Does any great rescue story end with the princess being recaptured and killed? Would the handsome prince have revived Snow White from her glass coffin and married her, only to allow the evil queen to poison her once again? Impossible! Would Superman rescue Lois Lane, only to leave her weak and defenseless so as to be kidnapped again? Not likely. Would Luke Skywalker rescue Princess Leia only to allow Darth Vader to reclaim her? Not Luke Skywalker! And Jesus won’t allow his bride, Christian believers, to be recaptured by sin in heaven after he has suffered a torturous death on earth to rescue them from sin forever.
When Adam and Eve first brought sin into the world of people, they were tempted and enticed by Satan, the leader-angel of the evil spirit world. So the first thing that God will do to prevent the return of sin into the world will be to powerfully and permanently confine Satan. Then he will never be able to tempt another person again. God told John in his vision of the future, “And the devil, who deceived them [the people of earth], was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur. . . . [He] will be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Rev. 20:10). Satan will never escape the lake of fire, so he will never again tempt another person for all eternity.
When Adam and Eve first disobeyed God’s command in the garden, God said they would die. Death was and is the penalty for sin. The early chapters of Genesis, the first book of the Bible, trace how, one after another, every person died who was born after the first couple sinned. Death pervades the narrative of Genesis. In the New Testament, Paul said it this way: “For the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23).
If we could sin in heaven, even after billions of years on the new earth, then death would have to follow. Sin leads to death. But Revelation 21:4 states that God “will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” “No more death” means that there will be no more sin that leads to death. Why? Because the “old order of things has passed away.” Death, and the mourning, crying, and pain that come with it, are part of the old order that will pass away. In the new order of things, death will not exist. That means sin will never exist either.
What happens when you “abolish” something? Synonyms for “abolish” include eliminate, obliterate, and eradicate. These are strong words. But that’s what Jesus did with death. He “has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:10 NKJV). Immortality means to be exempt from death. Where there is no death, neither is there sin. The Bible also says that at the resurrection, “the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (1 Cor. 15:52). “Imperishable” indicates never dying, everlasting, and indestructible. If there were the possibility of sin in heaven, then there would be the possibility that God could curse the new earth like he did the present earth when sin entered the universe. But instead he has promised, “No longer will there be any curse” (Rev. 22:3).
There will be no temptation in heaven either. Once the first couple sinned, a strong sinful tendency was generated in each person and has been passed on to everyone through all of history. The apostle Paul called this sinful inclination “the flesh.” He didn’t mean the body or the tissue on our bones. He was talking about the powerful force inside all humans that draws us away from God and his laws for us.
The book of James discusses how “each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin . . .” (1:14–15). In heaven we won’t have those evil desires, and therefore we won’t sin. There will never be the temptation to be envious, bitter, lustful, controlling, harsh, proud, or selfish. What desires tend to pull you away from God? Think of it. You, as a Christ-believer, will never have those alluring attractions in heaven.
In the resurrection, God promised we will be like Jesus. The Christian has been chosen by God and “predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Rom. 8:29). God determined ahead of time that in heaven the believer will be like Jesus—sinless. So if anyone in heaven could sin, then God would not conform us to his Son. In eternity made like Jesus, we will never sin again.
FOR FURTHER STUDY
Romans 6:7; 1 Corinthians 15:49; Philippians 3:20–21; Hebrews 10:10, 14; 1 John 3:1–2; Revelation 21:27