This weekend I want to finish my sketch of what my outline/overview of a Wesleyan theology looks like. This is not the Wesleyan theology, but one that I think is forward looking. Here's ground that I have covered so far:
1. Faith (Introduction)
2. God
3. Creation and Alienation
4. Revelation
5. Reconciliation
In this second to last post, I look at Restoration.
7.1 Christ's Resurrection
The physical resurrection of Jesus points to the beginning of the end and to the restoration of humanity. In his full humanness, the resurrection body of Jesus points to the what humanity will be in the final resurrection. However, we do not have to wait for the resurrection to see the restoration process begin. Sanctification in its common sense refers to the work that the Spirit is already doing to restore us now, in this age and in this life. We are being transformed from glory to glory now (2 Cor. 3:18).
The resurrection indicates the power of Christ over death and demonic forces in this age, begun in Jesus' own exorcist ministry on earth. "We do not yet see everything under his feet," but the day is coming and the day is begun.
7.2 Second Coming
Christians have continued to believe throughout the centuries that Jesus will still literally return to earth at some point to save those who are his own and to judge the rest of the world. The notion of a rapture, that Christians will be removed from the earth to go to heaven, leaving everyone else behind, is a more recent twist. Biblically, it is more likely that eternity will be on a restored earth and that Christians will participate in the final judgment in some way (cf. 1 Cor. 6:2-3). We meet Jesus in the air to come back down for the final judgment (1 Thess. 4:17). Nevertheless, Wesley believed we would spend eternity in heaven.
7.3 Final Salvation
The salvation of the world is not historically limited to humanity but includes the created realm as well. For humanity, salvation means in the first instance an escape from the judgment coming on the rest of those on earth. Full salvation means the transformed body of the resurrection. For the creation, salvation means restoration from the forces of decay and corruption brought on by the Fall. If one accepts evolution, perhaps one might still look to some transformation of natural law in these areas at this time.
7.4 Final Judgment
Christians have historically believed in some sort of eternal punishment for those who are not in Christ. Traditionally, we have pictured an eternal burning. However, various Christians have seen some of these images as pictures rather than literal understanding. A significant strand sees hell as an eternal place without the presence of God and does not venture to say exactly what that looks like. Another looks to some sort of final annihilation of those who by their own decisions are not redeemable. Finally, some look to universal salvation or hold out the possibility that those in hell might switch destinations even there if they truly repent.
Showing posts with label heaven. Show all posts
Showing posts with label heaven. Show all posts
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Thursday, May 19, 2011
What is cleansing the heavenly sanctuary in Heb. 9:23?
Horace Jeffery Hodges over at Gypsy Scholar was exploring Hebrews 9:23. The key question I believe he is asking is what it means to cleanse the heavenly sanctuary: "Therefore, [it was] necessary for the examples of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these [things], but the heavenly [things] themselves with better sacrifices than these." I personally believe that heavenly [things] here refers to the heavenly holies, the heavenly Most Holy Place.
So the age old question is this--why would the heavenly sanctuary need cleansed? It's in heaven. Lincoln Hurst has given us a clarification that alleviates the problem a little, but not completely--this is about inauguration of a sanctuary. But the reason inaugural sanctuaries need cleansed is still to make them pure and holy. Harold Attridge and others have suggested perhaps what Hebrews is pretty much talking about is the cleansing of the conscience.
Here is my personal sense of what's going on here in Hebrews. With language that is serving rhetorical purposes, you have to get a full picture of what is going on to really understand the significance of the language. So for Hebrews, the basic rhetorical point is that Christ's death has removed any necessity for the Levitical system and its sanctuary. We can debate whether the sanctuary is already gone and the author is, in a way, consoling the audience (my position) or whether he is dissuading the audience from using a standing structure.
The author's rhetorical strategy to make this point is to construct a complex metaphor in which every key element of the Levitical system is surpassed by Christ's death. So if the Levitical system had priests, Christ is a priest to end all priests, after the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 7). If the Levitical system had sacrifices, Christ is the sacrifice to end all sacrifices (e.g., 10:14), an "eternal spirit" sacrifice even (9:14).
With regard to the sanctuary, the author drew on existing metaphors that considered heaven the truest sanctuary of God, with the earthly sanctuary modeled after the universe (Philo, Josephus). I personally find no compelling evidence in the argument of Hebrews 8-10 to think that the author sees an actual structure in heaven with two rooms. Rather, I argue that the author sees the highest heaven as a kind of Most Holy Place where God dwells.
So the idea of "inaugurating the heavenly sanctuary" with a better sacrifice does not correspond neatly to one thing because it is part of an overall, complex metaphor. What is being cleansed here? An abstraction. "Inauguration of the heavenly sanctuary" means the commencement of that age of reliance on Christ's death as means of atonement or, in Hebrews' terms, the age of real atonement versus proleptic rain checks looking forward to atonement.
Perhaps I should not even say that the cleansing of the conscience is the closest "literal" meaning of the image, then. The author is not saying that the "literal" heaven needed cleansed. He is simply playing out a metaphor, and when you do that, the image eventually breaks down into unintended resonances.
My opinion...
So the age old question is this--why would the heavenly sanctuary need cleansed? It's in heaven. Lincoln Hurst has given us a clarification that alleviates the problem a little, but not completely--this is about inauguration of a sanctuary. But the reason inaugural sanctuaries need cleansed is still to make them pure and holy. Harold Attridge and others have suggested perhaps what Hebrews is pretty much talking about is the cleansing of the conscience.
Here is my personal sense of what's going on here in Hebrews. With language that is serving rhetorical purposes, you have to get a full picture of what is going on to really understand the significance of the language. So for Hebrews, the basic rhetorical point is that Christ's death has removed any necessity for the Levitical system and its sanctuary. We can debate whether the sanctuary is already gone and the author is, in a way, consoling the audience (my position) or whether he is dissuading the audience from using a standing structure.
The author's rhetorical strategy to make this point is to construct a complex metaphor in which every key element of the Levitical system is surpassed by Christ's death. So if the Levitical system had priests, Christ is a priest to end all priests, after the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 7). If the Levitical system had sacrifices, Christ is the sacrifice to end all sacrifices (e.g., 10:14), an "eternal spirit" sacrifice even (9:14).
With regard to the sanctuary, the author drew on existing metaphors that considered heaven the truest sanctuary of God, with the earthly sanctuary modeled after the universe (Philo, Josephus). I personally find no compelling evidence in the argument of Hebrews 8-10 to think that the author sees an actual structure in heaven with two rooms. Rather, I argue that the author sees the highest heaven as a kind of Most Holy Place where God dwells.
So the idea of "inaugurating the heavenly sanctuary" with a better sacrifice does not correspond neatly to one thing because it is part of an overall, complex metaphor. What is being cleansed here? An abstraction. "Inauguration of the heavenly sanctuary" means the commencement of that age of reliance on Christ's death as means of atonement or, in Hebrews' terms, the age of real atonement versus proleptic rain checks looking forward to atonement.
Perhaps I should not even say that the cleansing of the conscience is the closest "literal" meaning of the image, then. The author is not saying that the "literal" heaven needed cleansed. He is simply playing out a metaphor, and when you do that, the image eventually breaks down into unintended resonances.
My opinion...
Sunday, November 07, 2010
Short Catechism 2: Our God is an Awesome God
I've finagled the order a little this week. This third post becomes the second in the series:
1. Mercy trumps justice.
2. God is an awesome God.
3. God wants to save everyone.
These are kernels of chats with my younger children.
Our God is an Awesome God
1. Hard for us even to understand how great God is.
Think of your principal or someone you look up to. Think of someone really strong on TV or in the movies. God makes such people look like ants. He could crush the earth with his pinky. How do you normally act around someone so strong?
He made the earth out of nothing--so he designed it all, understands it all. He doesn't need us--he helps us because he likes us!
So how should we act around someone like this--all powerful, all knowing, but someone who made us, likes us, and sees everything we do? Should we insult him? ignore him?
2. Sometimes God intervenes, sometimes he lets things go.
We don't know why he saves us sometimes and then other times does not. Sometimes he swoops in to the rescue like Superman. If we ignore him long enough, he often lets us go, with all the bad things that happen when we are selfish. There's a point after which you have lost his phone number and don't even realize it. You wouldn't know where to find his number even if you suddenly became desperate.
3. After we die, if we have been friends with God, we will be with him forever. If we have ignored him, he will abandon us to the course we have set in life, separation from him forever, eternal death.
1. Mercy trumps justice.
2. God is an awesome God.
3. God wants to save everyone.
These are kernels of chats with my younger children.
Our God is an Awesome God
1. Hard for us even to understand how great God is.
Think of your principal or someone you look up to. Think of someone really strong on TV or in the movies. God makes such people look like ants. He could crush the earth with his pinky. How do you normally act around someone so strong?
He made the earth out of nothing--so he designed it all, understands it all. He doesn't need us--he helps us because he likes us!
So how should we act around someone like this--all powerful, all knowing, but someone who made us, likes us, and sees everything we do? Should we insult him? ignore him?
2. Sometimes God intervenes, sometimes he lets things go.
We don't know why he saves us sometimes and then other times does not. Sometimes he swoops in to the rescue like Superman. If we ignore him long enough, he often lets us go, with all the bad things that happen when we are selfish. There's a point after which you have lost his phone number and don't even realize it. You wouldn't know where to find his number even if you suddenly became desperate.
3. After we die, if we have been friends with God, we will be with him forever. If we have ignored him, he will abandon us to the course we have set in life, separation from him forever, eternal death.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Heaven
Writing a brief piece and thought jotting down some notes here would help me spit it out.
Heaven:
1. The place where God dwells. Isaiah 61.
2. The highest sky--no difference between sky and heaven in original languages. Flat earth generally with heaven straight up, sometimes three, sometimes more layers of sky. 3 skies in 2 Corinthians.
3. The place of God's true temple (Isaiah 6, Hebrews)
4. Place to which Christ was exalted
5. Place of intermediate state, perhaps. In some cases, possibly place of eternity
6. Will be restored/renewed, possibly removed
Heaven:
1. The place where God dwells. Isaiah 61.
2. The highest sky--no difference between sky and heaven in original languages. Flat earth generally with heaven straight up, sometimes three, sometimes more layers of sky. 3 skies in 2 Corinthians.
3. The place of God's true temple (Isaiah 6, Hebrews)
4. Place to which Christ was exalted
5. Place of intermediate state, perhaps. In some cases, possibly place of eternity
6. Will be restored/renewed, possibly removed
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