Our Hope - Not Materialism, Nor Disembodiment, but the Redemption of Our Bodies

Joni Eareckson Tada's body is damaged and paralyzed. Through grief she learned to not place her hopes and her happiness in her physical being nor its strength nor skill. She learned to find deep joy in the Lord. We might imagine she learned asceticism, to separate herself from things of the world. But no. She longed for their fulfillment which is in Christ alone. And in that longing was her joy.

In her book Heaven - Your Real Home, Joni unfolds her Biblically-founded belief that heaven is going to be here, on this earth. Yes, right here with the Grand Canyon and horses and things.

The difference is, it's all been redeemed. 

This is the middle ground between flesh-centered materialism or hedonism, and matter-denying asceticism. This I believe is the truth.

In the New Earth, all things will be redeemed. Yes, material things. All of creation is groaning and waiting in hope - and we know that hope in Christ does not disappoint. Why should only our human hopes be realized? I believe creation will not be annihilated. No, just like us, everything visible will be shaken and it will pass through the fire. But only death will be destroyed, not life nor its substance.

Eternal spirit became bound up with substance when God decided to create humankind. God likes stuff. He created it.

Substance became bound up in God's redemption when He became incarnate as the man, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. 

The flesh - that is, our selfish desires and self-centeredness, pride, and fear - was carried away in the body of Christ when he died.

He rose from the grave free from all such hindrances. And he rose in the flesh. Not the old corruptible flesh. The difference is, His body has been redeemed. 

And with Him, our bodies, yes these bodies, will put on incorruptibility. We'll be bareback riding with Joni on steeds as swift as the wind. 

Or perhaps we can do something even greater. Because like the caterpillar can't conceive of the future liberties of its new body, neither can we. "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it is not yet revealed what we will be. But we know that, when He is revealed, we will be like Him; for we will see Him just as He is" (1 John 3:2).

What shall we do as we await so great a hope? 

"Everyone who has this hope set on Him purifies himself, even as He is pure" (I John 3:3).