From Newsgroup: alt.bible

The State of the Dead and the Forgiveness of Sins

The purpose of this study is to show, in simple and direct terms, what
the Bible actually teaches regarding the state of those who have died,
where believers go when they pass away, and how our sins are truly forgiven.

1. The Conscious Existence of the Righteous Dead

The claim is made that when a person dies, they enter a state of
complete non-existence or unconsciousness, knowing nothing at all until
a future resurrection. Let us see what the Bible says.

1. To depart this physical life is to immediately go to be with Christ
in a conscious state of joy.

"My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better." (Philippians 1:23 ESV)

If death means complete unconsciousness and non-existence, departing
this life to "be with Christ" would not be "far better" than active, conscious, and joyful service to God on earth. Paul expected that the
moment he departed his physical body, he would immediately be in the
conscious presence of his Savior.

2. To be absent from the physical body is to be present with the Lord.

"Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body
and at home with the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:8 ESV)

According to the plain words of Scripture, there are two distinct
states: being "at home in the body" (earthly physical life) and being
"away from the body" (physical death). When a believer is "away from the body," they are not non-existent; they are "at home with the Lord."

3. Jesus promised a dying believer immediate, conscious entry into Paradise.

"And he said to him, 'Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.'" (Luke 23:43 ESV)

Jesus did not tell the dying thief that he would slip into
unconsciousness or cease to exist. He promised him that on that very
day, they would be together in Paradise.

4. Moses and Elijah, long after their earthly lives ended, appeared in conscious glory.

"And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him." (Matthew 17:3 ESV)

Moses had physically died centuries prior (Deuteronomy 34:5). Yet, on
the Mount of Transfiguration, Moses was not unconscious, nor had he
ceased to exist. He was fully conscious, visible, and actively talking
with the Lord Jesus.

5. The phrase "the dead know nothing" refers specifically to earthly
affairs under the sun, not the state of the soul in eternity.

"For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing at
all, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.
Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and
forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 ESV)

This passage describes the dead from a purely earthly perspectiverCo"under
the sun." From the standpoint of physical life on earth, the dead no
longer have any active participation, physical awareness, or portion in earthly events. It does not teach that the soul ceases to exist in the spiritual realm.

2. Believers and the Heavenly Hope

Some teach that no human being except Jesus Christ has ever gone or will
ever go to heaven, pointing to John 3:13 as proof. Let us see what the
Bible says.

1. John 3:13 refers to Christ's unique authority as the only eyewitness
of heavenly truths.

"No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven,
the Son of Man." (John 3:13 ESV)

Jesus is not discussing whether saved humans go to heaven when they die.
He is explaining who has the authority to reveal heavenly mysteries. No
human being had ever climbed up to heaven to fetch divine truths and
bring them down to earth. Only the Son of Man, who originally came down
from heaven, has the firsthand authority to reveal those things to us.

2. The righteous dead are currently in the heavenly city of God.

"But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem... and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect." (Hebrews 12:22-23 ESV)

The Bible teaches that in the heavenly Jerusalem, the spirits of
righteous people who have died are already there, having been "made
perfect." They are not in the ground; they are in the city of the living
God.

3. How Sin is Expiated and Forgiven

It is sometimes taught that physical death itself pays the penalty for
our sins, meaning that when a person dies, their sins are completely
wiped out, and they are resurrected as "sinless" beings who cannot be
judged for their past lives. Let us see what the Bible says.

1. Romans 6:7 describes a spiritual death to the power of sin, not the
payment of sins through physical death.

"For one who has died has been justified from sin." (Romans 6:7 ESV, margin/literal translation)

The context of Romans 6 makes it absolutely clear that this is not
talking about physical death in a graveyard. It is talking about our
spiritual identification with Christ.

"We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body
of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be
enslaved to sin." (Romans 6:6 ESV)

The death spoken of here is the believer's spiritual co-crucifixion with Christ. When we trust in Christ, we are spiritually "dead" to our old
life of sin, and thus we are set free (justified) from sinrCOs slavery. If physical death itself paid for personal sins, then Christ's sacrificial
death on the cross was completely unnecessary, and every wicked person
who dies would be automatically saved.

2. Man faces judgment for his earthly deeds after physical death.

"And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment." (Hebrews 9:27 ESV)

If physical death paid for our sins and wiped our record clean, there
would be no judgment of our earthly life after we die. But God's Word
declares that physical death does not erase our sins; instead, judgment follows death.

3. It is possible to die in your sins and face eternal loss.

"I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that
I am he you will die in your sins." (John 8:24 ESV)

If physical death paid for and erased all sin, no one could ever "die in
their sins." Yet Jesus explicitly warns that those who reject Him will
die in their sins and carry the guilt of those sins into eternity.

4. Sins are paid for and cleansed only by the blood of Jesus Christ, not
by our own physical death.

"Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more
shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God." (Romans 5:9 ESV)

The Bible never says we are justified by our own death. We are justified
by His blood.

"And the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:7 ESV)

Only the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ has the power to cleanse us
from sin. To say that our own physical death pays for our sins is to
deny the value of Christ's sacrifice and to claim that we can save
ourselves by simply dying.

Summary

By comparing scripture with scripture, we arrive at these undeniable
biblical truths:

The righteous dead do not cease to exist; they are consciously present
with the Lord Jesus.

The heavenly Jerusalem is populated by the spirits of the righteous made perfect.

Physical death does not pay for our sins. Our sins are paid for solely
by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

Those who die without Christ die in their sins and must face judgment
after death.
--
Good News rCa

Our debt to God was nailed to the cross where Christ died for our sins (Colossians 2:14), and God demonstrated this fact by raising Him from
the grave (Romans 1:4). Now, God remains perfectly just while forgiving
those who put their faith in Jesus (Romans 3:26) and sparing them from
future wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:10). It is a free gift for everyone who believes (Romans 6:23). Trust in the Lord and call on His name to
receive salvation (Romans 10:9-13):

How to be saved: christrose.news/salvation
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2