Intermediate State Versus Resurrection Body Theology
The concept of an intermediate state between death and the resurrection has been a subject of theological debate among Christians. The idea posits that upon death, the soul enters a state of existence that is distinct from its condition after the resurrection. According to Charles Hodge, this intermediate state is acknowledged by most Christians, but its nature is a matter of diversity [5].
The biblical basis for the intermediate state is rooted in passages such as 2 Corinthians 5:8, where the apostle Paul expresses a desire to be "with Christ" after death. The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown commentary interprets this as a preference for being with the Lord in a disembodied state, awaiting the future resurrection when believers will be "clothed upon" with their heavenly bodies [2].
The nature of the intermediate state varies across different Christian traditions. Some, like Jeremy Taylor, a bishop of Down and Connor, describe it as a state where the soul dwells "in the region of light, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" [1]. In contrast, others believe that the souls of the wicked are in a "dark, dismal, and uncomfortable" state, devoid of rest or refreshment [6].
The early Church Fathers also grappled with the concept of the intermediate state. According to Irenaeus, the souls of the righteous are in a state of expectation, awaiting the resurrection when they will receive their glorified bodies [4]. This patristic understanding is echoed in the Reformed tradition, which affirms the literal resurrection of the body deposited in the grave [3].
The relationship between the intermediate state and the resurrection body is complex. While some argue that the soul is incomplete without its bodily form, others contend that the intermediate state is a temporary condition that precedes the ultimate glorification of the believer at the resurrection. Charles Hodge notes that the Bible teaches the identity of the future body with the present body, suggesting continuity between the earthly and resurrected states [3].
The diversity of views on the intermediate state and resurrection body theology reflects ongoing theological debates within Christianity. While there is agreement on the fact of an intermediate state, the specifics of its nature and its relation to the resurrection remain a subject of discussion among Christian traditions [5, 7].
Sources
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 78: him, but that he, escaping the gates of hell and pains of eternal darkness, may ever dwell in the region of light, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the place where is no weeping, sorrow, nor heaviness; and when that dreadful day of the general resurrection shall come, make him to rise also with the just and righteous, and receive this body again to glory, then made pure and incorruptible.” Jeremy Taylor, bishop of Down and Connor, says: 773 773 Life and Death of Jesus Christ, III. xvi. ad. 1; 3d edit. London, 1657, p. 533. Paradise is d”
- 2 Corinthians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 2 Corinthians 5:8: willing--literally, "well content." Translate also, "To go (literally, migrate) from our home in the body, and to come to our home with the Lord." We should prefer to be found alive at the Lord's coming, and to be clothed upon with our heavenly body (Co2 5:2-4). But feeling, as we do, the sojourn in the body to be a separation from our true home "with the Lord," we prefer even dissolution by death, so that in the intermediate disembodied state we may go to be "with the Lord" (Phi 1:23). "To be with Christ" (the disembodied state) is distinguished”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 81: the faith of the Church, we cannot err in following his example. The Bible is a plain book, and the whole Christian world, in all ages, has understood it to teach, not this or that, but the literal rising from the dead of the body deposited in the grave. All Christians of every denomination are taught to say, I believe in “The forgiveness of sins; The resurrection of the body; And the life everlasting.” The Identity of the Future with our Present Body. There are two distinct questions to be here considered. First, Do the Scriptures teach ”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 1: Clement, Polycarp, Ignatius, Barnabas, Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus — CHAP. XXXI.--THE PRESERVATION OF OUR BODIES IS CONFIRMED BY THE RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION OF CHRIST: THE SOULS OF THE SAINTS DURING THE INTERMEDIATE PERIOD ARE IN A STATE OF EXPECTATION OF THAT TIME (part 2): "in the lower parts of the earth;"(8) then afterwards rising in the flesh, so that He even showed the print of the nails to His disciples,(9) He thus ascended to the Father;--[if all these things occurred, I say], how must these men not be put to confusion, who allege that "the lower parts" refer to this”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 76: a state of existence which intervenes between death and the resurrection; and that the condition of the departed during that interval is, in some respects, different from that which it is to be subsequent to that event. It is not, therefore, as to the fact of an intermediate state, but as to its nature, that diversity of opinion exists among Christians. The common Protestant doctrine on this subject is that “the souls of believers are at their death, made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies, being sti”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 78: or sempiternally.” The souls of the wicked at death do not go into hell, but into a middle state, “which state is dark, dismal, and uncomfortable, without light, rest, or any manner of refreshment, without any company but that of devils and such impure souls as themselves to converse with, and where these miserable souls are in dismal apprehensions of the deserved wrath of God.” “Secondly, That there is no immediate judgment after death, no trial on which sentence is pronounced, of neither the righteous nor the wicked, until Christ’s seco”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 78: whether 739 there is a state intermediate between death and the resurrection in which believers are less glorious and exalted than they are to be after the second advent of Christ, but what is the nature of that state. Are believers after death with Christ? Do their souls immediately pass into glory? or, are they in a dreamy, semi-conscious state, neither happy nor miserable, awaiting the resurrection of the body. That this latter view was for a long time prevalent in the Church may be inferred, (1.) From the fact that this was the view o”