Affirms
Believers live with God after death; resurrection of the body awaited
Mennonites affirm the resurrection hope: those who die in Christ will be raised bodily at the last day to eternal life. The intermediate state is generally understood as a time of rest or conscious presence with God. The Mennonite Confession of Faith affirms resurrection and eternal life as core Christian hopes.
Anabaptist theology has not historically focused extensively on detailed eschatological speculation. The community's emphasis is on faithful living in the present as the primary expression of hope in God's future. The resurrection is affirmed as God's ultimate vindication of the way of the cross.
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
- Mennonite Confession of Faith (1995), Article 24 (The Reign of God and the Life Hereafter)