- Sep 10, 2020
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The Eternal Disposition
The disposition of a man at the moment of death shall be his disposition forever in the eternity of the afterlife.
We are saved by the work of Christ and destined for the Kingdom of God but within that Eternal Kingdom not all souls are the same. There are those greater and those lesser in the Holy Kingdom, all dependent on each person's disposition before God at the moment of bodily death.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:19
No person is more saved than another but those of more genuine piety on earth shall enjoy some type of greater standing in the afterlife than others. The poor widow who gave a small donation that amounted to the totality of her meager wealth is one such person. Wealthy people were giving greater amounts which were only a fraction of their excess wealth. Christ had greater respect for the smaller donation because it represented all that the poor widow woman had. That poor woman now has a greater standing in heaven than the wealthy who only donated a percentage of their income. Hierarchies exist in the Kingdom of God.
This doesn't mean the poor widow is now filled with a sinful pride against those spiritually impoverished people who were fearful of donating all they had. We're talking about heaven here, in the full presence of a fully righteous and sinless God, against whom even that poor widows greater virtue pales in significance. There is no pride in heaven because all souls are fully overwhelmed by the infinite righteousness of Christ who made sacrifice of his all holy self for all men. The greater righteousness of the poor widow is known to Christ but to all human souls, all they know in their heavenly state is the righteousness of Christ the King. The widow's greater position is still real however, and it is her eternal disposition, unchanging forever because her greater piety on earth was carried over into eternity and became her eternal disposition
The generosity of the poor widow during her life on earth gave her an edge on the more wealthy people who couldn't bring themselves to part with a greater portion of their wealth. The widow woman, even whilst living in the world and still needful of food and other necessities of the body was more detached from those needs and desires than others. She was already somewhat beyond this world whilst still living in it, thinking outside her flesh and self, all of which made her a person of greater Spirit. Presumably she died this way, entering eternity in a disposition better suited for eternity, less materialistic, less selfish, and more at peace without the many pleasures and luxuries of her former world.
That was her edge on those who gave a smaller percentage to charity than she did. When they passed into eternity they carried with them a greater love of worldly wealth than the poor widow, a materialistic disposition less conducive to a purely Spiritual existence. By the work of Christ, that lesser disposition is not condemned but by the righteousness of God neither goes it unnoticed. The woman's better disposition at the time of her death is now as eternal and unchanging as eternity itself. Likewise with the lesser disposition of those who could not part with their worldly wealth. In eternity, our disposition at the time of our entrance becomes eternal itself.
This rule applies to other vices and virtues as well, all of which have eternal ramifications in heaven. A person of great pride who enters heaven having thought himself better than others all his life may find himself less connected with the heavenly host of souls than a more humble soul who thinks himself on equal footing with others. An envious soul may be slightly troubled forever, thinking his position in heaven not good enough as compared to others. And on the virtuous side of things, a person of great humility would spend eternity in greater awe and gratitude just for being redeemed to the eternal Kingdom at all.
The lesson here isn't that we might end up unhappy in heaven though. We shall all be in peace and forever grateful of our Lord Christ's salvific work. Some of us shall enjoy a place closer to Christ's heart but those who are slightly more distant shall enjoy to serve as yet greater testament to our Lord's infinite mercy. In that dynamic none shall be able to harbor pride against another and none shall suffer shame in the light of Christ's overwhelming mercy for all. These varying positions, rankings or hierarchies in heaven remain real though, testified to in the oracles of Scripture. It's just that God alone shall be the One who discerns them because the rest of us will be so overwhelmed by our Lord's complete righteousness that our own pride will melt away.
It remains our obligation then to strive forever for a greater position in heaven even though we will not be aware of the greater position should we achieve it. This is a spiritual exercise, seeking to achieve a greater position in heaven not out of vain ego that will cease to exist before God, but out of a simple desire to be closer to God. It gives us reason to consciously resist the prideful temptation to be the so-called "true Christian" by being better than others and focuses our minds on becoming better than our current selves.
God calls us to look inwardly and at the self rather than outwardly at others, to judge the self rather than our brother. In this way do we stifle our ego before God and better prepare our everlasting conscious, our eternal self and soul for a fuller oneness with He who is truly greatest in the Kingdom of God.
Full Site
artoriouslacomus@protonmail.com
The disposition of a man at the moment of death shall be his disposition forever in the eternity of the afterlife.
We are saved by the work of Christ and destined for the Kingdom of God but within that Eternal Kingdom not all souls are the same. There are those greater and those lesser in the Holy Kingdom, all dependent on each person's disposition before God at the moment of bodily death.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:19
No person is more saved than another but those of more genuine piety on earth shall enjoy some type of greater standing in the afterlife than others. The poor widow who gave a small donation that amounted to the totality of her meager wealth is one such person. Wealthy people were giving greater amounts which were only a fraction of their excess wealth. Christ had greater respect for the smaller donation because it represented all that the poor widow woman had. That poor woman now has a greater standing in heaven than the wealthy who only donated a percentage of their income. Hierarchies exist in the Kingdom of God.
This doesn't mean the poor widow is now filled with a sinful pride against those spiritually impoverished people who were fearful of donating all they had. We're talking about heaven here, in the full presence of a fully righteous and sinless God, against whom even that poor widows greater virtue pales in significance. There is no pride in heaven because all souls are fully overwhelmed by the infinite righteousness of Christ who made sacrifice of his all holy self for all men. The greater righteousness of the poor widow is known to Christ but to all human souls, all they know in their heavenly state is the righteousness of Christ the King. The widow's greater position is still real however, and it is her eternal disposition, unchanging forever because her greater piety on earth was carried over into eternity and became her eternal disposition
The generosity of the poor widow during her life on earth gave her an edge on the more wealthy people who couldn't bring themselves to part with a greater portion of their wealth. The widow woman, even whilst living in the world and still needful of food and other necessities of the body was more detached from those needs and desires than others. She was already somewhat beyond this world whilst still living in it, thinking outside her flesh and self, all of which made her a person of greater Spirit. Presumably she died this way, entering eternity in a disposition better suited for eternity, less materialistic, less selfish, and more at peace without the many pleasures and luxuries of her former world.
That was her edge on those who gave a smaller percentage to charity than she did. When they passed into eternity they carried with them a greater love of worldly wealth than the poor widow, a materialistic disposition less conducive to a purely Spiritual existence. By the work of Christ, that lesser disposition is not condemned but by the righteousness of God neither goes it unnoticed. The woman's better disposition at the time of her death is now as eternal and unchanging as eternity itself. Likewise with the lesser disposition of those who could not part with their worldly wealth. In eternity, our disposition at the time of our entrance becomes eternal itself.
This rule applies to other vices and virtues as well, all of which have eternal ramifications in heaven. A person of great pride who enters heaven having thought himself better than others all his life may find himself less connected with the heavenly host of souls than a more humble soul who thinks himself on equal footing with others. An envious soul may be slightly troubled forever, thinking his position in heaven not good enough as compared to others. And on the virtuous side of things, a person of great humility would spend eternity in greater awe and gratitude just for being redeemed to the eternal Kingdom at all.
The lesson here isn't that we might end up unhappy in heaven though. We shall all be in peace and forever grateful of our Lord Christ's salvific work. Some of us shall enjoy a place closer to Christ's heart but those who are slightly more distant shall enjoy to serve as yet greater testament to our Lord's infinite mercy. In that dynamic none shall be able to harbor pride against another and none shall suffer shame in the light of Christ's overwhelming mercy for all. These varying positions, rankings or hierarchies in heaven remain real though, testified to in the oracles of Scripture. It's just that God alone shall be the One who discerns them because the rest of us will be so overwhelmed by our Lord's complete righteousness that our own pride will melt away.
It remains our obligation then to strive forever for a greater position in heaven even though we will not be aware of the greater position should we achieve it. This is a spiritual exercise, seeking to achieve a greater position in heaven not out of vain ego that will cease to exist before God, but out of a simple desire to be closer to God. It gives us reason to consciously resist the prideful temptation to be the so-called "true Christian" by being better than others and focuses our minds on becoming better than our current selves.
God calls us to look inwardly and at the self rather than outwardly at others, to judge the self rather than our brother. In this way do we stifle our ego before God and better prepare our everlasting conscious, our eternal self and soul for a fuller oneness with He who is truly greatest in the Kingdom of God.
Full Site
artoriouslacomus@protonmail.com
