Taken from IMAGO DEI: Mar. 24th, 2016 by Rob DeCotes
The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
I Cor. 15:42-44
It’s impossible to imagine what our heavenly life will look like, but that has never stopped many Christians from trying, including Augustine, the 4th century bishop of Hippo. He concludes his treatise on The City of God with a profound speculation on the state of our resurrected souls. Considering the many burdens of sin that eternal righteousness will relieve us of, he offers hope that informs our Easter celebrations as we look forward to our own resurrection as well.
Augustine highlights the many experiences of grace that the removal of sin will produce in us. No longer tossed to and fro by every wave of impulse, the absence of temptation will result in a natural and eternal state of peace. Augustine describes the quality of such peace saying,
- In that final peace which is the end and purpose of all virtue here on earth, our nature, made whole by incorruption, will have no vices and experience, no rebellion from within or without. God will hold sway over us, and the soul will hold sway over the body. There will be no need for reason to govern the now nonexistent evil inclinations. And the pure happiness that is found in God’s will will make our obedience sweet and easy. In each of us this condition will be everlasting, and we shall know it to be so.
Set free from all that exasperates the spiritual life, we will now experience the goodness of God’s grace in all we do, and in all we are. Augustine expands on this saying, “Who can measure the happiness of heaven , where no evil at all can touch us, and where no good will be out of reach.”
In heaven we will be in right relationship to all things—all things within us, as well as outside us. Peace and the absence of turmoil will be the fruit of our disinclination to anything other than the will of God. As Augustine puts it, “Perfect peace will reign, since nothing in ourselves or in any others could disturb that peace.” No longer encumbered by evil we will be filled with satisfaction and the good fruit of righteous choices. In Augustine’s words,
- The souls in bliss will still possess freedom of will, though sin will have no power to tempt them. They will be more free than ever—so free from all delight in sinning as to find, in not sinning, an unfailing source of joy.
As promised, the benefits of Christ’s virtue will forever grace us. Whatever God commands we will obey, and the peace of living constantly in the light of truth will be our glory. In this, we will experience the Sabbath rest foretold in the book of Hebrews (Heb. 4:9). Our souls, no longer agitated by the turmoil of life, will now enjoy the stillness of grace.
As Isaiah envisioned, we will rejoice with one another on that day.saying, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in Him; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation” (Isaiah 25:9). Augustine, too, recognizes the gratitude that will rise up in our worship saying,
- Surely, in all that City, nothing will be lovelier than this song of praise for the grace of Christ by whose blood we have been saved. On that day we will rest and see, see and love, love and praise—for this is to be the end of all our living, the real goal of our present life.
Christ has risen indeed! And so shall we. It is our destiny—the lavish gift that God gives to all who simply believe that Jesus is who He said He was, and that He is able to do all He promised He would. In anticipation of this glorious gift of freedom let us rejoice in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King’s favorite gospel song, “Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty we are free at last.”
Rob Des Cotes
Imago Dei Christian Communities
FOR GROUP DISCUSSION:
1. What do you imagine living a life that is “no longer tossed to and fro by every wave of impulse would be like?” Do you experience glimpses of that peace at times in your present life? If not, what do you anticipate Christ will free you from that now prevents you from enjoying such peace?
2. Augustine speaks of a state of soul where “God will hold sway over us, and the soul will hold sway over the body.” In what ways does your prayer life seem to be leading you in this same direction?
3. Read Isa. 25:6-9. How is the personal joy we will experience from the fullness of salvation magnified by the praise that will well up in us corporately as the Body of Christ fully recognizes that that which we have only glimpsed through faith is now a present reality? What satisfaction and validation of our faith do you anticipate we will experience as we celebrate the fact that “we trusted in Him, and now He has saved us?”
FOR PRAYER: Imagine yourself in a state of soul where you are “so free from all delight in sinning as to find, in not sinning, an unfailing source of joy.” Enter that joy in your prayers and rest in the foretaste of the glorious freedom Christ has saved us for (Gal. 5:1).