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Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Stan Grenz, In His Own Words

On death and resurrection, from Theology for the Community of God.

"The Christian message puts forth the resurrection as the means whereby God will bring us to the full enjoyment of community. One glorious day we will join Christ in the Easter experience. But what solace does this hope offer to us as we contemplate our own death? What happens ultimately when we die? ...

"Above all, because we know that at his return we will be united with our Lord, we may rest assured that even in death we are secure. Our greatest enemy is powerless to separate us from the love of God which is ours in Christ. Consequently, in the extremity of death, we remain surrounded by God's loving presence. ...

"In the end, the intermediate state is God's act of holding fast to his creatures. The unrighteous are kept by God unto judgment and eternal death. The righteous are kept with God unto resurrection and eternal life, surrounded by God's love and blissful resting. Our hope of survival through death through death, therefore, is not our own doing; nor is it the outworking of any supposed immortality we possess intrinsically. Rather, just as in our life here on earth, we can only trust in God's willingness to hold fast to us. ...

"In the face of the meaninglessness of our existence which apparently ends in death, we declare the good news that we will one day share in Christ's resurrection. This event which marks the culmination of personal life in the great eschatological community is not an isolated, individual experience. Rather, the resurrection is also a corporate and social event that will occur when our risen Lord returns in glory to bring human history to its climax."

1 comment:

Clay Lifto said...

Just writing a paper today, and noted a reference to Stan Grenz. I remember him and Edna, studying in Germany many years ago. I remember sledding with him, pulled on a rope line behind a car as it wound up the Alpine road! I remember playing "Pick-Up-Sticks" with him on the living room floor. A good friend. -Clay Lifto