The saints’ knowledge in heaven

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

(Romans 12:1-2)

Another important truth to consider is the perfect knowledge that the saints possess in heaven. To understand this concept, we must revisit the three components of God’s creation of man: spirit, soul, and body. As discussed earlier, man is a spirit, he possesses a soul, and he dwells in a physical body.

We have already noted that while man’s body originates from the earth, his spirit and soul come directly from God. At death, this process is reversed: the body returns to the ground, and the spirit and soul return to God who gave them.

It is beyond the scope of this teaching to explore the distinction between spirit and soul or to examine the soul of man in detail. These subjects are addressed more fully in my series Man, the Image of God. For the purposes of this teaching, it suffices to say that the soul and mind of man are essentially one and the same.

One additional piece of the puzzle must be mentioned: in this life, the mind of man functions through the physical organ of the brain. With this understanding, we can now explain why the saints in heaven possess perfect knowledge.

In the passage quoted above, the apostle Paul instructs the saints not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed into the kingdom of God. Paul explains that this transformation occurs through the renewal of the mind—that is, the saints are required to change their thought patterns.

Thought patterns develop over time as neural pathways form in the brain. In this life, two main influences shape these patterns. The first is the way of thinking of this world; as we grow, we are taught to think as the world thinks.

The second influence is the physical organ of the brain itself. Our bodies are descended from Adam (Acts 17:26), and when Adam sinned, the “sin virus” entered his bloodstream, contaminating every descendant. Paul understood this principle, teaching that sin dwells in our bodies—including in the organ of the brain (Romans 7:17–18).

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

(Romans 8:5-7)

The combination of this world’s way of thinking and the human brain being infected with the sin virus produces a mindset that Paul describes as carnal. In the passage above, Paul explains why the saints in this life are required to renew their minds: because the carnal mind is hostile to the knowledge of God.

Paul contrasts the carnal mind with the spiritual mind, thereby confirming that a renewed mind is a spiritual mind. A spiritual mind thinks in accordance with the kingdom of God, while a carnal mind thinks in accordance with the ways of this world.

Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

(1 Corinthians 13:8-12)

In the passage above, the apostle Paul explains that no matter how renewed our minds become in this life, we will still only know in part. He contrasts this imperfect knowledge with the perfect knowledge that the saints have in heaven, declaring that when we meet the Lord Jesus face to face, “we shall know even as we are known.” In other words, we will fully know that which we now only know in part.

What changes when we depart from this life that enables the saints to have perfect knowledge? The answer is that the physical organ of the brain is done away with, along with its neural pathways shaped by carnal thinking. In other words, the moment the saints leave this life, they instantly become spiritually minded, fully comprehending that which cannot be fully understood in this life.

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

(Romans 3:21-26)

As an aside, it is important to briefly mention the knowledge of the Old Testament saints in Abraham’s bosom—bearing in mind that God created Abraham’s bosom specifically to accommodate those who would one day be born again.

As with the New Testament saints, the physical brains of the Old Testament saints were done away with when they died, thus removing the influence of carnal thinking. Nevertheless, at that time they had not yet been born again and were therefore still spiritually dead.

This raises the question: how could they become spiritually minded if their spirits had not yet been regenerated? Paul answers this question in the passage above, explaining that in God’s forbearance He passed over the sins of the Old Testament believers, knowing that they would be redeemed in the future through Christ Jesus.

In a similar way, through His forbearance, God opened the understanding—the minds—of the Old Testament saints, knowing that they too would one day be redeemed through Christ Jesus.

Michael E.B. Maher

Resurrection of the Dead

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