“… in Christ … old things are passed away … all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 / Transcendence

A Thought.

I’m not sure that we think about our new life in Christ in sufficiently dramatic terms.  I know that I haven’t.

This idea came to me as I was reading a book a while ago.  In the book, one of the characters was asked what she expected to be the outcome of a quest on which she had embarked.  Her response was “Transcendence.”

Transcendence is not just synonymous with “change” or “transition” or even “evolution.”  Transcendence implies that whatever has “transcended” becomes not just a “better” version of its former self/existence. Transcendence means that the object/subject has literally moved from one reality to another.  The object/subject that “transcends” has become an infinitely new “thing,” presumably far better and totally different from what it had been before.  After its transcendence, the former object/subject is so far removed from its previous form/existence that it is no longer recognizable as related to its former self/form/structure.

How It Applies.

I believe that it is this kind of transformation that Paul was speaking of when he said, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:  old things are passed away; …all things are become new.” [2 Corinthians 5:17]  Here, Paul is not just saying that when a man accepts Christ as his savior, he gets an “upgrade.”   He is not saying that the new Christian is a better version of his old self.

He is saying that the person’s “old self” has literally passed away  and that the believer has become a “new thing.”  I believe that he is saying that the “new” person has “transcended” his former self, and now is a completely new being in Christ.

Whereas before, the person was subject to relentless sin and death (spiritual as well as physical), he/she is now a being infinitely different from what they were before.  They are now “brothers/sisters” of Christ and destined to reign with Him in eternal glory.

It’s Importance for Us.

To me, you cannot think “bigger” or “better” than becoming one with God (through Christ’s sacrifice and subsequent justification and purification) for eternity.  Think about it!  We’re not going to Heaven to put on a “new suit of clothes.”  Instead, we’re destined to transform into creatures unrecognizable from our “form” today.  And, here, I am speaking both physically and spiritually.

My experience is that I have not fully appreciated the change that God has wrought in me by my belief in and relationship with Him.  I’ve heard that “I was dead in sin, but am now alive in Christ” [Romans 6:11] more times than I can recount.  But until the other day, the full import of that statement hadn’t really “set in” with me.

Like many people, I’d tended to think of my life with God in Heaven as my current frail body being replaced by a new, completely-healed physical body, that I’d then be living in a gorgeous mansion surrounded by indescribable beauty, and that I’d spend my days hearing the Celestial Choir sing endless songs of praise to God.

I now realize that this description, as pleasant as it may be, is wholly inadequate to describe the experience I’m going to have when I open my “spiritual eyes” and behold the new reality that actually IS “being one with God.”

Hope.

We’ve adopted more limited and prosaic language to attempt to describe the new life we expect to have with God because we have nothing within our realm of experience against which to compare it.  How do you describe something you cannot even imagine?  I now believe that the language found in scripture and in the hundreds of thousands of pages written since is a poor attempt to describe something that we cannot know or understand.

But we are not left without hope or despair because we cannot fully fathom what is to come.  By living the kinds of lives that our new faith in Christ empowers us to lead, we can begin to see small glimpses of that glorious future.

Realization.

When a child’s face lights up at receiving an unexpected gift, when a poor person’s anxiety is relieved by our small gift of the change in our pocket, or in the stranger’s gratitude when we stop on the busy road to assist with a flat tire, we can see God’s face (and His smile) shining on us.  As we attempt to lead lives increasingly in concert with God and His will for us, as we daily become closer to and more like Him, we begin to interact with our world in ways that model God’s character and care for His Creation and for us.  And, as we do so, we begin to be able to sense what it will be like to remain continually in His presence.

Although we may still “see through a glass darkly,” [1 Corinthians 13:12] we can begin to feel spiritual closeness with Him, and experience what His love does to and for us and for others. Whenever we make an effort to deal with others as brothers and sisters in Christ, we very nearly always come away with a heightened sense of happiness and wellbeing.  These “rays of God-shine” give us a sense of what we will feel when we are truly and eternally with Him in Heaven.  As imperfect as our “earthly” vision may be, we can still glimpse our spiritual future and the wonder that it holds.

A New Appreciation.

So, I suggest that we start thinking of our transition from earthly life to eternal spiritual life in more expansive and dramatic terms.  I suggest that we stop limiting our expectations to what we can currently know and comprehend.  And, I suggest that we start expecting our new life with Christ to be Transcendent and accept that we can begin that experience today.

Hallelujah and Amen!

God’s Blessings Be On You All.

Richard

July 15, 2020