This Platonic vision of salvation has had far too much influence on Christian thought, practice, and piety. The Christian hope is certainly heavenly, but it is also this-worldly. It’s about the resurrected body dwelling in a new heaven and earth for all eternity. Our hope is future-worldly, but it is not other-worldly. It is this world that is going to be redeemed. The body you now have will be the body you inhabit for all eternity (albeit, in glorified form). This is the Christian hope: the very body that has borne the curse of sin and suffered for the sake of the Savior will now bear the full weight of blessing and glory and splendor and majesty. It may not seem like this has much to do with the book of Ruth, but it does. The book of Ruth not only teaches salvation by grace, but it also teaches
–Under His Wings, A Commentary on Ruth
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