Communion in Glory with Christ: A Devotional on WLC q82

In the previous question (WLC 81), the catechism wrestles with how we feel assurance. Does being saved mean that I will always feel saved? It lifts our eyes to the communion in glory believers have with Christ and one another—a real, joyful fellowship that begins now and is completed in the age to come. Question 82 takes things a step further and focuses on the heart of that fellowship: our communion in glory with Christ Himself. It answers with a hope that steadies Christians in life, comforts them in death, and anchors them with certainty. The catechism asks: “What is the communion in glory which the members of the invisible Church have with Christ?” And answers:

“The communion in glory which the members of the invisible Church have with Christ, is in this life, immediately after death, and at last perfected at the resurrection and day of judgment.”

Assurance is not vague optimism. It is a carefully ordered promise: communion in glory with Christ now, communion in glory with Christ after death, and communion in glory with Christ perfected at the resurrection. Scripture gives this hope depth and weight—transforming us (2 Cor. 3:18), comforting us at death’s doorway (Luke 23:43), and guaranteeing our final destiny (1 Thess. 4:17).

Communion in Glory with Christ in This Life: Transformed by Beholding

Question 82 begins where many Christians least expect: communion in glory with Christ is “in this life.” That does not mean we already possess glorified bodies or see Christ face-to-face. It means that the glory to come has already begun to touch the believer’s life through union with Christ and the Spirit’s work. Paul says, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Cor. 3:18).

Notice the logic: beholding leads to becoming. The Spirit makes Christ known to us in the Word, and as we behold Christ by faith, we are changed. This is communion—real participation in Christ’s life—because the Spirit unites us to the risen Lord. It is communion in glory because the trajectory of that transformation is Christlikeness. We are moment by moment, day by day, being changed to be more like our savior.

So, what does communion in glory with Christ in this life look like? At least three things:

1. Access to God through Christ: We draw near with confidence because Christ is our Mediator (Heb. 4:14–16). Communion is not earned intimacy; it is purchased fellowship.

2. Sanctification as foretaste of glorification: Holiness is not merely moral improvement; it is the Spirit preparing us for the glory we will share with Christ (Rom. 8:29–30). To paraphrase John Owen, if someone's present life is directed away from God, they will never find God's holy glory enjoyable.

3. Hope that reorders suffering: Present trials do not contradict glory; they are context for it (Rom. 8:17–18). Communion with Christ means we suffer with Him and are comforted by Him, even as we are conformed to Him.

   
   

This matters because Christians often treat glory as something only for the future. Question 82 rejects that idea. The believer’s communion in glory with Christ begins now, not as completion but as commencement—“one degree of glory” at a time (2 Cor. 3:18).

Communion in Glory with Christ Immediately After Death: With Him, Not Waiting Without Him

The catechism then speaks with clarity: communion in glory with Christ is “immediately after death.” This is one of the sweetest truths the church can confess at a graveside. Christians do not drift into impersonal nothingness, nor do they enter a long, unconscious interval cut off from Christ. Jesus’ own words to the repentant thief establish the point: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).

Two phrases matter: “today” and “with me.” “Today” conveys immediate timing. There is no delay. “With me,” answers the essence—communion with Christ, not merely relocation to a better place. Paradise is paradise because Christ is there.

This is why the New Testament can speak of death for the believer as gain (Phil. 1:21–23). Paul can say he desires “to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” (Phil. 1:23). Even while the body returns to dust, the soul of the believer is received into Christ’s presence. That is communion in glory with Christ immediately after death.

This also guards us from two opposite errors. One error turns death into an unchristian “graduation” narrative—sentimental comfort detached from Christ. The other error turns death into terror, as though believers must endure a long exile before reaching the Savior. Question 82 insists on something better: the believer is brought directly into Christ’s keeping and Christ’s company.

Communion in Glory with Christ Perfected: Resurrection, Judgment, and Everlasting Presence

Finally, the question lifts us up: communion in glory with Christ is “at last perfected at the resurrection and day of judgment.” Here, the answer is deliberately bodily, public, and final. Christianity does not end with souls in heaven; it ends with saints raised, vindicated, and dwelling with Christ forever in the new creation.

Paul summarizes this hope in 1 Thessalonians: “And so we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:17). Again, the heart of glory is not simply what we have, but who we are with—the Lord Himself. The resurrection makes that communion complete: no more sin, no more suffering, no more death.

Perfection at the resurrection also means the whole person is redeemed. God’s salvation does not discard the body; it restores it. Jesus is “the firstfruits” of those who belong to Him (1 Cor. 15:20–23). Because Christ is raised, believers will be raised. Because Christ reigns, believers will be gathered. Because Christ is the Judge, believers will be publicly acknowledged and acquitted in Him (Rom. 8:1, 33–34).

The “day of judgment” language can be unsettling for some, but for those united to Christ, it is not a day of condemnation; it is a day of vindication and completion. The Judge is the Savior who bore our judgment already. The public verdict will match the private justification believers possess now: righteous in Christ.

So communion in glory with Christ perfected is not merely endless time; it is endless fellowship—“always…with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:17).

Conclusion: Glory Is Communion with Christ

Question 82 gives a three-stage map for Christian hope, and each stage calls for a fitting response.

• In this life: Seek communion in glory with Christ through Scripture, prayer, Christian fellowship, and obedience. You become what you behold (2 Cor. 3:18).

• In the face of death: Grieve, but not as those without hope (1 Thess. 4:13). For the believer, to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8).

• As you await the end: Fix your hope on resurrection communion in glory with Christ—bodily life in the presence of the Lord forever (1 Thess. 4:17).

  
  

This is the catechism’s pastoral genius: it does not allow the Christian to limit hope to one moment. It stretches hope across the whole timeline of redemption, and it keeps Christ at the center of every moment.

At its core, question 82 teaches that glory is not an abstract upgrade after death. Glory is communion with Christ—begun by transforming sight in this life (2 Cor. 3:18), enjoyed consciously and immediately after death (Luke 23:43), and perfected forever at the resurrection and judgment (1 Thess. 4:17).

If you belong to Christ, your story is not moving from loneliness to fellowship, but from fellowship to better, more complete fellowship—from communion to consummated communion. And that means you can face today with confidence, face death with calm assurance, and face the future with settled joy: you will be with Him—now, then, and forever.

Soli Deo Gloria