Afterlife

What happens when we die? This question has intrigued humanity for as long as people have been dying. Christians have interpreted 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 as teaching that our souls leave our bodies at death ascending immediately to heaven. People assume that Paul’s metaphors of the “tent” and being “found naked” support this idea. This interpretation, deeply rooted in Platonic dualism, has shaped Christian thought for generations. But what if this interpretation misses Paul’s intended meaning?

If we approach the text through the philosophical framework of Socrates and Plato, we might indeed conclude that Paul describes a soul’s journey from body to heaven. The key to correctly understanding Paul’s message lies in how we define crucial terms. When we embrace the biblical authors’ concept of “soul” rather than Greek philosophy, a strikingly different interpretation emerges. We must allow the Bible to define its own terms rather than imposing Greek philosophical concepts onto the text.

If there is any verse in the Bible which teaches that the body and soul are separate entities, it must be Matthew 10:28. Jesus said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28 BEREAN). It is perfectly understandable why most Christians see this verse as evidence, if not proof, that the soul and body are two distinct things. Because church teaching about the soul has been influenced more by Plato than the Bible, it is no wonder that we can’t see the verse teaching anything else! 

Was Jesus really communicating that the soul and body are two different things? Or do we interpret it this way because our immersion in the Greek paradigm prevents us from considering that He could have meant something else? The fact is that Greek Platonic thought regarding the human constitution has so dominated our religious and secular culture that we do not even question whether there might be other ways to think about this topic.

Are our deceased loved ones, who died in the Lord, already in heaven? It is a common refrain at funerals for the pastor to comfort the grieving by assuring them that the recently departed are, today, in the presence of God. One passage referenced to support this idea is found in Luke. Luke 23 contains the familiar story of the thieves crucified alongside Jesus. While one thief insulted Jesus, the other asked Jesus for something:

42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” 43 And Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:42-43 BEREAN)

Jesus’s response is usually cited as evidence that upon death, the faithful go immediately to paradise where they are awake, alert, and active while awaiting the resurrection and judgment. Upon first glance, the verse does seem to support this conclusion. However, this is not the only possible meaning of Jesus’s promise to the thief. 

One of the most well-known narratives in the New Testament is the story of the rich man and Lazarus found in Luke 16:19-31. Many Christians have understood this passage as offering a glimpse into the afterlife and the realms of the dead. However, upon closer examination, it appears that Jesus likely did not intend to reveal details about life after death by telling this story.

I have previously written about Jesus’s story of the Rich Man and Lazarus. I will provide an overview of my understanding of the story below. However, to get the broader background I recommend reading the original posts: 

• Were The Rich Man And Lazarus Real People?, Part 1
• Were The Rich Man And Lazarus Real People?, Part 2