Postmortem Theology: Stephen Jonathan’s Biblical Case for Grace Beyond the Grave

Axiom 1: God’s Universal Salvific Will

Jonathan grounds his first principle in clear biblical texts:

• 1 Timothy 2:4 – God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth”
• 2 Peter 3:9 – The Lord is “not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance”
• Ezekiel 18:23 – “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord”

Jonathan argues that these passages reveal God’s genuine desire for universal salvation—not just for some elect group, but for all humanity. This isn’t merely God’s permissive will but His active, passionate desire.

Axiom 2: The Particularity and Finality of Salvation Through Christ

Jonathan firmly maintains evangelical orthodoxy regarding salvation exclusively through Christ:

• John 14:6 – “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”
• Acts 4:12 – “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved”
• 1 John 5:12 – “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life”

Unlike inclusivists who argue for implicit faith through general revelation, Jonathan insists that explicit faith in Christ is necessary for salvation.

Jonathan carefully examines what he considers the most important biblical text for postmortem salvation:

“For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah.” (1 Peter 3:18-20)

Jonathan’s Interpretation:

• Christ descended to Hades after His death
• He preached the gospel (not condemnation) to human spirits
• These were people who had died in the flood during Noah’s time
• The preaching offered them an opportunity for salvation

He connects this with 1 Peter 4:6: “For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.”

Jonathan argues that Peter is describing a doctrinal formula that follows the pattern of crucifixion, death, descent, resurrection, and ascension—making Christ’s descent to preach to the dead an integral part of the salvation narrative.

Jonathan challenges the common use of Hebrews 9:27 (“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment”) as a proof text against postmortem salvation. He argues:

• The verse doesn’t say judgment happens immediately after death
• The context is about Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice, not the timing of human probation
• Most evangelicals already believe other events occur between death and judgment (resurrection, Christ’s return)
• The passage offers no timeline for how long after death judgment comes

Similarly, he addresses the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), arguing it’s primarily about wealth and compassion, not a theological treatise on the afterlife’s geography or the impossibility of postmortem salvation.

Jonathan argues that posthumous salvation provides a more coherent understanding of God’s attributes. Rather than seeing God’s love and justice in tension, postmortem opportunity shows them working together:

• God’s Love: Extends opportunity to all, not cutting anyone off arbitrarily at death
• God’s Justice: Ensures everyone has a genuine opportunity to respond to Christ
• God’s Sovereignty: Not limited by human death or circumstances
• God’s Patience: Continues even beyond the grave, as 2 Peter suggests

“Posthumous salvation is not only no threat to orthodoxy, but it provides a more compelling understanding of the nature of God’s attributes, in that his love and his justice are complementary, rather than conflicting.”

Categories of the Unevangelized:

1. Infants and young children who die before reaching accountability
2. People with cognitive disabilities who cannot understand the gospel
3. Those in unreached regions who never hear of Christ
4. The “pseudoevangelized” who hear a distorted gospel

For each category, Jonathan argues that postmortem opportunity provides the only solution that maintains both God’s universal salvific will and the necessity of explicit faith in Christ.

Early Church Support:

• Clement of Alexandria (150-215 AD): Taught that Christ preached to the dead
• Origen (185-254 AD): Believed in postmortem evangelization
• Gregory of Nazianzus (329-390 AD): Supported the harrowing of hell
• The Apostles’ Creed: “He descended into hell” – interpreted as evangelistic mission

Modern Theological Support:

Jonathan notes contemporary scholars who support postmortem opportunity:

• Jerry Walls: Philosophical theologian who argues extensively for purgatorial preparation
• Gabriel Fackre: Systematic theologian who sees it as “divine perseverance”
• Donald Bloesch: Progressive evangelical who maintains orthodox while embracing postmortem opportunity
• Clark Pinnock: Noted evangelical theologian who combined inclusivism with postmortem encounter

Jonathan’s Three Possible Timings:

1. The Final Option (At Death)

Drawing on Catholic theologians and philosophers, Jonathan explores the possibility that at the moment of death, the soul experiences an encounter with Christ:

• Consciousness is expanded beyond physical limitations
• The person sees reality clearly for the first time
• Christ presents Himself directly
• A free choice is made with full knowledge

2. The Intermediate State

Between death and resurrection, souls exist in a conscious state where:

• Further revelation is possible
• Christ can preach as He did to the spirits in prison
• Preparation for judgment occurs
• Final decisions about eternal destiny are made

3. At the Final Judgment

When all stand before Christ’s judgment seat:

• Those who never heard receive their first clear presentation
• The books are opened, revealing all truth
• A final opportunity is given before eternal destiny is sealed
• God’s justice is fully demonstrated to all

A More Glorious Vision of God

Jonathan argues that postmortem opportunity reveals God as:

More Loving Than We Imagined:

• His love pursues beyond the grave
• Death cannot separate us from God’s salvific will
• Divine patience extends further than human limitations
• God’s heart for the lost never gives up while hope remains

More Just Than Traditional Theology Suggests:

• No one is condemned without a genuine opportunity
• Circumstances of birth don’t determine eternal destiny
• God judges based on actual response, not accidents of history
• Divine justice accounts for every individual’s unique situation

More Powerful Than Death:

“Why should death, of necessity, be a point beyond which no other possibilities exist? Even if it be the case for some who have lived full and conscious lives, what of the vast multitudes whose lives have been cut short?”

Ministry Implications:

For Funeral Ministry:

• Offers genuine hope to grieving families
• Allows honest acknowledgment of the deceased’s spiritual state
• Provides comfort without compromising biblical truth
• Enables pastoral care that reflects God’s love and justice

For Evangelism:

• Emphasizes the privilege of knowing Christ now
• Focuses on positive benefits of faith, not just avoiding hell
• Removes the burden that evangelists are people’s only hope
• Allows for honest discussion about difficult questions

For Theodicy (Explaining Evil and Suffering):

• Addresses why God allows people to die without hearing the gospel
• Shows God’s justice isn’t arbitrary or cruel
• Demonstrates divine sovereignty over all circumstances
• Provides coherent answer to the problem of the unevangelized

Jonathan’s Understanding of Saving Faith:

Jonathan maintains that saving faith requires:

• Knowledge: Understanding who Christ is and what He has done
• Assent: Believing these truths are accurate
• Trust: Personal commitment and surrender to Christ

In the postmortem encounter:

• Knowledge is provided clearly and fully
• Truth is evident and undeniable
• But trust remains a free choice
• Pride and self-will can still reject God’s offer

“The hypothesis of a final decision enables us to assure for all men a fully conscious and completely free stand as concerns the Saviour, individually and personally known as such.”

Key Passages Jonathan Emphasizes:

God’s Universal Salvific Will:

• John 12:32 – “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself”
• Romans 5:18 – “One righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people”
• 1 Timothy 4:10 – “We have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people”
• Titus 2:11 – “The grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people”

Christ’s Victory Over Death:

• Colossians 1:20 – “Through him to reconcile to himself all things”
• Ephesians 4:8-10 – Christ descended and ascended to “fill all things”
• Philippians 2:10 – “Every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth”
• Revelation 1:18 – “I hold the keys of death and Hades”

Conclusion: A Gospel of True Hope

Dr. Stephen Jonathan’s “Grace Beyond the Grave” presents a thoroughly biblical case for postmortem opportunity that maintains evangelical orthodoxy while addressing pastoral realities. His careful exegesis and theological reflection demonstrate that belief in posthumous salvation:

• Remains faithful to Scripture’s teaching about salvation only through Christ
• Upholds God’s universal salvific will without embracing universalism
• Provides coherent theodicy for the problem of the unevangelized
• Offers genuine pastoral hope without compromising biblical truth
• Reveals God’s character as more loving and just than traditionally portrayed
• Connects meaningfully with reported Near-Death Experiences
• Maintains the urgency of evangelism while removing its burden of exclusivity

“Having served in pastoral ministry for more than a quarter of a century, I am painfully aware of the ‘conspiracy of silence’ over the death of loved ones whose faith was, at best, uncertain… A belief in grace beyond the grave would enable clergy to offer comfort to the bereaved more effectively and to provide a more robust apologetic, where God is not viewed as capricious or unreasonable, and a gospel which offers the possibility of salvation beyond the grave is thought of as truly good news.”

Jonathan’s work challenges us to reconsider traditional assumptions about death as an absolute boundary for God’s salvific work. While maintaining firm commitment to salvation through Christ alone, he opens a door of hope that God’s grace may indeed extend beyond the grave—not as a second chance for those who rejected Christ, but as a first genuine opportunity for those who never truly heard.

This theological position invites both scholars and pastors to engage seriously with the biblical texts, the testimony of church history, and the pastoral needs of grieving families. Whether one ultimately agrees with Jonathan’s conclusions, his work demands thoughtful consideration from all who seek to understand the full scope of God’s redemptive plan.

Final Thought

In Jonathan’s own words: “What if I am wrong? Would a belief in posthumous salvation undermine the gospel, or hurt others, or dishonor God? No—it would simply mean we underestimated the width of God’s mercy. But what if the traditional view is wrong? Then we have limited God’s grace, caused unnecessary anguish to bereaved families, and presented a God whose love stops at death’s door. Which error would you rather make?”