fbpx
Search
Close this search box.

Open Thread: Is There a Form of Suffering in the Intermediate State?

From time to time, I’d like to kick-start a discussion by asking a thought-provoking theological question. Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron and one man sharpens another.” It is my hope that by conversing with others regarding a biblical response to the question, we might grow in our knowledge of Christ and his great salvation. In the spirit of fruitful discussion, here is our first question:

Believers who have died are with the Lord (Luke 23:43; Phil 1:23; cf. WLC 86), but until the Lord returns in glory their souls are separated from their bodies (Rom 8:23; Ps 16:19, 1 Thess 4:14, 16; Isa 57:2). Is it proper to characterize this separation as form of suffering?

Share:

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
On Key

Related Posts

What Is the Point of Contact?

In another video, we spoke about the antithesis, the sharp distinction between believers and unbelievers. That distinction is covenantal, absolute, and ethical. We also spoke about how that distinction is

What Is the Deeper Protestant Conception?

In Reformed Dogmatics 2:13–15, Geerhardus Vos coined a phrase for the image of God, entitled “the deeper Protestant conception.” When God formed Adam from the dust of the earth in

What Is Mutualism or Correlativism?

Mutualism or correlativism are virtual synonyms. Cornelius Van Til, a prominent twentieth-century Reformed theologian, apologist, Orthodox Presbyterian, and founding member of Westminster Theological Seminary, taught that God and the creature

What Is the Creator-Creature Distinction?

In biblical teaching summarized by Reformed theology, the creator-creature distinction brings into view the absolute ontological difference between the Triune God and the creature. The Triune God is infinite, eternal,