Of the State of Men after Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead, XXXII:3

The bodies of the unjust shall, by the power of Christ, be raised to dishonor: the bodies of the just, by His Spirit, unto honor; and be made conformable to His own glorious body.

In the end, all who have died shall be raised. But there is a great difference in the destiny of men. Those who are of Christ will be raised in honor and glory and be made like unto him. Those who are still in their sins will be raised to wrath and dishonor. It is the subject of judgment to which we next turn.

Tomorrow: The coming judgment.

Of the State of Men after Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead, XXXII:2

At the last day, such as are found alive shall not die, but be changed: and all the dead shall be raised up, with the self-same bodies, and none other (although with different qualities), which shall be united again to their souls for ever.

This is the great hope of the Christian, the towering truth proclaimed by the Apostle Paul in the fifteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians. We, being created as psychosomatic unities, are not condemned to endure an eternity of incompleteness, but instead live in the expectation that just as we are now spiritually new creatures in Christ so we will physically be new creatures, glorious creatures, in Christ and will live and reign with him for eternity in a remade universe.

Tomorrow: The differential fate of the just and the unjust.

Of the State of Men after Death, and of the Resurrection from the Dead, XXXII:1

The bodies of men, after death, return to dust, and see corruption: but their souls, which neither die nor sleep, having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them: the souls of the righteous, being then made perfect in holiness, are received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God, in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies. And the souls of the wicked are cast into hell, where they remain in torments and utter darkness, reserved to the judgment of the great day. Beside these two places, for souls separated from their bodies, the Scripture acknowledges none.

We have come finally to the Confession's penultimate chapter. As is typical of systematic treatments of Christian doctrine the final subject taken up is that of the last things. This brief chapter concerns itself with the fate of men upon death. All men see death. Their corruptible bodies decompose and return to the earth. But their souls, according to this statement, have "an immortal subsistance." This is a controversial assertion. The inherent immortality of the soul is a Platonic teaching and is not necessarily found in Scripture. It may be more in keeping with biblical thought to speak of the human soul as possessing an everlasting existance, which is not a native characteristic but is granted and sustained by God himself. In any event, the soul continues to exist after the death of the physical body. It does not die, neither does it sleep (in contradistinction to teachings from other traditions).

Instead, the soul has an eternal destiny, one of two. The souls of the righteous in Christ live in glorious perfection, having been thoroughly sanctified and made fit by God for his heaven. There they wait for the final redemption of their bodies and their recreation as glorified humans who will live and reign with Christ forever. The souls of the unrighteous, however, go to hell, the place prepared for Satan, his demons, and them. It is described as a place of "torments and utter darkness." And their status after the resurrection will be worse than it was before.

There is no other destiny after death. The Roman Catholic teachings on limbo and purgatory are not biblical and are therefore false. Similarly, the Scriptures do not speak of annihilation, an idea that unhappily has obtained some purchase amongst evangelical Protestants.

Tomorrow: The great hope of the Christian.

Of Synods and Councils, XXXI:4

Synods and councils are to handle, or conclude nothing, but that which is ecclesiastical: and are not to intermeddle with civil affairs which concern the commonwealth, unless by way of humble petition in cases extraordinary; or, by way of advice, for satisfaction of conscience, if they be thereunto required by the civil magistrate.


Church assemblies are to restrict themselves to ecclesiastical matters unless their advice on civil matters is solicited by the civil magistrate. In other words, there is to be a strict separation of church and state on the part of the church. The church should not "meddle" in strictly civil matters unless consulted.

Now, at the time of the Confession's writing it was broadly assumed that the civil magistrate would be a professing Christian and would conduct the affairs of state accordingly. There is a hint in the language that church assemblies could gently remind the civil magistrate of concerns touching upon conscience. But I rather doubt the divines had any idea that church-state relations would be routinely hostile. The fact that such relations have come about--or, that in the United States presently it is thought that the civil government should be "neutral" toward religion in general (but actually hostile toward any specific observance of religion except for secularism)--suggests that this chapter of the Confession is a candidate for revision.

Tomorrow: The fate of men after death.

Of Synods and Councils, XXXI:3

All synods or councils, since the Apostles' times, whether general or particular, may err; and many have erred. Therefore they are not to be made the rule of faith, or practice; but to be used as a help in both.

Reformed Protestants carry no water for the idea that church councils are infallible. While we have great respect for the first four general ecumenical councils they remain subordinate to the authority of Scripture. To the extent that the decisions and decrees of a church council aligns with Scripture they are to be heeded, as we discussed yesterday. Only Scripture can be the rule of faith and practice. Yet councils, being composed of wise and experienced Christians, many of whom have steeped themselves in the wisdom of Scripture and have much sanctification, are valuable resources for the church and may offer great help that is perilous to disregard. This is the esteem in which we hold the Westminster Assembly--a great and good council, yet fallible, and always subject to correction by the Scriptures.

Tomorrow: Church assemblies and the civil magistrate.

Of Synods and Councils, XXXI:2

It belongs to synods and councils, ministerially to determine controversies of faith, and cases of conscience; to set down rules and directions for the better ordering of the public worship of God, and government of His Church; to receive complaints in cases of maladministration, and authoritatively to determine the same: which decrees and determinations, if consonant to the Word of God, are to be received with reverence and submission; not only for their agreement with the Word, but also for the power whereby they are made, as being an ordinance of God appointed thereunto in His Word.

In a nutshell, such assemblies properly concern themselves with matters of doctrine or Christian practicality and to settle disputes. In all things they strive to maintain the peace and purity of the church. But the authority of these assemblies is not absolute--if the decisions they make are consonant with Scripture, they should be heeded as is right given their ecclesiastical authority, but if contrary to Scripture they must not be obeyed.

Tomorrow: Synods and councils are not infallible.

Of Synods and Councils, XXXI:1

For the better government, and further edification of the Church, there ought to be such assemblies as are commonly called Synods or Councils; and it belongs to the overseers [elders] and other rulers of the particular churches, by virtue of their office, and the power which Christ has given them for edification and not for destruction, to appoint such assemblies; and to convene together in them, as often as they shall judge it expedient for the good of the church.

Most of this chapter is fairly self-explanatory, and familiar to those of us with a background in the presbyterian form of church government. This paragraph more or less states that assemblies of Christian churches and church members are useful. The specific benefits cited here are better government--striving toward the peace and purity of the church--and further edification--building one another up, especially with respect to Christian education (although not exclusively so). Such assemblies should meet as often as is necessary to benefit the church.

Tomorrow: Specific tasks and responsibilities of such assemblies.