State of the Dead Message Points to Hope in Christ

Pastor Ryan Martinez, a faculty member of the College of Theology at the Adventist University of the Philippines, called church leaders, employees and families of the Adventist Church in the Southern Asia-Pacific (SSD) region to view the biblical teaching about death not merely as a doctrine to defend but as a message of hope that leads people to Jesus.

Martinez delivered the latest message in the Week of Prayer series themed “Identity of the Remnant.” His presentation focused on the state of the dead, one of the distinctive beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Acknowledging that death is often a difficult subject, Martinez said a proper understanding of the topic provides assurance that eternal life is God’s gift rather than something humanity naturally possesses.

“The Bible says that eternal life is a gift,” Martinez said, referring to Romans 6:23. “The reason it is called a gift is because you do not possess it.”

Martinez traced the historical development of the teaching through Henry Grew, George Storrs and Charles Fitch, whose study of Scripture influenced the early Advent movement. He emphasized, however, that the church’s understanding did not just originate from one individual or from the visions of Ellen White. Instead, it developed through sustained Bible study, prayer and careful evaluation.

Using Genesis 2:7, Martinez explained that humanity does not possess a separate, naturally immortal soul. The passage says that after God formed Adam from the dust and breathed life into him, the man “became a living soul.”

He also cited 1 Timothy 6:16, which describes God as the One who alone possesses immortality, and 1 Corinthians 15:53-54, which teaches that mortal humanity will “put on immortality” at the resurrection.

“You do not put on something that you already have,” Martinez said. “Immortality is a gift. Eternal life is a gift.”

Martinez connected the teaching to Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice. Referring to the garments of skin God provided for Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:21, he explained that an animal died so the fallen couple could be covered. He presented the act as a foreshadowing of Jesus, the Lamb who would die in humanity’s place.

Martinez illustrated the doctrine’s evangelistic value through the story of a Baptist Bible student named Vince. Their discussions about the soul, death and hell eventually led to a broader study of salvation and Christ’s sacrifice. Martinez later learned that the student had been baptized.

“We do not share the truth about death merely to explain what happens when life ends,” Martinez said. “We share it to point people to the One who will bring life again.”

Concluding the message, Martinez urged participants to make the church’s distinctive beliefs visible through their lives and witness.

“Our Adventist identity must be more than the truth we know,” he said. “It must become a message we live and a hope we share.”