Is Sexuality Temporary?

[Pergamum]

Life on earth wouldn't work without bacteria. I wouldn't presume that there is no bacteria in heaven. But it will no longer be hostile to us.



It's good to have a little imagination.

You mentioned the ecology of our natural world (which involves decomposition fertilizing new life) and also our digestion (which involves bacteria breaking down food, another form of death and decomposition), but heaven does not work like this and there will be no death (and therefore, no decomposition or rotting). This is no problem since
"the city has no need for sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp."

So we should not expect nature to work in the same way in heaven since it is not "nature" at all, but the supernatural world of heaven.

I do affirm that we will retain our personal identities and memories in heaven and thus we will still be male and female, just as Jesus is still male in heaven. We will remember our wives and children and even worship God together and know that we were spouses or parents on earth. We are not hit by a heavenly amnesia. While Adam and Eve started out naked and not ashamed, I think we will have glorified bodies and be clothes in white robes or clothes of some kind. We will retain our physical features.

Of course, I am not sure how this works for ugly people, since I don't think ugliness will be in heaven. And yet we will be the same people in heaven and identifiable.

 

[Ben Chomp]

They are natural questions, but in 1 Cor 15 Paul firmly put a lid on such questions. It is a spiritual body that has discernible sexed features. That's the outer limit of any speculation.

The 1 Corinthians 15 passage is an interesting one. Paul does seem to put a lid on speculation but he also says that the body we inhabit is a seed form of the body we will inherit.

There is continuity between the seed and the blooming flower, but the flower is a fully realized and perfected form of the seed. Maybe that's all we can say.

 

[Ben Chomp]

You mentioned the ecology of our natural world (which involves decomposition fertilizing new life) and also our digestion (which involves bacteria breaking down food, another form of death and decomposition), but heaven does not work like this and there will be no death (and therefore, no decomposition or rotting). This is no problem since
"the city has no need for sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp."

So we should not expect nature to work in the same way in heaven since it is not "nature" at all, but the supernatural world of heaven.

I do affirm that we will retain our personal identities and memories in heaven and thus we will still be male and female, just as Jesus is still male in heaven. We will remember our wives and children and even worship God together and know that we were spouses or parents on earth. We are not hit by a heavenly amnesia. While Adam and Eve started out naked and not ashamed, I think we will have glorified bodies and be clothes in white robes or clothes of some kind. We will retain our physical features.

Of course, I am not sure how this works for ugly people, since I don't think ugliness will be in heaven. And yet we will be the same people in heaven and identifiable.

Since the human race is united by generation, I don't see how this could go away without destroying the unity of the human race. Humanity is not a collection of unrelated individuals like the angels are. Rather, we are related to one another in a great big family tree. While we will no longer have children in heaven, I do believe that the family tree will remain. My children and I might still share the same DNA!

 

[Pergamum]

Since the human race is united by generation, I don't see how this could go away without destroying the unity of the human race. Humanity is not a collection of unrelated individuals like the angels are. Rather, we are related to one another in a great big family tree. While we will no longer have children in heaven, I do believe that the family tree will remain. My children and I might still share the same DNA!

Yes, you will still know them as your children in heaven. You won't forget nor be unmindful of what their relationship to you was. We retain our identities in heaven.

Even murderers who have repented will worship next to their victims in heaven, and all will be okay in light of God's grace (they'll see it all in the context of God's grand story of grace and rejoice...they won't have their memories wiped of these events).

 

[Ben Chomp]

Yes, you will still know them as your children in heaven. You won't forget nor be unmindful of what their relationship to you was. We retain our identities in heaven.

Even murderers who have repented will worship next to their victims in heaven, and all will be okay in light of God's grace (they'll see it all in the context of God's grand story of grace and rejoice...they won't have their memories wiped of these events).

Glory!

 

[Alexander Suarez]

Can't a theologian be a little curious?

I think Calvin's comments on 2 Cor. 12:3-4 are worth meditating on. See below.

2 Cor. 12.3-4:

"And I knew such a man, ( whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth; ) how that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter."​

Calvin:

"From this, too, we may gather a most useful admonition as to setting bounds to knowledge. We are naturally prone to curiosity. Hence, neglecting altogether, or tasting but slightly, and carelessly, doctrine that tends to edification, we are hurried on to frivolous questions. Then there follow upon this — boldness and rashness, so that we do not hesitate to decide on matters unknown, and concealed.

From these two sources has sprung up a great part of scholastic theology, and every thing, which that trifler Dionysius has been so daring as to contrive in reference to the Heavenly Hierarchies, It becomes us so much the more to keep within bounds, so as not to seek to know any thing, but what the Lord has seen it good to reveal to his Church. Let this be the limit of our knowledge."​

 

[RamistThomist]

Bavinck said that miracles on earth are nature in heaven.

 

[Ben Chomp]

Bavinck said that miracles on earth are nature in heaven.

Love it! The miracles don't seem to be making people super-human, though. They seem to be restoring fallen, miserable humanity to a state of health.

 

[JimmyH]

I hope this isn't a stupid question/observation, and I've at least skimmed this thread, in its entirety, but if we are married to the Lamb, and there is no other marriage in heaven, how can there be sex ? Wouldn't that be fornication if there is no marriage and no procreation ?

 

[TylerRay]

I hope this isn't a stupid question/observation, and I've at least skimmed this thread, in its entirety, but if we are married to the Lamb, and there is no other marriage in heaven, how can there be sex ? Wouldn't that be fornication if there is no marriage and no procreation ?

Most the times that we've spoken of people having sex on this thread, we mean having the property of sex (i.e., being male or female).

There are a few exceptions to that.