Eternal life in God's presence; bodily resurrection and glorious final destiny
The Nazarene Articles of Faith affirm 'the resurrection of the dead; that those who have been justified and made holy shall enter into the fullness of eternal life.' Heaven is a real and glorious destiny for the redeemed — a state of perfect, eternal communion with the triune God, made possible by Christ's atoning work and the Spirit's sanctifying grace.
Nazarene eschatological hope includes both the individual dimension (immediate communion with God at death) and the cosmic dimension (the resurrection of the body, the new creation, and the eternal reign of God). The resurrection body, like Christ's resurrection body, will be glorified and imperishable — a vindication of the goodness of created, embodied existence.
The vision of heaven in Nazarene spirituality is shaped by the doctrine of entire sanctification: in eternity, the 'perfect love' that believers begin to experience in entire sanctification will be fully realized. The eternal state is the consummation of the holy life — the complete fullness of the love that was planted in the heart at entire sanctification and is now perfected in glory.
Key Distinctions
- Heaven nature:
- eternal conscious presence with God; beatific vision; transformed creation
- Access timing:
- at final resurrection and judgment (Last Day)
- Bodily resurrection:
- full bodily resurrection; glorified body reunited with soul
Scripture References
Sources
- Church of the Nazarene Manual, Articles of Faith, §XVII: Resurrection, Judgment, and Destiny