Hope:

Christian hope is not centered on escaping the body or reaching a final resting place in an immaterial heaven. When Paul speaks of his desire “to depart and be with Christ” in Philippians 1:23, he offers comfort and confidence to believers facing death. Yet, this is not the complete picture. In the same letter, Paul makes clear that his ultimate goal is “to attain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:11) and that the Lord Jesus Christ will “transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body” (Philippians 3:21). The consistent hope of the New Testament is the resurrection of the body and complete restoration in the presence of God.

The shape of the biblical story supports this. It begins in Genesis 1–2 with a garden where God dwells with humanity and ends in Revelation 21–22 with a new heaven and new earth, described as a garden-city, where God once again dwells with His people. Rather than focusing on disembodied souls in heaven, the Bible looks forward to resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20–23), the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23), and eternal life in the presence of God (John 5:28–29; 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17).

Early Christian thinkers shared this vision. Writers in the second and third centuries affirmed that those who die in Christ enjoy comfort and peace, but they also taught that the final hope is the resurrection of the body. The righteous dead await being raised and fully restored. They understood Paul’s words in Philippians 1 as a reference to the believer’s confidence in Christ after death, but not as a denial of the resurrection to come.

To be with Christ is truly better, yet the Christian hope remains anchored in what God will do when Christ returns. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:52, “The dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.” This is when the story finds its completion, and God’s purpose in creation is fulfilled.

~PW 🌮🛶