Living Between the Already and Not Yet - Story

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Christians live in the tension between 'already' and 'not yet.' Christ's kingdom has already been inaugurated through His first coming, death, and resurrection, but it has not yet been consummated. We experience both the reality of salvation and the ongoing presence of sin, both the power of the Spirit and the weakness of flesh, both victory over death and the reality of dying. This tension explains why Christian life is simultaneously triumphant and struggling. Reformed theology understands that Christ's second coming (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) will resolve this tension, bringing perfect justice, complete healing, and final victory over sin and death. The 'not yet' fuels our hope—this present suffering isn't the end of the story. Revelation 21:1-5 promises a new heaven and new earth where God will wipe away every tear, where death, mourning, crying, and pain will be no more. This isn't escape from physical reality but transformation of it. The resurrection body will be both physical and glorified, both familiar and transformed. 2 Peter 3:10-13 warns that this present world will be destroyed by fire, but this isn't annihilation—it's purification. Like gold refined in fire, creation will be cleansed of corruption and renewed in righteousness. This future hope transforms present living. We work for justice knowing perfect justice is coming. We fight sin knowing complete victory is assured. We endure suffering knowing eternal glory awaits.