Program / Course 10: Salvation and Eschatology / Lesson 8.5
What you will learn
- State the core affirmations about the last things that appear in the creeds and are shared by Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christians.
- Sort topics from this course into three groups: creedal, taught differently by the churches, and open for debate.
- Explain how the shared hope shapes Christian life in the present.
- Write a fair summary of what unites and what divides the traditions on the last things.
The big idea
Behind the many disagreements studied in this course lies a large area of agreement. Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Reformed and Arminian Christians all confess that Christ will come again in glory, that the dead will be raised, that there will be a judgment and that the life of the world to come will have no end. They differ on how to picture the intermediate state, the nature of judgment and hell, the millennium and the order of events. A fair account keeps these two things together: the shared hope is real, and the differences are also real.
Key terms
- Creedal affirmation
- A belief stated in the ecumenical creeds, accepted by the Catholic, Orthodox and most Protestant churches.
- Confessional teaching
- A belief stated in the official documents of a particular church or tradition, such as a catechism or confession, and not shared by all.
- Open question
- A matter on which a church allows different views among its members and theologians.
- Parousia
- The coming of Christ in glory at the end of the age.
- Already and not yet
- A way of describing the New Testament view that the kingdom of God has begun in Christ and will be completed at his return.
- Maranatha
- An Aramaic expression in 1 Corinthians 16:22, meaning ‘Our Lord, come’ or ‘Our Lord has come.’ It is used in early Christian prayer.
- Hope
- In the Bible, a confident expectation of what God has promised, rather than a mere wish.
Background
The final lesson of this course steps back. Over eight modules the course has described the human problem and the divine remedy, studied the doctrines of grace and election, and surveyed the last things. In each topic the traditions diverge. It is easy to leave with the impression that Christians agree on little. That impression would be mistaken, and a fair student should know where agreement lies.
The most reliable evidence of agreement is the creeds. The Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed, accepted by Catholic, Orthodox and nearly all Protestant churches, end with statements about the last things. Together with the testimony of the earliest church, they supply a core. This lesson names the core, sorts the topics of the course into groups and reflects on how the shared hope shapes life.
Step-by-step explanation
Step 1: The creedal core
The Apostles’ Creed says that Christ “shall come to judge the quick and the dead” and professes belief in “the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.” The Nicene Creed says: “He shall come again, with glory, to judge both the quick and the dead: whose kingdom shall have no end,” and “We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.” The Creed of Athanasius, used in some Western churches, adds that at his coming all people shall rise with their bodies and give account of their works, and that those who have done good will go into life eternal and those who have done evil into eternal fire.
Taken together these state five shared convictions: Christ will return visibly and in glory; the dead will rise; there will be a judgment, with Christ as judge; there is a life everlasting for the saved; and Christ’s kingdom will have no end. They also state the foundation of the Christian ethic in the present: because Christ will return, believers watch and work.
Step 2: What the churches teach in their own words
Beyond the creeds, each tradition has specific teachings. The Catholic Church teaches particular judgment, purgatory and the beatific vision. The Orthodox teach prayer for the dead, theosis as the goal and the transfiguration of the cosmos. Lutheran and Reformed confessions teach that believers go at death to be with Christ and that the wicked are condemned, rejecting purgatory. Reformed and Lutheran churches define the doctrine of justification and election in the ways studied earlier. Arminian and Wesleyan churches teach conditional election and, in many cases, Christian perfection.
These are not trivial. For members of each church, their own teaching is part of the faith. The point is that they are distinct from the common creedal hope, and that members of one tradition can understand the others better by seeing where the common ground lies.
Step 3: Open questions
Some topics are open, even within churches. These include the exact nature of the intermediate state, the interpretation of the thousand years, the timing of events, the details of the new creation and the final destiny of those who die unevangelized. On the fate of the lost, the major churches teach that final judgment is real, and they allow some discussion on how to understand its nature and duration. Most hold that it is unwise to say more than Scripture and the creeds say.
A careful student can use three labels when speaking of any belief: creedal, confessional and open. Doing so helps to avoid two errors: treating one’s own tradition’s particular teaching as if it were the universal Christian faith, and treating a debated question as if it were settled.
Step 4: The shared hope in practice
The early Christians prayed ‘Maranatha’ (1 Corinthians 16:22) and the Book of Revelation ends with ‘Come, Lord Jesus.’ Across traditions, the hope of Christ’s return has shaped worship, especially in Advent, in the liturgies for the dead and in the Eucharist, in which Christians proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes (1 Corinthians 11:26). It shapes ethics: Paul draws from the resurrection the conclusion that believers should be steadfast, always abounding in the work of the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58). It shapes attitudes toward suffering: the afflictions of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed (Romans 8:18).
It also shapes the manner of disagreement. Jesus warned against date-setting, and Paul urged the Thessalonians to comfort one another with the hope of the resurrection (1 Thessalonians 4:18). Believers who differ about the order of events can still pray together for the coming of the Lord.
Step 5: Writing a fair comparison
The assignment for this course asks for a fair comparison of Christian understandings of salvation, grace and final judgment. The test is whether a member of each tradition would recognize their own view in the account. To meet it, use each tradition’s own sources, state its strongest arguments, mark the difference between words and doctrines, and separate what is creedal from what is confessional or open. The lesson on this module is meant to supply a frame for the whole.
- Which of the creedal affirmations about the end do you find easiest to hold, and which hardest?
- How would you explain the difference between a creedal and a confessional belief?
- What topics from this course have you moved from the ‘settled’ column to the ‘open’ column?
- How does the hope of Christ’s return affect the way you spend your time?
- What is lost if one tradition’s particular teaching is presented as the Christian faith?
- What would you say to a friend who thinks that Christians agree on nothing?
Examples
A shared Advent
In Advent, Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran and Anglican churches light candles and read the same Gospels about watching for the coming of the Lord. In Reformed and Wesleyan churches that observe the season, the readings are often the same. The congregations may differ on purgatory, on predestination and on the millennium, and still pray the same prayers for the return of Christ.
Three labels
A student prepares a chart with three columns: creedal, confessional and open. In the first she writes the return of Christ, the resurrection and the judgment. In the second she writes purgatory (Catholic), theosis (Orthodox), unconditional election (Reformed) and conditional election (Arminian). In the third she writes the millennium and the nature of hell. She finds the chart clarifies her own understanding.
Different perspectives
Catholic
The Catechism’s treatment of the Creed presents the return of Christ, the judgment, the resurrection and eternal life as the Church’s faith. It adds teachings on purgatory, the beatific vision and the communion of saints. It urges hope and vigilance, and prays ‘Come, Lord Jesus’ in the liturgy.
Orthodox
The Nicene Creed in its original form is the Orthodox confession of the last things. Orthodox worship lives in the expectation of the Kingdom, and the Church prays at every Liturgy for the second and glorious coming of Christ. Details beyond the creed are held with reserve.
Lutheran
Lutherans confess the three ecumenical creeds and the Augsburg Confession, which affirms that Christ will come to judge and raise the dead, and gives eternal life to the godly. They stress the comfort of the gospel in view of the last day, and avoid speculation on the order of events.
Reformed
Reformed churches confess the creeds and their own confessions. The Westminster Confession and the Heidelberg Catechism treat the return of Christ as a comfort to believers. Differences about the millennium are allowed within the confessions, which do not take a position.
Arminian and Wesleyan
Wesleyan churches confess the creeds and their Articles of Religion, which affirm Christ’s return, the resurrection and the judgment. Wesley preached on the great assize and on the new creation. These churches stress watchfulness and holiness in view of the Lord’s coming.
Why it matters
A study of differences is only half a study unless it also names what unites. The shared creedal hope is what allows Christians of different traditions to pray together, to support one another in suffering and to speak with each other honestly about disagreements. It is also the best protection against both indifference to doctrine and the hardening of differences into contempt.
Common misunderstandings
Misunderstanding: Christians have no common teaching about the end.
Correction: The creeds, accepted by the major traditions, affirm Christ’s return, the resurrection, the judgment and everlasting life.
Misunderstanding: Agreement on the creeds means there are no real differences.
Correction: The churches differ on important matters, such as purgatory, election and the millennium. A shared creed does not remove them.
Misunderstanding: Open questions are unimportant.
Correction: They may be important, but the churches have judged that the evidence does not settle them. Calling them open is a statement about the state of the evidence, not about their value.
Misunderstanding: Hope of the end is the same as predicting the end.
Correction: Christian hope is trust in God’s promise. The churches have warned against date-setting, and the shared prayer is simply ‘Come, Lord Jesus.’
Knowledge check
What do the creeds say about the last things?
They say that Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, that his kingdom will have no end, that the dead will rise and that there is life everlasting. These affirmations are accepted by Catholic, Orthodox and nearly all Protestant churches, and form the common core of Christian hope about the end.
What is the difference between a creedal and a confessional belief?
A creedal belief is stated in the ecumenical creeds and accepted across the major traditions. A confessional belief is stated in the documents of a particular church, such as the Catechism, the Westminster Confession or the Augsburg Confession, and may be rejected by others. Purgatory and unconditional election are examples of confessional teaching.
Name three questions that remain open within the traditions.
Examples include the interpretation of the thousand years in Revelation 20, the exact nature of the intermediate state, the details of the new creation, and the destiny of those who have not heard the gospel. On the nature of hell, most churches teach that judgment is real and allow some discussion of its character.
How does the hope of Christ’s return shape Christian life?
It shapes worship, as in Advent and the Eucharist, which proclaims the Lord’s death until he comes. It shapes ethics, as Paul says that labor in the Lord is not in vain. It shapes endurance in suffering, and it shapes the manner of disagreement, since believers are urged to comfort one another and to refrain from date-setting.
Think it through
- Which belief in this course would you say is most important to the unity of Christians, and why?
- What practice of your own tradition expresses the hope of the Lord’s return?
- How can you speak of a doctrine you disagree with in a way its holders would recognize as fair?
Independent assignment
Creedal, confessional, open
In your notebook, write 600 to 800 words. Make a three-column chart of at least fifteen topics from this course, placing each as creedal, confessional (naming the tradition) or open. Choose three where you were unsure and explain your reasoning. Then write a paragraph on what unites the five traditions and a paragraph on the most important remaining difference. Before finishing, reread your account and mark any place where you described a tradition by its critics.
Further study
- Council of Nicaea (325) and Council of Constantinople (381), The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed Read the closing lines on the second coming, the resurrection and the life to come.
- Philip Schaff, Creeds of Christendom, vol. 2: The Greek and Latin Creeds Read the Apostles’ Creed and the Athanasian Creed on the last things.
- Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, eds., The Seven Ecumenical Councils (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 2, vol. 14) See the early councils’ statements about the faith the churches share.
- Alister E. McGrath, Christian Theology: An Introduction Use for a balanced overview of the last things across traditions.
- 1 Corinthians 11:26 Ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:18 Comfort one another with these words.
- Romans 8:18 The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory.
- Revelation 22:20 Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.