The Doctrines of Grace and Eschatology

There is no more important question in life than, “What must I do to be saved?” The doctrines of grace are concerned with God’s plan of salvation from election through to glorification, through which he brings about his eternal purposes for his creation, and in particular, for those he has chosen by grace to be his people. They also describe how the finished work of Jesus Christ is applied by the regenerating and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit to the believer, who by virtue of their union with Christ, is justified, adopted and perfected to share in his glory.

Eschatology is intrinsically connected to the doctrines of grace because it is concerned with God’s goal for his creation. God’s goal is to dwell as king over a renewed creation and to fill the earth with his glory. This has personal, political and cosmological implications for God’s people now. Without a good handle on biblical eschatology, we struggle to understand the ‘now not yet’ nature of reality in which God’s kingdom has come but its enemies continue to exist as we await its consummation.