Will we sin in heaven?

 "Will There Be Rebellions in the New Heavens and New Earth?" by Dr. Michael S. Heiser, addresses whether rebellion or sin will be possible for believers in the afterlife.

Glorification as the Safeguard Against Rebellion

The security of a sin free New Heaven and New Earth does not rely on God removing free will, but rather on the theological concept of glorification - the final stage of salvation, where believers are completely freed from sin's presence, perfected in holiness, and given resurrection bodies like Jesus's, allowing them to share in his glory. 

Many Christians view the afterlife merely as "living forever in a nice place," but fail to grasp the metaphysical change that occurs in the believer. Because believers will be transformed into the "exact imprint" of God’s nature (sharing His moral perfection and character), the internal drive or possibility to rebel becomes functionally nonexistent.

Glorification is Metaphysical, Not Just Behavioral Heiser emphasizes that sanctification (becoming holy) ends in glorification. He cites Hebrews 1:3 and 2 Corinthians 3:18 to show that believers are being transformed into the same image as Christ.

• The Expansion: This is not merely "imitative behavior" (acting like Jesus); it is a fundamental change in being. Believers become qualitative partakers of the divine nature. Just as iron takes on the properties of fire when placed in a furnace (heat and light) without ceasing to be iron, believers take on the glory and character of God without ceasing to be human.

When iron is placed in a furnace, it undergoes extreme oxidation and physical transformation, taking on "fire-like" properties by turning red-hot, becoming malleable.

2. The Distinction Between Deification and the Trinity Heiser is careful to distinguish biblical theosis (partaking in the divine nature) from heretical views like those found in Mormonism or pantheism.

• The Expansion:

  • Jesus: He is the eternal, pre-existent Son who chose to become man. He is God by nature.

  • Believers: We are created, contingent beings who had a beginning. We can never become part of the Trinity or "little Yahwehs" because we are not eternal or self-existent.

  • The Result: We become like Him to the greatest degree possible for a created being, sharing His communicable attributes (holiness, love, righteousness) perfectly, but we never become Him.

3. The "Absurdity" of Future Rebellion Heiser addresses the common question: "If we have free will, couldn't we pull a Lucifer and rebel again?"

• The Expansion: He argues that while rebellion is a logical possibility (since we aren't God), it is an ontological absurdity (implausible).

• The Analogy: He uses the joke of winning a Nobel Prize and American Idol in the same year. It’s theoretically possible, but practically impossible.

• The Reality: In a glorified state, believers will see God as He is and be fully conformed to His character. The desire to sin stems from imperfection, lack, and separation. Once those are removed and the believer is fully "glorified," the inclination to rebel vanishes. We won't want to sin, just as God cannot act against His own nature. Therefore, there will be no "Fall 2.0."