The New Creation
As taught in the Methodist / Wesleyan tradition
The Wesleyan vision of the 'New Heavens and New Earth' where all things are restored to their intended perfection.
What is the final destination of the redeemed? For many in the broader Christian world, the answer is a vague, ethereal "heaven"—a disembodied existence among the clouds, far removed from the grit and matter of the earth. However, within the Methodist tradition, grounded in the "optimism of grace" championed by John Wesley, the answer is far more robust, material, and restorative. The subtopic of "The New Creation" answers a fundamental question: Does God intend to abandon His material handiwork, or does He intend to heal it? In the Wesleyan perspective, the "Hope of Glory" is not an escape from the world but the total transformation and renewal of the world. As Wesley famously argued in his sermon The General Deliverance, the scope of God’s redemptive love is co-extensive with the scope of His creative act. If God made it, God intends to save it.
By the end of this lesson
- **Identify** the specific Wesleyan distinction between the "annihilation" of the earth and the "renewal" of the earth.
- **Distinguish** between an ethereal, disembodied view of "heaven" and the biblical, material promise of the "New Creation."
- **Explain** the concept of "The General Deliverance" and how it extends God's redemptive plan to the non-human animal kingdom.
- **Articulate** how the "optimism of grace" informs Methodist eschatology, particularly regarding the restoration of the *imago Dei*.
- **Trace** the movement of the "curse" from its inception in Genesis to its removal in Revelation 22, through the lens of Wesleyan "holiness."
- **Defend** the theological necessity of a physical resurrection and a material New Earth for a complete doctrine of salvation.
- **Apply** the doctrine of the New Creation to contemporary issues of environmental stewardship and "social holiness."
- **Compare** the Methodist reading of 2 Peter 3 (the "melting" of elements) with annihilationist interpretations from other traditions.
Scripture
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