I have often wondered how it is that we will no longer commit sin once we get to heaven. Here are some thoughts that I believe the Lord has shown me in that regard.
Though Eve and Adam walked with God Himself in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:8)—seemingly in a state of perfection—they were nevertheless capable of rebellion, just as we are now.
So the question is: Won’t we be like Adam and Eve in this, remaining susceptible to doing the same as we walk with the Lord in the heavenly garden?
Here are eight considerations in regard to this question that can put our fears to rest:
1. On this fallen earth, we do not have the perspective of heaven, which makes it difficult to imagine being in a state where the capacity to sin—even the idea of it—no longer exists.
In Ephesians 1:17-19, the apostle Paul set the record straight:
“I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.”
2. In heaven, we will no longer have a sinful nature.
As the Bible tells us, we have been crucified with Christ and are now a part of His body—His perfect body—which will be fully manifest when Jesus returns to take us to Himself (Gal. 2:20; Rom. 6:4-7; 2 Cor. 5:17; Phil. 3:10; Rom. 6:4).
3. We will no longer dwell on a fallen earth where the tests of temptation hold sway.
We will be in heaven where our bodies will be controlled by the perfect and omnipotent Holy Spirit. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:42b-44:
“When the body is sown (at birth), it decays; when it is raised (in the resurrection), it cannot decay. When sown, it is without dignity; when raised, it will be beautiful. When sown, it is weak; when raised, it will be strong. When sown, it is an ordinary human body; when raised it will be a body controlled by the Spirit. If there is an ordinary human body, there is also a body controlled by the Spirit.”
4. In heaven, sin cannot tempt us.
Why? Due to the dark glass with which we now see, we cannot observe or experience the consuming glory of God. When that glory is seen in heaven, however, it will make the idea of rebellion ludicrous in comparison. It is a glory so awesome, were we to be exposed to it while in this body, we would die from the consuming power of it.
When I began to seek God after living a life of abject rebellion, God revealed a small taste of His glory to me. Suddenly, a raging, surging river of living water poured into my heart with such ferocity that within seconds, I knew I would die if it continued. I cried out, “Please stop!” and it vanished. The awesome experience caused me to collapse into a pile of bones and tears. I then knew without a shred of doubt that God existed in power and glory so intense and otherworldly that I would be the greatest of fools not to surrender my life to Him. And yet, that was but a minor glimpse of what awaits us in the next life, when we will become fully immersed in His glory.
5. In heaven, there will be no adversary or tempter to deceive us and draw us away from God.
The apostle John tells us in Revelation 20:10 (NIV):
“And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
6. In heaven, we will be clothed in the righteousness of Christ Himself.
Paul writes in Galatians 3:27:
“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”
In Revelation 19:8, the apostle John repeats the same idea concerning the “bride of Christ”—the Church:
“It was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.”
7. In heaven, we will be immersed in the full glory of God—experiencing the “Beatific Vision”—the ultimate direct self-communication of God to the individual person.
As Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:12, we will see Him face to face! Adam and Eve did not have that full revelation. Though they walked with God in the garden, they did not see or experience Him in the fullness of His glory.
It is written in 1 John 3:2:
“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. We know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”
The apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 1:6:
“And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
8. In heaven, we will have the full keeping power of God, spoken of in Psalm 66:9:
“To the One who can keep you from falling and set you without defect and full of joy in the presence of His Shekinah (His dwelling— the divine presence of God)—to God alone, our Deliverer, through Yeshua the Messiah, our Lord—be glory, majesty, power and authority before all time, now and forever.
And in Jude 24:
“God preserves our lives and keeps our feet from stumbling.”
Though this can refer to what He does for us in this life, as with many prophetic Scriptures, it has a second fulfillment at the end of all things earthly and the beginning of all things heavenly.
According to Isaiah 35:8:
‘A highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way.”
In Revelation 21:1-4 we learn:
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.'”
So you see, the Bible is clear that once our bodies have been transformed and we have been raised to heaven, even the capacity to sin will cease to be a part of our lives. The cause of death (sin) will be no more. And so, we will not be subject to fears of returning to a fallen state. That will be peace indeed. It’s Good News upon Good News!
If you haven’t surrendered your life to the Savior, Jesus Christ, this promise of an eternity of sinlessness in heaven—with God’s glory fully revealed—can still be yours!
As the Lord God Almighty promises in Romans 10:9:
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” {eoa}
Dr. David Kyle Foster is the host of the Pure Passion Podcast and author of Transformed Into His Image and Love Hunger. He is also the founder and director of Mastering Life Ministries. Read more of his take on sexual sin and brokenness in his newest book, The Sexual Healing Reference Edition.
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