Paul didn't believe he could help from the grave

One habit I seek to maintain, especially in my preaching, is to use Biblical terminology wherever possible. Not only does this help me keep in line with Biblical truths, it also helps catch out those who are not. I remember one particular example. I was debating a Roman Catholic, and I called the Saints the "dead in Christ". This is a Biblical term, straight from 1 Thessalonians 4:16: "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first." (Emphasis added).

Because it is Biblical terminology, one shouldn't have any objection to its use. You might object to the way it is used, but you should never object to the fact that it is used. Such an objection is to say that the Apostle of God, and by extension the God who inspired him to use it (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21), are wrong, which is not an appropriate position for anyone claiming to be Christian to hold.

But then why would a Roman Catholic object to the use of this term? The first answer is simply Biblical ignorance. Obviously, if a Roman Catholic knows the term is in the Bible, they're less likely to object. But what makes the term so objectionable to a Roman Catholic in the first place? The answer lies in one of Rome's more unique doctrines, and the defence they give of it.

Roman Catholicism is famous for its practice of praying to the Saints. It is their belief that "the dead in Christ", because they are in Christ, are not, in fact, dead. Rather, they are alive in Heaven, and more directly in communion with God. To justify this, they often point to Matthew 22:31-32, where Jesus says "But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”"

Now, even in this verse, it is quite evident that Jesus is not claiming the Saints are alive. After all, there can be no resurrection of the dead if there are no dead to resurrect. It's important to note that the resurrection is understood to be a future event, which has not happened to this day. Like Christ, we will eventually be resurrected, soul and body. Currently, 100% of the "dead in Christ" remain dead.

Further evidence that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob died is that the Bible very explicitly says that Abraham (Genesis 25:8), Isaac (35:29), and Jacob (Genesis 50:15-16) died. And in fact, if you type in the word "died" to Biblegateway, you'll find a whole host of Godly people who died, starting with Joseph (Exodus 1:16), and continuing to Moses (Deuteronomy 34:5), Joshua (Judges 2:8), and many others, like Samuel (1 Samuel 25:1).

Samuel's death is especially interesting, because it's a little less permanent than the everyone before him. Specifically, in 1 Samuel 28, Saul, a corrupt Israeli king, sought out a witch, and asked her to call him up. Surprisingly, she did. This displeased Samuel, who complained about being disturbed, and ultimately told Saul there was nothing he could do for him. This is the only example in the Bible of successful contact with a deceased Saint.

The key difference between a Roman Catholic and Saul is that they would not ask a witch to bring up Samuel. Instead, they talk to the dead themselves. That is to say, rather than seeking mediums, they are the mediums. In Roman Catholicism, the Church is divided into three categories:

• The Church Militant - This is the Church here on Earth.

• The Church Penitent - This is the Church in Purgatory, a mythical realm in which the dead undergo a process of purification.

• The Church Triumphant - This is the Church who have passed through (or even skipped) Purgatory, and entered the full presence of God.

In Roman Catholic doctrine, the Church Triumphant plays a strong intercessory role. They are not effective in and of themselves, but they are more closely united with Christ, and can therefore intercede on our behalf. Therefore, we can, and should, ask them to intercede on our behalf.

Biblically speaking, communication with the dead is wrong. It is a sin (Leviticus 19:31). An abomination, for which God actually cast out the prior inhabitants of the land of Canaan, giving it instead to Israel, with a sharp warning: Do not repeat their abominations (Deuteronomy 18:9-13). To seek the dead on behalf of the living is a sign that there is no light in you (Isaiah 8:19-20).

With such severe prohibitions against communicating with the dead, including quite explicit rebuke against doing so on behalf of the living, Roman Catholics require a loophole, so they may continue to seek the dead on behalf of the living. Hence the division between the living Church Militant, and the supposedly living Church Triumphant.

Of course, like most Roman Catholic tradition, this view is 100% absent from the Bible. But it's not just absent. It is strongly hinted against. See, there are two examples of Godly people talking about their departure from this Earth, and how that relates to the Church. These are Jesus, and Paul.

When Jesus was about to return to Heaven, His disciples were quite upset. In John 16:5-7, we read "“But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you." Compare this with Paul, who said "For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you." (Philippians 1:23-24).

Notice the contrast. In Jesus' case, "if I go away, it is to your benefit". In Paul's case, "if I go away, it is to your detriment." Paul did not see his death as being beneficial to the Church. He didn't think "if I die, I can aid my brothers by interceding for them with Christ, more directly from His side". He thought "I've got to help them now, because when I'm gone, I can't help them anymore."

Contrary to Roman Catholic assertion, the Bible is the purest insight into the belief and practice of the early Church. Why? Well simply because it is the earliest, and most authoritative Church document, written by the very hands of the Apostles, under the direction of God Himself. Paul even said all Scripture is "God breathed". So, let us compare the God-breathed tradition of seeking God to the man-breathed tradition of seeking the dead on behalf of the living. Clearly, the only thing left for the Roman Catholic to do here is to repent, because God calls their practice an abomination, and has previously executed great wrath against those who have practiced it.

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