Already But Not Yet

Scripture often speaks of salvation in two different senses—the already and the not yet. In 1st century, Jewish eschatology focused on two different stages, the present evil age and the age to come (Ladd). The present evil age is dominated by sin and death, and yet in the age to come the Creator God would bring healing and restoration to His fallen creation.

The NT writers worked within this framework and yet they modified it in light of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Rom. 12:2; Gal. 1:1-4). When Jesus Christ rose from the dead, it marked the dawn of a new age (John 20:1). It was the beginning of God’s new creation. Jesus’ resurrection was the firstfruits of what God intends to do for the rest of His creation (1 Cor. 15:20-26).

On Easter morning, God’s new creation invaded our present fallen world. And yet, we still await a day when Christ will return and this new age will be consummated. So now we live between these two ages—the already, but not yet. This tension can be seen in the most of theological concepts through New Testament.

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