Denver Seminary

Jesus told the repentant thief who was crucified with him, "today you will be with me in paradise" (Lk. 23:43). Paul told the Philippian Christians that he was torn between wanting to stay alive and be useful to them and longing "to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far" (Phil. 1:23). These are only two of the biblical examples that portray those who have died "in Christ" as occupying a state of peace and rest; not because they are dead but because they are with Christ. As the enthusiastic TV salesperson always says, "But wait—there's more!" In 2 Corinthians 5:1–8, Paul admits the limitations of this current bodily life and looks forward, not to a disembodied condition, but to a new body! In the conclusion of his first letter to the Corinthians (ch. 15) he portrays this future with compelling force. Since Christ was raised from the dead, we too shall experience resurrection as the full, embodied newness that Christ received. After we die, to be "in Christ" is to be both at peace with Christ and, in some sense, to exist in anticipation of our own resurrection. In the resurrection we will be whole, restored, and enjoy glorified bodies that can fully engage in the embodied life God intended from the beginning! Tragically, those who have rejected God's grace are not sustained by that hope after they die. Biblical terms such as sheol or hades simply designate the domain of the dead or the underworld. There they await judgment. When God conducts final judgment of everything and everyone (2 Cor. 5:10), those who have never bowed the knee to Christ will suffer condemnation and eternal separation from God (Rev. 20:11–15). Gehenna connotes the misery of that separation from God. 2 What is the interim state like for those "in Christ"? Scripture never puts forward a detailed description and not every Christian tradition has agreed on this point, 3 but we have ample evidence that it is a conscious state of rest and peace in Christ's presence. However, the specifics of that state should not be our primary concern. Lutheran theologian Helmut Thielicke, though not convinced about the consciousness of the interim state, appropriately redirects our focus to the Lord who faithfully holds us in that state and to God's powerful promise of resurrection. "I am not immortal, but I am one who awaits the resurrection. God…will not break off the fellowship that he started with me nor let it be annulled by death." 4 The most crucial question about our post-mortem state, observes Ray Anderson, is the preservation of our personal identity by God from death to resurrection. 5 The Apostle Paul implied as much with his comment that "you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3). The question, "What happens after we die?" generates speculation in both churches and tabloids. Through all its fascination and intrigue, it should steer our attention to the Lord whom we will all face, and to our only hope in life and death—the grace God offers through Christ's death and resurrection. Since Christ was raised from the dead, we too shall experience resurrection as the full, embodied newness that Christ received. What happens after we die? The answer has far more to do with the Lord who upholds us in death than with a profile of the state itself. In Christ we are assured that death brings a wonderful rest in his presence; a repose marked by eager anticipation of resurrection into wholeness. That's all we really know but, as it turns out, that's a lot. And it's what we really need most. 14 FALL 2020 2 Michael Bird offers clear, helpful explanations of what these terms mean and don't mean in Scripture. See Michael F. Bird, Evangelical Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013), 322–323. 3 Traditions both inside historic Christian orthodoxy (e.g., some Lutherans) and outside orthodoxy (e.g., Jehovah's Witnesses) have held to some version of "soul sleep," the notion that between death and resurrection the soul is inert or unconscious, unaware of the passing of time. This belief often reflects an emphasis on the inseparable unity of the material and immaterial aspects of human personhood. 4 Helmut Thielicke, Living with Death, trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983), 163. 5 Ray S. Anderson, Theology, Death and Dying (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1986), 110. PetarPaunchev/iStock Dr. Don Payne ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF THEOLOGY AND CHRISTIAN FORMATION Dr. Don Payne serves as an associate professor of theology and Christian formation. Dr. Payne earned a PhD in systematic theology from the University of Manchester, an MDiv from Denver Seminary, and a BA from Tennessee Temple University. He also serves as the Chair of the Division of Christian Thought and Ministry and the host of Denver Seminary's weekly podcast, Engage360.

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