Future Consummation

We do not live in a world characterized by holistic peace. As servants of the King and stewards of His Kingdom, we labor unceasingly to lead human society into greater conformity with the principles of holistic peace. But the reality is that true and perfect holistic peace will remain elusive. However, this reality should not lead us to despair. This truth should not result in the evaporation of hope, but rather in hope properly directed. Our hope, ultimately, is not in the human labors for holistic peace – even when those human labors are God-empowered. Our hope, rather, is in the Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6) – because He Himself has promised to introduce His Kingdom of holistic peace (Rom 14:17). The Kingdom was inaugurated when the Prince entered this world the first time (Matt 4:17), but it has not yet come in all its fullness. The New Testament promises us, however, that we can have certain hope in the future consummation of God’s Kingdom when Christ returns

When Christ does indeed return, He will institute the complete fullness of His Kingdom, and holistic peace – lasting, perfect peace – will be here at last. God promises to bring about a final consummation which will bring total restoration in each domain: spiritual, social, and physical.

SPIRITUAL
The new order will be one in which “the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them” (Rev 21:3). “His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads” (Rev 22:3-4). Humanity’s role of imaging the Creator-King will thus be fully perfected: “we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is” (1 John 3:2).

SOCIAL
The holy city, the new Jerusalem, will be allow the nations to walk by its light, and the world’s leaders “will bring their glory into it” (Rev 21:24). It is also said that “they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it” (Rev 21:26). John envisions the tree of life, whose leaves are “for the healing of the nations” (Rev 22:2). The bond-servants of God “will reign forever and ever” (Rev 22:5).

PHYSICAL
Scripture tells us that there will be “a new heaven and a new earth” (Rev 21:1). Paul describes the current natural order as groaning, awaiting the revealing of God’s children. There is a hope that, at that time, “the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Rom 8:21).

The promised consummation has not come yet. We indeed live in the overlap of the ages – between the ‘already’ of the inaugurated Kingdom of holistic peace, and the ‘not yet’ of the still-longed-for consummation of that Kingdom. It is within this overlap that we must continue to labor to serve and steward the Kingdom of God’s holistic peace. Despite many obstacles, pains, and frustrations, however, our labor will always be characterized by hope. And that hope will be properly placed – not in our own work, but in the coming King.

This hope is based in the promise of the One who said, “Behold, I am making all things new” (Rev 21:5).

All Scripture quotations from NASB.

Full Understanding of Salvation

When we talk of “salvation,” we sometimes think primarily in terms of being delivered from the punishment of our sins in hell. Certainly, this is an extremely precious benefit of salvation! J However, our study together about God’s comprehensive plan for His people to live in holistic peace suggests that we should broaden our understanding of salvation beyond mere rescue from divine wrath. Salvation is not simply ‘being saved from’ something unspeakably dreadful; it is also ‘being saved for’ the wonderful holistic peace that God desires for us.

We see this, partly, in the various ways in which the New Testament speaks about our salvation experience. Granted, deliverance from divine wrath toward human sin is indeed an essential component of this salvation (see Rom 3:25; 1 Thess 1:10; 5:9; 1 John 2:2; 4:10). However, the New Testament description of our salvation is also much broader than this. The redemption introduced by Christ is designed to bring restoration in each of the spiritual, social, and physical domains.

SPIRITUAL

We have been reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). We have peace with God (Rom 5:1). We have received the gift of the Spirit (Rom 5:5). We have been adopted as His children (Rom 8:16; Gal 3:26; Phil 2:15). We cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom 8:35, 38-39)

SOCIAL

Because of Christ’s work on the cross – the instrument of our salvation – we are united into ‘one new humanity’ (Ephesians 2:14-22). This new humanity, created from the supernatural merger of previously alienated groups (specifically Jew and Gentile, but these principles can probably apply to other groups experiencing mutual hostility), is the interdependent and growing Body of Christ, characterized by love (1 Corinthians 12-14).

PHYSICAL

We have the future promise of a resurrection into a new and glorious body (1 Corinthians 15; Phil 3:21). The natural world itself awaits this redemption of God’s children, because it will then be restored and set free from bondage (Romans 8:19-22). This calls to mind the prophetic images of a restored natural order in which “the wolf will dwell with the lamb” and “they will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain” (Isa 11:6-9).

As we have seen, this holistic peace of perfect harmony in our worship toward God, in our relationships with other people, and in our stewardship of the natural order was God’s intention from the beginning. It was humanity’s SIN – rebellion against God’s rule and disobedience of God’s command – that introduced the alienation and corruption which destroyed holistic peace. Thus, our consideration, discussion, and proclamation of salvation must never underestimate or minimize sin. God’s just wrath toward sin is THE issue which undermines our experience of holistic peace. God’s just and loving resolution of His own divine wrath through the cross is thus an unspeakably precious gift – because it opens the door once again for us to enter the magnificent holistic peace He has prepared for us.

Thus, we can define salvation in this way: Salvation is redemption from sin (and its effects) and restoration of man’s holistic role in God’s Kingdom.