EAGLE ROCK CHRISTIAN CHURCH TEACHING MINISTRY
DOCTRINE OF LAST THINGS CLASS
SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY
AN INTRODUCTION TO BIBLICAL DOCTRINE
BY WAYNE GRUDEM
Chapter 41
Death and the IntermediateState
What is the purpose of death in the Christian life?
What happens to our bodies and souls when we die?
OUTLINED BY LEOWEN EVANS, PASTOR/TEACHER
February 2009
EXPLANATION AND SCRIPTURAL BASIS
A. Why Do Christians Die?
1. Death Is Not a Punishment for Christians.
a. “All the penalty for [Christian’s] sins has been paid. Therefore, even though we know that
Christians die, we should not view the death of Christians as a punishment from God or in any
way a result of penalty due to us for our sins” (Grudem, p. 810).
(1) “Paul tells us that there is ‘no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’
(Rom. 8:1)” [Grudem, p. 810].
2. Death Is the Final Outcome of Living in a Fallen World.
a. “All though death does not come to us as a penalty for our individual sins (for that has been
paid by Christ), it does come to us as a result of living in a fallen world, where the effects of
sin have not all been removed” [Grudem, p. 811].
(1) There is “no condemnation for those who are in Christ” (Rom. 8:1) [Grudem, p. 810].
(2) “The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1 Cor. 15:26)” [Grudem, p. 811].
(3) “When Christ returns, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’
‘O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?’ (1 Cor. 15:54-55)” [Grudem, p. 811].
b. “Related to the experience of the presence of death in the world—Christians as well as
non-Christians experience aging, illnesses, injuries, and natural disasters (such as floods,
violent storms, and earthquakes)” [Grudem, p. 811).
3. God Uses the Experience of Death to Complete Our Sanctification.
a. Death for Christians is “simply something God brings us through in order to make us more
like Christ” (Grudem, p. 812).
b. “Sometimes suffering is simply a result of living in a sinful, fallen world, and sometimes it is
because God is disciplining us (for our good)” (Grudem, p. 811).
(1) “The positive purpose for God’s discipline is clear in Hebrews 12, where we read:
The Lord disciplines him whom he loves…He disciplines us for our good, that we may
share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant;
later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
(Heb. 12:6, 10-11)” [Grudem, p. 811].
c. “Not all discipline is in order to correct us from sins that we have committed; it can also be
allowed by God to strengthen us in order that we may gain greater ability to trust God and
resist sin in the challenging path of obedience” (Grudem, p. 811).
(1) “[I]n all cases we are assured by Romans 8:28 that ‘God causes all things to work
together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His
purpose’’’ (Grudem, p. 811).
(2) “…Jesus, who, though he was without sin, yet ‘learned obedience through what he
suffered’ (Heb. 5:8). He was made perfect ‘through suffering’ (Heb. 2:10).
d. “Consequently, we should view the aging and weakness and sometimes sickness leading up
to death as another kind of discipline that God allows us to go through in order that through
this process our sanctification might be furthered and ultimately completed when we go to be
in the Lord’s presence” (Grudem, p. 812).
4. Our Experience of Death Completes Our Union With Christ.
a. “Another reason why God allows us to experience death, rather than taking us immediately
to heaven when we become Christians, is that through death we imitate Christ in what he did
and thereby experience closer union with him” (Grudem, p. 812).
(1) “Paul can say that we are fellow heirs with Christ ‘provided we suffer with him in order
that we may also be glorified with him’ (Rom. 8:17)” [Grudem, p. 812].
(2) “[U]nion with Christ in suffering includes union with him in death as well
(see Phil. 3:10)” [Grudem, p. 812].
5. Our Obedience to God Is More Important Than Preserving Our Own Lives.
a. “If God uses the experience of death to deepen our trust in him and to strengthen our
obedience to him, then it is important that we remember that the world’s goal of preserving
one’s own physical life at all costs is not the highest goal for a Christian: obedience to God
and faithfulness to him in every circumstance is far more important” (Grudem, p. 813).
(1) “This is why Paul could say, ‘I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die at
Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus’ (Acts 21:13; cf. 25:11)” [Grudem, p. 813].
(2) “This conviction also gave Peter and the other apostles courage, when facing the threat
of death, to say, ‘We must obey God rather than men’ (Acts 5:29)” [Grudem, p. 813].
(3) “[T]here will be rejoicing in heaven when the faithful saints have conquered the devil by
the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for ‘they loved not their lives
even unto death’ (Rev. 12:11)” [Grudem, p. 813].
b. “Even in times where there is little persecution and little likelihood of martyrdom, it would
be good for us to fix this truth in our minds once for all, for if we are willing to give up even
our lives for faithfulness to God, we shall find it much easier to give up everything else for
the sake of Christ as well” (Grudem, p. 813).
B. How Should We Think of Our Own Death
and the death of others?
1. Our Own Death.
a. “The New Testament encourages us to view our own death not with fear but with joy at the
prospect of going to be with Christ” (Grudem, p. 813).
(1) “Paul says,
(a) ‘We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord’ (2 Cor. 5:8)”
[Grudem, p. 813].
(b) ‘For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If it is to be life in the flesh, that
means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard
pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far
better. (Phil. 1:21-23)” [Grudem, pp. 813-814].
(c) “[N]ot even ‘death’ will ‘separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord’
(Rom. 8:38-39; cf. Ps. 23:4)” [Grudem, p. 814].
(2) John says: “And I heard a voice from heaven saying ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead
who die in the Lord henceforth.’ ‘Blessed indeed,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest
from their labors, for their deeds follow them!’” (Rev. 14:13) [Grudem, p. 814].
2. The Death of Christian Friends and Relatives.
a. “In these cases we will experience genuine sorrow—but mixed with joy that they have gone
to be with the Lord” (Grudem, p. 814).
b. “It is not wrong to express real sorrow at the loss of fellowship with loved ones who have
died, and sorrow also for the suffering and hardship that they may have gone through prior to
death” (Grudem, p. 814).
c. Christians experience genuine sorrow at the death of Christian friends and relatives (Grudem,
p. 814).
(1) “Even Jesus, at the tomb of Lazarus, ‘wept’ (John 11:35), experiencing sorrow at the fact
that Lazarus had died, that his sisters and others were experiencing such grief, and also,
no doubt, at the fact that there was death in the world at all, for ultimately it is
unnatural and ought not to be in a world created by God” (Grudem, p. 814).
(2) “Devout men buried Stephen, and made great lamentation over him” (Acts 8:2).
(3) Paul stated that if Epaphroditus had died, he himself would have had “sorrow upon
sorrow” (Phil. 2:27) [Grudem, p. 815].
d. The sorrow that Christians feel at the death of Christian friends and relatives “is clearly
mingled with hope and joy” (Grudem, p. 815).
(1) “Paul does not tell the Thessalonians that they should not grieve at all concerning their
loved ones who have died, but he writes, ‘that you may not grieve as others do who have
no hope’ (1 Thess. 4:13)—they should not grieve in the same way, with the same bitter
despair, that unbelievers have” [Grudem, p. 815].
(2) “Though we mourn, our mourning should be mixed with worship of God and thanksgiving
for the life of the loved one who has died” (2 Sam. 12:20; Job 1:20-21) [Grudem, p. 815].
3. The Death of Unbelievers.
a. Sorrow without Joy.
(1) “When unbelievers die, the sorrow we feel is not mingled with joy of assurance that they
have gone to be with the Lord forever” (Grudem, p. 815)
(a) Paul, speaking about his Jewish brothers who had rejected Christ, said
‘I am speaking the truth in Christ, I am not lying; my conscience bears me
witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish
in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from
Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen by race’ (Rom. 9:1-3)
[Grudem, p. 815].
b. The Possibility of Genuine Repentance and Faith by Unbelievers at Death
(1) “Yet it also must be said that we often do not have absolute certainty that a person has
persisted in refusal to trust in Christ all the way to the point of death” (Grudem, p. 815).
(a) “The knowledge of one’s impending death often will bring about genuine heart
searching on the part of the dying person, and
(b) [S]ometimes words of Scripture or words of Christian testimony that have been
heard long ago will be recalled and the person may come to genuine repentance
and faith” (Grudem, p. 815).
(c) “[W]e have only probable but not absolute knowledge that those whom we have
known as unbelievers have persisted in their unbelief until the point of death”
(Grudem, p. 816).
c. Misleading and False Assurance Should Not Be Given.
(1) “[A]fter a non-Christian has died, it would be wrong to give any indication to others that
we think that person has gone to heaven” (Grudem, p. 816).
(2) “This would simply be to give misleading information and false assurance, and to
diminish the urgency of the need for those who are still alive to trust in Christ”
(Grudem, p. 816).
d. An Opportunity to Reflect on Our Own Life and Destiny.
(1) The sorrow that we experience at the death of someone we love should cause us to
reflect on our own life and destiny (Grudem, p. 816).
(2) Often the Lord will open up an opportunity for us to talk about the gospel to loved ones
of an unbeliever who has died (Grudem, p. 816).
e. Speak with Genuine Thankfulness About the Good Qualities Of the Unbeliever Who Has
Died.
(1) “It is right to thank God for the benefits of common grace in the lives of unbelievers”
(Grudem, p. 816, footnote 4).
(2) The example of David and Saul.
(a) Saul became an evil king, pursued and attempted to kill David (Grudem, p. 816).
(b) At Saul’s death, “David spoke freely and publicly about the good things Saul had
done:
‘Your glory, O Israel, is slain upon your high places! How are the mighty fallen!
…Saul and Jonathan…they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you daintily in scarlet, who
put ornaments of gold upon your apparel. How are the mighty fallen in the midst
of battle!’ (2 Sam. 1:19-25)” [Grudem, p. 816].
C. What Happens When People Die?
1. The Souls of Believers Go Immediately Into God’s Presence.
General Notes
(1) “Death is temporary cessation of bodily life and a separation of the soul from the body”
(Grudem, p. 816).
(2) After death, the physical body of the believer remains on the earth and is buried
(Grudem, p. 816).
(a) “…God will not leave our dead bodies in the earth forever, for when Christ returns
the souls of believers will be reunited with their bodies, their bodies will be raised
from the dead, and they will live with Christ eternally” (Grudem, p. 817).
(b) 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NIV)
13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.
(3) “[A]t the moment of death, the soul (or spirit) of that believer goes immediately into the
presence of God with rejoicing” (Grudem, p. 816).
(a) “When Paul thinks about death he says, ‘We would rather be away from the body
and at home with the Lord’ (2 Cor. 5:8)” [Grudem, p. 816].
(b) “…Jesus said to the thief who was dying on the cross next to him, ‘Today you will
be with me in Paradise’ (Luke 23:43)” [Grudem, p. 816].
(c) “The author of Hebrews says that when Christians come together to worship they
come not only into the presence of God in heaven, but also into the presence of
‘the spirits of just men made perfect’ (Heb. 12:23” [Grudem, pp. 816-817].
a. The Bible Does Not teach the doctrine of Purgatory:
(1) “The fact that the souls of believers go immediately into God’s presence means that there
is no such thing as purgatory” (Grudem, p. 317).
(2) The Doctrine of Purgatory
(a) “In Roman Catholic teaching, purgatory is the place where the souls of believers go to
be further purified from sin until they are ready to be admitted into heaven”
(Grudem, p. 817).
(b) Roman Catholics find support for the doctrine
i. In the writings of the Apocrypha (2 Maccabees 12:42-45) and the teaching
tradition of the church (Grudem, p. 818)..
ii. In the following Scriptures from the Christian canon:
AA. “May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he
often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary,
when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. May
the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You
know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus” (2 Timothy
1:16-18).
BB. “Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this
age or in the age to come” (Matthew 12:32) [Grudem, p. 818].
- “If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3:15) [Grudem, p. 818].
- “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison
who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built” (1 Peter 3:18-20 NIV).
(3) Grudem rejects this doctrine for the following reasons:
(a) The Apocrypha and Catholic Church tradition do not have the authority of Scripture
(Grudem, p. 817).
(b) The doctrine of Purgatory is in conflict with the Scripture that says that believers go
immediately into the presence of God (Grudem, p. 817).
(c) This doctrine “teaches that we must add something to the redemptive work of Christ,
and that his redemptive work for us was not enough to pay the penalty for all our
sins” (Grudem, p. 819).
b. The Bible Does Not Teach the Doctrine of “Soul Sleep”:
(1) “The fact that souls of believers go immediately into God’s presence also means that the
doctrine of soul sleep is incorrect” (Grudem, p. 819).
(a) According to Scripture, “the souls of believers go immediately into God’s presence
and enjoy fellowship with him there (2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; Luke 23:43; and Heb.
12:23)” [Grudem, p. 820].
(b) All of the above Scriptures “indicate that there is conscious existence and fellowship
with God immediately after death for the believer” (Grudem, p. 820).
(2) The Doctrine of Soul Sleep
(a) “[T]eaches that when the believers die they go into a state of unconscious existence,
and the next thing they are conscious of will be when Christ returns and raises them to
eternal life” (Grudem, p. 819).
(b) “Support for the doctrine of soul sleep has generally been found in the fact that
Scripture several times speaks of the state of death as ‘sleep’ or ‘falling asleep’ (Matt.
9:24; 27:52; John 11:11; Acts 7:60; 13:36; 1 Cor. 15:6, 18, 20, 51; 1 Thess. 4:13;
5:10)” [Grudem, p. 819].
(c) “Moreover, certain passages seem to teach that the dead do not have a conscious
existence (see Ps. 6:5; 115:17 [but see v. 18!]; Eccl: 9:10; Isa 38:19)” [Grudem,
p. 819].
(3) Grudem rejects the doctrine for the following reasons:
(a) It is in direct conflict with the Scriptures that say that believers go immediately into
the presence of God (Grudem, p. 819).
(b) The doctrine has never found “wide acceptance in the church” (Grudem, p. 819).
(c) “[W]hen Scripture represents death as ‘sleep’ it is simply a metaphorical expression
used to indicate that death is only temporary for Christians, just as sleep is
temporary” (Grudem, p. 819).
(d) It only appears to us that the dead cease “conscious activity” (Grudem, p. 820).
(4) Speaking to, or Praying for, the Dead
(a) “Scripture says very little about this” (Grudem, p. 820).
(b) Grudem concludes that “probably [Scripture] does not want us to speak to those who
have died or pray to them or to contact them in any way (note Saul’s great sin in this
in 1 Sam. 28.:7-25)” [Grudem, p. 820].
c. Did Old Testament Believers Enter Immediately Into God’s Presence?
(1) “Not many Scripture references talk about the state of Old Testament believers after they
had died, but those that give us any indication of their state all point in the direction of
immediate conscious enjoyment in the presence of God, not of a time of waiting away
from God’s presence” (Grudem, p. 821).
(a) “‘Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him’ (Gen. 5:24; cf. Heb.