The Finished Word

Redemption includes our resurrection from the dead and the deliverance of the creation from bondage to sin and corruption . God created all things by His Spirit, including humanity. “ God formed the man of the dust of the earth and breathed upon his face the breath of life .” However, Adam disobeyed God, bringing death not only upon himself but on the entire created order. “ Cursed is the earth because of you! ” – (Genesis 1:2, 2:7, 3:17, Psalm 33:6).

The covenant with Abraham is fulfilled in Jesus, the heir of the Patriarch, including the possession of the Earth – Romans 8:1-30. In his Epistle to the Romans , Paul presents Abraham as the great exemplar of faith. God counted the Patriarch’s faith as righteousness while he was still uncircumcised, which means that the Patriarch was declared righteous without the deeds and rituals required by the Torah .

The arrival of Jesus will be an event of victory and finality. It will include the resurrection, judgment, and the New Creation . The return of Jesus at “ the conclusion of this evil age ” will be an event of complete finality. His “ arrival ” or ‘ Parousia ’ (παρουσια) will be accompanied by celestial and terrestrial upheaval, the arrival of the New Creation, the resurrection of the dead, the judgment of the unrighteous, the destruction of “ the Man of Lawlessness ,” the gathering of Christ’s elect, and the end of death itself.

The Gift of the Spirit is the First Fruits of the bodily resurrection and the Guarantee of our participation in the coming New Creation . The Apostle Paul presents Abraham as the great model of faith. God counted his faith as “ righteousness ” when he was uncircumcised, which means that God justified the Patriarch apart from the “ works of the Law .” Thus, he became the father of all men who are also “ from faith .” Circumcision was added after the promise as the confirmation of Abraham’s justifying faith.

The arrival of Jesus will mark the end of the present world order, accomplish the resurrection of the dead, and inaugurate the New Creation . Jesus will return at the end of the present age. His arrival will coincide with the completion of the Kingdom of God and the judgment of all men. The Son of God will vindicate his saints by raising them from the dead, and he will usher in the New Heavens and New Earth, “ in which righteousness dwells ” – (2 Peter 3:13).

In his letter to the Laodiceans, the Risen “ Son of Man ” is called the “ Beginning of the Creation of God .” In his Death and Resurrection, he inaugurated the New Creation. He is also called the “ Amen, the faithful and true witness ” in the present tense, appellations applied to him previously by the Book’s prologue – (Revelation 3:14).

Salvation includes the bodily resurrection of the saints and life in the New Creation, which will occur when Jesus arrives . Central to the doctrine of salvation is the promise of  redemption . God will not abandon what He first created, and both the term and the concept mean the  recovery of what was lost . The universe is enslaved by sin and condemned to decay and death. In God’s redemptive plans, the end state of redeemed things and persons is vastly superior to their original state, and this principle is epitomized in the promises of bodily Resurrection and New Creation.

Redemption includes our resurrection and the new creation, and the Spirit is the guarantee of the future inheritance . Paul presents Abraham as the model of faith. God justified him apart from the works of the Mosaic Law because of his faith in the promises of God. Likewise, we are acquitted by God “ through the faith of Jesus Christ ,” his faithful obedience unto death, and through him, we become heirs of the covenant promises– (Romans 3:21-24, 4:10-13, Galatians 2:15-21, 3:5-9).

Jesus will arrive at the end of the present age, rewarding his saints but judging and condemning his enemies . Jesus will arrive at the end of the age “ on the clouds of heaven ,” as promised in the Scriptures. The Day of the Lord will mean the completion of the Kingdom of God, the end of death, the new creation, and the judgment of all men.

Paul presents his Gospel message starting with humanity's plight due to sin and concluding with the resurrection of the dead . In his Letter to the Romans , Paul presents his most detailed explanation of the Gospel. His purpose is to deal with conflicts between Gentile and Jewish members of the Church and to prepare the ground in Rome for his plan to take the Gospel to the western parts of the Empire. In doing so, the Apostle addresses key topics, including death, redemption, the Law, resurrection, and New Creation.

The Son of God gives the Spirit to men and women, without which there is no enduring life. His words are spirit, and they are life . “ The Spirit gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The declarations I have spoken to you, they are spirit, and they are life. ” Christ’s statement echoes the biblical principle that life and the Spirit of God are inextricably linked – (John 6:63).

In his second epistle, Peter addresses the growing weariness of some believers due to the apparent delay in or even the failure of the “ arrival ” of Jesus to materialize, an open door for false teachers and outside critics to exploit. Instead of the predicted terrestrial and cosmic upheaval, daily life was continuing as it always had. The Apostle’s explanation is as relevant today as it was two thousand years ago.