As Christians, our understanding from the teachings that have been
passed on and from our Scriptures, the Bible, is that the new heaven and the
new earth after the resurrection will be perfect places. We have also been
taught through these same sources that the original creation was likely
perfect, as God seems to have pronounced all of it good.
How this perfect creation then became so utterly marred is something we
can see evidence of all around us. How that could happen to begin with is
another story. So, who is to say that in the new heaven and new earth
post-resurrection, which we often refer to as heaven, and this is one of those questions that one is sometimes
hesitant to ask, the same thing could not happen again?
We were talking about these things in our LIFE Group yesterday evening
when an answer to my question dawned on me. Thinking about it again this
morning, I think it must have been a flash of insight implanted by the Holy
Spirit.
Again, we are taught, and learn to know from our own experience as
believers, that God is love. As imperfect as our experience and understanding
of love is, we have now in our vocabulary something we understand as “unconditional”
love. Like all good things, we believe this originates in the love of God, whom
we believe created all things.
Most of us are fortunate enough to experience some of this love in one
way or the other in our short pilgrimages on this earth. We know how wonderful
that is. But what we experience here will pale in comparison, and we can only
imagine what this would be like, to what we will experience when we are
actually in the presence of God and he has removed all sin. Indeed, for those
of us who believe in the death and resurrection work of Christ, our sin is
removed now. However, we continue to live in an imperfect body and imperfect
world. Only after the resurrection will that ultimately be changed for the
better.
And therein lies my answer to the question I shared in the second
paragraph of this blog.
Perfect love does not force anything. Perfect love seeks a voluntary
and willing response to love offered. That is our position in response to the
offered love of God, most perfectly expressed in the death and resurrection of
the Christ, which, as I write, we will shortly be celebrating once again in the
season we now call Easter. We who believe have voluntarily submitted our will
to our Creator God. The only thing that keeps us from actualizing that
submission perfectly now is our imperfect body and the imperfect world we still
live in. However, when we are removed from that, and that is removed from us,
we will be freed of the inability to respond as perfectly in love to God as how
he offers us his love.
I believe this is why there will not be another rebellion in the new
heaven and earth, as there was and is in this earth. At least, that is an
answer that satisfies me at present. As always in this journey, one is open to
further insights.
