It is appropriate that the Confession of Faith should conclude with two chapters about the “last things,” the events and experiences that lie in the future for every person. In a time when the Christian world is filled with confident predictions about details of prophetic fulfillment, most of which will turn out to be untrue, it is refreshing to turn to the Confession. Its teaching is sober and restrained, not going beyond what the Bible clearly teaches, telling us only what is important for us to know.

The first section of chapter 32 summarizes what will occur 1) at the physical death of a person, 2) at the time of the resurrection, and 3) in the period in between, which theologians call “the intermediate state.” Death involves a separation of the two constitutional parts of human nature, the body and the soul. Our bodies, in fulfillment of the pronouncement made to Adam after he sinned, return to the elements from which they were formed, “for dust you are, and to dust you will return” (Gen. 3:19). Our souls, the immaterial aspect of our being, do not undergo a similar disintegration, but rather “return to God.” The Confession here uses almost verbatim the language of Ecclesiastes 12:7.

Recent Reformed theologians have emphasized the essential unity of body and soul in our being, rejecting the Greek view that the soul is inherently pure and immortal, and that our sin and imperfection is the consequence of being imprisoned in material bodies. The biblical view is that, when God had completed the work of creation, He looked upon all He had made, including the material aspects of it, and declared it to be “very good” (Gen. 1:31). Salvation is not accomplished by ridding us of that which is material, but by cleansing and transforming our whole being to make us like Christ. (See 1 Thess. 5:23.)

Some have charged that in this section the Confession adopts the Greek view of the essential immortality of the soul, since it says of souls that they “neither die nor sleep,” but have an “immortal subsistence.” The Confession, however, does not say that souls cannot die, but that they will not die or sleep. Furthermore, they have an immortal subsistence. The choice of the word “subsistence” appears to have been carefully made. In the 17th Century, this term was commonly used to mean “continued existence, continuance” (see the Oxford English Dictionary). The Confession follows the teaching of the Bible that souls do exist eternally, without using the metaphysical ideas of the Greek philosophers that souls are indestructible. Souls exist eternally because God providentially maintains their existence.

Souls “return to God” to appear before Him in judgment (Heb. 9:27). That judgment results in a separation, even before the Last Great Judgment Day. Those who have been made righteous by justification, and in whom the work of sanctification has been progressing, have all traces of sin finally removed from them. This teaching of final sanctification is based on the fact that departed believers are called “just men made perfect” (Heb. 12:23), and also on the teaching that sinners are not allowed to appear in the presence of God (Ps. 15). The perfected saints behold the face of God; they enjoy His presence, acceptance, love, and fellowship. Though it is not cited as a proof text, the authors of the Confession probably had in mind Psalm 17:15: “And I—in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfi ed with seeing your likeness.” Such blessedness, though greatly to be desired, is not yet the complete fulfi llment of our hope, for in the intermediate state we will await the resurrection, which will be the “full redemption” of our bodies.

Solemnly, the Confession also addresses what is in store for the wicked, those who have persisted in their rebellion against God and His Christ. They will be “cast into hell,” described here as a place of darkness and suffering. They, too, anticipate a resurrection, but a resurrection of judgment.

In reaction to Roman Catholic teaching, the Confession teaches that “beside these two places for souls … the Scripture acknowledgeth none.” This is primarily a rejection of the doctrine of purgatory. According to Catholic doctrine, purgatory is a place for souls in the intermediate state who died in grace but are in need of further cleansing from sins called “venial” (excusable), or who need to complete their own payment of the temporal punishment of sin.

The Protestant Reformation rejected the doctrine of purgatory on two grounds. First, it has no foundation in Scripture, as is stated here in the Confession. A recent Catholic instructional manual acknowledges this: “The word ‘purgatory’ is not in the Bible, nor is the doctrine of purgatory explicitly taught there” (The Teaching of Christ, Lawler, Wuerl, and Lawler, ed., p. 527). The Reformation principle of “Scripture alone” rules out the doctrine of purgatory as part of the official teaching of the Church. A second objection to the doctrine of purgatory is that it does not do justice to the nature of Christ’s atonement as the complete sacrifice for sin: “because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Heb. 10:14).

The second paragraph of chapter 32 speaks of the resurrection of the dead. This is called the “general resurrection,” because it involves all human beings who have died, whether believers or not. The Confession here follows straightforwardly what is asserted in Daniel 12:2 and John 5:28-29. The time of this occurrence is “the last day,” and the resurrection of the righteous and the wicked is simultaneous.

Skeptics reject the possibility of resuscitation of a corpse, but the Scripture teaches that God can do what seems impossible. The initial creation of all things out of nothing, after all, requires nothing less than the power of God. Since God can create life, He can also raise the dead.

There are limits to our ability to comprehend such a stupendous event in the light of our present experience and understanding. Our resurrection bodies will in some way be a continuation of our present bodies, but will also be different. That which is now characterized by corruptibility, dishonor, and weakness will in the resurrection be incorruptible, honorable, and powerful. This will be the wonderful work of our Savior.

There will be one group of people who will not experience death and resurrection—those who are still living at the time of Christ’s return. Without undergoing the disintegration of death, they will be changed so as to share in the glory of resurrection life (1 Cor. 15:51; 1 Thess. 4:17).

The third section of the chapter asserts the difference between the righteous and the wicked in the resurrection. All will have their bodies restored, but how different is the outcome! The resurrection of believers will be to honor, and con- formity to Christ. The resurrection of unbelievers will be to dishonor, and to eternal separation from the favorable presence of God.

These words were written on the day following a horrendous terrorist attack. As we struggle to comprehend these things, we take refuge in the Lord of life and death.

None of us knows what a day may bring forth—hence the urgency of our efforts at evangelism. When we are in Christ, we can face a future which is, humanly speaking, fi lled with uncertainty. Yet we can be certain that our Savior will never leave us or forsake us. We can be certain that “if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands” (2 Cor. 5:1). We can be certain that the Savior whom we eagerly await from heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ, “by the power that enables him to bring everything under his con- trol, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Phil. 3:20-21). Let us share the message of the gospel with others, so they can share with us these precious certainties.

Wayne Spear is professor emeritus of systematic theology at the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, Pa. He is a ruling elder of the North Hills (Pittsburgh, Pa.) RPC.