The Second Helvetic Confession
- Chapter 26
Of the Burial of the Faithful,
and of the Care To Be Shown for the Dead; of Purgatory, and the Appearing of
Spirits
The Burial of Bodies. As the bodies of the faithful are the temples
of the Holy Spirit which we truly believe will rise again at the Last Day,
Scriptures command that they be honorably and without superstition committed to
the earth, and also that honorable mention be made of those saints who have
fallen asleep in the Lord, and that all duties of familial piety be shown to
those left behind, their widows and orphans. We do not teach that any other care
be taken for the dead. Therefore, we greatly disapprove of the Cynics, who
neglected the bodies of the dead or most carelessly and disdainfully cast them
into the earth, never saying a good word about the deceased, or caring a bit
about those whom they left behind them.
<There is no denying that
burial is a most ancient practice. That Christian burial is of another nature,
and exhibit the sure hope of resurrection of the body is acknowledged. That the
Bible commands burial is a fact I fail to apprehend. Calvin also said that
proper attention to the dead, and the saying of good words over the grave was
proper. So in question is not Christian burial. The question before us would be,
is burial is the only biblical way? I say no! This doctrine left without comment
could do much harm to the body of Christ, the church. This would mean that the
heresy of Rome concerning some intermediate place for the soul had purpose, or
many other errors concerning the resurrection for those who have died at sea,
were burned leaving no remains, etc. God created the first body, and the resurrection of that body
has nothing to do with its final resting place in the flesh or the means by
which it came to that place. It is but the mortal shell of the immortal soul and
of no other use on earth. True it is the temple of the Holy Spirit but only in
the sense that the Holy Spirit lives within each believer. The body and soul,
even the soul inhabited by the Holy Spirit are two things, and not so
interconnected they can never be separated. Thus not in disagreement with the
author, I say that memorial services for those where no body remains for burial
serve the exact same purpose. Likewise those whom God leads to donate various
parts of the flesh to another or the study of man for the comfort and healing of
others is permissible. These all allow for proper respect of the departed one
and the care of the family left behind. Such burials do not violate Scripture.
Likewise I see no Scripture that prohibits cremation and burial of the ashes
(remains). >
The Care of the Dead. On the other hand, we do not approve of
those who are overly and absurdly attentive to the deceased; who, like the
heathen, bewail their dead (although we do not blame that moderate mourning
which the apostle permits in I Thess. 4:13, judging it to be inhuman not to
grieve at all); and who sacrifice for the dead, and mumble certain prayers for
pay, in order by such ceremonies to deliver their loved ones from the torments
in which they are immersed by death, and then think they are able to liberate
them by such incantations.
<The body is dead, what
remains is but an empty shell the soul having moved to its place of final abode
awaiting the day of resurrection when it will be reunited with the same body it
lived in during life in the flesh. The whole process of burial has been abused
throughout the history of man on earth. It has been a form of idolatry or
ancestor worship from the beginning. It has allowed predators for the sake of
money to take unfair advantage of the bereaved family for centuries. Whether by
the false Roman Church in ceremonies and payments or the secular seller of
caskets and gravesites, false beliefs have harmed the living. They are dead,
celebrate their life in Christ and turn loose the body until the day of
resurrection. Concern for the soul should have came much earlier, after death it
is over. It is thus that Christ could say, “let the dead bury the dead.”
What our Lord said was let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead. Our
concern is not with the dead, but of the living. >
The State of the Soul Departed from the Body. For we believe that
the faithful, after bodily death, go directly to Christ, and, therefore, do not
need the eulogies and prayers of the living for the dead and their services.
Likewise we believe that unbelievers are immediately cast into hell from which
no exit is opened for the wicked by any services of the living.
<Vindication of what I said
above concerning the opening paragraph of the reformers. What I share is not
new, it is the heart of the Reformed Church’s beliefs from her beginning,
removing the superstitious abuse of the false Church of Rome that made the
reformation necessary. This is also
why such efforts as this to revisit these ancient fathers are needed; one
statement taken alone may appear to be in error. A careful study of the whole
doctrine of the person is the vindication of the person, not one statement,
which in the whole is proper, but alone, appears to be erroneous. Again let the
dead bury the dead, the soul has departed to its final place of rest or torment.
>
Purgatory. But what some teach concerning the fire of purgatory is
opposed to the Christian faith, namely, "I believe in the forgiveness of
sins, and the life everlasting," and to the perfect purgation through
Christ, and to these words of Christ our Lord: Truly, truly, I say to you, he
who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he shall not
come into judgment, but has passed from death to life (John 5:24). Again: He who
has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but he is clean all over,
and you are clean (John 13:10).
<There is no place in the
Bible that suggests an intermediate state or place other than heaven or hell
outside the story of Lazarus.
This story has the departed soul of the evil rich man speaking with Abraham and
also speaks of the righteous Lazarus having been gathered to the bosom of
Abraham. Thus it is taught by Rome the bosom of Abraham represented another
place than heaven or hell. For this
to be true Abraham, the father of the faithful would have had to be caught up in
this place between heaven and hell. How this verse can be seen as anything but
heaven, which is the home of Abraham, fails human logic. Yet a doctrine was
established on this one passage, and that from faulty exegesis, much to the
profit of the Church of Rome and her minions through the centuries. There is an
immediate movement of the soul from the body to heaven for the believer and hell
for the unbeliever is biblical and the final answer. Any other doctrine is a lie
from hell and to be so proclaimed in all of the churches of Christ. >
The Apparition of Spirits.
Now what is related of the spirits or souls of the dead sometimes appearing to
those who are alive, and begging certain duties of them whereby they may be set
free, we count those apparitions among the laughingstocks, crafts, and
deceptions of the devil, who, as he can transform himself into an angel of
light, so he strikes either to overthrow the true faith or to call it into
doubt. In the Old Testament the Lord forbade the seeking of the truth from the
dead, and any sort of commerce with spirits (Deut. 18:11). Indeed, as
evangelical truth declares, the glutton, being in torment, is denied a return to
his brethren, as the divine oracle declares in the words: They have Moses and
the prophets; let them hear them. If they hear not Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead (Luke 16:29
ff.).
<The rich man could not speak
to his brothers on earth yet. End of debate, God has spoken. Are there then such
apparitions? Yes, Scripture forbids
the seeking of the same. How can Scripture forbid what is not possible. The
actual person will not appear from the dead but an evil spirit that has the
ability to appear in many forms, to include and angel of light, can make it
appear so to mortals. The dead are dead! There is no communication between the
dead and the living? Can the soul in heaven see those on earth? The book of
Revelation and the story here used from Luke seem to say yes. There is however
no communication with the flesh and the departed soul. The connection between
the living and dead is Christ and no other. Thus the communion of saints, which
refers to the same access to the same mind of Christ, pertains to presently
living believers wherever scattered and to those who have gone to rest in faith.
Understand there are no ghosts; goblins and other unnatural beings existent
except those of the devil’s servants (fallen angels) to the mind of the
unfaithful that allow such possession of their minds by Satan. All of this is
also true concerning the deluded minds of many through the ages who claim to
have had the Virgin Mary appear. Though greatly blessed, Mary was human and the
same applies to her soul that applies to all other flesh. >
