Affirms
Soul survives death; believers go to be with Christ
Calvary Chapel affirms the traditional Protestant view that the soul continues to exist consciously after physical death. Believers who die are immediately present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8), while the unrighteous await final judgment. The intermediate state is thus one of conscious existence, not sleep or annihilation.
Calvary Chapel's eschatological teaching, shaped by its strong dispensationalist and premillennial commitments, affirms a bodily resurrection at the end of the age. The soul's immortality is taken as a biblical given, and believers are encouraged with the hope of personal reunion with Christ after death.
Key Distinctions
- Intermediate state:
- soul consciously present with God (or separated from God) immediately after death
- Immortality type:
- inherent immortality of the soul; the soul does not die
- Bodily resurrection:
- bodily resurrection at the Last Day; glorified body reunited with soul
Scripture References
Sources
- Calvary Chapel Statement of Faith
- Calvary Chapel Distinctives (Chuck Smith)