Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

A Deeper Teaching by Kenton Cheek

     Through the new birth experience, a believer in Jesus goes from spiritual death to life abundant and eternal.[1]  The person is spiritually washed in the blood of Jesus by the Holy Spirit[2] and sealed unto God for eternity.[3]  This unity with God also means unity with everyone who has ever lived and made the same commitment of faith in Christ.[4]  The Old Testament saints who looked forward in faith to the coming of Jesus[5] and all those who followed after Him look back in time[6] to the cross and the empty tomb and by trusting in His finished work there,[7] share in His victory over sin and death.[8] 

     By grace through faith we are saved[9] and born into the Kingdom of God[10] which is a spiritual nation where we are kings and queens,[11] priests and priestesses[12] who have access to and may function in the power authority of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.[13]  When we truly believe and genuinely repent, in Him we discover our true identity as sons and daughters of God the Father in His eternal family,[14] kings and queens in His Kingdom, priests and priestesses in His Bride the Church.[15]

     Everything we need for life and godliness has been provided by Christ and His Word[16] which is illuminated for our understanding and made living and active in our lives by the Holy Spirit.[17]    The universal Church is meant to be the ultimate community where we find love,[18] acceptance,[19] and a deep sense of belonging.[20]  Jesus died so that as we die to our old way of life,[21] we may share in the glorious inheritance of eternal life as brothers and sisters in Him.[22]  This eternal family is the Body of Christ,[23] a dwelling place where God lives by His Spirit. 

     Our focus ought to be on glorifying the Father through evangelism, discipleship, worship, ministry, and fellowship.[24]  All of this must be done in love and with love.  Individually we are temples of the Living God with His Presence in our hearts[25] and the Spirit flowing through us and into the world around us.[26]  As more people decide to place their faith and trust in the Lord, His kingdom expands[27] and these individual living temples are being brought together to form one massive temple[28] and the Lord’s dream of dwelling among His people forever is realized.[29]  In Him we live and move and have our being.[30] 

     This unity is symbolized as holy matrimony between Jesus Christ and His Bride the Church.[31]  Just as two become one flesh in earthly marriage,[32] God the Son and His Bride become one in spirit and we become partakers of His divine nature.[33]  God is not limited by time or space.[34]  Therefore, when a person becomes a genuine follower of Jesus, this unity with God is immediate even as we journey through this fallen world.[35] 

     The very core of their being is inhabited by God the Holy Spirit[36] and joined with God the Father through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.[37]  We know this because Scripture speaks of us being seated with Christ in the heavenly realms even as we still live in our earthly bodies.[38]  Our citizenship is in Heaven even as we eagerly await His Second Coming.[39]  Our bodies are still trapped in time and space in this physical world, but our spirits have been made alive, cleansed and bonded with God on high.  It is therefore right to feel the closeness of loved ones who have gone before us in the Lord because we are united with them spiritually forever.[40]

       As we grow spiritually, the Holy Spirit brings us along in a process of sanctification.[41]  We are set apart for His holy purposes and become more and more like Jesus, formed into His image.[42]  As we live on this earth we are given the Great Commandment to love God, love each other and love ourselves.[43]  We are also given the Great Commission to go into all the world and make healthy, balanced disciples, teaching them the ways of Jesus.[44]  It is our purpose to glorify the Father and enjoy His Presence.[45] 

     He blesses us spiritually and temporally so that we may in turn be a blessing to others.[46]  Our destiny is perfect communion with the triune God, who Himself is a perfect community of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.[47]  Perfectly joined in unity with our brothers and sisters and with God, we will enjoy abundant and eternal life in this heavenly community.  By the blood of God the Son applied by the God the Holy Spirit we are adopted by God the Father[48] in His eternal family and our forever home is in the New Heaven and the New Earth where we will reign with Christ.[49]

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[1] John 5:24

[2] I Corinthians 12:13

[3] Ephesians 1:13-14

[4] Revelation 7:9-10

[5] Hebrews 11

[6] John 20:29

[7] 1 Peter 2:24-25

[8] Acts 2:24

[9] Ephesians 2:8-9

[10] John 3:3

[11] Genesis 1:27, Revelation 1:6

[12] Exodus 19:6, Galatians 3:28

[13] Luke 9:1, 10:19, II Peter 1:3, Mark 16:17-18, Matthew 16:19, 18:18

[14] Romans 8:14

[15] Ephesians 5:25-27

[16] II Peter 1:3

[17] John 16:13, Hebrews 4:12

[18] John 13:35

[19] I Peter 3:8

[20] I Corinthians 3:23

[21] Galatians 2:20

[22] Ephesians 1:14

[23] I Corinthians 6:15

[24] Scriptural purposes of the believer and the Church expounded by Rick Warren in his books, “The Purpose Driven Life” and “The Purpose Driven Church”

[25] I Corinthians 6:19-20

[26] Isaiah 44:3, Joel 2:28-29, Mark 1:8, Acts 1:5, 8

[27] II Peter 3:18, Matthew 13:31-32, I John 5:4,

[28] Ephesians 2:22, 4:15-16

[29] Revelation 21:3

[30] Acts 17:28

[31] Revelation 19:7-9, Isaiah 62:4-5

[32] Mark 10:8

[33] II Peter 1:4

[34] II Peter 3:8

[35] Romans 8:23

[36] II Timothy 1:14

[37] Ephesians 4:5-6, Romans 8:9-11, John 14:23

[38] Ephesians 2:6

[39] Philippians 3:20

[40] Hebrews 12:1

[41] Colossians 2:6-7, John 15:4-5

[42] II Corinthians 3:18

[43] Mark 12:28-34

[44] Matthew 28:16-20, Philippians 4:5-6, Proverbs 25:16

[45] I Corinthians 10:31, Matthew 5:16

[46] Genesis 12:1-3, Proverbs 11:25, Hebrews 13:16

[47] II Corinthians 3:17, 13:14, I Corinthians 8:6, Colossians 2:9, Isaiah 9:6, John 10:30, Luke 1:35, Matthew 3:16-17

[48] Ephesians 1:5, Galatians 3:26, John 1:12, I John 3:2

[49] II Timothy 2:12, Revelation 20:4, Daniel 7:22, 27