Behold, I Make All Things New: Glorification and Final Salvation
Behold, I Make All Things New
Glorification and Final Salvation
7 minute read
The Statement of Faith
We believe that glorification is the final stage of salvation, when believers will be fully conformed to the image of Christ at His return or at our death. Our bodies will be raised immortal and incorruptible, our souls will be perfected in holiness, and we will dwell with God forever in the new heavens and new earth. Sin will be no more. Death will be no more. What was begun at regeneration and continued in sanctification will be completed in glorification—salvation in its fullest sense.
How Did We Get Here?
We often speak of salvation in the past tense: "I was saved." And that's true—we were justified, our sins forgiven, our standing secured. But Scripture also speaks of salvation in present and future tenses. We are being saved—sanctification is ongoing. And we will be saved—glorification awaits.
Glorification is the often-neglected final chapter. We talk about getting saved, about growing in faith, but less about the finish line—the moment when everything God started reaches completion. Yet this is where the whole story is headed. This is the hope that sustained martyrs, comforted the grieving, and gave meaning to suffering throughout church history.
Understanding glorification gives us hope that transcends present struggles. Whatever we face now—sin, sickness, suffering, death—is temporary. The end is glory. The destination is transformation. The future is better than we can imagine.
What the Bible Says
Glorification Is Certain
"And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified."
— Romans 8:30
Notice the past tense: "he also glorified." It's so certain it's spoken of as already done. The chain is unbreakable: predestined → called → justified → glorified. If you've been justified, glorification is guaranteed.
"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."
— 2 Corinthians 4:17
Present troubles are "light and momentary" compared to "eternal glory." The contrast is staggering. Paul endured beatings, shipwrecks, imprisonments—and called them light. That's how heavy glory will be.
We Will Be Like Christ
"Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is."
— 1 John 3:2
We don't know every detail, but we know this: we'll be like Jesus. Seeing Him transforms us into His likeness. The beatific vision completes what faith began.
"For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters."
— Romans 8:29
The purpose of salvation is conformity to Christ's image. Glorification is when that purpose is fully realized. We become what we were predestined to be.
Our Bodies Will Be Raised
"So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body."
— 1 Corinthians 15:42-44
The resurrection body is physical but transformed: imperishable, glorious, powerful, spiritual. Not a different body but this body glorified. Continuity with transformation.
"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body."
— Philippians 3:20-21
Our bodies will be like Christ's glorious body—the resurrection body He has now. He's the prototype; we're the copies coming.
All Things New
"Then I saw 'a new heaven and a new earth,' for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away... He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!'"
— Revelation 21:1, 5
Glorification isn't just about us; it's about all creation. New heaven. New earth. Everything renewed. Our glorification fits within cosmic restoration.
"'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
— Revelation 21:4
No more tears. No more death. No more pain. The old order is finished. The new has come. This is the end of the story—and it's very good.
How It Fits the Full Narrative
Glorification recovers and exceeds Eden. In the beginning, Adam and Eve walked with God in paradise. Sin interrupted. Glorification restores—but better. The tree of life reappears (Revelation 22:2). God's presence is unmediated (22:4). But now, we'll be beyond the possibility of falling. The end exceeds the beginning.
Glorification completes redemption's plan. God's eternal purpose was to have a people conformed to His Son's image. Glorification is that purpose achieved. What predestination intended, glorification delivers. The plan reaches its goal.
Glorification vindicates God's character. The problem of evil asks why God allows suffering. Glorification is the answer: He's working all things toward a glory that infinitely outweighs the pain. The end justifies the means—not excusing evil but overwhelming it with good.
Glorification unites creation and redemption. God saves souls and renews bodies. He redeems individuals and restores creation. The new heavens and new earth aren't abandonment of the physical but its transformation. Matter matters to God—forever.
Why This Matters
It gives hope in suffering. "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18). Whatever you're enduring, it's temporary. Glory is eternal. The comparison puts suffering in perspective.
It comforts in grief. Death is not the end. Resurrection is coming. We "do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope" (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Grief is real; despair is not necessary. We will see loved ones again—glorified.
It motivates holiness. "Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure" (1 John 3:3). The hope of glorification doesn't produce passivity but purity. If this is where we're headed, we start becoming it now.
It defines success. The world measures success by wealth, power, fame. The Christian measures by faithfulness—heard at the end, "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21). Glorification redefines what matters.
It sustains through the long haul. Ministry is hard. Life is hard. The Christian race is a marathon, not a sprint. The hope of glory provides stamina. We run toward a prize worth having (Philippians 3:14).
How to Communicate This
Make it concrete. Glorification isn't vague "heaven" with harps and clouds. It's resurrection bodies, renewed creation, face-to-face with Christ. Help people envision it. Read the descriptions in Revelation 21-22.
Connect to present struggles. The doctrine isn't escapism; it's perspective. Whatever people face—illness, loss, failure, death—glorification speaks into it. "This isn't the end. Better is coming. Much better."
Ground it in Christ. Glorification isn't abstract hope; it's about being with Jesus and being like Jesus. Christocentric eschatology keeps it personal.
Balance "already" and "not yet." Glorification is future, but it begins now in a sense. We're already being transformed (2 Corinthians 3:18). Glorification completes what's underway. The future invades the present.
Defending Against Critics
Objection: "Isn't this just wishful thinking—pie in the sky?"
Response: The hope of glorification rests on the resurrection of Jesus—a historical event with evidence. If Jesus rose, then death is defeated and our resurrection is secured. It's not wishful thinking but confident expectation based on what God has already done. The past resurrection guarantees the future one.
Objection: "Why would a spiritual God care about physical bodies?"
Response: Because God created the physical world and called it good. The incarnation proves God isn't allergic to matter—He took on a body. The resurrection confirms bodies matter—Jesus rose bodily and remains embodied. Gnosticism devalued the physical; Christianity embraces it. Glorification is the transformation, not the abandonment, of the material.
Objection: "What happens between death and resurrection?"
Response: This is called the "intermediate state." Scripture suggests believers are "with Christ" immediately at death (Philippians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:8)—conscious, blessed, but not yet complete. Full glorification awaits the resurrection, when body and soul are reunited. The intermediate state is good; the final state is better.
Objection: "How can God make everything new when the world is so broken?"
Response: The same power that created the universe from nothing and raised Jesus from the dead can renew all things. "With God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). The brokenness is real, but God's power is greater. His track record—creation, redemption, resurrection—gives confidence for the future.
Going Deeper
Key passages to study:
- Isaiah 65:17-25 – New heavens and new earth
- Romans 8:18-30 – Glory to be revealed
- 1 Corinthians 15:35-58 – The resurrection body
- 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:10 – Eternal glory
- Philippians 3:20-21 – Bodies transformed
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 – The Lord's return
- 1 John 3:1-3 – We shall be like Him
- Revelation 21:1-22:5 – The new creation
Questions for reflection:
- How does the hope of glorification affect how I face suffering and death?
- Am I living in light of the future glory, or merely for present comfort?
- What would change if I truly believed the best is yet to come?