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THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST: IT'S NATURE AND SIGNIFICANCE
This is the first step in the exaltation of
Christ. To understand the resurrection correctly, it is helpful to think about the life of Christ in His two "states,"
the state of His humiliation and the state of His exaltation. Until now we have focused upon His substitutionary death on
the cross (atonement). Let's take time, however, to review briefly some material from last semester, Part 1 of Christology.
On the basis of Philippians 2:6-8, and many other Scriptures, theologians refer to the period from Christ's birth to His death
and burial as the state of humiliation. The text reads: "who, existing in the form of God, (that is, in His pre-incarnate
state, with all the glories and prerogatives of deity) did not consider being equal with God a thing to be grasped (that is,
forcibly retained), but emptied himself (not of His divine nature, but of the glories and prerogatives of deity), taking the
form of a servant. How so? By being made in the likeness of men. And being found in outward condition as a man, He humbled
himself, by becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."
Two Aspects of Christ's Humiliation
These
are expressed in the two expressions: He emptied himself, referring to the incarnation; and He humbled himself, referring
to His submission as a servant. To be more specific, according to Clifford Burton the state of Christ's humiliation consisted
of His:
1. Laying aside the divine majesty, assuming human nature in the incarnation;
2. Becoming subject to the
limitations of human nature (i.e subjection to the laws of nature, human weakness such as temptation, fatigue, suffering);
3. Becoming subject to the demands of the law, to fulfill its obligations in behalf of His people (active obedience).
See Galatians 4:4, where Jesus is said to be "born under the law "; and,
4. By becoming legally responsible
for our sins, becoming subject to the curse and penalty of the law and death (passive obedience).
The passage in Phil
2:9-11 goes on to describe the state of exaltation:
"Wherefore also God highly exalted Him (this refers to Christ's
resurrection and ascension), and gave unto Him the name which is above every name; that in the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, of things in heaven and things on earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory
of God the Father."
The conditions of Christ's exaltation was primarily a reversal of the conditions of His humiliation.
Christ's exaltation consisted of His:
1. Resuming the divine majesty He had laid aside in His incarnation (the glories
and prerogatives of His pre-incarnate state) ;
2. No longer being subject to the limitations of human nature (i.e., subjection
to laws of nature, human weakness, temptation, suffering, etc.); and
3. No longer being subject to the curse of the law,
having met its obligations perfectly, and provided righteousness for His people.
But, in addition, to this reversal of
Christ's humiliation, there is this glorious mystery:
1. The glorification of Christ in His human nature, endowing it
with those powers which belonged to it, by virtue of its union with the divine.
2. Christ's state of exaltation was the
logical and inevitable result of his state of humiliation. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was the end of His state of humiliation,
which He endured from His conception, to His death, and even in His burial, and the beginning of His state of exaltation.
The resurrection led on to further exaltation, in His ascension and enthronement. "The God of our fathers raised Jesus
from the dead, and exalted him to His own right hand as Prince and Savior" Acts 5:31.
3. The resurrection of Christ
did not consist in the mere fact that He was resuscitated, and that body and soul were re-united. If that's all there was
to it, then He could not be called the first fruits from the dead, or "the firstborn of the dead," since others
were restored to life before Him. Consider if you will Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead, and others, in both the Old
and New Testaments. In Christ's resurrection, His body was both raised and glorified. This is what makes His resurrection
unique. We see this in the account of the Gospels, where the body of Jesus could suddenly appear and disappear, and yet was
a material and very real body.
Different aspects of the resurrection of Christ:
1. The resurrection of Christ was
a divine act of the Trinity. As we saw was the case in the atonement, Jesus' resurrection was a divine act involving all three
persons of the Godhead. Rom 8:11 speaks of "the Spirit who raised Christ from the dead." Acts 2:32 Peter refers
to God the Father when He says in Acts 2:32 God has raised Jesus to life" Jesus speaks of laying down His own life, and
taking it up again in John 10:17 .
2. The resurrection of Christ was divine affirmation: The glory of the Father was lavished
on the Son in His resurrection, by which He was exalted to receive in heaven the reward of His righteousness, with a name
and title higher than any other: Lord of the Universe.
3. The resurrection of Christ was a divine declaration: God was
declaring to the world the authenticity of His Son. In His capacity as Mediator, Christ fully met the demands of the law (both
in His perfect observance of it, and in His paying its penalty for us as law-breakers), and thus merited, both for himself,
and for those whom He mediates, eternal life. Christ's resurrection was proof of God's divine favor, and a declaration that
He had fully met the demands of the law, and had accomplished the will of His Father. ("Who through the Spirit of holiness
was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord" Romans 1:4)
4.
The resurrection of Christ was divine vindication. Christ had prophesied both His death and His resurrection. Without the
resurrection, Christ is a false prophet. By the resurrection, He is vindicated against all those who falsely accused him of
being a liar and a blasphemer. In John 16:10 Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit who will convict the world of righteousness (that
is of Christ's righteousness), "because I go to the Father."
5. The resurrection of Christ is the completion
of our justification, which Christ accomplished on the cross. Justification is two-fold, the removal of guilt and the imputation
of righteousness. Romans 4:25 says "He was delivered over to death for our sins (that is to clear the guilt of our sins)
and was raised for our justification". In His death He paid the penalty for our sins, in His resurrection we receive
His righteousness, a righteousness which is declared by the very fact of His resurrection. This is what is meant in Romans
4:24, "for us also will God credit righteousness, for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead."
6. The resurrection life of Christ is the source of our spiritual life, i.e. regeneration, whereby we share in His resurrection
life. ("Just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." Romans
6:4; and, "He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies, through the Spirit who lives
in you." Romans 8:11)
7. The resurrection of Christ vanquished for us the great foe, the last enemy, death. The wages
of sin is death. By rising from the dead, Christ overcame the power of death. Romans 6:9 states, "Since Christ was
raised from the dead, He cannot die again, death no longer has mastery over him" (The idea here is that when Christ died,
death did have mastery over him.) See also 2 Timothy 1:10: "grace...has now been revealed through the appearing of our
Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" ; and,
Hebrews 2:9-15 "Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He
might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery
by their fear of death." "Dying He destroyed our death, rising He restored our life."
8. The resurrection
is the promise and the pledge of our inheritance, our own resurrection. "We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and
so (i.e., since we believe this) we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep." In 1 Corinthians
He is called the "first fruits from the dead." The first fruits was the first yield of the crops that was offered
to God, with the expectation that an abundant harvest would follow. In His rising He conquered death and presented to God
in His own person the first fruits of the victory over the grave. "Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first
fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man (mankind experienced death through Adam's sin)
the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man (the resurrection of Christ). For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all
will be made alive. But each in His own turn (there is a divine order here), Christ the first fruits; then when He comes,
those who belong to Him" (1 Corinthians 15) .
9. The resurrection of Christ gives assurance to the Christian. We
can be assured that Christ's work is complete and His redemption is accomplished. It is not enough that we should be able
to say "He was delivered up for our trespasses," we must be able to add, "He was raised for our justification".
"In His death He manifests His love and willingness to save. In His resurrection He manifests his power and ability to
save. Consider the simple but profound exhortation of Paul, imprisoned at Rome, expecting to be executed at any time, to Timothy,
in an hour of great tribulation. "Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead". In his resurrection we have the assurance
that He is the Lord of heaven and earth whose right it is to rule. Without His resurrection, we could believe in his love:
He died for us. We could believe in his continued life beyond the tomb, for who does not live beyond death? But if He had
not risen, could we believe him enthroned in heaven, Lord of all, if He himself were subject to death? If it is fundamental
to Christianity that Jesus should be Lord of all, that God should have highly exalted him and given Him the name which is
above every name, that every knee should bow and every tongue confess Him Lord, then it is fundamental to Christianity that
death too should be subject to him. Because He has put this last enemy under His feet we can say with conviction, "Nothing
can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord, not even death itself, nothing can harm us, nothing
can destroy our peace. O, the comfort, the joy, the courage, that comes from the great fact that Jesus, the seed of David,
our brother, who like us was acquainted with death, is now the Risen One. As the risen One, He has become head over all things,
and must reign until he shall have put all things under His feet. He it is who rules over the ages past, present, and to come.
Let us encourage ourselves with these words of Paul: "Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, of the seed of David."
Aberrant Contemporary Theories about the Resurrection
1. Anti-supernaturalistic Naturalists' Theory: Jesus may have
been an historical figure, bur He did not arise from the dead.
2. The Swoon Theory: Jesus fainted or endured a coma, and
his body revived.
3. A Common Jewish Theory: The doctrine of Christ's resurrection from the dead was a monstrous hoax
perpetrated by his disciples, who were not willing to accept that Jesus was dead and gone forever but who merely desired to
empower themselves in their fanatical beliefs by putting forth the lie that Jesus was raised from the dead by God's power.
4. Radical Christology: the nature of the eyewitnesses' experiences cannot be ascertained. Rudolf Bultmann and his followers,
for example, claim that the actual cause of the disciples' transformation is obscured in the New Testament text. The received
texts simply are not reliable and must be "demythologized" of this tale put forward by the apostolic community after
Jesus' tragic death.
5. The Resurrection a "Faith Event": Soren Kierkegaard and Karl Barth held that the resurrection
may be accepted by faith as a literal event, but that it cannot be ascertained by any historical investigation. Jesus appeared
to the disciples empirically but in a different historical sphere that cannot be verified by history. Christ's resurrection
is therefore a "transcendent" event.
6. "Docetic" (from Greek, "to seem" or "to appear")
Resurrection: Jesus merely seemed to be raised from the dead; He appeared like a spirit or ghost with some type of physical
properties.
7. "Easter Faith": Christ's resurrection as fact of history does not matter. What matters is that
"Christ rose from the dead in the hearts of his disciples." This is an "Easter Faith" experience for those
who want to believe it. This will give them an ‘existential hope" that will help them "authenticate" themselves
in the face of the cruelty of death and non-existence.
Conclusion:
"Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel
which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which you are saved, if you hold fast the word
which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received,
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day
according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five
hundred brethren at one time . . . then He appeared to James and to all the apostles; and last of all, as it were to one untimely
born, He appeared to me also" (1 Corinthians 15: 1-8).
THE ASCENSION AND SESSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
The
Ascension of Jesus Christ: Its Meaning and Significance
This event occurred forty days after Jesus' resurrection from
the dead and instituted a further heavenly life of Christ, which lasts forever. He was taken up in the visible sight of watching
disciples, with the attendance of two angels who are mentioned, in the clouds, and assuming a point of departure on the Mount
of Olives near Bethany. Peter Toon observed the following theological reasons for Christ's Ascension:
1. The Ascension
is seen, especially by Luke, as that which necessarily follows and completes the Resurrection.
2. Since Jesus died, descended
into Hades, was raised from death, and ascended into heaven as the Messiah of His people, then by His resurrection and ascension,
He became te first fruits of His people, i.e., by His resurrection and ascension, Jesus as God-Man became the first fruits
that guaranteed the final redemption and sanctification of those in union with Him. [See also 1 Corinthians 15:20, 23 and
Colossians 1:15,18.]
3. As a consequence of the doctrine of union with Christ, there is a sense in which believers have
ascended with Him into heaven, so that where their Head is, so are the members (Ephesians 1:22; 4:15; Colossians 1:18; 2:10,19).
4. Jesus' Ascension inaugurates a new age, where His bodily presence is encountered and experienced in and through the
Holy Spirit (John 14:25-28).
5. The Ascension was necessary for Christ to go and prepare a place for believers in heaven
(John 14:1-4);
6. Jesus ascended in order to effect the offices of Prophet, Priest, and King from the vantage point of
His Session (which is treated below).
Scriptural Support for the Ascension
In the New Testament, Luke 24:50-51, Mark
16:19, and Acts 1:4-11 provide the historical accounts of eyewitnesses to Jesus' Ascension. [Note: The importance of these
accounts of the event is seen in the fact that Pope Pius XII, on November 1, 1950, proclaimed the bodily assumption to heaven
of the virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus; knowing the authority given to one by this supernatural event, the Roman Catholics
sought to color the world's perception of the one to who they so often prayed.] There are other references to Jesus Ascension
in John 6:62; Acts 2:33, 34; 3:21; Ephesians 4:8-10; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; Hebrews 4:14; 9:24; 1 Peter 3:22; and Revelation
5:6.
Notice, though, that Jesus' Ascension was also prefigured in the Old Testament. Psalm 68:18, for example, heralds,
"Your have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive, You have received gifts among men, even among the rebellious,
that the Lord God might dwell there. Psalm 24:7-10 exalts Christ as he ascends and enters the very gates of heaven, "
Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the king of glory shall come in." [Note:
it is also interesting to consider in the Old Testament three persons who where taken up to heaven by unusual means, prefiguring
the wonderful manner in which God's beloved own will ascend to heaven "in Christ Jesus," namely, Enoch, Moses, and
Elijah!]
The Session of Jesus Christ: Its Meaning and Significance
The New Testament speaks in several places of
Jesus Christ in His exalted state being "seated at the right hand of the Father." This is referred to as the Session
of Jesus Christ, from the Latin word sessio, "to sit." The session of our Lord Jesus Christ at the right hand of
God the Father is naturally a part or benefit of our Savior's state of exaltation. He assumes this position as "The
Man Christ Jesus," resurrected and ascended. It should be emphasized that, though Christ retained His human nature,
His exaltation released him of all limitations normally associated with being localized in a body. The God-Man, Christ Jesus,
is omnipresent, even though His body is localized in heaven, in the words of Calvin "incarnate but not incarcerated."
Clifford Burton noted: Christ's state of exaltation was the logical and inevitable result of His state of humiliation.
Christ predicted His death, and always followed with a prediction of His resurrection. Christ also predicted His session at
the right hand of God. Jesus promised, "In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty
One and coming on the clouds of heaven" (Matthew 26:64 ). The resurrection led on to further exaltation, in His ascension,
and enthronement at the right hand of God. Peter connects resurrection, ascension, and session in Acts 5:31: "The God
of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead, and exalted him to His own right hand as Prince and Savior."
Christ's
resurrection and ascension were the beginning of His state of exaltation, His session is the continuation of His state of
exaltation. The expression, "the right hand of God" derives it's expression from a Messianic prophecy in Psalm
110:1, "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool." It is anthropomorphic (has symbolic more
than literal value for the benefit of finite human understanding) statement: in the Old Testament, to be seated at the king's
right hand was a sign of His special favor, (1 Kings 2:19) and denotes sharing in His power and honor. In the case of Christ
it was an indication that as Mediator and Lord He received the reigns of government over the Church and over the universe,
and as such shared in God's glory. Calvin says that the statement that Christ was seated at the right hand of God is equivalent
to saying : "that Christ was invested with lordship over heaven and earth, and solemnly entered into possession of the
government committed to him, and that He not only entered into possession once for all, but continues in it, until He shall
come down on the day of judgment."
This idea that Christ's being seated at the right hand of God means that God
has given Him authority to rule and is beautifully expressed in Ephesians 1:20-22, "He (God the Father) raised him from
the dead and seated him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority, and power and dominion
. . . and God placed all things under His feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church."
Peter
also couples the expression "at the right hand of God" with the idea of Christ being given universal authority in
1 Peter 3:22, "Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand-with angels, authorities, and powers
in submission to him." Paul expresses the same idea in quoting Psalm 8:6 as a reference to the exalted Christ: "He
has put everything under His feet (i.e., in subjection to him)". Other Scripture's that speak of Christ's exaltation
are: Hebrews 10:12 and Revelation 3:21.
We see that the session of Christ involves more than passive exaltation, (i.e.
receiving power and glory and authority from God), but connotes activity as well, but not just the governmental activity of
a king. Scripture teaches that Christ's activity in heaven involves the roles of prophet and priest as well as king. One may
naturally ask "How is Christ exalted in His sitting at the right hand of God?" The Westminster Larger Catechism
answers,"Christ is exalted in His sitting at the right hand of God, in that as God-man, He is advanced to the highest
favor with God the Father, with all fullness of joy, glory and power over all things in heaven and earth, and doth gather
and defend His church, and subdue their enemies; furnishes His ministers and people with gifts and graces, and makes intercession
for them." In the references to Christ having power of all things, defending His church and subduing her enemies, we
see examples of Christ's kingly role. In the reference to His furnishing His ministers and people with gifts and graces, we
see examples of Christ's Prophetic role. A Scripture which reflects this is Ephesians 4:10-11, "He that descended is
the very one who also ascended higher than the heavens . . . it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets,
some to be evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service." In the reference to
His making intercession for us we see an example of His priestly role. Romans 8:34 states that "Christ Jesus...is at
the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." Let's review here Christ's offices:
King:
1. He rules
and protects His church by His Holy Spirit, and governs it through His appointed officers.
2. He commands angels as messengers
and protectors of His people.
3. He commands all of the natural forces of the universe.
4. He rules over all the
evil forces hostile to the Kingdom of God, and will so continue until He has subjected the last enemy .
Priest:
1.
He applies His sacrificial work, making it effective in the justification and sanctification of sinners.
2. He sends the
Holy Spirit to apply the salvific benefits of His propitiation for the sins of His saints (1 John 2:2; Mark 16:19-20; Acts
13:48; 18:9-11 ).
3. He procures for true believers access, a legitimate means of entry, to the very throne of grace
Heb 4:16.
4. He intercedes for His church, pleading their safe-keeping in the world, and rendering their prayers and
services acceptable to God (Hebrews 7:25).
5. He watches closely the lives of His people during His "interregnum"
and oversees their Providential care in the cause of the promulgation of His Gospel of the Kingdom (e.g., Acts 7:55-56; 2
Corinthians 12:1-4).
Prophet:
Christ continues His prophetic work through the Holy Spirit,
1. in the inspiration
of Scripture;
2. in the preservation and spreading of the Word of God;
3. in the interpretation of the Scriptures,
and the guidance of the church through the preaching of her ministers throughout the ages; and
4. in applying the truth
of the Word in the hearts of believers, making it effective.
What is the purpose of Christ's session? In regard to God,
that He is all in all. In regard to His creatures, that all creatures both heavenly and earthly may look with admiration upon
His majesty, be ruled by His hand, and submit to His power.
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