The Reclamation Blog

The Beatific Vision and the Future-Driven Shape of Sanctification (Part 4) Sanctification is often spoken of as duty, discipline, or effort. While Scripture does call believers to strive, it consistently locates the energy for that striving not in fear or self-reliance, but in hope. The New Testament does not motivate holiness by endlessly pressing Christians back upon themselves, but instead it pulls them forward, and the horizon toward which it pulls them is the promise of

How the Beatific Vision Shapes Christian Worship (Part 5) Worship Oriented Toward Sight Too often, Christian worship is described in functional terms. It instructs, encourages, corrects, and unites the people of God, and just to be clear, all of this is true, but it is not yet sufficient. Instead, scripture frames worship in eschatological terms. The gathered church stands between promise and fulfillment, between faith and sight, and when this tension is lost, worship easily

Once the beatific vision is placed back at the center of Christian hope, resistance often follows. For some, the doctrine can feel too mystical, too abstract, or too foreign to modern Protestant instincts. Additionally, some worry that it drifts beyond Scripture into speculation. Others fear it turns Christianity into an escape from real life, and still others assume it belongs to Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox theology and therefore sits awkwardly within a Reformed frame

Hebrews 8:1–6 and the direction of Christian worship Hebrews 8 turns on a single, decisive word. When the author says that we have a high priest who is “a minister in the holy places,” the word translated minister is leitourgos. This is not generic language for a service or activity; it is worship language drawn from the world of priesthood and public service. In Scripture, leitourgos refers to one who officiates worship on behalf of others, a priestly servant who acts public

If the beatific vision is the hope of the Christian life, it must be clearly understood. The idea that believers will one day “see God” can sound vague, as though Scripture were speaking in metaphor, but when the apostles speak of the appearing of Christ, the revelation of His glory, and the sight that transforms believers, they are describing a future event. Completed Redemption The word beatific (be·a·tif·ic) means happy. The beatific vision, then, is the happy vision. It r

Most Christians know how to talk about forgiveness, spiritual growth, and “God’s plan for your life.” But very few know how to talk about the beatific vision. The phrase sounds distant and technical, as if it belongs in a lecture hall instead of a pulpit. Yet according to Scripture and the best of the Christian tradition, the beatific vision is the hope of all Christians. It is the very thing Jesus prays for in John 17, and the goal toward which salvation is moving, even if y

Advent is supposed to be a season of anticipation. When we think of the Christmas season, we tend to imagine soft lights and family traditions. Yet historically, Advent has been a season of tension, a time to acknowledge the ache that runs through the world and through our own hearts. While there is real joy in remembering the birth of Christ, we still live in a world wrecked by sin and death, by broken relationships, broken families, and broken lives. Advent is not meant to

With our gaze fastened firmly to Him, we must declare with assurance that He is our Righteousness and Life and care nothing about the threats and terrors of the Law, sin, death, wrath, and the judgment of God

You didn’t walk away because you stopped believing in Jesus. You walked away because you weren’t sure you could survive another Sunday....

There’s a growing sentiment online that the recent emphasis on the Law/Gospel distinction is overblown. Some suggest it’s merely the...

Matthew 24:13 states, “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Many take this verse as a conditional warning,...

In John 14:15, Jesus makes a profound statement: But what did Jesus mean when He said, “If you love me, keep my commandments”?  At first...

In light of scripture, we understand that baptism is not something we do for God. It is God’s gracious, tangible gift. A gift that is given

What is gospel clarity? Justification by faith alone—sola fide—is the bedrock of the Reformation and the defining mark of orthodoxy, meaning

I grew up in a Christian home, but to be completely transparent, I don’t know the date of my conversion. As I grew into my teenage years and

This process of reclaiming gospel clarity is not a pursuit of novel doctrines but a return to the foundational truths of our faith. As coine