The Life To Come: A Comparative Study of Lutheran and Reformed Eschatology

Abstract

This thesis explores how two recent theology texts, The Christian Faith and Confessing the Gospel, express the Christian hope of the resurrection of the body and the life that comes afterward. Representing the Reformed and Lutheran traditions, these books offer different ways of speaking about key themes of the doctrine of eschatology including the intermediate state, the resurrection of the body, and the new creation. While they use different terms and emphasize different aspects of that hope, both seek to remain faithful to Scripture and confess the same core truth: Christ conquered death and will return to bring his people home with him. This thesis examines how The Christian Faith and Confessing the Gospel avoid end-time speculation and instead present doctrinal formation that brings real comfort to Christians living in a world marked by death, grief, and confusion about the life to come.