WCF 32.1

32.1. Of the State of Man After Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead

The bodies of men, after death, return to dust and see corruption: but their souls (which neither die nor sleep) having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them: the souls of the righteous, being then made perfect in holiness, are received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God, in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies. And the souls of the wicked are cast into hell, where they remain in torments and utter darkness, reserved to the judgment of the great day. Beside these two places, for souls separated from their bodies, the Scripture acknowledgeth none.

Proof texts

• Gen. 3:19 — [19] By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
• Acts 13:36 — [36] For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption,
• Luke 23:43 — [43] And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
• Eccles. 12:7
• Heb. 12:23 — [23] and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
• 2 Cor. 5:1, 6, 8 — [1] For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. [6] So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, [8] Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
• Phil. 1:23, with Acts 3:21 & Eph. 4:10
• Luke 16:23, 24 — [23] and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. [24] And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’
• Acts 1:25 — [25] to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”
• Jude 6, 7 — [6] And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day — [7] just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
• 1 Pet. 3:19 — [19] in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison,

For discussion

1. The Assembly cited Gen. 3:19 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2. 11 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. WSC Q37 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
4. WSC Q38 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WSC Q37 · WSC Q38 · WLC Q82 · WLC Q84 · WLC Q85 · WLC Q86 · BC 9.1 · BC 9.2