The Scriptural Goal of Redemption

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16).

"But have everlasting life."

We often cannot grasp what we are reading in the Scriptures, because the traditional goal of salvation is to attain eternal residence in Heaven. Actually (and scripturally) the goal of salvation has little to do with eternal residence in Heaven. The goal of redemption is "everlasting life." The goal is the resurrection of the body to righteousness, immortality, and glory.

The traditional goal, that of making Heaven our eternal home, is not scriptural. Making the goal of redemption eternal residence in a golden mansion in Heaven introduces confusion into the attempt to relate our behavior to our goal. If the goal of redemption were to bring the redeemed to the realm of spirits to abide forever, God would be reversing His accomplishments of the first chapter of Genesis. God would be doing away with the firmament and the earth and returning to the condition prior to the creation.

Being raised in the body to righteousness, immortality, and glory is different from making our eternal home in the spirit realm.

It is true of any system that confusion concerning the objectives may cause wasteful, destructive methods to be pursued and illogical explanations to be made. Measurement of progress to the goal becomes impossible. Because the Christian is assuming an incorrect goal, confusion is introduced into the discussion of the relationship of the Law of Moses to the Christian salvation.

That the Lord Jesus Christ came to bring us eternal life is found throughout the New Testament. Never once, however, is it stated that the Lord Jesus came to bring us to Heaven or His purpose in returning is to bring us back to Heaven.

One of the evangelical traditions is that the Lord is coming to "catch away His waiting bride to Heaven." The believers are not considering the fact that the Christians for two thousand years have been waiting for the Lord to return. If He came to catch away His waiting bride to Heaven it would be only a very small part of the Bride that would be caught away at any given time.

One might reason, but He will raise the saints of all ages and then catch them away to Heaven. What would be the sense of this? The great majority of saints are in Heaven already. The deceased saints do not need to experience the resurrection of their bodies in order to enjoy the spirit Paradise.

Making our home in the spirit Paradise never is presented in the Old Testament or New Testament as the objective of the Christian salvation. The venerable "mansions," of John 14:2, refer to our abiding in Christ and He in us. An examination of the context and the Greek text will demonstrate this.

Eternal life, meaning especially the resurrection of the body to righteousness, immortality, and glory, is set forth in the Old Testament (Daniel 12:2,3), and numerous times in the New Testament (the fifteenth chapter of I Corinthians, for example).

One final thought: the Old Testament Prophets speak many times of the purpose of the return of Christ. It is not to "catch a waiting bride away." It always is to bring justice to the nations of the earth.

Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment [justice] to the Gentiles [nations]. (Isaiah 42:1)

It is important that today the Christian ministry begin to announce clearly to the churches and to the world that Christ is going to return in order to bring justice to the nations. The reason the saints must attain their personal goal of eternal life is that they may return with Christ and bring justice to the nations of the earth. This is the teaching of the Scriptures.