- Aug 20, 2019
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I have been reading Hans Boersma's Seeing God:The Beatific Vision in Christian Tradition (see below). There seems to be two general schools of thought concerning the state of the saints in heaven.
1. The perfect state: The saints in heaven are in perfect bliss. This is usually accounted for by the fact that they "see" the essence of God. Thomas Aquinas seems to have held this position.
2. The progressively fulfilling state: The saints are not in perfect bliss, but experience a progressively fulfilling state of bliss. This is usually accounted for by the fact that God is infinite and therefore the divine essence cannot be comprehended. Nonetheless, there is an ever-advancing state of bliss that the saint in heaven experiences. Gregory of Nyssa and Jonathan Edwards held this position.
Both of these positions assume that the saints in heaven will be perfectly free from sin. The difference is how they experience God: either as a perfect comprehension or a progressive comprehension.
My position is "The progressively fulfilling state." Because God is infinite, God is not comprehendible by a created being. I heard it explained once as a state of simultaneous desire and fulfillment: perfectly desiring God and perfectly being satiated by God, at an ever increasing rate. So, we spend eternity knowing and enjoying God more and more and more...for eternity.
But, it seems that many assume that in heaven we will be perfect in every way. Not only will the saints be perfectly free from sin, but will also have perfect bliss, perfect knowledge, perfect so on.
What do you think? Is heaven a perfect state or a progressively fulfilling state?
https://www.amazon.com/Seeing-God-Beatific-Christian-Tradition/dp/0802876048
1. The perfect state: The saints in heaven are in perfect bliss. This is usually accounted for by the fact that they "see" the essence of God. Thomas Aquinas seems to have held this position.
2. The progressively fulfilling state: The saints are not in perfect bliss, but experience a progressively fulfilling state of bliss. This is usually accounted for by the fact that God is infinite and therefore the divine essence cannot be comprehended. Nonetheless, there is an ever-advancing state of bliss that the saint in heaven experiences. Gregory of Nyssa and Jonathan Edwards held this position.
Both of these positions assume that the saints in heaven will be perfectly free from sin. The difference is how they experience God: either as a perfect comprehension or a progressive comprehension.
My position is "The progressively fulfilling state." Because God is infinite, God is not comprehendible by a created being. I heard it explained once as a state of simultaneous desire and fulfillment: perfectly desiring God and perfectly being satiated by God, at an ever increasing rate. So, we spend eternity knowing and enjoying God more and more and more...for eternity.
But, it seems that many assume that in heaven we will be perfect in every way. Not only will the saints be perfectly free from sin, but will also have perfect bliss, perfect knowledge, perfect so on.
What do you think? Is heaven a perfect state or a progressively fulfilling state?
https://www.amazon.com/Seeing-God-Beatific-Christian-Tradition/dp/0802876048