As I’ve matured in my faith, my hope in the resurrection of the saints has matured, too.
A Healthy Progression
At first, when I was young, I most looked forward to meeting the great heroes of the faith. Who wouldn’t want to talk with Noah, Moses, David, or Daniel and hear their stories? One day we won’t be surrounded by a cloud of witnesses anymore (Heb. 12:1), we will be among them.
As I began to understand what the resurrection entailed, I became excited about the “superpowers” of a resurrection body. Think of it! To run and not grow weary (Isa. 40:31). To be immortal and invincible (1 Cor. 15:53). Who wouldn’t be excited about that?
As I grew in holiness, the focus of my excitement changed again. Now I was thrilled by the thought of being rid of sin forever! As we enter glory, it will finally and fully be possible to, “Sin no more” (Jn. 5:13; 8:11).
Then, as my affections for God grew, my wonder at standing in His presence did too. Think of Isaiah in anguish as he stands before the Lord sitting upon his throne, high and lifted up (Isa. 6). If this is how a prophet of God feels, what hope is there for us!? As we are now, we would not be able to withstand the presence of the Lord. In His presence there is fullness of joy (Ps. 16:11), but first He needs to inoculate us against incineration.
When we who trust in Christ are raised to be like Him (Rom. 6:5), we will know perfect, unbroken, everlasting fellowship with the LORD. That would be enough, but there is more. We will also finally know perfect fellowship with each other. We will be able to do what we were never able to fully do before; we will be able to fulfill the Great Commandments:
Matthew 22:37-39
As I began to understand what the resurrection entailed, I became excited about the “superpowers” of a resurrection body. Think of it! To run and not grow weary (Isa. 40:31). To be immortal and invincible (1 Cor. 15:53). Who wouldn’t be excited about that?
As I grew in holiness, the focus of my excitement changed again. Now I was thrilled by the thought of being rid of sin forever! As we enter glory, it will finally and fully be possible to, “Sin no more” (Jn. 5:13; 8:11).
Then, as my affections for God grew, my wonder at standing in His presence did too. Think of Isaiah in anguish as he stands before the Lord sitting upon his throne, high and lifted up (Isa. 6). If this is how a prophet of God feels, what hope is there for us!? As we are now, we would not be able to withstand the presence of the Lord. In His presence there is fullness of joy (Ps. 16:11), but first He needs to inoculate us against incineration.
When we who trust in Christ are raised to be like Him (Rom. 6:5), we will know perfect, unbroken, everlasting fellowship with the LORD. That would be enough, but there is more. We will also finally know perfect fellowship with each other. We will be able to do what we were never able to fully do before; we will be able to fulfill the Great Commandments:
Matthew 22:37-39
[37] And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. [38] This is the great and first commandment. [39] And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
It is in this vein that I have come to think (with no biblical basis) that the sweetest relationships on that side of glory will be with those saints we knew on this side of glory. Not only will we have labored and fellowshipped together, we will be witnesses to the glorification of each other’s sanctification. We will see brought to completion work which we only knew in progress.
See You Again
I still look forward to all of the glorious realities listed above. But as I come to terms with my daughter’s recent diagnosis of a rare genetic disorder, I have a new resurrection longing.
One of the implications of Ruth’s diagnosis is the potential for intellectual disability. This is what I’ve dreaded. I’ve thought, I can handle physical disabilities, but please, Lord, don’t let there be cognitive ones. Whether this thinking is pride, an idol, normal, or a combination of all three, I’m not yet sure. Regardless, I hadn’t realized this was something so important to me.
I imagined I would teach my daughter the strategies of chess, the history of Middle-earth, and the life cycle of a dragonfly. I imagined we would discuss what she's reading and learning in the Word. I imagined I would watch her grow into an adult and an equal. But if none of this comes to pass, may I be successful in just one thing: teaching my little girl to love Jesus.
Oh, I pray and trust that God will redeem Ruth through the blood of Christ so that one day, in the presence of our Savior, I will see her again. After Jesus, she will be the person I most want to meet. Who cares about Moses, David, or Daniel? I just want to talk with my little girl. She will be whole, and she will be what I always knew she could be.
Until then, we wait, and as we do, we will make the most of the time we have together on this side of glory. She has much to teach me. She already has.
We're praying for a miracle. We know that with a word, God could heal Ruth now. We would welcome that with joy and praise! But we also know that even more important than physical redemption is spiritual redemption. That's just as much of a miracle, if not more of one (Eph. 2:1-10). Spiritual redemption in Christ is not temporary, it's eternal, and out of it flows the redemption of everything else.
She Waits by The Gray Havens
See You Again by The Gray Havens
One of the implications of Ruth’s diagnosis is the potential for intellectual disability. This is what I’ve dreaded. I’ve thought, I can handle physical disabilities, but please, Lord, don’t let there be cognitive ones. Whether this thinking is pride, an idol, normal, or a combination of all three, I’m not yet sure. Regardless, I hadn’t realized this was something so important to me.
I imagined I would teach my daughter the strategies of chess, the history of Middle-earth, and the life cycle of a dragonfly. I imagined we would discuss what she's reading and learning in the Word. I imagined I would watch her grow into an adult and an equal. But if none of this comes to pass, may I be successful in just one thing: teaching my little girl to love Jesus.
Oh, I pray and trust that God will redeem Ruth through the blood of Christ so that one day, in the presence of our Savior, I will see her again. After Jesus, she will be the person I most want to meet. Who cares about Moses, David, or Daniel? I just want to talk with my little girl. She will be whole, and she will be what I always knew she could be.
Until then, we wait, and as we do, we will make the most of the time we have together on this side of glory. She has much to teach me. She already has.
We're praying for a miracle. We know that with a word, God could heal Ruth now. We would welcome that with joy and praise! But we also know that even more important than physical redemption is spiritual redemption. That's just as much of a miracle, if not more of one (Eph. 2:1-10). Spiritual redemption in Christ is not temporary, it's eternal, and out of it flows the redemption of everything else.
She Waits by The Gray Havens
See You Again by The Gray Havens
Acknowledgments
Thanks to my friend Seth Anderson for listening as I verbally processed this for the first time.
Thanks to my wonderful wife for editing. She makes me look good.