What Lies Beyond Death for Those Without Faith?
- davidwperk
- Nov 6, 2023
- 6 min read
Devotional Reflection, Monday, November 6, 2023
Proper 26, the week of the twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost
The Rev. David W. Perkins, Th.D.
Key phrases for reflection from today’s reading:
40Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
You will find the full text of today’s Gospel reading at the end of this reflection.
Daily Office Lectionary Readings (BCP, 990)
AM Psalm 56, 57, [58]; PM Psalm 64, 65
Neh. 6:1-19; Rev. 10:1-11; Matt. 13:36-43
Today we celebrate the Feast of William Temple/ (See below.)
David’s Reflections
We read in Friday’s Gospel the parable of the wheat and the weeds. Today’s Gospel preserves an interpretation of that parable. This passage presents the reader with a host of interpretive questions and problems beyond the scope of a devotional reading. But, what the reader cannot ignore jumps out from verses 41 and 42. Did Jesus believe in a literal, burning hell?
An honest reading of Jesus’ teaching does present us with the uncomfortable reality that Jesus taught a final separation of those with faith and those without faith. He could not have spoken parables like those in Luke 16:19-31 unless he believed in some kind of separation after death of believers and unbelievers. Better to accept this discomforting reality than to filter Jesus through the strainer of what feels acceptable to us and discount what can’t clear the filter as not having come from Jesus himself.
You might find it interesting that even in the most conservative wings of the American church the issue of the final state of those without faith creates difference and controversy. In 1992, Zondervan published a little paperback entitled Four Views on Hell. (ed. William Crockett). In that book, four conservative scholars present four different views of the final state of those without faith: literal, burning hell; a metaphoric understanding (unbelievers separated from God but not physically tormented); conditional immortality (those without faith simply cease to exist at death); and a purgatorial view (hell is temporary and salvation is ultimately universal). (Note: that book now is out in a second edition as part of a larger series. Four Views on Hell, ed.Preston Sprinkle. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016.)
What does all this mean for you and me today? In spite of the discomfort we might feel in saying so, the New Testament affirms that those without faith in Jesus are at risk and that the risks are serious. The texts are opaque enough to allow for a variety of interpretations, hence our conservative brothers’ two published symposiums with divergent viewpoints Engaging in intellectual debates about what happens to those without faith and to those with no opportunity for faith and to those of other faiths has its value.
But, for people of faith, the most loving response we can make to this reality is to take seriously that those without faith live at risk of their eternal destiny. And, even more pressing to me—these people live in a state of deprivation and need today. Even if we knew for certain that everyone would be with God in the end, would it not be the height of callous unconcern to ignore their spiritual plight between now and the time they die? What about their need for forgiveness, new life, transformation, deliverance, and meaning now? What about the quality of their life in the present moment? Those concerns provide my motivation for evangelism, not their imagined fate after death.
My ongoing reading of the New Testament, especially Paul and John, convinces me that these earliest thinkers were of a divided mind on this. In some passages, they seem to envision all people, or nearly all, being with God in the end. In other places, they speak of judgment and the risks of not having faith. Perhaps that ambivalence models the best mindset for us. We ackknowledge we do not know, that we feel anxious about the well being of people without faith now and after death. Yet, we live in hope of their ultimate salvation.
Parables like this one are like a ringing phone. If we choose to answer it we do so by devoting ourselves to a life of missionary living, a life of witness. We become more sensitive to those around us and to their spiritual plight. We pray for them. We find ways to share the meaning of our faith with them. We invite them to worship. We envision them healed, forgiven, delivered, and living with meaning and we live toward the fulfilling of that vision.
(If you would like to dialogue on or off list about this issue, feel free to email me. through the website, www.davidwperkins.com, or message me on Facebook)
Collect of the Day, Proper 26, the twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost
Almighty and merciful God, it is only by your gift that your faithful people offer you true and laudable service: Grant that we may run without stumbling to obtain your heavenly promises; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (BCP, 235)
One more thing. Two times in The Book of Common Prayer we pray for those whose faith is known to God alone. So, to speak with certainty about the fate of those who die without faith feels presumptuous on two counts. First, the Bible speaks with more than onc voice. Second, we can’t even be sure we know who has faith and who does not.
Today we celebrate the Feast of William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury (died 26 Oct 1944 CE)
Collect of the Feast of William Temple
O God of light and love, you illumined your church through the witness of your servant William Temple: Inspire us, we pray, by his teaching and example, that we may rejoice with courage, confidence and faith in the Word made flesh, and may be led to establish that city which has justice for its foundation and love for its law; through Jesus Christ, the light of the world, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
A Collect for the Renewal of Life
O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness while it was day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP, 99)
For the Nation
Lord God Almighty, you have made all the peoples of the earth for your glory, to serve you in freedom and in peace: Give to the people of our country a zeal for justice and the strength of forbearance, that we may use our liberty in accordance with your gracious will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP, 258)
In the Order of Worship for Evening
Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, creator of the changes of day and night, giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent, bestowing upon us occasions of song in the evening. As you have protected us in the day that is past, so be with us in the coming night; keep us from every sin, every evil, and every fear; for you are our light and salvation, and the strength of our life. To you be glory for endless ages. Amen. (BCP, 113)
A Collect for Mission
O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP, 100)
Daily Office Gospel, Matthew 13:36-43
36Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, ‘Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.’ 37He answered, ‘The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 38the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, 39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!
Daily Offices in The Book of Common Prayer
Morning Prayer, Rite 2, page 75, The Book of Common Prayer
Noonday Prayer, page 103, Book of Common Prayer
Order of Worship for Evening (Vespers), p 109, Book of Common Prayer
Evening Prayer, Rite 2, page 115, Book of Common Prayer
Compline (Night Prayer), page 127, Book of Common Prayer
Daily Devotionals, page 136, Book of Common Prayer
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