Individual Eschatology
conception of the Lord's Supper? What objections are there to this view? How does Calvin's conception differ from it? How does he conceive of the presence of the Lord in the sacrament? Does the grace received through the sacrament differ from that received through the Word? Does the reception of this grace depend in any way on the faith of the recipent? For whom was the Lord's Supper instituted? Who should be excluded from the table of the Lord?
References for Further Study:
Berkhof, Reformed Dogmatics, II, pp. 252–267; Hodge, Outlines of Theology, pp. 631–650; McPherson, Christian Dogmatics, pp. 436–
441; Binnie, The Church, pp. 76–82; Candlish, The Sacraments, pp.
87–129.
THE DOCTRINE OF THE LAST THINGS
INDIVIDUAL ESCHATOLOGY
PHYSICAL DEATH
A. The Nature of Physical Death. Physical death is variously represented in Scripture. It is spoken of as the death of the body, as distinguished from that of the soul, Matt. 10:28; Luke 12:4, as the termination or loss of animal life, Luke 6:9; John 12:25, and as a separation of body and soul, Eccl. 12:7; Jas. 2:26. On the basis of these Scripture representations it may be described as a termination
of physical life by the separation of body and soul. It is never an annihilation, though some sects represent the death of the wicked as such. Death is not a cessation of existence, but a severance of the natural relations of life.
B. The Connection Between Sin and Death. Pelagians and Socinians teach that man was created mortal, not merely in the sense that he could fall a prey to death, but in the sense that he was subject to the law of dissolution, and was therefore destined to die. But this is certainly not in harmony with the teachings of Scripture, for these positively point to death as something introduced into the world of humanity by sin and as a punishment for sin, Gen. 2:17; 3:19; Rom.
5:12, 17; 6:23; 1 Cor. 15:21; Jas. 1:15. Death is not represented as something natural in the life of man, but very decidedly as something foreign and hostile to human life. It is an expression of divine anger,
Ps. 90:7, 11, a judgment, Rom. 1:32, a condemnation, Rom. 5:16, and a curse, Gal. 3:13, and it fills the hearts of men with dread and fear.
The entrance of sin into the world brought with it the reign of death.
In strict justice God might have imposed death on man in the fullest sense of the word immediately after his transgression, Gen. 2:17. But by His common grace He restrained the operation of sin and death, and by His special grace in Christ Jesus He conquered these hostile forces, Rom. 5:17; 1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Tim. 1:10; Heb. 2:14; Rev. 1:18;
20:14.
C. The Significance of the Death of Believers. The Bible speaks of physical death as a punishment, as "the wages of sin." Since believers are set free from the guilt of sin, the question naturally arises, Why must they die? It is evident that death cannot be a punishment for them, since they are no more under condemnation. Why then does
God cause them to pass through the harrowing experience of death?
In their case death must evidently be regarded as the culmination of