07_work_0118_incorruptability_segue_to_athie_irie

The Bible promises that we will receive incorruptibility, which is a divine attribute that cannot be given by a human. We will partake in the divine nature through our union with Christ, allowing us to receive divine things like incorruptibility. We will bear the image of Jesus, who is both God and man, and this is how we will receive eternal life. The concept of union with God is fundamental to the Church Fathers' understanding of salvation. The cross is important, but the union itself is more significant. Have you ever thought about the fact that the Bible promises that we are going to receive incorruptibility? We're not just going to inherit incorruption, but incorruptibility. I think this is a very interesting attribute for us to inherit. It's one thing for us to receive His righteousness on account of Jesus' obedience, but a human can have righteousness, right? Adam could have obeyed. It is great that Jesus is the new and better Adam, so that now we have perfect righteousness in Him, but Jesus' perfect Adam-ness is not all that's going on here. Incorruptibility isn't really a human attribute that couldn't have been given by a new Adam. It's a divine attribute and can only come from divine nature. We don't have a divine nature and we never will, so what is going on here? There's two verses that I think help explain all this. 2 Peter 1.4 does tell us that we will partake in the divine nature. It's kind of a hint, but it doesn't tell us how it's going to happen. It's explained more in 1 Corinthians 15 as happening by our union with Christ. So we will never receive a divine nature ourselves, but we are united to Jesus and therefore are able to receive divine things like incorruptibility. So 1 Corinthians 15.49 says, just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, Adam, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven. So we will bear His image. It doesn't say His human image only. We will bear the image of Jesus. So Adam had only a human nature, but Jesus is both God and man. So the next verse says this is how we receive incorruptibility, is it being by us bearing the image of the man of heaven. So we will receive eternal life based on our union with God incarnate. The reason I'm mentioning this is that this is about the Church Fathers' most often described salvation. God became man so that we could become God and partake in the divine nature. The cross is very important insofar as it allows this union to happen, but the union itself is the more fundamental concept for them.