that the central conviction to which Paul clings is that lhe Christian is in Christ, that he lives with Christ. and that the act of dying cannot alter this relationship into which he has been brought through the gift of faith. And this view of Paw's basic faith is confirmed when he says in the passage of an earlier letter we have just discussed that Christ "died for us so that whether we wake or sleep we might live with him:'2 But in Philippians I: 21 Paul seems to go even further when he says that "to die is gain". Surely this can only mean that, far from being in a death-sleep awaiting the resurrection, the "dead in Christ" are closer than ever to him, enjoying a conscious com­munion with him. "To depart and be with Christ," says Paul, is "far better"; ior him to be with Christ after death is a higher order of eternal life Lhan being with him here and now-a solid step nearer the final goal when he shall be joined with all the company of the redeemed.

Again, Paul says: ""Ve know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord ... and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord:'3

These passages suggest that the Christian's resurrection takes place at his death, or at the very least that at death the Christian passes to • fuIJer vision of Christ and a closer conscious communion with him, even though he must still in some sense await the final fulfiJment of his salvation.

There are other passages which seem to confirm this view by suggest­ing that already. in this life, the Christian's "spiritual body" is being formed. "You have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God:'. That is, the new life is a reality although it is not entirely visible. We

1 Philippians 1: 21, 23-24. 2 I Thessalonians 5: 10. slI Corinthians 5: 6,8. ·Colossians 3: 3.

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are "alive umo God through Jesu~ Chrisl our Lord."! To a degree, resur­rection has aln~ady taken place when a man confesses Christ as Lord and is baptized. Through his communion with Christ he participates here and now in eternal life. '<Vhat can this mean except tllat now, in this life, a body of glory is being fashioned in him? "You have put off the old nature with its practices, and have put on the new natme, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator."2 "Though our outward nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day."3 "'i\Te all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness (rom one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."i Let us para· phrase that in this way: "Because we Christians worship and live in the radiant presence of Christ, and thus not only see his divine glory, but rcHeel it like a mirror, our lives are being progressively transformed into the likeness of Christ; we are being changed from one degree of Christ's glory to another." And then Paul adds the reminder: "all that is the work of Christ himself through his Spirit."

The Bible does not clearly and explicitly reconcile these views. Paul was using the thought-forms of his day to say two things concerning what happens at death: (I) that the eternal life enjoyed here and now by the Christian becomes a richer fellowship with Christ after death, and (2) that each Christian must still wait for the full accomplishment of God's purpose at the last day. It is folly to try to fill in descriptive details, for we may as ,,,ell admit that these must remain a dark mystery. vVe have to be content with the fundamental conviction that "neither death nor life .... will ue able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."; 'Ve may be sure that it is God's purpose to complete our lives in His new creation, whether at death or at the last clay, because He "has given us the Spirit as a guarantee."G

'Ilomans 6: 11, AV. 2 Colossians 3: 9-10. 3 II Corinthians 4: 16. <II Corinthians 3: 18. n Humans 8: 38-39. 6 II Corinthians 5: 5.

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