Joe Crews' "Spirits of the Dead" (Library of Sermons #18)

This sermon, also published as a pocketbook, directly addresses the biblical understanding of death and the state of the dead. As a prominent Seventh-day Adventist minister, Joe Crews' goal is to challenge the widely held belief in the immortality of the soul and a conscious afterlife.

Core Arguments and Key Points:

• The Mortal Nature of Man: Crews argues that humans were not created with an immortal nature. He uses Bible verses like Job 4:17 ("Shall mortal man be more just than God?") and 1 Timothy 6:15-16 to show that immortality is a quality belonging to God alone.

• Death as a "Sleep": The sermon emphasizes the biblical metaphor of death as a "sleep," a state of unconsciousness. Crews cites passages from Ecclesiastes 9:5 ("the dead know nothing") and 1 Corinthians 15:16-22 to argue that the dead are not in heaven or hell, but are resting until the resurrection.

• The "Spirit" Returning to God: He clarifies the meaning of Ecclesiastes 12:7 ("...the spirit shall return unto God who gave it"), explaining that "spirit" in this context refers to the breath of life, not a conscious entity that survives death.

• Refuting Spiritualism: Crews would likely address the belief in communicating with the dead, explaining that these experiences are deceptions orchestrated by "evil spirits" or demons, not the actual spirits of deceased loved ones.

• The Importance of Resurrection: The sermon highlights the centrality of the Second Coming and the resurrection as the only hope for the dead. The resurrection is presented as the moment when the dead in Christ will be raised to receive their reward.

  
  

In summary, "Spirits of the Dead" is a foundational work by Joe Crews that provides a clear, Bible-based case for the doctrine of "soul sleep," challenging traditional Christian views on the afterlife and explaining the biblical meaning of death, the soul, and the spirit.