Why Heaven Won't Be Perfect  So, Garden of Eden, >> was it perfect or was it good? >> It says in Genesis, God made it and it was good. >> So, it was perfect. >> It was good. It was good. It was good. >> God can't make something that's not perfect. >> It's It's interesting that not only I mean, it's a good reminder for us in general, right? God says of his creation over and over and over again, it was good. Mhm. >> And it's important because as one of my seminary professors said, many of us start the story of creation or humanity in Genesis 3 where the fall happens instead of in Genesis 1 where creation is made good. Humans are made in God's image. It was good. It was good. It was good. The first thing that's not good is Adam being alone and and God makes Eve because it was not good that Adam was alone. But that is not sin. And the goodness is not perfect. It's good and not good. And a lot of scholars, even I mean theologians from very early in the church have said that it was actually really important for us to note that Eden was not perfect. And there's a bunch of different things you could mean by this. One thing that a lot of theologians have meant that's I think really interesting is that Adam and Eve were good in the sense that they were with were they were without sin. They were creatures made in God's image, but they were not morally perfect, spiritually perfect. There was potential there, but they had not developed and grown into perfection. So, a lot of theologians, this is not what everyone thinks, but a lot of theologians would say Adam and Eve are created. They're in this garden. I mean, everyone would say this part, the garden is good gift from God that then God says, "Do something with that. Make something with this stuff that I gave you. Do I give you this for food? There there's gestures towards make a family. But also just more broadly, it seems to be describing like go make community out of this, like take the food, take the land, do something with it. And if that's true, then it's like God made good things and then said develop them. Not that what Adam and Eve made was like better than what God made, but that he created the conditions for development and growth. Um that that one of the earliest people who said that was Erynaeus. He said they were they were created immature. They were good but immature and they needed to grow into greater perfection. And he and others would have even said that would have continued happening. Without the fall, there would not have just been this static garden where Adam and Eve still just stay exactly as they are. If the fall had not happened, they would have grown over time. Another way of thinking about this from Athanasius also early church theologian is he would say not only is Eden good and not perfect because there you know there might be the sense of immaturity or of of a need for growth. He would say creation so completely relies upon God for goodness. It's it's not perfect because to be perfect would be to be good on your own to not be reliant continually on God to sustain you and to give you life. God is perfect. And and even philosophically sometimes we'll talk about God's perfections, like the qualities that God has. We use that language because there is this there's this really important truth. We've talked about this a lot on the podcast, the difference between the creator and creatures that that the creator makes. One of those differences is God was not made by anyone, does not rely on anyone, does not need anyone, but we do. And so some of these early church theologians said it's actually more important and appropriate for us to call creation good. and not perfect because it distinguishes God doesn't need to rely on anyone else. Creation still needs to rely on God for its goodness. So it's not perfect in that sense. >> Okay. So if I'm understanding you correctly, essentially what you're saying is that the only thing that's perfect is God. >> Yep. >> That the Garden of Eden was not perfect. >> Obviously there's nothing on this earth that is perfect. Uh but that in even new creation in the resurre in the resurrected earth, the new heaven and new earth, it won't be perfect. >> Yeah. So that's even wilder. I think some people might be like okay with Eden not being perfect. I kind of assume >> but heaven's going to be perfect. Heaven's perfect. >> I'm going to get cheeseburgers every day. The weather will always be 75° and sunny. The Cubs will always win the World Series. I don't understand. Why are you raining on my heaven? >> I know. I know. Well, there's two parts of this that are important. One that I think we should really take as good. I mean, both of these things are good news, but one is even more like tangibly fun for us. One is again implicit in this idea of perfection is like doesn't change. >> It's it's good as it is, it's so good as it is that it's perfect. Which means >> literally any change you would do must >> change that like it must decrease the goodness because it's perfect. So any change would not be good. That is true of God and good for us that that is true of God. God does not change at all. We do change and that's not just because of sin. It's not just because we're waiting to be redeemed and restored by God. It's because we are creatures and creatures change. And so that's one reason why we would say even in eternity, not perfect in the sense that there would be this like static unchanging experience that's reserved for God. God doesn't change. That's a good thing. The reverse then of that is it's great news for us actually that we will not be perfect in heaven. Because if we're being honest, most of us I think think that that sounds pretty boring. Like if we're perfect in heaven, we don't change at all. We don't learn anything. We don't become closer and closer to God and closer and closer to other creatures made in God's image for all of eternity. That sounds awful, honestly. [laughter] But if we are restored in a very significant way, and there's more we could say about that restoration, but if we are restored to something that gives us the potential to have that kind of relationship with God and with others, that that then we build upon, we develop, we grow, we learn more about God, we learn more about others. That sounds not only like a really amazing, beautiful eternity to await, it sounds fun. Like it sounds better to me to think like >> I mean not everyone's going to do this or want to do this. Maybe >> I'm going to read a bunch of theology books. I think I will learn more things about who God is and how he made creation and how we should live well in it. And that's something I enjoy. Similarly, I think lots of people have things they like to do that create. >> Uhhuh. >> We'll do things like that. We'll we'll grow in our relationships. It's like, you know, I I've been thinking a lot about recently because I'm getting married about the fact that we we do not marry in heaven. We're not married in heaven. >> And I think most of my life I've been like, great, awesome. And now I'm like, wait, what? >> But even that properly understood, I think is an indication to us that we will continue to grow deeper in relationship with each other. It will not work the same way that it does now on Earth. But actually even better than that is the kind of freedom that we will experience in new creation without any of the risks that come with relationships now to know each other really deeply and fully. And that is change. That's development. That's becoming a better and better friend, a better and better brother or sister in Christ. Like that is a that's not static. That will continue to change and that will be a good thing. Hey everyone, if you liked this video, like and subscribe so that you can see more videos and other people can find more thoughtful Christian content., Why Heaven Won't Be Perfect, YouTube, 01kg2aczm27evs0g44k0my90tr.