Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 164

Anticipating the New Heavens and the New Earth to come at TGC15

Nanci and I recently returned from The Gospel Coalition’s 2015 National Conference in Orlando. We had a wonderful time at the conference, where we joined 6,000 others from all over the world to focus on Jesus and the New Heavens and New Earth. 

One of the fun parts of our time there was connecting with a group of our pastors from our home church, Good Shepherd Community Church. (Take a close look at Nanci and you’ll notice she does not appear to be intimidated while surrounded by her pastors.)

TGC has posted the full videos of the excellent plenary sessions from John Piper, Tim Keller and others, as well as videos of several of the workshops.

For those who are interested, you can also watch my workshop “Continuity and Discontinuity: How similar or different might life on the New Earth be to our present lives?” (The EPM staff has posted a page with related books, videos, the PowerPoint from the workshop, and more.)

Do We Get a Second Chance after Death?

In this video, EPM’s Julia Stager talks about whether or not the Bible teaches that we get a second chance to believe in Jesus after death. This five minute video is well worth watching and sharing.

I know Julia well, and I can wholeheartedly vouch for her biblical orientation, her walk with Christ and her personal integrity. I respect her deeply and I encourage you to listen to her insights.

As Julia shares in her video, evangelicals reject the doctrine of a second chance for unbelievers, an opportunity after death to come to faith in Christ. But we must be equally aware there is no second chance for believers after death either. There is no further opportunity for us to walk by faith and serve our Lord in this fallen world. As there is no second chance beyond this earth for the unbeliever to believe right, so there is no second chance for the disobedient Christian to behave right.

What we do in this life is of eternal importance. This begins with our choice to follow Christ, but it does not end there. What you do with your time and money and all your other resources in this life is the last chapter of your autobiography. This book you’ve written with the pen of faith and the ink of works will go unedited, into eternity, to be seen and read as is by the angels, the redeemed and God himself.

When we see today in light of the long tomorrow the little choices become tremendously important.

 

photo credit (cropped)

Faithful Until the End

In Ephesians 5 Paul says a man’s love for a wife is to be a picture of Christ’s love for His bride, the church. The world should be able to look at a husband’s love for his wife and see what the gospel means, and be drawn to the beauty and power of God’s love for His people.

That’s why I love this moving story that Garrett Kell shares about a faithful, gospel-centered marriage:

Till Death Do We Part – Keeping the Vow Till the End

A member of our church named Julie recently shared the story of her Grandparents’ love with me and my wife so I thought I’d pass it on to you.

“My Grandparents truly had a lifetime love affair. Their marriage was imperfect of-course, but was marked by a consistent, devoted, and tender love for one another.

Their love remained steady in times of plenty and in times of need. In all the days and nights I spent at their house, I never heard an argument between them. And while I’m certain difficult days came and went, I never witnessed one disrespect the other.

Shortly before my Grandparent’s 54th wedding anniversary, my Grandma became gravely ill.”

Read the rest.

“The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now ; I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’” (Matthew 25:23, NLT).

If we delight ourselves in God, the desire of our hearts will be to hear His words of approval. What could be better than hearing Him say “Well done” when it comes to loving your wife?

 

photo credit: November Rosebud via photopin (license), cropped

What���s the Difference between the Present Heaven and the Future Heaven?

People usually think of “Heaven” as the place Christians go when they die. A better definition explains that Heaven is God’s central dwelling place, the location of his throne from which he rules the universe.

Many don’t realize that the present pre-resurrection Heaven and future post-resurrection Heaven are located in different places. The exact location of the present Heaven is unknown, but we’re told the future Heaven will be located on the New Earth. The present Heaven is a place of transition between believers’ past lives on Earth and future resurrection lives on the New Earth.

Life in the present Heaven (which theologians call the “intermediate” Heaven) is “better by far” than living here on Earth under the curse (Phil. 1:23). But it’s not our final destination.

Will We Live in Heaven Forever?

The answer depends on our definition of Heaven. Will we be with the Lord forever? Absolutely. Will we always be with God in the same place Heaven is now? No. In the present Heaven, God’s people are in Christ’s presence, free of sin and suffering and enjoying great happiness: “in your presence there is fullness of joy” (Ps. 16:11). But they’re still looking forward to their bodily resurrection and permanent relocation to the New Earth. So, yes, after death we’ll always be in Heaven, but not in the same place or the same condition.

To illustrate, imagine you lived in a homeless shelter in Miami. One day you inherit a beautiful house overlooking Santa Barbara, California, and are given a wonderful job doing something you’ve always wanted to do. Many friends and family will live nearby.

As you fly toward Santa Barbara, you stop at the Dallas airport for a layover. Other family members you haven’t seen in years meet you. They will board the plane with you to Santa Barbara. Naturally you look forward to seeing them in Dallas, your first stop.

But if someone asks where you’re going, would you say “Dallas”? No. You would say Santa Barbara, because that’s your final destination. Dallas is just a temporary stop. At most you might say “I’m going to Santa Barbara, with a brief stop in Dallas.”

Similarly, the present Heaven is a temporary dwelling place, a stop along the way to our final destination: the New Earth. (Granted, the Dallas analogy isn’t perfect—being with Jesus and reunited with loved ones will be immeasurably better than a layover in Dallas!)

In the Present Heaven Do People Have Physical Forms?

Unlike angels, who are in essence spirits (John 4:24; Heb. 1:14), human beings are by nature both spiritual and physical. We don’t occupy our bodies as a hermit crab occupies a shell. We can’t be fully human without both a spirit and a body.

Given the consistent physical descriptions of the intermediate heaven and its inhabitants, it seems possible—though debatable—that between our earthly lives and bodily resurrection, God may grant us temporary physical forms. If so, that would account for the repeated depictions of people now in Heaven occupying physical space, wearing clothes and crowns, talking, holding palm branches in their hands, and having body parts (e.g. Luke 16:24, Rev. 7:9).

Certainly we do not receive resurrection bodies immediately after death. If we have intermediate forms in the intermediate heaven (and we may not), they will be temps, not our true bodies, which remain dead until the final resurrection.

Will We Recognize Each Other in the Present Heaven?

When asked if we would recognize friends in Heaven, George MacDonald responded, “Shall we be greater fools in Paradise than we are here?”

Scripture gives no indication of a memory wipe causing us to forget family and friends. On the contrary, if we wouldn’t know our loved ones in Heaven, the “comfort” of an afterlife reunion, taught in 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18, would be no comfort at all.

In Christ’s transfiguration, his disciples recognized Moses and Elijah, even though they couldn’t have known what they looked like (Luke 9:29-33). This suggests that personality will emanate through whatever forms we take. If we can recognize those we’ve never seen, how much more will we recognize our family and friends?

After we die, we will give a detailed account of our lives on Earth (2 Cor. 5:10; Matt. 12:36). This will require better memories, not worse. Those memories will surely include our families and friends!

Are You Looking Forward to Your Forever Home?

Though life in the intermediate Heaven will be wonderful, it’s not the place we’re made for, our true eternal home. The Bible promises that we’ll live with Christ and each other forever on the New Earth, where God—Father, Son (eternally incarnate), and Holy Spirit—will be at home with his people:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. . . . I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. . . . And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” (Rev. 21:1-3)

This passage clearly indicates that ultimately God’s central dwelling place—Heaven—is on Earth. Some, including N. T. Wright, argue that the New Earth shouldn’t be called Heaven. But if Heaven, by definition, is God’s special dwelling place, and “the dwelling of God” will be with humankind on Earth, then Heaven and the New Earth will essentially be the same place. Heaven is also where we see God’s throne, and we’re told that “the throne of God and of the Lamb” will be in the New Jerusalem, on the New Earth (Rev. 22:1).

Instead of us going up to God’s place to live forever, God will come down to live with us in our place, literally bringing Heaven to Earth! God’s children are destined for life as resurrected beings on a resurrected Earth. We should daily keep in mind our true destination, our ultimate home. Let’s be like Peter and the early Christians: “according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Pet. 3:13).

 

photo credit: Hardangerfjord via photopin (license)

What’s the Difference between the Present Heaven and the Future Heaven?

People usually think of “Heaven” as the place Christians go when they die. A better definition explains that Heaven is God’s central dwelling place, the location of his throne from which he rules the universe.

Many don’t realize that the present pre-resurrection Heaven and future post-resurrection Heaven are located in different places. The exact location of the present Heaven is unknown, but we’re told the future Heaven will be located on the New Earth. The present Heaven is a place of transition between believers’ past lives on Earth and future resurrection lives on the New Earth.

Life in the present Heaven (which theologians call the “intermediate” Heaven) is “better by far” than living here on Earth under the curse (Phil. 1:23). But it’s not our final destination.

Will We Live in Heaven Forever?

The answer depends on our definition of Heaven. Will we be with the Lord forever? Absolutely. Will we always be with God in the same place Heaven is now? No. In the present Heaven, God’s people are in Christ’s presence, free of sin and suffering and enjoying great happiness: “in your presence there is fullness of joy” (Ps. 16:11). But they’re still looking forward to their bodily resurrection and permanent relocation to the New Earth. So, yes, after death we’ll always be in Heaven, but not in the same place or the same condition.

To illustrate, imagine you lived in a homeless shelter in Miami. One day you inherit a beautiful house overlooking Santa Barbara, California, and are given a wonderful job doing something you’ve always wanted to do. Many friends and family will live nearby.

As you fly toward Santa Barbara, you stop at the Dallas airport for a layover. Other family members you haven’t seen in years meet you. They will board the plane with you to Santa Barbara. Naturally you look forward to seeing them in Dallas, your first stop.

But if someone asks where you’re going, would you say “Dallas”? No. You would say Santa Barbara, because that’s your final destination. Dallas is just a temporary stop. At most you might say “I’m going to Santa Barbara, with a brief stop in Dallas.”

Similarly, the present Heaven is a temporary dwelling place, a stop along the way to our final destination: the New Earth. (Granted, the Dallas analogy isn’t perfect—being with Jesus and reunited with loved ones will be immeasurably better than a layover in Dallas!)

In the Present Heaven Do People Have Physical Forms?

Unlike angels, who are in essence spirits (John 4:24; Heb. 1:14), human beings are by nature both spiritual and physical. We don’t occupy our bodies as a hermit crab occupies a shell. We can’t be fully human without both a spirit and a body.

Given the consistent physical descriptions of the intermediate heaven and its inhabitants, it seems possible—though debatable—that between our earthly lives and bodily resurrection, God may grant us temporary physical forms. If so, that would account for the repeated depictions of people now in Heaven occupying physical space, wearing clothes and crowns, talking, holding palm branches in their hands, and having body parts (e.g. Luke 16:24, Rev. 7:9).

Certainly we do not receive resurrection bodies immediately after death. If we have intermediate forms in the intermediate heaven (and we may not), they will be temps, not our true bodies, which remain dead until the final resurrection.

Will We Recognize Each Other in the Present Heaven?

When asked if we would recognize friends in Heaven, George MacDonald responded, “Shall we be greater fools in Paradise than we are here?”

Scripture gives no indication of a memory wipe causing us to forget family and friends. On the contrary, if we wouldn’t know our loved ones in Heaven, the “comfort” of an afterlife reunion, taught in 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18, would be no comfort at all.

In Christ’s transfiguration, his disciples recognized Moses and Elijah, even though they couldn’t have known what they looked like (Luke 9:29-33). This suggests that personality will emanate through whatever forms we take. If we can recognize those we’ve never seen, how much more will we recognize our family and friends?

After we die, we will give a detailed account of our lives on Earth (2 Cor. 5:10; Matt. 12:36). This will require better memories, not worse. Those memories will surely include our families and friends!

Are You Looking Forward to Your Forever Home?

Though life in the intermediate Heaven will be wonderful, it’s not the place we’re made for, our true eternal home. The Bible promises that we’ll live with Christ and each other forever on the New Earth, where God—Father, Son (eternally incarnate), and Holy Spirit—will be at home with his people:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. . . . I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. . . . And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” (Rev. 21:1-3)

This passage clearly indicates that ultimately God’s central dwelling place—Heaven—is on Earth. Some, including N. T. Wright, argue that the New Earth shouldn’t be called Heaven. But if Heaven, by definition, is God’s special dwelling place, and “the dwelling of God” will be with humankind on Earth, then Heaven and the New Earth will essentially be the same place. Heaven is also where we see God’s throne, and we’re told that “the throne of God and of the Lamb” will be in the New Jerusalem, on the New Earth (Rev. 22:1).

Instead of us going up to God’s place to live forever, God will come down to live with us in our place, literally bringing Heaven to Earth! God’s children are destined for life as resurrected beings on a resurrected Earth. We should daily keep in mind our true destination, our ultimate home. Let’s be like Peter and the early Christians: “according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Pet. 3:13).

 

photo credit: Hardangerfjord via photopin (license)

If We Expect We Won’t Be Persecuted for Our Faith, We Need to Readjust Our Expectations

Jesus said, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18). Peter said, “Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12).

In spite of these promises, many Christians seem shocked and outraged when they have to face these very trials. Social media is filled with complaints about political issues and how the world fails to recognize Christians’ rights.

As Americans we’ve been slow to accept the extent to which Bible-believing Christ-followers have become socially unacceptable. Though we should work to hold onto our religious liberties, it’s likely they’ll continue to erode. But cheer up! Opposition is nothing new for God’s people, and historically the church’s greatest advances have come at the lowest ebb of its popularity.

In our increasingly post-Christian society, how can we expect a secular government to value and accommodate Christianity? In today’s America, inclusivity is the greatest good. Morality is not. Acceptance is the greatest good. Truth is not. And even the most inclusive and loving Christians must insist that some things are right and others are wrong. [1] In doing so, we ensure a degree of unpopularity.

Many Christians have become perpetually unhappy, complaining whiners, coming across as victims rather than “more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). The gospel we proclaim becomes unattractive when instead of saying “look at the Jesus we follow,” people hear, “look at how we’re being mistreated.”

I see too many long-faced Christians who seem continuously angry, disillusioned and defensive by what’s going on politically. We dare not base our happiness on having all our Christian liberties restored and maintained. While it’s good for Christians to serve in political positions, our effectiveness in living out the gospel doesn’t hinge on having such power. For God’s people, it never has. The Christian faith may never return to its central public role in our culture, but Christ’s gospel is bigger than every obstacle. Sometimes a less popular church becomes a more faithful, dynamic and joyful church.

Desiring God’s Marshall Segal introduces a video clip from a John Piper sermon that addresses this issue:

In this seven-minute clip, Pastor John speaks directly to the hearts of Christians who feel increasingly unwelcome and alien in the America we know today. Stop expecting everything to go well. Stop trying to fit in here. Instead, fuel your life with the invincible and eternal hope of knowing Jesus Christ forever.

 

[1] I owe the language in this paragraph mostly to Julia Stager.

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A Young Woman’s Spoken Word, Thanking Her Mother for Her Courageous Choice

I recently received an email from a precious young woman named Mayra. She writes, “I was adopted from Mexico, and when I received Christ, He helped me understand my root of rebellion. I felt rejected all my life. But He provided a healing that was unexplainable. ...I was given your book Why ProLife?. This brought a new perspective towards my birth mother and so I wrote her a thank you letter in the form of ‘Spoken Word Poetry.’”

Mayra shared that one of her favorite verses is Ephesians 1:5: “He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.”

I encourage you to take five minutes to watch Mayra share her poem:

Her video and story is a reminder that adoption is a courageous choice for a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy—one which will give life to a child and incredible joy to a family.

The pregnant teenager we took into our home previously had two abortions, but while with us gave birth and released her baby for adoption. It wasn’t easy, but this wonderful woman, years later, told me: “I look back at the three babies I no longer have, but with very different feelings. The two I aborted fill me with grief and regret. But when I think of the one I gave up for adoption, I’m filled with joy, because I know he’s being raised by a family that wanted him.”

The Christian community should make a concerted effort to overcome the negative spin on adoption. We should speak of it positively and show high regard for women who release their children for adoption. We should publicly honor adoptive parents and bless adopted children. We should make prominent the excellent resources on adoption and celebrate it in our churches.

Then women will be encouraged to realize adoption is a choice for which both they and their child will later be profoundly thankful.

Check out Hope for Orphans and Christian Alliance for Orphans for information on adoption as well as foster care.

 

photo credit: Hey you! via photopin (license)

C . S. Lewis, The Romantic Rationalist, and Longing for the New Earth

I had the privilege of attending and speaking at Desiring God’s 2013 National Conference. It was profoundly Christ-centered, both in the worship and teaching. One of the great things that came of that conference was the book The Romantic Rationalist: God, Life, and Imagination in the Work of C. S. Lewis. I contributed a chapter on Lewis’s view of Heaven and an appendix on his view of Hell, both dealing with a lot of Scripture.

John Piper explains more about the book:

The Romantic Rationalist from Desiring God

Here’s an excerpt from my chapter, “C. S. Lewis on Heaven and the New Earth: God’s Eternal Remedy to the Problem of Evil and Suffering.” (You can also watch the entire message this chapter was taken from.)

There is much to look forward to about being with Christ in the present Heaven. As Paul put it, “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” (1 Corinthians 5:4).  

Lewis wrote to a believing American woman who thought she was dying:

“Can you not see death as a friend and deliverer? . . . What is there to be afraid of? . . .Your sins are confessed. . . . Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind. . . . Our Lord says to you, ‘Peace, child, peace. Relax. Let go. I will catch you.’” [i]

Lewis added, “Of course, this may not be the end. Then make it a good rehearsal.” He signed the letter, “Yours (and like you, a tired traveler, near the journey’s end).” Five months later, he died.

Colossians 3 commands us to think about the present Heaven, where Christ is seated at God’s right hand. But Scripture is also clear that the Heaven that should most dominate our thinking is the eternal kingdom of God, the climactic culmination of God’s unfolding drama of redemption.

“But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13, NIV). But how can we look forward to it if we don’t think about it? And how can we think about it unless we are taught about it from God’s Word? Suppose a trip awaits you and you will be flying from Miami to Santa Barbara, with a layover in Dallas, Dallas is not your final destination. You say, “I’m headed to Santa Barbara.” Or at most you say, “I’m headed to Santa Barbara by way of Dallas.” According to Scripture, the New Earth is our final destination. The present Heaven will be a stop along the way toward resurrection. (It’ll be a wonderful layover. In Philippians 1:21 Paul calls it “better by far” than our present existence; infinitely better than the Dallas airport!)

Revelation 21 beautifully portrays what awaits God’s children:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God…And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Multiple times in this passage God says he will come down from the present heaven to live with his people on the New Earth. The city “comes down out of heaven,” God’s dwelling place is “with man,” God will “dwell with them,” and God himself “will be with them.” Despite the repetition, most Christians still don’t appear to believe that God’s plan is to bring Heaven to Earth and dwell here with us forever. Not just for a thousand years in a millennial kingdom on the old earth, but forever on the New Earth. Christ is Emmanuel, “God with us”, forever. The incarnation of Jesus was not temporary.

We normally think of us going up to Heaven to live with God in his place. That is indeed what happens when we die. But the ultimate promise is that God will come down to live with us in our place, on the New Earth. The ultimate Heaven will not be “us with God” but “God with us” (Revelation 21:3).

I love Lewis’s valiant mouse, Reepicheep, who single-mindedly sought Aslan’s country: “While I can, I sail east in the Dawn Treader. When she fails me, I paddle east in my coracle. When she sinks, I shall swim east with my four paws. And when I can swim no longer, if I have not reached Aslan’s country, or shot over the edge of the world in some vast cataract, I shall sink with my nose to the sunrise.”  [ii]

Reepicheep doesn’t long for Aslan’s “Ghostly Realm of Cloudy Nothingness”. He longs to be with his King forever in that solid country with land, mountains, rivers, metals, plains, trees, animals and people with physical bodies. The ground quakes under Aslan as he prowls. Aslan is real and tangible, and his flowing mane can be touched if you dare. Reepicheep loves Aslan not as a disembodied spirit but as a tangible mighty Lion, King of Kings, ruler of Narnia, Earth and all worlds. Reepicheep longs to be in Aslan’s country, for he longs for Aslan himself.

We want Jesus, so naturally we should want to live where he lives! Hebrews 11:16 says, “they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one.” The patriarchs longed for a better country because they longed for God. The reason Heaven matters is because God lives there.

In Mere Christianity Lewis lamented that we haven’t been trained to want Heaven:

Our whole education tends to fix our minds on this world. …when the real want for Heaven is present in us, we do not recognize it. Most people, if they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want, and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this world. There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never quite keep their promise…If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.  [iii]

 

[i] C. S. Lewis, Letters to an American Lady (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1967), 117.

[ii] C. S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (New York: Scholastic, 1952), 24.

[iii] C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: Macmillan, 1960), 119.

Does Open Theism solve the problem of evil and suffering?

Most proposed solutions to the problem of evil and suffering have been around for a long time, but Open Theism is more recent.

Open theists believe that God does not and cannot know in advance the future choices that His free creatures will make. A leading proponent of open theism, Gregory Boyd, writes, “The open view, I submit, allows us to say consistently, in unequivocal terms, that the ultimate source of all evil is found in the will of free agents rather than in God.” Since Boyd includes suffering in the category of “all evil,” he believes God never sends us suffering.

A loving God took a calculated risk, open theists suggest, but had He known the horrible things that would occur—the rapes and killings and tortures and abuse—He might never have created this world as He did. Hence, proponents of Open Theism argue, God cannot be held responsible for His creatures’ evil, since He could not foresee it.

Years ago when I first read an open theist’s article, it surprised me, but it didn’t deeply concern me, because I thought this view would never gain traction among evangelical Christians. I was wrong. Both in research and in conversations with suffering people, I’ve discovered that open theism has become surprisingly influential among sincere believers.

I don’t enjoy opposing a doctrine that seems to comfort some suffering brothers and sisters. However, I believe open theism redefines God Himself, altering one of His most basic attributes, omniscience, in a misguided and unsuccessful attempt to make it more compatible with His love.

In this video, I address the questions of, “Is God sovereign over suffering? And does Open Theism solve the problem of evil and suffering?”

 

photo credit: an open book via photopin (license)

What Is the Sabbath?

When God created the world, he rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2). That’s the basis for the biblical Sabbath, when all people and animals rested (Exodus 20:9-11). God set aside days and weeks of rest, and he even rested the earth itself every seventh year (Leviticus 25:4-5).

“Make every effort to enter that rest” (Hebrews 4:11). It’s ironic that it takes such effort to set aside time for rest, but it does. For me, and for many of us, it’s difficult to guard our schedules, but it’s worth it. The day of rest points us to Heaven and to Jesus, who said, “Come to me, all you who are weary . . . , and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

What is the Sabbath and what does it mean for Christians today? EPM’s Julia Stager, with her usual depth and clarity, talks about this in an excellent 5-minute video. After listening to Julia, you might be interested in the resources I’ve linked to below the video:

If you’re interested in why the church started worshipping on Sundays when the Sabbath is actually from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, see this article.  

John Piper argues that believers should set aside one day a week for rest, though what that day is will vary for different people.

Finally, Mark Buchanan has written a compelling book I recommend, called The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath.

 

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