《简明神学》Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs，巴刻（J. I. Packer）著/張麟至译，更新传道会，2007年。
89 归于朽坏——基督徒毋需畏惧死亡
Mortality - Christians need not fear death
因我活着就是基督，我死了就有益处。但我在肉身活着，若成就我工夫的果子。我就不知道该挑选什么。我正在两难之间，情愿离世与基督同在，因为这是好得无比的。然而，我在肉身活着，为你们更是要紧的。（腓1:21-24）
我们不知道人若没有堕落的话，将会怎样离开世界。甚至有人怀疑，若没有堕落，人是否会离开世界呢？身体与灵魂因着身体的死亡而有的分离是罪的结果与神的审判（创2:17；3:19,22；罗5:12；8:10；林前15:21），这成了人生必然的事。这种灵魂与身体的分离，是人与神属灵分离的记号与象征；这种分离首先带来的是身体的死亡（创2:17；5:5），然后在没得着基督而离世的人身上，死后与神的分离更要加深。因此之故，死亡很自然就成了人的仇敌（林前15:26）和人所畏惧的事（来2:15）。
但对基督徒而言，虽然身体的死亡所带来的不快还在，但是它所能带来的惊恐已被废去了。耶稣，这位基督徒的复活救主，自己曾经经历过比任何基督徒所需面对之更痛苦的死亡，祂如今活着，会在祂的仆人离世往另一个祂为他们所预备的地方去时（约14:2-3），扶持他们。基督徒当把要来的死亡看为耶稣日历上的约会，是 祂会信实保守的。保罗之所以能说：[因我活着就是基督，我死了就有益处......情愿离世与基督同在，因为这是好得无比的]（腓1:21-24），是因为[离开身体]就是[与主同在]之故（林后5:8）。
信徒死亡之时，他们的灵魂（亦即信徒自己，他们仍是继续前行的人）成圣了，得着了完全，彼此要进入天上敬拜的生活里（来12:22-24）。换句话说，他们得荣了。有些人不信这点，却信死后要受一种炼狱式的管教，算作是进一步得成圣过程，好逐渐炼净其心灵，琢磨其性格，准备迎见神。但是这种信仰既不合乎圣经，也不合乎理性，因为若说在基督回来时，举凡地上活着的圣徒，在他们身体变化的那一瞬间（林前15:51-54），德性和灵性都要变得完全，那么我们假定每一个信徒在死亡的那一刻，亦即在将自己必朽的躯体留下的那一刹那，其德性和灵性也会变完全，不也是自然的吗？还有人在死亡与复活之间，加了无知觉（灵魂入眠）的状态，可是圣经却讲到，人死后仍对关系有知觉，仍有感情上的介入，并享受的能力（路16:22；23:43；腓1:23；林后5:8；启6:9-11；14:13）。
死亡决定了人的命运，一旦死后，失丧者就不再有得救的可能了（路16:26），从那一刻开起，虔诚人和不虔诚的人都要收他们在今生所种的后果（加6:7-8）。
对信徒而言，死亡是有所得着（腓1:21），因为他们死后，就更靠近基督了。然而失去身体并非益处；身体是我们用来表达与体验用的，没有身体，就有了限制，若有所失。这是为什么保罗认为，若与[脱下]相比（亦即不再有躯体为衣，林后5:1-4），他更愿[穿上]复活的身体（[穿上]亦即再得着身体）。得以复活开始过天上的生活，乃是基督徒真正的盼望。若说在死亡和复活之间那[居间状态]的生活，比在它之前的今世生活要好，那么复活的生活就要更好了。是的，复活的确是好得无比的，这是神为祂一切儿女所存留的福分（林后5:4-5；腓3:20-21）。哈利路亚！
MORTALITY
CHRISTIANS NEED NOT FEAR DEATH
For
to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the
body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not
know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which
is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.
PHILIPPIANS 1:21-24
We do
not know how humans would have left this world had there been no Fall; some
doubt whether they ever would have done so. But as it is, the separation of
body and soul through bodily death, which is both sin’s fruit and God’s
judgment (Gen. 2:17; 3:19, 22; Rom. 5:12; 8:10; 1 Cor. 15:21), is one of life’s
certainties. This separating of the soul (person) from the body is a sign and
emblem of the spiritual separation from God that first brought about physical
death (Gen. 2:17; 5:5) and that will be deepened after death for those who
leave this world without Christ. Naturally, therefore, death appears as an
enemy (1 Cor. 15:26) and a terror (Heb. 2:15).
For
Christians the terror of physical death is abolished, though the unpleasantness
of dying remains. Jesus, their risen Savior, has himself passed through a more
traumatic death than any Christian will ever have to face, and he now lives to
support his servants as they move out of this world to the place he has
prepared for them in the next world (John 14:2-3). Christians should view their
own forthcoming death as an appointment in Jesus’ calendar, which he will
faithfully keep. Paul could say, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is
gain.... I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (Phil.
1:21, 23), since “away from the body” will mean “at home with the Lord” (2 Cor.
5:8).
At
death the souls of believers (i.e., the believers themselves, as ongoing
persons) are made perfect in holiness and enter into the worshiping life of
heaven (Heb. 12:22-24). In other words, they are glorified. Some, not believing
this, posit a purgatorial discipline after death that is really a further stage
of sanctification, progressively purifying the heart and refining the character
in preparation for the vision of God. But this belief is neither scriptural nor
rational, for if at Christ’s coming saints alive on earth will be perfected
morally and spiritually in the moment of their bodily transformation (1 Cor.
15:51-54), it is only natural to suppose that the same is done for each
believer in the moment of death, when the mortal body is left behind. Others
posit unconsciousness (soul sleep) between death and resurrection, but Scripture
speaks of conscious relationship, involvements, and enjoyments (Luke 16:22;
23:43; Phil. 1:23; 2 Cor. 5:8; Rev. 6:9-11; 14:13).
Death
is decisive for destiny. After death there is no possibility of salvation for
the lost (Luke 16:26)—from then on both the godly and the ungodly reap what
they sowed in this life (Gal. 6:7-8).
Death
is gain for believers (Phil. 1:21) because after death they are closer to
Christ. But disembodiment, as such, is not gain; bodies are for expression and
experience, and to be without a body is to be limited, indeed impoverished.
This is why Paul wants to be “clothed” with his resurrection body (i.e.,
re-embodied) rather than be “unclothed” (i.e., disembodied, 2 Cor. 5:1-4). To
be resurrected for the life of heaven is the true Christian hope. As life in
the “intermediate” or “interim” state between death and resurrection is better
than the life in this world that preceded it, so the life of resurrection will
be better still. It will, in fact, be best. And this is what God has in store
for all his children (2 Cor. 5:4-5; Phil. 3:20-21). Hallelujah!
