THE HOPE FOR HOLINESS: GOD’S DIVINE ENDGAME - A FRESH CONSIDERATION OF EPHESIANS 4:17-24

THE DIVINE ENDGAMEFew Christian believers stop to think about the endgame of their faith in Christ for salvation, beyond a rather shallow consideration that they might end up in heaven one day. But is this the most important thing to God, for believers, saved by the power of Christ's shed blood on the cross, to simply end up in heaven? Even if we should end up in heaven, what does that really mean in terms of eternal life? It is way too easy to miss the New Testament's emphasis on the quality of eternal life, over and against quantity, how long it will last, especially as believers glibly speak to one another about eternal life with respect tothe unbelievers (cf. John 3:16-18; Rom. 6:23). In describing the incarnation of the Word as flesh, John spoke about light being life, that is knowing God has something to do with what it means to be truly alive (John 1:4-5). Jesus made the telling statement that he had come "…that you might have life, and have it more abundantly," which the NIV translates "have it to the full" (John 10:10).In Ephesians 4:17-24, Paul exhorts his reader to embrace the profound moral changes that God has imbedded in their nature through justification, that is salvation. That appears to be the core idea in this passage, and may be integral to the overarching theme of the letter. These moral changes, Paul says, are the result of God creating in them a new nature with the capacity for holiness and righteousness that stand at the heart of a relationship and fellowship with God (Rom. 5:1-2; 1 John 1:5-10). This life of holiness is on a trajectory that will find its greatest fulfillment in the divine endgame, a new heaven and a new earth, where believers will reign with Christ over a renewed creation, reflecting the glory of God back into it, just as he originally intended (cf. Gen. 1:26-28). Nevertheless, Paul assures his readers, their renewal has begun in the present, because through Christ and the power of the indwelling Spirit, the kingdom of God has broken in to initiate the rule of God in and among them. Its rule finds its greatest and fullest expression in the caring and reciprocal relationships of believers, living in community with one another, and in unity (Eph. 4:3, 13-16). Read more