PASTOR’S BLOG
Today happens to be All Souls Day, and yesterday, November 1 was celebrated as All Saints Day. The concept and celebration comes from
Catholic Theology that when a person dies their soul goes to one of three places depending on how they lived on earth. If good, to
heaven; if bad, to hell; and if in between, then to purgatory. Nearly 499 years ago to this date, Martin Luther, the reformer
challenged this belief along with several other theological teachings of the Catholic Church that was contrary to the Scriptures and posted
his 95 thesis on the Gutenberg Church door. Though heavily persecuted and challenged, he stood his ground and thus gave birth to
the Protestant reformation and the Protestant Denomination that numbers in the hundreds. Next year, on the 500th anniversary of the
reformation, what a great experience it will be if our church members can take a trip to Germany and catch a glimpse of Protestant
reformation and the great churches in history. But today I wish to direct our thought to the scriptural teaching that when a person
dies, that person does not go to heaven or hell or purgatory but just ceases to exist and that there is no such thing as a separate soul
from the body. When God created man, he took dust from the ground and formed the image of man and breathed into his nostrils the breath
of life and man became a living soul. Simply put, Dust + Breath of Life = Living Soul, just like in Algebra, A + B = C. When B is gone,
A has lost its value. In the same manner when the breath of life, which is the gift of God is taken away, then you cease to exist. And
that life is given back to us only as a gift again by God when he comes again. I have preached so many sermons on this in our church
and it surprises me many times when people tell children stories or give talks they still mention that a person goes to heaven when he
dies. This is a short discourse and I can’t give all the teachings of the scriptures on this subject, but looks like I may have to
preach the sermon again. But this much I must say that there is no such thing as purgatory and one does not go to Heaven or Hell at
death and there is no separate soul that resides in our body and is released at death and goes some places. We are a living soul and
when we die, we are a dead soul which ceases to exist. Therefore, there is no point in celebrating All Soul’s Day or All Saints’ Day.
But there is nothing wrong in remembering our loved ones: “Gone but not forgotten.”
Today happens to be All Souls Day, and yesterday, November 1 was celebrated as All Saints Day. The concept and celebration comes from
Catholic Theology that when a person dies their soul goes to one of three places depending on how they lived on earth. If good, to
heaven; if bad, to hell; and if in between, then to purgatory. Nearly 499 years ago to this date, Martin Luther, the reformer
challenged this belief along with several other theological teachings of the Catholic Church that was contrary to the Scriptures and posted
his 95 thesis on the Gutenberg Church door. Though heavily persecuted and challenged, he stood his ground and thus gave birth to
the Protestant reformation and the Protestant Denomination that numbers in the hundreds. Next year, on the 500th anniversary of the
reformation, what a great experience it will be if our church members can take a trip to Germany and catch a glimpse of Protestant
reformation and the great churches in history. But today I wish to direct our thought to the scriptural teaching that when a person
dies, that person does not go to heaven or hell or purgatory but just ceases to exist and that there is no such thing as a separate soul
from the body. When God created man, he took dust from the ground and formed the image of man and breathed into his nostrils the breath
of life and man became a living soul. Simply put, Dust + Breath of Life = Living Soul, just like in Algebra, A + B = C. When B is gone,
A has lost its value. In the same manner when the breath of life, which is the gift of God is taken away, then you cease to exist. And
that life is given back to us only as a gift again by God when he comes again. I have preached so many sermons on this in our church
and it surprises me many times when people tell children stories or give talks they still mention that a person goes to heaven when he
dies. This is a short discourse and I can’t give all the teachings of the scriptures on this subject, but looks like I may have to
preach the sermon again. But this much I must say that there is no such thing as purgatory and one does not go to Heaven or Hell at
death and there is no separate soul that resides in our body and is released at death and goes some places. We are a living soul and
when we die, we are a dead soul which ceases to exist. Therefore, there is no point in celebrating All Soul’s Day or All Saints’ Day.
But there is nothing wrong in remembering our loved ones: “Gone but not forgotten.”
Shalom, Shalom!
Pastor Franklin David