Well, howdy, and welcome back to another edition of From the Pastor's Pen. My name is Pastor Carl Miller, and I'm the pastor of Heritage Presbyterian Church in New Braunfels, Texas, and welcome to this series of devotions that we're doing on heaven and hell. Today is part three of that series, and it's entitled Believers' Souls After Death. Our focus text comes from 2 Corinthians 5, verses 6-8, and there we read, So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather, to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Amen. Well, we've been blessed in our series thus far as we've considered the reality that heaven is a place. It's the place where Jesus is even now. It's the place he bodily ascended to as well as where he is now bodily seated on his throne at the right hand of his father. It's from this glorious throne that Christ rules and reigns and John 17 too. With all things having been given into his hand, John 3 35, it's from this It's also of great joy and comfort to know that heaven is the place where the souls of the elect go when we die. This is what the Apostle Paul teaches us in our focus text today. As we look deeper into this passage, notice that Paul adds to his theology of the body and soul of believers can have knowing the location of our souls while we live and after we die. So first consider the body and the soul. This passage is one that is helpful in our theology of the body and soul. God didn't just create man to be a disembodied soul. No, God created man to be made up of body and soul, Genesis 2, verse 7. In the creation account, we find that man's body is created first. We also learn that the body without the soul remains lifeless. God formed Adam's body from the dust of the earth. When God breathed the breath of life into the body, then man became a living being. Further, God not only created man with a body and soul, but also redeems man in body and soul, 1 Corinthians 15 and Colossians 3, 1 through 17. So considering all of this, as we're well familiar with what the body is, what is the soul? The soul is simply the part of the person that isn't physical. And what is true of the soul? The Bible teaches us that the soul can be lost or saved. James 1 21. It needs atonement. Leviticus 17 verse 11. The soul can be unstable. Peter teaches us that Jesus is the Great Shepherd of souls, 1 Peter 2.25. He is also the one who gives true and eternal rest to souls, Matthew 11.29. The soul is what is purified and protected by the truth and the work of the Holy Spirit, 1 Peter 1.22. What does Paul teach you in 2 Corinthians 5? The body is the home of the soul. It's your soul's earthly house and tent, we see in verse 1. Now, regarding Genesis 2, verse 7, Dr. R.C. Sproul, in his article on the origin of the soul, helpfully adds, quote, in this account, there is no hint of soul. The soul is as much a creation as is the body. The soul as a created entity is mortal. It survives the grave only because it is sustained and preserved by the power of God. It is preserved for eternal felicity for the redeemed. It is preserved for eternal punishment for the damned. The soul of man can live without the body. The body cannot live without the soul," end quote, and Matthew 10, 28 as a reference. But also consider Paul's words regarding always being confident here. Paul also presses the truth that believers can have constant confidence that, quote, while you are at home in the body, you are absent from the Lord, end quote. Now, you may wonder, how can this be true when Paul said in the preceding context, in verse five, that God has given us the Spirit as a guarantee? If Jesus is with us and will never forsake us, if the Holy Spirit dwells in us, if we are co-seated spiritually in the heavenly places in Christ, how can Paul say that we are absent from the Lord? Paul is speaking of the location of your soul being home in your body, your earthly house or tent, verses one through four, while you live. Paul further answers such questions in verse seven when he says, for we walk by faith, not by sight. We are absent from the Lord in the sense that though we know God intimately by faith, we don't yet see him face to face in heaven while we are on earth. but also consider his words of being confident and well-pleased. Believers can also have great confidence in the reality that our souls will go to be in the presence of Christ when we die. Death is the time when the soul will become absent from the body. Face to face in heaven is where it will be present with him And along with confidence, we should take great pleasure in the promise, knowing that we will have the fullness of joy when that time comes to pass. Praise the Lord. The Westminster Divines help us to better understand and study scripture's teaching on this in Westminster Shorter Catechism, question 37. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death? The answer, the souls of believers and do immediately pass into glory, and their bodies, still being united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection. And the scripture proofs on this answer are from Hebrews 12, 23, Luke 23, 43, 2 Corinthians 5, verses six through eight, Philippians 1, 23, 1 Thessalonians 4, 14, Daniel 12, verse two, John 5, verses 28 through 29, and Acts 24, verse 15. I commend those to your further study. The divines provide more details about this truth also in Westminster Larger Catechism, Question 86, along with speaking to what's true of souls of the wicked at their death. In Question 86, we read, of the invisible church enjoy immediately after death? Answer, the communion in glory with Christ, which the members of the invisible church enjoy immediately after death is in that their souls are then made perfect in holiness and received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies, which even in death continue graves as in their beds, till at the last day they be again united to their souls. Whereas the souls of the wicked are at their death cast into hell, where they remain in torments and utter darkness, and their bodies kept in their graves as in their prisons, till the resurrection and judgment of the great day. We find the scripture proofs to this catechism answer in Hebrews 12.23, 2 Corinthians 5.1, Philippians 1.23, Acts 3.21, Ephesians 4.10, 1 John 3.2, 1 Corinthians 13.12, Romans 8.23, Psalm 16.9, 1 Thessalonians 4.14, Isaiah 57.2, Job 19, verses 26 through 27. Luke 16, verses 23 through 24. Acts 1, 25. Jude 1, 6 through 7. Now there's more to come in our consideration of what is hell later in this series. You can also find good instruction on this in Elder Travis Lewis' Sunday School and you can find that on our sermon audio webpage. Well, I hope that you're blessed by this edition of From the Pastor's Pen. Join me again next time as we continue our series on Heaven and Hell. God bless you, and I'll see you then.