Question 52: What hope does everlasting life hold for us?
Answer: It reminds us that this present fallen world is not all there is; soon we will live with and enjoy God forever in the new city, in the new heaven and earth, where we will be fully and forever free from all sin and will inhabit renewed, resurrection bodies in a renewed, restored creation.
One of the great hopes of our redemption to come is that one day sin will be a reality we can always speak about in the past tense. In the New Jerusalem, "we will be fully and forever free from all sin," as the catechism states. And that means we will reach the full potential of our humanity.
Sin is the misdirection, or the perversion, of something that is good. Evil has no existence on its own; it is always the corruption of something God created to be good. Since we are corrupted by sin in Adam, that means our relationship to God has been misaligned. We are no longer fully oriented to him in heart, and thus cannot experience the fullness of joy that he created us to experience in knowing and serving him wholeheartedly.
That is why the redeeming work of Christ not only grants to us the joy of sins forgiven, but also frees us from the power of sin over our lives, bringing us ultimately to the condition of having no more sin. And when that day comes, what a joy it will be! May we anticipate it now by fighting against sin and fighting to grow in love for God on a daily basis.
Suggested passage for personal or family reading: Romans 6:1-4. What does this passage teach us about sin in relation to the Christian life? How does baptism represent a transition for us with regard to sin? Why is our future without sin something for which we should long and hope?
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