This quasi-article emerged from an ongoing conversation we’ve been having on the Mount Hermeneutics podcast (available wherever you get your podcasts – like and subscribe!).

The discussion initially began as an answer to a listener’s question about heaven.

Specifically, we (well, mostly I) frequently observe that this idea taken for granted by Christians – that the “salvation” on offer in the gospel of Jesus Christ consists of going away to a blissful afterlife as a disembodied spirit in death – is nowhere taught in the Bible, but is actually a pagan idea that crept in from Greco-Roman mythology and Gnosticism has nothing whatsoever to do with the biblical worldview (as I have explained at length in other articles on this blog).

So, the question was:

Why do Christians typically believe this, and what do we do with all of those passages in the Bible that are commonly (and erroneously) understood to teach this?

Addressing this question led to another topic:

If not heaven as a disembodied spirit in death, then what is “salvation”? What is the Christian hope? What is the “good news”-aspect of the gospel? What is it that followers of Jesus Christ have to look forward to, if we don’t go to heaven when we die?

This led to a discussion about eschatology, i.e., “End Times,” in which we addressed and debated the four main options for Christian belief in this area: Premillennialism, Postmillennialism, Amillennialism and Preterism.

(For those unfamiliar, these deal with the question of when Jesus will return in relation to the 1,000-year kingdom on earth pictured in Revelation 20. Christians are generally agreed that “1,000 years” is an idiom that just means “a really long time,” and not necessarily a precise period of time comprising exactly ten centuries. Premillenialists believe Jesus will return in order to establish that earthly kingdom and to be present to physically reign as king from Jerusalem. Postmillennialists believe the millennial kingdom is a future golden age achieved by the Church’s success in carrying out the Great Commission, in which Christianity holds sway in the world and all nations willingly obey Jesus as he reigns as king in heaven, and that he will return at the conclusion of that period. Amillennialists believe the millennial kingdom is the Church Age, and that we are in that kingdom now, and that Jesus will return at the conclusion of the present age. Preterists believe that Jesus already returned in some figurative or spiritual sense in the year 70 AD when Jerusalem and the Jewish temple were destroyed by the Romans.)

We didn’t arrive at any consensus about which is the correct position, but I both began and concluded my side of the discussion by the following point:

For the purpose of addressing the question at hand, it doesn’t matter which is correct.

One of them certainly is correct, and it is not, by my lights, terribly difficult to establish which one that is from the plain teachings of the Bible. But – with the exception of (full) Preterism – all three have merit to them. One is more correct than the other two, and the correct answer is important for the broader purposes of the Church, but all three make valid and important points for the life of the Church and the individual Christian, which we would all be better off believing and embracing, and so – for the sake of our discussion, it doesn’t matter which is correct.

What does matter – and what should be the foundation of everything else we could discuss with regard to the Christian life – is that throughout the New Testament, the second coming of Christ is the overriding preoccupation of the early Christians.

Every exhortation made by the apostles and biblical writers, every encouragement to holiness and faithfulness and to overcome temptation, every imploration to stand firm in the face of persecution and martyrdom, every single instruction given – the expected imminent return of Jesus Christ was the impetus each and every time.

Whatever the early Christians’ hope was, it was to be accomplished at the Parousia – the coming, the advent, the manifest presence of Jesus Christ, returned to earth from heaven.

I’m not sure we were in full agreement on that point, but that led to the next question:

What are Christians supposed to be doing until Christ’s return?

That’s where we left the discussion, which we plan to pick up for our next episode.

On Sanctification

To prepare, I went through the New Testament and took note of all the times that appeal was made, looking for 1) every time the expected glorious return of the Messiah was leveraged as motivation, and 2) what in particular was being asked or encouraged on the part of the listener/reader.

It was certainly good preparation for the discussion, but I found the exercise to be quite rewarding for its own sake.

The consistent pattern was that Sanctification is the activity to which Christians were being called in view of Jesus’ imminent return.

Now, I expect that for many people, that answer might be somewhat anticlimactic, if not unsatisfying.

For some, it’s because the term is unfamiliar, while for others, it’s because it’s too familiar. With regard to the latter – there’s a common tendency that afflicts Christians at least as much as anyone else in that, if we have a familiar label for something, or a doctrine about it, we think we understand it, and so we think of it as a box we’ve already checked off, a lesson already learned, and we move on.

But, given the amount of attention the biblical writers gave to this concept, it isn’t something we can afford to be complacent about.

What I found striking as I went through the New Testament was the juxtaposition between how they wrote about Sanctification – and the copious amount of attention it was given, and the way that modern preachers talk about it – if they give it any attention at all.

And, that juxtaposition is all the more striking when we look at how the term is defined in internet searches and other popularly accessible sources:

Google’s AI Overview reads: “Sanctification is a Christian teaching that describes the process of being transformed by God to become holy and fit for a special purpose. The word ‘sanctification’ literally means ‘to set apart for special use or purpose”.”

If you look the term up on Wikipedia, it goes to an article on “Sacredness,” which is entirely too general to be of any use.

“Theosis” is a synonym for sanctification, most commonly used in Eastern Orthodoxy. Plug that into the Wikipedia search, and it offers another synonym and definition:

“Divinization (Christian), the transforming effect of divine grace, the spirit of God, or the atonement of Christ”

These are pretty consistent with the teachings of most churches, in my experience, according to which, sanctification is highly abstract and vaguely defined, largely for the fact that it is passive: it is an “effect of divine grace.” God does it. You – the Christian undergoing this process of transformation – are merely to be acted upon by God. You have no role, except to believe the right things, and God does the rest.

In stark, striking contrast, however, the biblical writers are constantly urging believers to be active in pursuit of this transformation. They were consistently urged to “strive,” to “make every effort,” to “press on toward the goal.” Disciples are consistently warned about the high costs, the risks to life and limb and freedom, the sacrifices to be made in pursuit of this goal, and explicitly warned against complacency and passivity.

But, it’s one thing for me to point this out and for people to agree with me (many do not).

It’s another thing entirely to see it for yourself. Just hearing me make the point doesn’t quite drive home the urgency and importance of the point, and so I’ve collected many of the relevant passages below for your convenience. It’s not a comprehensive collection of all the relevant passages, mind you, but it’s a pretty good representation.

It won’t take long, and it’s worth the effort. As you read through these, think about how these instructions compare to what you’re likely to hear in church.

Does your church teach anything like this – are you urged to make every effort to add to your faith those qualities that are consistent with the divine nature? Do the leaders offer to mentor you and other believers in that pursuit? Are you encouraged and empowered to strive for continually increasing excellence and virtue and knowledge and holiness?

If not, what do they teach? Is it preparing you and others for the return of Jesus Christ?

If the teachings you hear in church are not consistent with what you read in what follows, why not?

The Reading:

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:34-38)

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:6-8)

“Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’ (Acts 2:29-35, quoting Psalm 110)

“Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’

“Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.” (Acts 3:17-26)

For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God … I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. (Romans 8:13,14; 18-25)

“Live according to the flesh” vs “Live by the Spirit”?

 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your logical worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. (Romans 12:1-8)

For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all. (1 Corinthians 15:21-28; quoting Psalm 110)

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

“Where, O death, is your victory?

             Where, O death, is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:51-58)

If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed! Marana Tha! (Come, Lord!) (1 Corinthians 16:22)

(Psalm 110 deserves some attention, since it’s cited so often with regard to Jesus’ enthronement at the right hand of the Father, as well as for its DCW implications.)

“But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I prove that I am a lawbreaker. For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? (Galatians 2:17-3:5)

(Believing, living to God – this is an ongoing pursuit. It is active.)

[Following immediately after his summary of the Church’s mission/use of gifts/offices:]

Now this I affirm and insist on in the Lord: you must no longer walk as the gentiles do, in the futility of their minds; they are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart. They have lost all sensitivity and have abandoned themselves to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. That is not the way you learned Christ! For surely you have heard about him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus, to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts (Greek: epithumia, i.e., appetites, which are morally neutral in and of themselves), and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:17-24)

Ephesians 6:10-20: We are at WAR (DCW); so pray. Prayer = combat.

Philippians 1: Christ is proclaimed.

Philippians 3: Pressing on to the Resurrection as “the Prize.” (Why is circumcision/Judaizing so bad, so detrimental to this goal?)

To them God chose to make known how great among the gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil and strive with all the energy that he powerfully inspires within me. (Colossians 1:27-29)

Colossians 2: BAPTISM – What is it?

“He disarmed the rulers and authorities (Divine Council/Psalm 82) and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it. Therefore, do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food or drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or Sabbaths. These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the body (that casts it) belongs to Christ. Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, initiatory visions, puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and tendons, grows with a growth that is from God. If with Christ you died to the elemental principles of the world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations, “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? All these regulations refer to things that perish with use; they are simply human commands and teachings. These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-imposed piety, humility, and severe treatment of the body, but they are of no value in checking self-indulgence. (vs. 17-23)

But brothers, when we were orphaned by being separated from you for a short time (in person, not in heart), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, did, again and again—but Satan blocked our way. For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus at his Parousia? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy. (1 Thessalonians 2:17-20)

1 Thessalonians 4: Sanctification (v. 3); Resurrection from the Dead at the Parousia.

Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12).

(What is the “crown of life”? It’s something promised in the future, and it is *not* “going to heaven” in death.”

Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? (James 2:5)

(This is an allusion to the Beatitudes of Matthew 5 – which is thoroughly eschatological.)

Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the Parousia of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the Parousia of the Lord is at hand. (James 5:7-8)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last (Greek: eschaton) time. In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:3-9)

Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. (v. 13)

1 Peter 2: “Grow into your salvation”

 The end (Greek: telos) of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. (1 Peter 4:7)

Now as an elder myself and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you to tend the flock of God that is in your charge, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have you do it—not for sordid gain but eagerly. Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades away. (1 Peter 5:1-4)

ALL of 2 Peter is essentially a reiteration of this basic point: Make every effort at sanctification, because Jesus Christ will return. Peter and the others were eyewitnesses to the glorification of Jesus as the prophesied Messiah, and so we know for sure that the rest of the prophets’ words will come to pass.

2 Peter 1:3-11 – “Therefore make every effort,” etc. Participation in the divine nature/escape the corruption of the world entails *every effort* to add to our faith those qualities of the divine nature.

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.  (1 John 3:1-3)

Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh; any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist! Be on your guard, so that you do not lose what we have worked for, but may receive a full reward. Everyone who does not abide in the teaching of Christ, but goes beyond it, does not have God; whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. (2 John 7-9)

(That last passage doesn’t repeat the formula, but it struck me as a good reminder that any teaching that isn’t consistent with that formula is a departure from the true gospel.)