How Eternal is Eternal Life?

I was asked an interesting question recently, which I will paraphrase this way:

Will there be Free Will and/or danger of falling again into Sin in Heaven?

There are two parts to this question. The first deals with our will, and the second deals with our security.

Let us begin with the will. Much is made of Free Will. Free will, in its truest meaning, is possessed only by God Himself. He has complete understanding of every situation, cannot be influenced by things 'outside of His control' (clearly), cannot be intimidated, bought, or act from a corrupt motive. He is free, every time, to make the best decision.

Nobody questions His free will, yet there are clearly things he "cannot" do. He cannot tempt or be tempted to sin(James 1:13), He cannot lie (Titus 1:2) He cannot deny Himself (2 Tim 2:13). Are we perhaps misunderstanding "free will"?

Luther said this about the free-will (so-called) in his famous 'Bondage of the Will"

You describe the power of "free-will" as small, and wholly ineffective apart from the grace of God. Agreed? Now then, I ask you: If God's grace is wanting, if it is taken away from that small power, what can it do? It is ineffective, you say, and can do nothing good. So it will not do what God or His grace wills. Why? Because we have now taken God's grace away from it, and what the grace of God does not do is not good. Hence it follows that "free-will" without God's grace is not free at all, but is the permanent prisoner and bondslave of evil, since it cannot turn itself to good.

Our will is not so free as we suppose when we begin, because we cannot, as fallen man, decide to be redeemed. We are dead in ourselves and must be made alive in Christ.

Romans 6:17-18 puts it this way:

¹⁷But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. ¹⁸You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

It works this way: You were once completely independent of an appetite for righteousness (Rom 6:20) you sinned, willingly and gladly. Put differently - you sinned of your own free will. What happens when you are Redeemed? You experience a New Birth. There is an internal overthrow of the Old and it begins to be replaced by the New. (1 Cor 5:17) We have new affections. We desire different things. We desire His Goodness, His kingdom. We Cherish His Lordship. Do we stumble? Yes. We are not yet conformed to His Image. But it grieves us. We cry out to Him for forgiveness (1 John 1:6-10) and strength to walk in Union with Him. This process of being transformed by the renewing of our minds is Sanctification.

We have the Surety (or down-payment) of our Redemption, none less than the Holy Spirit Himself.

We will be transformed, not merely in our bodies, but in our understanding, also. This mortality will put on immortality. We will no longer see in the glass darkly, but then face-to-face.

So, once we have been redeemed, we look forward to that great day when the promise becomes the reality.

The question, again, is can we lose our salvation once in Heaven?

I will ask you a question: Which has greater effect? Sin or Grace?
Romans 5:20-21 answers that for us. Sin abounds but Grace abounds much more.

Sin reigns over the sinner. To what end? Death and Hell. For how long? Eternally.
Can the condemned sinner ever "lose" his damnation? No. "It is where the worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. " or again.. "the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever and they have no rest day or night"

Romans 5:21 which tells us that sin reigns over the sinner to death, also tells us that grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ.

Quickly breaking this down, arguing from the lessor to the greater: If we are confident that the eternal punishment is unyielding, unrelenting and undiminished for all eternity, what are we to suppose is meant by Grace (God's gift, not our effort) ruling?
How long is this rule? Eternal.
What is the eternal gift? Life.
By who or what is this gift provided? Through Jesus Christ Himself.

Still need assurance?
How about this?

One is Daniel's prophesy (remember that Son of Man is what Jesus called Himself)

¹³ “ I was watching in the night visions,
And behold, One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
¹⁴ Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away,
And His kingdom the one
Which shall not be destroyed.

His possession, which He bought with His blood cannot be taken from Him, and it will not be diminished or destroyed. It shall not pass away. We are that possession purchased with His blood (Rev 5:9; 1Pet 1: 18-19).

He said of us: (John 10:27-29)

²⁷My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: ²⁸And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. ²⁹My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

Are you concerned that you may yet be tempted in a place that has no need of Sun or Moon but that God Himself will be its illumination? In a place where there will be no night!

Remember that it is given unto man to die ONCE, and after that judgment (Heb 9:27)

Consider: Rev 21:27 -- nothing that defiles, nor abominations, nor anything that causes a lie shall enter, but only those in the Lamb's book of life.

And again: Rev 22:3

And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.

[If you do not see a curse, sin must be absent, because Sin is linked to the curse throughout the Bible.]

And if that were not enough: Rev 22:4

They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.

Be encouraged. Stand strong. Put on the armor of light.
Your salvation is nearer now than when you first believed.

The Thrill of Giving

When you pick out the perfect gift, and know how much joy it will bring, you can sometimes be even more excited about it than the person who'll unwrap it.

The first Christmas I was married, this is exactly what happened. I managed to get some tickets to Les Miserables, something my wife had dreamed of seeing live. I saw someone at the music store with a shrink-wrap machine. Long story shorter, on Christmas morning, there was a very ordinary looking Les Miserables CD with a wonderful secret hidden inside it.

On Christmas morning, I was practically vibrating with excitement. I wasn't so much interested in what I was going to get, so much as what she was going to get. Trouble was, it was a little TOO ordinary-looking. You see, Karen had gone out of her way to similarly go "all-out" for Christmas. She got a fancy present for me that was 'just right'. Then she opened hers, and was understandably disappointed to find an ordinary CD inside.

It almost ruined the entire day. She didn't want to even look at it. I had to prod her to open it, which she would have to do to reveal the 'real' gift. Once she found the tickets, she was thrilled and all was well.

You see, I, the giver, was excited about a gift that she, the recipient didn't even recognize as being something that she wanted.

Isn't that what happens with God so much of the time?

God had a plan. Since Jesus is the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8), Adam's Fall did not change the plan, it simply set it in motion. Even at one of the darkest moments of human history, our loss of innocence, and eviction from paradise, God couldn't help Himself. He had to let us in on the secret, if only a little bit. (Genesis 3:15) Something is happening. He couldn't let us in on the whole story. So he did what any parent would do.

Guess what! I can't tell you what it is, but there's a really great surprise coming up for you. I can't wait for you to see it.

The parent hasn't given anything away, but he is building anticipation, trying to let the child share the joy of this excitement.

If a regular citizen of our nation were mis-represented as much as God is by His own Church, there would be a really good case for slander and libel action. God forgive us since we, His very own people -- on purpose or by accident -- have far too often portrayed Him as legalistic. As sour, dour and hard to get along with.

This is the Same Jesus whose first miracle was making wine for a wedding feast!

He REJOICES when the lost return to Him!

Now let's look at the Christmas story through fresh eyes. Don't imagine Linus from Peanuts reading in the semi-monotone voice, the same passages you have heard in so many Christmas pageants.

Instead, think of the God who was excited to get everyone in the house up on a Christmas morning.

Hey guys! Shepherds! I can't tell you the whole Story, it would ruin it. But I'll give you a clue:

“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

God was excited. HE knew about the incarnation. HE knew about Jesus' humiliation, trial, crucifixion, and subsequent resurrection from the dead. HE knew that death would be conquered, that the power of sin would be broken, that men could be reconciled to God, and enter into everlasting life. HE knew that. But we didn't yet.

But He couldn't help but give a clue. Peace (What peace? An end of hostility?) Yes, exactly. But with war raging all around us all down the centuries, how has earth had peace? Man still is at odds with man, and (according to Jesus' own words) He did not come to bring peace, at least in that sense.

Peace with God, of course! Glorious!

But wait... we can have no such peace with God, because He cannot look on sin. Peace with God can only come with sin's power being broken!

Don't you see? God was letting the angels proclaim the Good News!

Israel at that time, thought the answer to their problems could be found in a great national leader, like David.

They got their Saviour, but they didn't recognize Him, because they were looking for a solution to the wrong problem.

They thought their problem was Rome. Their problem, in truth, was Sin.

They cried out to be saved from the oppression of a tyrant. Jesus came and overthrew the tyranny of sin and death.

What do you see when you open the Gift?

Do you see the CD or the concert tickets inside it?

Do you see a Jesus: moral teacher / man / myth / historical figure?

Is He just Ghandi with more hair?

Or do you see the Incarnate Son of the living God, who came to bear upon Himself the Justice of God against Sin, so that we could receive the Mercy of God as adopted sons and daughters.

God bless you this Christmas, as you remember what it's really about!

New Birth

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. -- John 1: 12 & 13

Have you ever sat down to think about exactly what this means? This chapter has so much good meaty doctrine, that it is easy to scan past these lines without weighing their implications.

These verses depict relationship with Jesus (received Him), and show His authority in redemption (He gave).

Next, we are introduced to the concept of the "right to become children of God." This is an interesting phrase because of the ideas it links together. It does not say the right to be children of God, but the right to become. This subtle distinction places the emphasis not on the ongoing continuation of life as a child of God, but upon the very entry into it. Keep in mind the underscoring of Jesus' divinity in John's gospel, and this phrase makes more sense. This is, after all, the same gospel in which Jesus declares "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man comes to the Father except by Me." This squares neatly with the claim Jesus makes in John 5:21, that he gives life to whom he wills.

To whom did Jesus give this right? It tells us three times: (1) as many as receive him, (2) who believe in his name and (3) who were born. When the author said "believe in his name," what is meant? Five letters in English that together spell Jesus? No, something more. There is a step at this point that only the Holy Spirit can accomplish. We must go beyond simply affirming his divinity, death, resurrection, and ascension. Even Satan can affirm these things, but, clearly, he isn't a child of God. Those who truly believe will be aligning themselves with Him and His word (by thought, word, and deed), and allow Him to dictate the terms of rightly relating to Him, rather than trying to squeeze God into their world view.

If some can possess this right, it follows that some do not. Remember the banishment from Eden? Their purity gone, our first parents entered into toil and death. An angel with a flaming sword gave a sense of finality to their loss of rights previously enjoyed with God, particularly as relates to fellowship. Now, in the fourth gospel, the Son is restoring these rights (particularly relationship) to whosoever receives him.

They were born. This references John 3:3, and echoes 2 Cor 5:17. It is called birth, as it is the entering into life. This entails a life lived differently. There are different values, goals, ideas, purposes, passions that are not somewhat different from the old 'life', but radically and completely antithetical to the worldly way we once lived. By 'old life', I refer to being "dead in our trespasses".

Yes, this text fits the overall model -- believe, receive, confess -- and description of the convert's proper response to both the conviction of sin and the call to faith. He does not, as preachers today would, stop there. He sets boundaries. He explains what the new birth isn't before launching into what it is.

The new birth, sometimes called regeneration, is contrasted to three things which it is not.

1) The new birth is not of blood. You do not enter into life simply by reason of your family or (by extension) community relations. Being descended from Abraham isn't enough. Nor is it enough to be raised in a Christian home, or by being a preacher's kid. It isn't passed down like a surname or title. Similarly, attending a church, Christian school, Christian club, or even a Seminary does not necessarily equate to a genuine inward transformation. This is simply not how this happens.

2) The new birth is not of the will of the flesh. While flesh can mean several things in scripture, one meaning was covered by 'not of blood', and of the remaining uses, only flesh in the sense of carnality, or sin seems to fit the text.

We dare not approach God for any selfish reason and expect he will answer. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. (James 4.3) God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (James 4.6; I Peter 5.5) Repentance is not merely a nice thing to include, it is pre-requisite to receiving grace.

If the reason you approach God is to be accepted in a group, or to assuage bad feelings about wrong behaviour, or to impress someone, or to appear less wicked, or even as a hedge against the possibility of Hell, you have not yet approached God. You remain in your sin and your soul is in peril.

Instead, approach God because, he is greater than we are. Approach him because there is no person, and no pursuit more worthy of our affections. When you do approach him, do so humbly because we have wronged him above all others by our thoughts, words, and deeds. He owes us nothing but judgment, but because of Jesus' work on the cross, he offers us grace.

3) The new birth is not of the will of man. You and I cannot decide one day to approach God. Jesus told us no man comes to the Father except by Him. (Redemption in Christ alone.) But Matthew 16:17 also states the necessity of revelation of who Jesus is by God the Father. We cannot choose today to ignore the call of God to repentance, and delude ourselves into thinking that once we are finished our own carnal living, just one more week-end, just one more shady business deal, just one more day of the shallow pursuits of life, and then turn back to God.

If this has been you, Today is the day of salvation. You have no promise of tomorrow. A man or woman with all this world has to offer, yet without God, has nothing.

What, then is the new birth?
The new birth is of God. It is God calling us to himself. All things are By him, to him, through him, for the praise his own glory. God, alone, exerts his right to give us life. It is the Holy Spirit that convicts of sin, righteousness and judgment. It is God who regenerates the dead soul. It is God who chose us in Christ from before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. He predestined some to be like his Son, and called, and justified, and glorified. None of these things are left to us. He does it. It is offered to you.

Take it, and live.

Four Constants -- Restoration

"IT IS FINISHED."

--Jesus Christ

We have looked at God's just wrath upon sin being satisfied at the cross.
We have seen what we have been saved from, but what exactly have Christians been saved to?

Now we will compare both the 'general' and 'personal' Redemptive results, and each of these in both their present and final fulfillments.

God's redemptive plan, His triumph over sin and its effects begins with the completed work in Calvary, and takes final, full effect in the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

The final 'general' outcome is seen in the New Heaven and the New Earth where all of the ruination unleashed upon Creation is overthrown. Anyone who looks upon it will call it good. Glimpses of this can be seen in Isaiah and Revelation.

This is the Final State of nature, but even now, God's purposes are unfolding. As His kingdom spreads, and sanctifies man's original mandate of dominion over creation, righteousness will exalt nations. Everywhere the Gospel is lifted up, lives and nations will be blessed. Every sphere of public, private, or community life, every industry, institution -- and even government -- to the degree to which it is submitted to God's authority, can be a tool of Righteousness in God's hand.

The Kingdom of God, of course, consists of Christians, and the way their lives affect their world. But before they can affect their world, they must benefit from Christ's work at Golgotha.

First, our dead spiritual nature, our wicked and rebellious heart must be changed to a new one, one that is responsive to the Living God.

To give us the ability to live the kind of life we were released into, God gave us His Holy Spirit. He leads us into His truth; and He gives us grace, strength, and wisdom. He helps us to pray, He helps us resist temptation, and re-makes our characters to reflect His own. He restores us when we stumble, corrects us when we're wrong, and comforts us when we mourn. In short, He gives us all things pertaining to life and godliness.

The Holy Spirit is the firstfruits, the 'downpayment' of life as it will be when God's work is fully revealed.

Both the Just and the Wicked will see His final triumph over Death itself, and while body and spirit will nowhere be separated, not everyone will rejoice.

The wicked will face an eternity of despair. We have been warned "fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10.28) Jesus affirms that there is no 'annihilation' or 'soul sleep' or 'reincarnation' but rather an eternal physical presence in a finite place called Hell. He also affirms the eternal duration with such images as 'where the worm never dies and the fire is never quenched.'

By contrast, the Glory of the life that awaits us is unspeakable. Greater than the wonders we will behold in a perfect created order, we will hear the commendation of the faithful, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord." Greater even than that is the unimpaired relationship with Perfection Himself, as He said to Abraham, "I Am thy shield, and thy Exceeding Great Reward."

If we can truly grasp the realities that await us, if we 'get' the truth and significance of these "Four Constants" we will not find it a hardship to seek first the kingdom of God, or to bear up under hardships. It will seem easy to testify to His truths, or to live as Pilgrims and Strangers in this present world.

...And Great is our reward if we do.

[...]

Four Constants -- Redemption

Say, heavenly pow'rs, where shall we find such love?
Which of ye will be mortal to redeem
Man's mortal crime, and just th' unjust to save.

-- John Milton, Paradise Lost (Book III 1.213)

You can determine the importance of a thing by the priority given to it.

Consider medical treatment, for example. The average healthy person would never voluntarily injest a chemical cocktail whose properties would cause hair loss, vomiting, appetite loss, weakness, lethargy, immunosuppresion, sleep disruptions, general malaise and a host of other unpleasant consequences. Not even on a dare or a bet.

Take that same person, and tell them that they have a form of cancer which responds very well to Chemotherapy. Though still unpleasant, it suddenly seems a small price to pay. Life, in this example, is shown to take priority over convenience.

In addressing God's Redemption of Creation, it is no exaggeration to say that we are examining the single most pivitol event of all Time.

How can that be said with confidence? By examining the priority given to it by God Himself in His Word. (I Peter 1.19,20-- But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot: who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,).

When did God foreordain this? Before Man ever rebelled, before He created man a living soul, and even before He said "let there be light," the sacrificial death of Jesus had already become an accomplished fact in the mind of God.

Let's back up a little...

Knowing, then, that this is the pivitol event in history, it is impossible to give a full accounting of it here.

Redemption, in a theological sense, is the complete reversal of the curse initiated in The Fall (see previous post). It is, principally, the final payment of the totality of divine Wrath upon Sin. Secondarily, it is the reconciliation -- by God -- of fallen man to Himself.

The redeemed -- as those who will benefit from redemption are called -- had the plan gradually revealed to them:

Adam and Eve, received the promise of the Messiah, and then had their ineffective fig-leaf coverings replaced, by God, with clothes made from the skins of animals, foreshadowing sacrificial death as the remedy for sin. (Genesis 3)

Notice that the promise of the final resolution of sin (Messiah, or Seed of the Woman) was given greater priority than the temporary, symbolic measure of animal sacrifice. Notice also that God prepared the skins FOR Adam and Eve, a foreshadowing of divine grace, apart from works.

There were countless other types and symbols throughout Biblical history: God's substitute for Issac, Noah's Ark, and Passover being only three of them.

Everything was setting the stage for the Great Event.

Keep in mind, the sacrifice must be: (1) Freely Offered. (2) Unblemished. (3) Of Sufficient Value to Redeem.

None in the natural family of man would be a suitable sacrifice. All of us are tainted, having received, through Adam, a fallen nature. A sacrifice suitable to God must free of Sin. The sacrifice must also be of adequate value.

The sacrifice had to be sufficient to satisfy God's wrath against man's sin, and it had to be holy.

The only way God could be true to His Holiness, at the same time as extending grace and compassion to His Image-bearer, is to have His Son receive the due penalty of Divine Wrath in man's place. Sin having been punished, those who are found to be "In Christ" could be reconciled to God.

Having seen what was accomplished, namely the propitiation of sin, the restoration of relationship with God, and even the beginnings of the reversal of our corruption, let us examine the cost.

The Triune God had to send His Son to rescue us. Jesus, fully-God and fully-Man, was born into obscurity, misunderstood, mistreated, betrayed, sold out, mocked, beaten, cursed, humiliated, spat upon, forced to carry a cross, His scalp pierced with a mock crown, stripped naked, and then whipped until he was unrecognizable as a man, and His back looked like a ploughed field. Then He was committed to a form of death so horrific that even the bloodthirsty Romans had to devise a new word to describe the suffering involved. The word? "Excruciating".

This was the price. But as we saw in the opening remarks, there are times when the price, as unpleasant as it may be, has a 'payoff' that outweighs the price.

Jesus shared in our every weakness as people, yet did not sin. He knew apprehension. He would recoil at pain. He slept and wept and ate. He even sweat blood while praying in the Garden the night of His arrest.

Jesus had a priority that outweighed the pain, the shame, and the horror He would endure. It is summed up nicely in one verse:

Hebrews 12:2 "...looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

What was the joy set before Him?
The result of the Cross: the Redemption of Man.

Such is His love for us.
(more here)