One Eternal Family

Sometimes you run across theological assertions that are just plain bizarre. In James A. Nichols, Jr.’s book Christian Doctrines, the last chapter states:

“Death will be abolished, and all children will grow up to know the Lord from infancy free from Satan’s temptations. This means that saved people of flesh and blood will always exist on this earth begetting children and adding forever to the increase of the eternal kingdom… [Ezekiel 37 predicts His] subjects will dwell in this land, ‘they, and their children, and their children’s children, for ever’ —a clear implication that this is to be a continually growing kingdom with God’s ‘sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.’” (302, 304).

Nichols may have been highly influential among Berkshire College students while he was a professor, but not all of his theology was biblically sound. (He also had a comment that when the earth gets full, there’s a whole universe of planets to fill!) His statement bothered me for several reasons.

1) He seems to confuse temporal and eternal fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy. A much more logical interpretation of this Scripture is that the children of the nation of Israel (and subsequently Christians), born prior to the final Judgment Day, will enjoy the new heavens and new earth for eternity (2 Pet. 3:13). It’s not the childbearing that is eternal, but the dwelling in the land. This would actually be more consistent with Nichols’ view on annihilation of the wicked as well: it’s not the punishing that is eternal, but the resulting death.

2) He ignores Jesus’ own words in Matthew 22:30, “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” If there is no marriage, how can there be legitimate childbearing?

3) He downplays the relationship between Christ as the Bridegroom and the Church as the Bride of Christ (Matt. 9:15, Rev. 19:7). There will only be one marriage in the end. That final marriage is the one to which all earthly marriages now point (Eph. 5:23-32).

4) He puts too much emphasis on human marriage and childbirth as a primary way in which God receives glory. The Apostle Paul had a different view: “For the present form of this world is passing away. I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife” (1 Cor. 7:31b-33). Those who are unmarried or childless are no less valuable to the kingdom and no less able to give God glory through their lives of trusting obedience.

I have written before about some of the misconceptions of marriage and singleness that Christians hold, and I’m indebted to Sam Allberry’s books and articles. “Is Celibacy Cruel?” posted on TGC today was a refreshing reminder to me of a more biblical view than Nichols held. If Nichols were correct, then those of us who remain single and childless would forever be a different class of believers. (Not entirely unlike the Mormons!) But if marriage and childbirth will come to an end, then we all need to consider how we can be building eternal relationships within the Church that supersede biological families. We need to focus more on what we have in common in Christ now than in life-stage commonalities that will end.

“Now you are the Body of Christ and individually members of it” (1 Cor. 12:27 emphasis added).

© 2021 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

What's Ahead

I started reading a book this week from a Christian author pointing out dangerous trends in our nation in recent years. (I won’t name the book as I don’t want to imply endorsement of it.) After a few pages I was feeling pretty discouraged. I stopped to read a couple reviews of the book on a Christian website. One reviewer said the author greatly overstated his case. The other said he didn’t overstate it; if anything he understated it. That wasn’t terribly encouraging either, so I stopped and turned to Scripture. I happen to be reading in Ezekiel currently and picked up in chapter 31, which is a prophecy to Pharaoh and Egypt. God declares through the prophet,

“Whom are you thus like in glory and greatness among the trees of Eden? You shall be brought down with the trees of Eden to the world below. You shall lie among the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord God” (v.18).

Egypt has had a complicated history, but the point is that there are no more pharaohs and Egypt is far from being the world power that it once was. The prophet Daniel said that God “changes times and seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings” (2:21). That is no less true today than it was in Old Testament times. Each person in authority around the world today is there only because God allowed them to get there. That is true in the U.S. and it’s also true in Afghanistan, Myanmar, and North Korea.

It can be incredibly discouraging to see what’s happening around the globe and in our own country. There are truly evil acts that are being perpetrated, and the Church should be a defender of orphans and widows and the oppressed. But we shouldn’t presume that by doing so we can create some kind of utopian society. Scripture is clear that things are not going to get better until Christ returns.

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains” (Matt. 24:6-8).

We do need to observant of the signs of the times—not so we can turn things around and “make America great again,” but so we can be a voice of truth, pointing others to the one true God and to salvation through Christ alone by faith alone. I have no doubt that the intolerance and persecution of Christians will increase in every country, including the U.S., over time and perhaps sooner than we think. We need to be prepared by knowing what we believe and why we believe it. But we don’t need to live in fear of national trends, conspiracy theories, and election results. God is still on His throne. Whatever may come, we can trust that He will carry us through—in life and in death.

We don’t know exactly where we are on God’s timeline, but He does, and that should give us great assurance. The Judgment Day will come—whether today, or next year, or next millennium—when God will put an end to all evil and suffering and will call all of mankind before the Throne. On that Day, I want it to be clear that my faith for salvation is in Christ alone, not in any ruler, political party, nation, or system. There is no other source of eternal life.

“For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him… And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven” (Col. 1:16, 21-23a).

© 2021 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

Honor Abounding

I’ve been enjoying the TGC podcast “You’re Not Crazy.” The recent episode “Staying Honest, Showing Honor” has stayed on my mind for a couple weeks for multiple reasons.

For much of the episode they reflect on Romans 12:10, “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor,” and they note how rare this is even within the church. “Churches typically live on a starvation diet of encouragement and honor, and being lifted up by one another.” We’re much better at sarcasm and poking fun at people or just remaining silent than in honestly and publicly letting people know what we love and appreciate about them.

There are people living out their faith all around us, and many of them need to be reminded and encouraged that what they are doing matters. We need to let go of our reluctance to say something and start building one another up in love. There’s so much negativity in the world already. Let’s not add to that, but let’s become a refuge for the weary and worn by setting the example of outdoing one another in showing honor.

Another comment Ortlund makes in the episode is this: “One of the most important things right now in my existence is preparing to die well. I want to die honorably.” How often do any of us think about the personal and spiritual legacy we will leave for our family and friends? The Apostle Paul wrote on this theme repeatedly in Philippians:

“It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death… Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel… that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain… that by any means possible I may attain from the resurrection from the dead… What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (1:20, 27; 2:15-16; 3:11; 4:9).

I confess there are many times when I succumb too easily to temptation, when I avoid the good works set before me, when I don’t pursue the means of grace in the spiritual disciplines, when I don’t want to sacrifice comfort and pleasure for the sake of holiness and the growth of the Kingdom of God. I think far too much of my own interests and far too little of living (and eventually dying) honorably in the sight of God and man.

If we all focused more on honoring God in our lives and honoring others with our words, think how much more pleasant the world would be! What if we approached social media each day with the thought “Who can I honor?” instead of “Who do I disagree with?” What if we made our daily decisions in light of what would most honor God instead of our own preferences and desires? How would our work places, churches, and homes be different?

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Phil. 2:3-4).

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© 2021 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church