KingJ
Active
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2015
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- 5,295
Many mock God and servitude in heaven. Teach that He will be an autocratic tyrant. This cannot be further from the truth.
1. God Has Always Desired Voluntary Love
From the beginning, God did not create robots. He created human beings with a will, the ability to choose, and the capacity to love. Love that is forced is not love at all. This is why the Bible is full of invitations, not manipulations.
Deuteronomy 30:19–20 (ESV): “I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him...”
Even before heaven, God invites us to choose life and to love Him freely. God has always valued a love that is given, not coerced.
Heaven, then, is not a place where this freedom ends. It is where that freedom is finally fulfilled, where we are no longer weighed down by sin or divided hearts, but we love God with our whole being, freely and joyfully.
2. Heaven is Filled With Joyful, Willing Worship
The book of Revelation gives us glimpses into the heavenly realm, and what do we see? Not bored people going through the motions. Not angels or saints serving out of fear or duty. Instead, we see joyful worship.
Revelation 7:15 (NIV): “Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.”
The word “serve” here is a word often used for priestly worship. The saints in heaven are in God’s presence, and their service is continuous, not because they’re forced, but because they’re fulfilled. They are not tired or burdened. They are satisfied.
Psalm 100:2 (ESV): “Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!”
This verse, while spoken to us on earth, reflects the atmosphere of heaven. Gladness. Singing. Joy. Heaven is full of worship that comes from the heart, because the heart is finally made whole.
3. In Heaven, Our Free Will Is Aligned with God’s Will
Some might ask, “If there’s no sin in heaven, does that mean we lose our free will?” Not at all. Instead, our will is finally and fully aligned with God’s, by our own desire.
Right now, we struggle. Even when we want to do good, we often fall short. Paul describes this tension in Romans 7. But in heaven, the battle is over.
Philippians 2:13 (NIV): “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
Even now, God is working in us to transform our will. In heaven, that work is complete. Our desires, thoughts, and actions will be fully in sync with His, not because we are forced into obedience, but because we have been fully healed. And that healing leads to freedom, not slavery.
2 Corinthians 3:17 (NIV): “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
Heaven is full of God’s Spirit. Therefore, it is full of freedom. The people of heaven are not trapped in service, they are liberated to serve joyfully.
4. Love is the Motivation for All Service in Heaven
The greatest commandment Jesus gave us on earth was to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). That commandment isn’t left behind in heaven, it is perfectly fulfilled.
1 John 4:18–19 (NIV): “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear… We love because he first loved us.”
There is no fear in heaven, only love. And that love drives everything the saints and angels do. We love because He first loved us, and in heaven, we will see that love fully, face to face.
And when we see Him, in all His glory, all His holiness, and all His love, our response will be natural and free:
We will fall down in worship. We will lift our voices in song. We will serve with joy. Not because we must. But because we want to.
5. Heaven is the Fulfillment, Not the End, of the Relationship
Sometimes people think heaven is just the “reward” for a life of obedience. But heaven isn’t the end of the story, it’s the beginning of life as it was always meant to be.
God didn’t create us merely to obey, He created us for relationship.
John 17:3 (ESV): “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
Eternal life is knowing God. In heaven, we will know Him in ways we can’t yet imagine. And knowing Him will produce love. And love will overflow into service and worship — forever.
Final Scripture for Reflection:
Revelation 22:3 (ESV): “No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.”
In the end, there will be no curse. No fear. No coercion. Just love. And that love will fuel an eternity of joyful, willing service to our glorious God.
1. God Has Always Desired Voluntary Love
From the beginning, God did not create robots. He created human beings with a will, the ability to choose, and the capacity to love. Love that is forced is not love at all. This is why the Bible is full of invitations, not manipulations.
Deuteronomy 30:19–20 (ESV): “I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him...”
Even before heaven, God invites us to choose life and to love Him freely. God has always valued a love that is given, not coerced.
Heaven, then, is not a place where this freedom ends. It is where that freedom is finally fulfilled, where we are no longer weighed down by sin or divided hearts, but we love God with our whole being, freely and joyfully.
2. Heaven is Filled With Joyful, Willing Worship
The book of Revelation gives us glimpses into the heavenly realm, and what do we see? Not bored people going through the motions. Not angels or saints serving out of fear or duty. Instead, we see joyful worship.
Revelation 7:15 (NIV): “Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.”
The word “serve” here is a word often used for priestly worship. The saints in heaven are in God’s presence, and their service is continuous, not because they’re forced, but because they’re fulfilled. They are not tired or burdened. They are satisfied.
Psalm 100:2 (ESV): “Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!”
This verse, while spoken to us on earth, reflects the atmosphere of heaven. Gladness. Singing. Joy. Heaven is full of worship that comes from the heart, because the heart is finally made whole.
3. In Heaven, Our Free Will Is Aligned with God’s Will
Some might ask, “If there’s no sin in heaven, does that mean we lose our free will?” Not at all. Instead, our will is finally and fully aligned with God’s, by our own desire.
Right now, we struggle. Even when we want to do good, we often fall short. Paul describes this tension in Romans 7. But in heaven, the battle is over.
Philippians 2:13 (NIV): “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
Even now, God is working in us to transform our will. In heaven, that work is complete. Our desires, thoughts, and actions will be fully in sync with His, not because we are forced into obedience, but because we have been fully healed. And that healing leads to freedom, not slavery.
2 Corinthians 3:17 (NIV): “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
Heaven is full of God’s Spirit. Therefore, it is full of freedom. The people of heaven are not trapped in service, they are liberated to serve joyfully.
4. Love is the Motivation for All Service in Heaven
The greatest commandment Jesus gave us on earth was to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). That commandment isn’t left behind in heaven, it is perfectly fulfilled.
1 John 4:18–19 (NIV): “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear… We love because he first loved us.”
There is no fear in heaven, only love. And that love drives everything the saints and angels do. We love because He first loved us, and in heaven, we will see that love fully, face to face.
And when we see Him, in all His glory, all His holiness, and all His love, our response will be natural and free:
We will fall down in worship. We will lift our voices in song. We will serve with joy. Not because we must. But because we want to.
5. Heaven is the Fulfillment, Not the End, of the Relationship
Sometimes people think heaven is just the “reward” for a life of obedience. But heaven isn’t the end of the story, it’s the beginning of life as it was always meant to be.
God didn’t create us merely to obey, He created us for relationship.
John 17:3 (ESV): “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
Eternal life is knowing God. In heaven, we will know Him in ways we can’t yet imagine. And knowing Him will produce love. And love will overflow into service and worship — forever.
Final Scripture for Reflection:
Revelation 22:3 (ESV): “No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.”
In the end, there will be no curse. No fear. No coercion. Just love. And that love will fuel an eternity of joyful, willing service to our glorious God.
