Immortal soul; conscious intermediate state; general bodily resurrection at Christ return
The PCA affirms the traditional Christian doctrine of the immortality of the soul. At death, the believer's soul enters immediately into the presence of Christ in a conscious intermediate state, awaiting the resurrection of the body.
All souls will be raised to bodily life in the general resurrection at Christ's return. The righteous will experience eternal communion with God in the new heavens and new earth, while the wicked will face eternal separation in hell. This doctrine is explicitly taught in the Westminster Confession of Faith XXXII.
The resurrection body will be the same body that was sown, but transformed and glorified. The intermediate state is real and blessed for believers, though not final—it awaits consummation in bodily resurrection.
Key Distinctions
- Intermediate state:
- Conscious and blessed for believers
- Immortality type:
- Immaterial, immortal essence distinct from body
- Bodily resurrection:
- Bodily; transformed but recognizable
Scripture References
Sources
- Westminster Confession of Faith XXXII
- Westminster Shorter Catechism Q&A 37