I’d like to consider some potential objections to the Christian doctrine of the final state, then consider how to field those objections.
Generally stated, are there aspects of the final state that are naturally impossible? There are things that even an omnipotent God can’t naturally do. That doesn’t mean he can’t do them; just that he can’t naturally do them. God would have to circumvent natural processes to make it happen.
Let’s take one example: Is biological immortality naturally possible? I don’t think we know the answer to that as of yet. To my knowledge, scientists haven’t figured out why humans (and other organisms) age. Yet the Bible promises that we will have immortal bodies.
One question is whether aging is caused by a master switch. Is there one mechanism that triggers a cascade effect. Assuming that’s the case, then if that switch were improved, renewed, or replaced, the organism wouldn’t age. The human body already has some capacity to regenerate itself. Just not systematically and permanently.
Perhaps, though, there is no single mechanism of senescence. Perhaps organs and body parts individually age, independent of each other. The whole body wears out, and there’s no discrete solution.
In that event, how would God preserve the body from aging? The answer depends in part on whether senescence is naturally inevitable. If so, then God must supernaturally preserve the body. READ MORE….
