from death to life - afterlife · from death to life. 2 . issue 30 july 2006 editorial 3 david...

The Official Magazine of the Conditional

Immortality Association of New Zealand

Bible Teaching • Life • Death • Resurrection • Eternal Destiny

Issue 30 • July 2006

From Death

To Life

www.afterlife.co.nz2

Issue 30 July 2006

Editorial 3David Burge

Twisted Scripture 4David Burge

From Off The Shelf 5David Burge

Conditional Immortality:Does It Matter? Should ICare? 8David Burge

This Is My Story 17Armand Newrick

Faith of Our Fathers 23A Reformation Crisis Concerningthe Soul (Part 2 of 3)William Kilgore

Info / AdvertsACMissioNZ 2Respub 6Carey Park 27

Editor: David [email protected]

www.afterlife.co.nz 3

Our recent AssociationConference and Dinner (May6) was a great success. As wellas good food and goodfellowship, it was a time ofencouragement for those whobelieve that ConditionalImmortality is important. Youwill find my address given thatevening in this issue of ourmagazine (p5).

As an Association we publishthis magazine (in print andelectronic formats); wepromote Warren Prestidge’svideos, “Life Death and theResurrection” (Now available onDVD), and his book, “Life,Death and Destiny”; wemaintain a website; we supporttheological students who shareour belief in ConditionalImmortality as they train forministry in one capacity oranother; we maintain aninterest in ACMissioNZ andCarey Park. From time to timewe host international guestssuch as Professor Joel andPam Green in New Zealand(2005).

(Continued on page 26)


Hebrews 12:23.

The writer to the Hebrewsspeaks of "the spirits ofrighteous men madeperfect" (12:23). Manyassume this is a referenceto believers who have diedand that since, in someway, the Hebrew saints are"come" to them inHeaven, the souls of thedeparted must already bein heaven. Not at all!

Jesus once told aSamaritan woman that atime was coming when trueworshipers would worshipthe Father “in spirit andtruth" (John 4:23).

To worship "in spirit" is notjust to worship sincerely.This God has alwaysrequired (Deut. 6:4-7; Isa1:10-18). John, however,in Revelation, was “in thespirit” on the Lord’s Day(Rev. 1:10). In RevelationFour we see him inheaven, "in the Spirit" (v2),at a heavenly worshipservice.

The early churchunderstood that all of ourworship takes place, insome sense, “in the spirit”,in heaven, around the

throne of God with the angelsand other heavenly beings(Heb. 12:22ff).

While Old Testament worshipconsisted of "fleshly"ordinances, anchored in thephysical realm (Heb. 9:1-10),New Testament worship isgeared more toward what takesplace in the spiritual realm. Oursis a “spiritual temple” (1Cor.3:16; Eph. 2:19-22). We offer“spiritual sacrifices” (1Pet.2:5,9; Rom. 12:1; Heb. 13:15).Our prayers are sweet incense(Rev. 5:8) offered to God.

So too, to worship "in truth" isnot to worship according to thecommands of God. Such wasexpected in the Old Testament(Deut. 5:32-33). Rather thecontrast is between that whichis "true” and that which is a"shadow" pointing to the truth! (Continued on page 22)

5

Reflections on John H.Hayes and Sara R.Mandell, “The JewishPeople in ClassicalAntiquity: from Alexanderto Bar Kochba”.

Having enrolled to take apaper toward an MTS (Masterof Theological Studies) I foundmyself having to read thisbook on the history of theJewish people“between theTestaments”.

The substance ofthis book is (to meanyway) arelatively detailed,though stillreadable accountof the Jews in theLand from thetime of Alexanderthe Great and hisconquest of theNear East (332BCE) to that of the SecondJewish Revolt led by BarKochba (132–135 CE).Chapter one discusses the lotof the Jewish Communityunder the Ptolemies andSeleucids. Chapter 2 deals withthe Hasmonaeans. Chapter 3

is concerned with theHerodian period. Chapter 4gives an account of theJewish-Roman wars. There arecharts and maps throughoutthe book, though the chartsare more like long lists and dolittle to break up the text.There are excerpts fromprimary sources which areinteresting but again, apartfrom being in boxes, they do

little to break upthe text. It is notthat I can’t read abook that has nopictures, but thisbook, apart froma few maps and afamily tree or two,is an illustrationfree zone!

The timebetween theTestaments is notwell understood by

Christians, though this time, itsleaders, its politics, its wars,and its religious schismsshaped and moulded SecondTemple Judaism into what itwas at the time of our LordJesus Christ.

FROM OFF THE SHELF


This newsletter was produced, printed and published by:Resurrection Publishing

PO Box 75-612Manurewa

Manukau 2243New Zealand

Subscriptions may be sent to the above address in the amount of NZ $15for four issues.

With this in mind I waslooking forward to expandingmy understanding of thisimportant period. I was notdisappointed, though at timesI was almost overwhelmed bythe details.

One key point that Hayesand Mandell make time andtime again is that there wasno such thing as “normativeJudaism”. Various groups,divided by political ortheological issues all compriseda people loosely connected bybelief in the same one God,but not necessarily subscribingto the same political ortheological creed. Thesediverse groups hung together,Hayes and Mandell seem tosay, only “insofar as they wereYawhist” (p. 2). A similar pointis made by Shaye J. D. Cohen(Cohen, Shaye J. D. From theMaccabees to the Mishnah.Philadelphia: Westminster,1987) when he says, “The

Jews saw (and see)themselves as the heirs andcontinuators of the people ofpre-exilic Israel; the Jews alsofelt (and still feel) an affinityfor their fellow Jewsthroughout the world, in spiteof differences in language,practice, ideology and politicalloyalty” (p. 25). One couldwish for such a sense of unityin diversity among thefollowers of Jesus today!

As one who has had a long-standing interest in thedoctrines we know as“Conditional Immortality” Ihave heard it argued (even bypeople who should knowbetter!) that the teaching ofJesus and his Apostles on thenature of hell-fire ought to beinterpreted against thebackground of a supposedly“uniform Jewish view”. Thereality is, as Hayes andMandell stress, there is rarelya single uniform Jewish view of


any subject - whether hellfire,or “Fate”, or the status of the“oral torah” (p. 86), or theresurrection (Mat. 22:23) orangels (Acts 23:7-8).

In one sense, however, Iconfess I may be as muchsinning as sinned against. Theauthors, in discussing theimpact of the major powers(Rome, Greece, etc) upon thepolitical situation in Judeaalways seem to have atleast one eye on how thevarious factions withineach of the powers, suchas Seleucids and Ptolemies(pp. 30-31) in the case ofthe Greeks, or theOptimates (p. 4) in thecase of the Romans,affected the outcome.The idea that it may beno more accurate tospeak of a normativeGreek or Roman viewthan it is to speak ofnormative Judaism is onethat intrigues me. I wouldlike to explore this more. Ihave been guilty ofcontrasting (when it suits)THE Greek view with theHebrew view, perhaps at theexpense of historical accuracy.

The truth is, people of all ageshave held all kinds of competingand often contradictory beliefs.In the end it is not aboutpigeonholing people so we cansay who believes this or that,but about helping peopleconnect in a meaningful waywith the truth as it is taught inthe Bible!

David Burge

Alexander The Great


Peopleoften askme,“Whatdifferencedoes itmake?Why isConditionalImmortalityimportant?”Actually,

the difference is fundamental.It affects every area ofChristian doctrine. What followsis a brief comparison of someof the areas of differencebetween ConditionalImmortality (CI) and what Iwill call Natural Immortality(NI). If you are not yet surewhat Conditional Immortality is,I will not take the time todefine it yet. It will all be madeclear as we make our waythrough the presentation.

ASSUMPTIONS

In approaching the questionthis evening I am makingthree assumptions about you,my audience:

1. That you are Christians(followers of our Lord JesusChrist);

2. That you believe thatdoctrine is established byexamining the Scriptures; and(though this third assumptionmay be something that youhave thought about less thanthe other two)

3. That you think that truthand “consistency” is somethingwe should strive for in anytheological enterprise. That isto say, we should not hold,together at the same time, aseries of self contradictorybeliefs, but should seek to holdonly those beliefs which areharmonious with one another.To believe otherwise is toabandon the search for truthin favour of an “anythinggoes” or “if it feels good,believe it” philosophy.

If any of these assumptionsabout you is incorrect, youmay still at the end of thisevening believe thatConditional Immortality is notimportant - at least not to you.If I am correct in the

Conference 2006


assumptions I have madeabout you then, I hope, bythe end of this evening you willbe convinced that ConditionalImmortality is an importantdoctrine!

AS TO SCRIPTURE

A friend once challenged meto explain some“difficult”Scriptures. I did (Ithought) anadequate job. Shechallenged me,however, saying “Ithink God wouldhave made theBible so it could beunderstood bysimple folk.” Iagree. Actually,every position hasits “difficultverses”, but onthe whole it is CIwhich says thatthe Bible can beunderstood as is— death means death, lifemeans life and so on. It is NIthat says the Bible must beinterpreted by an “insider” —death means life in endlesstorment, life means heavenlybliss, etc. This affects suchthings as our understanding of

the Atonement and of sin andits penalty. What are thewages of sin? (Rom. 6:23).Did God threaten Adam withdeath or eternal torment?(Gen. 2:17). And so on ….

We believe God wants to beunderstood. We do not wantour theological theories to

obscure the clearteaching ofScripture. CI makesit easier to take theBible at face value.It means what itsays and it sayswhat it means.

AS TO HUMANNATURE

According toScripture “theLord God formedthe man from thedust of theground andbreathed into hisnostrils the breathof life, and the

man became a living being[soul].” (Gen. 2:7). A livingbeing or soul is NOT an im-mortal soul! If the Englishlanguage has any meaning atall, then whatever else may besaid of immortal souls, thismuch is clear: they CANNOT

CI makes iteasier to takethe Bible at

face value. Itmeans what it

says and itsays what it

means.


DIE! Yet, only ten verseslater, the first man is told, “Youmust not eat from the tree ofthe knowledge of good andevil, for when you eat of it youwill surely die" (Gen. 2:17).Adam must not have beenimmortal! What it means to“die” is clearly described in thenext chapter: “Dust YOU are[‘You’ not just ‘your body’]and to dust YOU shall return.”(Gen. 3:19). Through theprophet Ezekiel God made itabundantly clear that the“soul” is not immortal when hesaid, “the soul that sins shalldie” (Ezk. 18:4, 20).

NI says we have animmortal soul, an eternal spirit,some “spark of divinity” withinus. NI not only goes againstthe plain meaning of Scripture,rendering impossible any trulyBiblical doctrine of humannature, it panders to humanpride and self confidence.

CI says we are mortalcreatures of dust, totallydependent on God. It urges usto trust God alone forsalvation.

AS TO DEATH

As already noted Scriptureand CI teach that death is a

return to the ground: “DustYOU are and to dust YOUshall return” (Gen. 3:19).Death is real. It is an enemy,the “last enemy” (1Cor.15:26). It will be defeated butonly when Christ comes again.Meanwhile, CI sets us free togrieve as Christ did (John11:35) and as Paul says weshould - though not withouthope (1Thess. 4:13).

NI on the other hand deniesthe reality of death. It saysdeath is a doorway to the spiritworld, a “promotion to glory,”even a friend to be welcomed.NI actually accepts the devil’slie: “You shall not surely die”(Gen. 3:4).

Should we not strive for anunderstanding of Scripture thatreflects God’s truth rather thanthe Devil’s lie?


AS TO SALVATION

Christians believe that Godhas provided a Saviour inhis Son Jesus Christ. But whatis it that we need to be“saved” from? The Bible’sanswer to that question isthat, ultimately, we need to berescued from “the seconddeath” in “the lake of fire”(Rev. 20:14). If, however,human beings are, by nature,immortal, how can we besubject to a first death, letalone a second? How cansay we believe Jesus’ death onthe cross paid the penalty forour sin – and at the same timesay he didn’t REALLY die at all,because his human soul wasnaturally immortal? How canwe say we believe that Godraised Jesus from the dead ifhe never REALLY died? Ro-mans 10:9 makes it clear thatbelieving that God raised Jesusfrom the dead is essential forsalvation. CI makes for aclearer understanding of whatit means to say, “I’m saved”.That has to be a good thing!

AS TO RESURRECTION

CI says resurrection isrecreation; we are “made aliveagain” (Rom. 8:11) by the

breath of God. NI saysresurrection is the immortalsoul re-entering the body (thisis reincarnation!) and almostirrelevant to what is todaypresented as our eternal hope(“Heaven” when we die). OnlyCI truths give both his and ourresurrections the central placethat resurrection has in

Scripture. Some prominentReformers seemed to havegrasped this truth. “We shall allsleep until he comes andknocks on our little grave,saying, ‘Dr. Martin, get up!’Then I shall rise up in amoment and I shall be


eternally merry with him.” Sosays Martin Luther. “If thesouls of the righteous be inheaven, tell me why they benot in as good case [condition]as the angels be. And thenwhat cause is there of theresurrection?” asks Tyndale.

In essence Tyndale asks,Why bother with resurrection?Unfortunately the Reformationnever answered that question.It stalled before coming toConditionalist convictions.Today we have anotheropportunity to put before theworld the logic of theresurrection. Should we notgrasp it with both hands? Is itnot an important part of theChristian faith?

AS TO THE SECONDCOMING

CI puts Christ’s return atcentre stage. Apart from hisown resurrection and eventualreturn, the dead in Christ arelost. We who in this life haveput our hope in Christ are tobe pitied (1Cor. 15:18, 19). Bycontrast NI puts death atcentre stage. But if the deadare enjoying their reward evennow, the Second Coming is amatter of little or no

consequence. No wondermuch of the Church has lostits passion for Christ and hiscoming as king. The greathope to which the Bible — OldTestament and New — looks isnow seen by many asirrelevant at best and divisiveat worst. Perhaps we major on

minors only because we aredesperate to make the subjectrelevant. If only we would letthe Bible be our guide! CIanswers more than thepreacher’s problem, What todo with the Second Coming?CI will put the Second Comingin its rightful place, it will allow


its importance to be seen byall, without our having todevelop sensational scenariosto peek peoples waninginterest.

AS TO LIFE ANDIMMORTALITY

CI accepts theordinary, straightforward assertionof 1 Timothy:"God, theblessed and onlyRuler, the King ofkings and Lord oflords ... alone isimmortal"(1Tim. 6:15-16). NI assertsthat there areother beings inthe universe,besides thatblessed and onlyRuler who nowpossessesimmortality. LetGod be true andall theologians liars! CI says lifein immortality will be given tomortal human beings BUT it isa gift to believers only, to beconferred when Christ comesagain (See Rom. 2:7, 1Cor.15:50-55). NI makes

immortality a naturalendowment bestowed on allpeople.

This strikes at the core ofthe Gospel: Now everyonemust spend eternity

somewhere. Yetaccording to theBible the real issueis not, “Where willyou spendeternity?”(Smoking or Non-Smoking) but “Willyou spend

eternity alive ordead?”

AS TOJUDGMENT

DAY

CI says thaton this climacticday allhumanity willreceive theirjust reward. Itwill be a day ofvindication for

some and condemnation forothers.

We are often told that thedeceased have “gone to theirreward”. Jesus himself left noroom for doubt. He says thatthe “reward” is not “theirs”,

“... the real issueis not, “Where will

you spendeternity?”

(Smoking or Non-Smoking) but “Willyou spend eternity

alive or dead?”


but HIS. It is not awaitingthem at the end of theirearthly pilgrimages, it is “with”HIM. He alone will “give” it tothem when he “comes” andnot before (Rev. 22:12). NIsays the opposite when it sayshumanity has received or willreceive their reward at death.Is this justice, to receive one’sreward(especiallyone’spunishment)before one isjudged? Surelynot! This manmade,concoctedscheme makesthe biblicaljudgment intosomething ofan anticlimaxat best and aperversion ofjustice atworst.

AS TO “HELL”

Nobody likes to talk abouthell. At least not in politecompany but the doctrine offinal punishment is one whichmust be faced. How can onesay it makes no difference

whether (as CI says) “hell” isthe place of the finaldestruction of the wicked, andthe end of all evil (Rev. 20:14,Mal. 4:3) or (as NI says) “hell”is the place of unendingconscious torment for lostimmortal souls.

Almost all of us have“unsaved”friends andrelatives, while itpains us toknow that manyof those whomwe love will not“inherit eternallife” (I don’tseek here tominimise thetragedy of anyhuman beingmissing out onsalvation!) ourexperience ofgrief in this lifetells us we will

come to terms with this reality.

If, however, “hell” is a placeof unending conscioustorment, tell me how we mayever enjoy the delights of“heaven” knowing that thosewe love are suffering so much.Worse, some would have us


believe we will be able toobserve the torments of thedamned.

AS TO GOD’SCHARACTER

Following on from this, CIsays “eternal torment” distortsthe biblical view of justice. Canany sin committed by a finitehuman beingover a finiteperiod of timemerit aneternity ofunending,unrelentingpain? Thismakes Godout to be amonster,worse thanany humansadist. Itmakes a nonsense of theChristian message to say thatGod loves you so much ... butif you don’t accept hisbenevolent rule he will tortureyou for eternity. CI allows Godto be loving and merciful at thesame time as he is just. Thisis a an important difference!

AS TO EVANGELISM

The charge is often madethat if we abandon the

traditional understanding of hellwe will lose the ability to scarepeople into heaven.

The famous atheist,Bertrand Russell alleged “avery serious defect” in “Christ’smoral character”. That is, that“He believed in hell” (“Why IAm Not A Christian”, 1957,

p17). The professordeclared that “anyperson who is reallyprofoundly humane”could not believe ineverlastingpunishment. Hell,he asserted, is adoctrine of “cruelty”(1957, 18). Sincehe acknowledgedthat the punishmentof criminals isnecessary for the

welfare of society (1957, 72),he must obviously havethought only in terms of thetraditional understanding ofeternal conscious torment.Consequently, the doctrine wasa stumbling block to him. Forhow many others has thisfalse doctrine become aninsurmountable problem? Darewe say that this is not animportant issue?


When I tell my children,“Eat your vegetables or I willsend you to your bedroomsuntil you’re 21”, they laugh atme. They do nottake meseriously. Mythreat is not acredible threat.

If I say, “Eatyour vegetablesor I will not giveyou anypudding”, this is abelievable threatand a powerfulmotivating factorfor my children.

CI says“eternaltorment” is notcredible — itputs morepeople offChristianity thanit “scares intoheaven.” TheBiblical threat ofdeath to all whopersist inrebellion against their legitimatesovereign is however a crediblethreat and therefore apowerful motivating force.

AS TO CHRISTIAN LIFEAND MISSIONS

At a heart level manyChristians are beginning tounderstand the need for a

holistic approachto mission, onethat cares aboutthe body and thepractical needs ofpeople as well asthe so-called“soul” and our“spiritual” needs.

NI promotes theidea that the soulis “spiritual” and

the body isn’t. Itimplies to manythat Creationitself is“unspiritual”.While the Greeksspoke of thebody as a prisonhouse of thesoul. This onlyencourages usto neglect the“body” in favourof the “soul” and

to neglect the “world” in favourof “heaven”.

CI , on the other hand,encourages us to minister to

BertrandRussell...declaredthat “any person

who is reallyprofoundly

humane” could notbelieve in

everlastingpunishment.

(Continued on page 21)

17 www.afterlife.co.nz

‘He lifted me up and set myFeet upon the Rock’

Armand Newrick

On the first Sunday of April1965, at the tender age of 9months, mother decided thetime had come to trundle twoolder brothers, a reluctanthusband, and me off to SaintMatthew’s Anglican Church inHastings. I don’t recall this, butthe vicar K.F. Button sprinkledme with holy water andpronounced me right with God(according to our familytradition). I have the ‘Certificateof Baptism’ to prove it.According to my certificate myparents vowed that I would ‘Bevirtuously brought up to lead aGodly and a Christian life.’ Thismeant nothing to Father whohad no time for religion, exceptto keep Mum off his back. ForMum the vow consisted ofmaking my brother and I kneelby our bedside and repeat ‘theLord’s Prayer’ in good ol’ KingJames English. It wasn’t longbefore my brother and Iconvinced Mum she was fightinga losing battle introducing religioninto our lives. It was Dad and usagainst her.

The only other religiousinfluence in my early years wasabout two years of Bible inschools. When our teacherannounced that religiouseducation was beginning nextweek I told Mum I didn’t wantto do it. I ended up doing it andloved it. I volunteered to act outthe stories we were taught. Iloved drama and being thecentre of attention. Theconfusing, turbulent teen years,however, erased the fondmemories of those classes.

A Personal Crisis

Late in 1979, at the age of 16,my life reached a crisis point. Iwas buckling under the weight ofdifficult circumstances at home.The pressure of schoolcertificate only magnified this. Amates’ girlfriend encouraged me


to phone up her sister for a date.I was keen but felt entirelyinadequate. I couldn’t pluck upthe courage to phone her. I laydown to sleep that night deeplytroubled in my spirit over all thesethings, which seemed so hugeand permanent in my life. Iremember thinking it didn’t seemto matter whether I succeededor failed in life I would die just thesame. It allseemed sohopeless.

I got out of bedand rushed out ofthe house. Ashort distance upthe road was apark. I headedacross to there.It began to rainbut I didn’t care.I just sat downon the grass. I was overwhelmedby the sound of the raindropspelting the grass around me. Iwasn’t looking for God, but Godcame looking for me. He touchedme in a way that was relevant atthat time. I recalled, as the rainfell, that my Grandmother usedto say it always rained after afuneral as a sign of God’sblessing. Suddenly out ofnowhere God entered into mythoughts. The rain stopped and Ifelt at ease in my spirit, the

turmoil had subsided. I walkedback home to bed wonderingwhat it all meant.

The next 11 months weredifficult for me. I left school. Iended up working in the mosthorrible, dirty job imaginable. Iwas spray coating decromasticroof tiles in a factory with threeolder men. One a Rarotongan,the other two Maori. I came to

respect thesemen who treatedme like one ofthem.

God MovesAgain

After a fewmonths SandyPoharama, whoseemed always tohave a faghanging out

between two missing frontteeth, asked me if I believed inGod. Had he asked because Iwas white and comparativelyinnocent looking? Perhaps hethought I was one of those“churchy” sorts? I couldn’t sayyes, or no, so I said ‘I don’tknow.’ From then on thesethree men began to talkcasually of stories from the Bibleand their significance. Storiesfrom my Bible in School dayscame flooding back to me.

I wasn’t lookingfor God, but Godcame looking for

me.


I found a Bible and began toread. Among all the things Iwanted to do in life I wanted toread the Bible through once sothat I could say I’d been thereand done that.

The book came alive in myhands, mind and heart. It was arevelation to me! The words ofJesus were profound. If applied,I was sure that this world wouldbe a better place.Until now I hadthought this booka cold lifelessbook of religion.After all it had ablack cover withno picture on it! Iwas noticeablymoved by what Iwas reading, somuch so thatSandy invited meto his small flat inPapakura for aBible study withfive others. We sang, prayed,and read the Bible. I loved it. AsI was leaving Sandy followed meto my car and asked if I hadever asked Jesus Christ into mylife. I said ‘no’, obviously, and heasked me whether I would liketo do that. I just knew out ofmy life story so far that this wasa life and death decision that I

must make! If I was ever sureof anything it was that I mustmake this decision. So we wentback into the flat and prayed. Irepented of my reckless life andreceived Jesus Christ as myLord and Saviour.

Early Years in Christ

One month after myconversion, Oct. 4th 1981, Iwas baptized at Mt, Zion AOG. I

began thediscipline ofreading the Bibleand praying everyday (Something Ihave kept up overthe last 25 years).I enrolled to go tothe AOG BibleSchool at thebeginning of 1982but becamedisillusioned withaspects of what Ithought was AOG“sensationalism”. I

withdrew my application. I leftthe AOG thankful for somebasic teaching but resolved tobe truthful in my testimony toGod’s work in my life and inhandling his word the Bible.

In time I found myself at theChurch of Christ (Life andAdvent) in Takanini. I had noidea that I would be there for

The book camealive in my

hands, mind andheart. It was arevelation to

me! The wordsof Jesus were

profound.


the next 17 years. I also hadno idea what the distinctivedoctrines of the church were.Pastor Colin Warner challengedme with the notion that theBible did not teach that humanbeings had an immortal soul asmost people believed!

Challenged As To The Soul

I had simply come to acceptthat when you die you go toheaven (or hell) assome form ofphantom spirit. Iremember seeing aGoofy cartoon whereGoofy was flattenedon the road and asemi transparentGoofy-copy, completewith wings, flutteredoff into the sky; thatwas sort of how Iunderstood it. I begansearching the scriptures. After aperiod of time sitting on thefence it became clear to methat if Jesus Christ’s death andResurrection were to berelevant to all human beings,despite ones inherited religiousor philosophical convictions tothe contrary, then death mustbe death, and life must be lifeby resurrection! There must beno confusion between the two!If the return of Jesus Christ,

the resurrection from the dead,and the establishment of hisKingdom upon the earth are tobe truly motivating truths whichinform our efforts to share inthat great mission of God, thenthe dead must remain dead untilthat great day. We must notempty the logic out of themessage!

This wonderful truth opened upthe Bible to me. Thetruth which we callconditional immortalityhas given to me agreater sense of theuniversalappropriateness andapplication of theGospel by whicherroneous claims todisembodied life afterdeath can be met,

challenged, and dispelled by thehistorically witnessed truth ofJesus Christ’s resurrection fromthe dead. This messageaccurately presents the humancondition in which we are boundup and frustrated by theconsequence of sin – that is,death! Death is thunderouslyanswered by the dependabletruth of Christ Jesus breakingthe power and silence of thegrave! (Continued on page 26)


whole persons body and soul,whatever the need. CIencourages us to see thismaterial world as good andglorious. It affirms that, in spiteof everything, God prizes hisCreation enough to make arevised version of all things. Itencourages us to see all we do inthis world in light of our calling tocare for the world as stewardsunder God (Gen. 1:26-29).

AS TO“HEAVENWHEN WE

DIE”

CI goes handin hand with anunderstanding ofthe Biblical hope(one gaining wide spreadacceptance) as a resurrection toeternal life in immortality as royalsons and daughters ruling in theKingdom of God on earth (Dan.7:13, 14, 27, 1Cor. 6:1-3, 2Tim.2:12). NI perpetuates theunbiblical notion that our rewardis to go to the Kingdom ofHeaven, supposedly in Heaven,when we die.

AS TO GOD’S FINALVICTORY

CI alone says that there will bean end to evil. There will come a

day when evil is defeated. Godwill be “all in all” (1Cor. 15:28).This is the Bible’s solution to theproblem of evil.

NI, on the other hand, saysthat there will always be a cornerof the universe that exists inrebellion against God and his will.Despite Revelation 21:4 there willalways be mourning and cryingand pain for the old order ofthings can never, ever

completely passaway.

This is a vitadifferencebetween thetwo views!

AS TO WHOCHRIST IS

CI says Christ is “theresurrection and the life” (John11:25) — the source of life itself— and that this is proven by hisown resurrection from the dead.

CI paints a much granderpicture of Christ and his work.We await a literal, personal,visible return of Christ in powerand glory to resurrect thesleeping dead, to destroy eviland evildoers, and to reignforever on a renewed heavenand earth (!) not a mere umpireof souls, sorting out eternal

(Continued from page 16)


Thanks to Dr. John H. Rollerfor the opportunity to read apaper he prepared on a similarsubject. Portions of this paperare dependent upon his work.Further copies of this Addressare available in booklet form. Ifinterested contact the Editor.

lodgings for already immortalbeings.

CONCLUSION

I do not question thesincerity of those who hold tothe NI view. I do not questionthat there are many fine menand women of God and manyemminent scholars amongthem. However I believe thatthere are fundamentaldifferences between what theBible teaches and what goesfor Christianity today. I alsobelieve that the doctrinesknown as Life Only in Christ orConditional Immortality are anessential part of a fully biblicaltheology of life, death andhuman destiny. Lastly, I alsobelieve that these doctrinesimpact almost every area ofChristian theology. I thereforecommend them to you asworthy of further study.

David Burge.

The elements of Old Testamentworship were a "shadow" ofthings to come (Heb. 9:8-9 cf.9:11-12, 24). The worship of thechurch is the true worship, ofwhich the former is a shadow!

It is in this context that theauthor to the Hebrews tells hisreaders that they have alreadycome “in the spirit”, though stillvery much alive upon the earth,to the heavenly Zion, in theheavenly Jerusalem, to myriadsof angels in joyful assembly, tothe church of the firstborn,whose names are already writtenin heaven (presumably in thebook of Life), to God himself, andto the spirits of righteous menmade perfect (Heb. 12:22-24).

These “righteous men madeperfect” are no more dead thanthe Hebrews are! Are only theHebrew Congregationsworshipping “in the spirit” inheaven. Not at all. The wholeChurch is there! They (we) have,of course, been "made perfect"in a relative sense only. Only atthe resurrection will we all bemade fully perfect together(Heb. 11:39, 40). Meanwhile howwonderful to know our worshipreaches up to heaven!

David Burge


A Reformation CrisisConcerning the Soul:Immortal or Mortal?By William Kilgore

(Part Two)


This article is the second ofthree exploring the history ofthe controversy concerning thenature of the soulat the time of theReformation.Reading betweenthe lines of Calvin’swork we see thatbelief in ConditionalImmortality musthave been widespread inReformationtimes. It may notbe too much tosay thatConditionalImmortality mayhave become the “majorityview” among Protestants wereit not for John Calvin and thework discuused below. Onewonders what might havebeen. One wonders what stillmight be among thoseconstantly seeking to reformthe church in the light ofScripture - The Editor.

CALVIN AND THERADICAL REFORMATION

John Calvin (1509-1564) wasanother Reformer,active inFrance. One of his first writingswas against the doctrine ofsoul sleep and was entitled

Psychopannychia,“The Soul Awake.”This treatise wassubtitled “Or arefutation of theerror entertainedby some unskilfulpersons whoignorantly imaginethat in the intervalbetween deathand the judgmentthe soul sleeps”.Calvin at this pointwas in companywith the Catholicsin opposing soul-

sleep.

Written in 1534,Psychopannychia was notactually published until 1542.Although Calvin attributes thedoctrine primarily to theAnabaptists, this doctrine of“soul sleep” was the sameview held by (possibly) Wyclif,


Tyndale, and Luther himself –that the soul, rather thanbeing immortal, “sleeps” withthe death of the body until thefinal day when all will bephysically resurrected.

Perhaps Calvinattached“Anabaptists”as the intendedfoes as adevice for thewideracceptance ofhis work, sincethe Anabaptistswere hated inmany cornersof theReformation.Calvin mayactually havebeenaddressing hiscontemporaries,especiallyLuther and his followers. It istrue that there were Lutheranswho held to soul sleep in 1534.However, there is alsoirrefutable evidence that someAnabaptist groups did in facthold to the doctrine of soulsleep. In fact, Calvin mayhave been referring to the

Libertines in Paris, a group withAnabaptist affiliations that hehad become acquainted with.

Calvin’s treatise proved to bevery influential, though evenhe seemingly did not consider

the topic to be amajor debate atfirst. Heattributed thedoctrine of soulsleep to “someArabs,” with itsthen recentrevival “beingstirred up bysome dregs ofAnabaptists.”Then, in amoment ofcandor, Calvinasserted thatPlato was moreright on thenature of thesoul – assertingits immortality –

than “some amongstourselves.” One historian rootsCalvin’s disagreement withLuther on this issue directly inthe idea that Calvin was a“Platonist,” and “thereforefound it easier than Luther …to hold to a natural persistenceof the soul after death.”

Calvinasserted

that Platowas more

right on thenature ofthe soul –asserting

itsimmortality

– than“some

amongstourselves.”


After spending a few pagesdefining what he meant by“soul,roceeded after thisclarification to examine severalpassages that, to his mind,proved the immortality of thesoul. He argued persuasivelyand thoroughly, and alsoaddressed thepassages thatwere used asproof texts byhis opponents.

A debt toAugustine andother patristicsources isacknowledgedas Calvinincludedreferencesand quotesfrom theChurchFathers. Itshould also be noted thatCalvin in no sense denied thedoctrine of a future bodilyresurrection, far from it.Rather, he affirmed in histreatise both the immortality ofthe soul and a future rejoiningof soul and body in thepromised resurrection. This, ofcourse, is precisely the

Augustine

William Killgoreis a CharismaticSouthern Baptistin Texas. As alongtimeadvocate ofconditionalimmortality, anda graduate

student at the University ofHouston, he wrote a fullerversion of this paper for aReformation history class(including a lot of footnotes!).He kindly gave me hispermission to publish thisedited version of his paper

-Editor.

majority view in Protestantchurches today.

Calvin ends Psychopannychiaby asserting that, after all, thedoctrine of soul sleep must beheretical since its source – theAnabaptists – is “a forge which

has alreadyfabricated, andis dailyfabricating, somanymonsters.”

- William Kilgore


This is quite a lot for areletively small organisation todo! Yet by God’s grace we areable to do it! We do, however,covet your prayers.

As of Conference 2006 theExecutive consists of GleniseBurge (Secretary), CyrilBetteridge, Rob Carr SylviaCoulter, Don Dickson, ColinPrestidge, Warren Prestidge,Edwin Tucker, and myself(President).

We are a dedicated team whodesire to make known the gospelof “Life Only in Christ”. Pray forus as we work on your behalf.

David Burge.


Back To Bible College

In the year 2000 our familymade the decision to attend theManukau Central Baptist Church.At the prompting of our pastor,Grahame Craggs, I tried onedistance paper through CareyBaptist College. I loved it andcontinued with distance study fortwo years until I had theprivilege of another two full timeyears immersed in the life of thecollege, its people, and itslearning on site. During that timeI was privileged to have manyopportunities to present theconditionalist position to otherenquiring minds. I found otherswilling to listen respectfully.

I enjoyed sharing a class onfuture hope with the late CarlJosephson. We had fundefending our conditionalistposition in regards to the natureof the final punishment reservedfor the unsaved.

The ‘Conditional ImmortalityAssociation of New Zealand’ willoften commit finances tosupport students who shareconditionalist beliefs as theypursue theological study. I amgrateful to have been one suchrecipient of their generoussupport. It is 25 years since Ifirst intended to head off toBible School. I never thought

that theological training wouldever again be possible for me.But this April 2006 I graduatedwith a Bachelor of AppliedTheology and with a firmconviction of the truths that wehold dear in this association.

Where to from here? It’s ajourney of faith isn’t it? I knowthe God who set my feet onthe rock of Christ Jesus, out ofthe miry clay of despairing,even of life itself, will faithfullysustain me whatever maycome. To his glory I pray!

Armand Newrick


Carey Park ChristianCamp


“An outstanding environmentwith brilliant facilities”, “HopeAuckland always cherishes thisfacility”, “Fantastic experience;we look forward to comingback”.Theseare justa few ofthemanycommentsschoolsarewriting intheirevaluationforms. It is so encouraging tobe part of a place that peopleenjoy and look forward tocoming back to. As a staff weare always conscious of servingpeople as best we can both inhow we interact with them andhow we provide for them withour facilities and activities.Every day we have a staffdevotion time and we pray forthe group that is in, we pray

that they will see God in thisplace and in our lives and thatall the Glory will go back to Him.By the comments we arereceiving, it would seem these

prayersare beinganswered.Earlier

this year,we had aBoardretreat.This wasa veryencouragingtime of

seeing how far God has broughtus, and then looking ahead towhat the future could possiblybe. We are excited about howGod could use us for His glory,we have many ideas of ways toimprove our service and we nowpray for the time and resourcesto implement these.Stedfast Park is also keeping us

busy. We are enjoying thechallenge of upgrading the campfacilities and at the same time

increasing the bookings. Wewere very pleased that in ourfirst year of managing StedfastPark we were able to increasethe bookings by around 30%.We pray that this will continueand that we will have somegood opportunities for ministryin that place. Our next goal isto geta fulltimestaffmemberoutthere –pleasepraywith usthatwe willbe ableto build some staffaccommodation and then findthe right person for that job.Our holiday camps have again

been a source of some greattimes of ministry. We took agroup of Teens to the BaptistEaster camp and we took ourkids out to Stedfast Park. Bothcamps were the usual mix offun, adventure, exhaustion andminimal sleep, and the rewardsof seeing young people turn toChrist made it all worthwhile.We want to see these campsgrow even more and wouldappreciate your continued

prayer for this. We had onefamily ‘upset’ by a comment fromtheir child following camp that she“wants to give her life to God”.This was the first time we hadreceived a complaint like this andit required some sensitivecorrespondence. It was a source

ofrejoicingbut alsoasourceofconcernas wewonderaboutthefutureof our

‘pc’ society and the freedom wehave to proclaim the Gospel.As always, we are dependant on

the prayers of our supporters,and the Grace and provision ofGod. He has blessed us somuch, we are thankful for Hisgoodness to us and we continueto look to Him as our providerand to you as our supporters.Please continue to uplift us inprayer.Thank you for your continued

support.Cameron Dick

from death to life - afterlife · from death to life. 2 . issue 30 july 2006 editorial 3 david...

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