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Pastoral Position
Paper - Mike Ferguson
Alexander
Schmemann, in a collection of short sermons on the Church Year
entitled, "Celebration of Faith", wrote, "Tell me what you
celebrate and I will tell you who you are."(1) I won't rehearse
his discussion on man as a celebrating being but I commend it to
your reading. As I thought about what most Americans celebrate,
and applied Schmemann's quote above, the word "syncretism"
immediately came to mind. "Syncretism" in general, is when people
take a smorgasbord approach to religion and pick a little bit of
this and a little bit of that and make their own "Special Recipe"
view of God. ( Destined to be "Extra Crispy" in the judgment.)
Christmas, Easter, Earth Day Halloween, Elvis' birthday and on and
on, all go into the mix. I also thought about what the Church
celebrates and what it doesn't celebrate, and how that embodies
and expresses our faith. A "Church" or "Liturgical Calendar" can
be a useful aid in helping us to celebrate and sanctify those
times and events that distinguish us as a peculiar and hopefully
biblical people. One problem with some church calendars is that
they are so brimming with "holy days" that they lose their sense
of celebration. As a wise man has noted, "If everyday or
everything is "special", then nothing is special." So, what do
these ramblings have to do with the ascension and session of
Christ you ask? Well my guess is that unless you've been in a
church tradition which uses a liturgical calendar, you most likely
celebrate Christ's birth and resurrection but have not given His
ascension a special celebration. Couple this with a
dispensational, premillenial eschatology and you've got a large
population of the church with a low and weak understanding of this
crucial and comforting doctrine.
One line creeds
like "Christ was born to die", are true and important summary
statements, but unless you understand that "Christ was born to
live" a perfect, sinless life, His death could never atone for the
sin of His people. Cornelius Van Til speaks of this organic
connection of the work of Christ in his, "Defense of the
Faith"(2), noting that Christ died for us (Priest), to subdue us
(King), and to give us wisdom (Prophet). The work of Jesus though
these offices cannot be separated.
In the
Westminster Shorter Catechism, question #28 asks; "Wherein
consisteth Christ's exaltation?". Answer: "Christ's exaltation
consisteth in His rising again from the dead on the third day, in
ascending up to Heaven, in sitting at the right hand of the God
the Father, and in coming to judge the world at the last day." If
you remove or de-emphasize one of these aspects of Christ's
exaltation, you will have a weakened understanding of our Lord's
work and glory, and it will inevitably affect how you view the
world and it's future.
So with that back
drop, let us look at the doctrine of Christ's ascension and
session, its implication for the world, and its benefits for
believers. Then you may decide if it is worth celebrating.
The doctrine
simply stated:
"God was
manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up
in glory". 1Tim 3:16 "Now when He had spoken these things, while
they watched, He was taken up and a cloud received Him out of
their sight." Acts 1:9 "Now it came to pass, while He blessed
them, that He was parted from them and carried up into Heaven ."
Luke 24:51 God descended to earth and took on flesh; the God-man,
Jesus the Mediator ascended into Heaven. Mark 16:19 adds: "He was
received up into Heaven and sat down at the right hand of God."
This is referred to as the Session of Christ. He received the
highest position of mediatorial rule, with supreme majesty, glory,
and dominion.
Christ's
teaching
Jesus frequently
referred to His coming ascension and session. (John 6:62: 14: 2,
12; 17:5) Nearing the end of His earthly ministry, He taught His
ascension as a source of comfort to His disciples, and as a
warning to His enemies, (Matt 26:64). He ascended to prepare a
place for us, ( Jn 14:2) , to send the Holy Spirit, (Jn 16:7) and
to make intercession (Jn 14:12). Christ also taught His ascension
and session after the fact in Revelation 3:21.
The Apostles
teaching
Paul writes
regarding the ascension and session in Ephesians 1:20-23, 4:8-10;
I Timothy 3:16 (quoted above). The book of Hebrews has many
references to this doctrine, Heb. 1:4 ; 4:14 ; 9:24; and 10:12.
Peter refers to it in 1Peter 3:22 and also in Acts 2:33-36 and
5:31. We will examine some of these texts and their significance
below.
Significance of
Ascension and Session
Let's now examine
some of the key texts of Scripture and flesh out this magnificent
doctrine and let us do this by looking at the ascended Christ in
His offices of Prophet, Priest and King. Let me again remind you
that although we may classify certain works of Christ as belonging
to one of His offices, we should avoid thinking modalistically, as
if He acted as a priest for a third of the day and a prophet for a
third of the day and a king for the other third. Christ is ever a
Priest, (Heb 5), ever a Prophet, through the Holy Spirit (Jn
14:26), and ever reigning on His Kingly throne, (1Cor 15). To
borrow from Van Til again, we must see the "equal ultimacy" of the
3 offices of Christ our Redeemer.
The Prophet
Under the old
covenant the chief function of the prophet was to reveal the will
of God and his judgments to his people. The prophets were
instruments or mouthpieces of God and types of the true Prophet,
the Word of God, the second person of the Trinity. " All things
were created through Him and for Him and He is before all things.
In Him all things consist", (literally, "to hold together", Col
1:17). And how does He uphold all things? By the "word of His
power". (Heb 1:3) This we may call His providential word which
sovereignly sustains and directs all things. In His inscripturated
word, we have "all things necessary for His own glory, men's
salvation, faith and life."(3) One key aspect of Christ's
ascension which is crucial to the exercise of each of Christ's
three offices is the promise and out pouring of the Holy Spirit. (Jn
14:16-17,26;15:26;16:5-11). Christ taught His disciples that it
was to their advantage that He ascend back into Heaven, that the
Father and He may send the Holy Spirit who would indwell them and
teach them and convict the world of sin, righteousness and
judgment. Thus again, we have the Reformed understanding of the
"equal ultimacy" as it relates to Word and Spirit in revealing the
will of God to us. We cannot rightly understand the Word without
the Spirit (1Cor 2:14), and we test the spirits according to the
Word. (Isa 8:20; Acts 17:11). The sword of the Spirit is the Word
of God. (Eph 6:17) So then, Christ in carrying out the office of a
prophet, reveals His word to the world, through His Spirit,
transforming the world, effectually calling the elect, and
effectively slaying His enemies with the sharp two-edged sword
that proceeds from His mouth. (Rev.1:16) More of this aspect will
be taken up under His Kingship.
The Priest
Whereas the
prophet was God's representative to speak His word to the people,
the priest was man's representative before God. The chief
functions of the priesthood were to offer gifts and sacrifices for
sins and to make intercession for the people. No where was the
priestly work of Jesus better typified than in the events of the
tenth day, of the seventh month, of the forty-ninth year (Lev
25:9). It was on this day that the High Priest in Israel ascended
up the holy mountain, entered into the Holy of Holies with blood
and incense and made atonement for the people. On this day in the
forty-ninth year the trumpet of the Jubilee was sounded, declaring
the freedom of captives, prisoners and slaves, the cancellation of
all debts, and the restoration of the land to its original owners.
Christ's priestly work is referred to in many of the New Testament
books, but none as clearly as the book of Hebrews. Our Lord, after
His work of self-sacrifice, ascended into the heavenly tabernacle
with His own blood which purged our sin and reconciled us to God.
Hebrews 1:3 tells us that He sat down at the right hand of
majesty. Calvin, Turretin and other commentators describe this
session in terms of Christ's supreme majesty and dominion, in
other words, the session designates Christ's kingly office. While
this emphasis is great indeed, we shouldn't overlook the session
of our High Priest as the completion of His atoning work. In the
old covenant there was no provision for the priests to sit while
performing their duties. Heb. 10:11-12 says: "And every priest
stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same
sacrifice, which can never take away sins, but this Man, after He
had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right
hand of God." The sacrificial work of Christ need never be
repeated, for by it, He has taken away the sins of the world (John
1:29).
As I noted above,
Christ's work is not just sacrificial, but as Mediator of the New
Covenant, He is our great intercessor. Louis Berkhof points out
that this is mistakingly thought of as merely intercessory prayer
on behalf of the saints, but it is much more. Christ as
intercessor "continuously presents His sacrifice to God as the
ground of all necessary blessings for His people, persistently
claims these blessings for them according to their need, answers
all accustations preferred against them by Satan, by the law, and
by conscience, secures forgiveness for everything that is justly
charged against them, and presents to God their worship and
service, rendering it acceptable through His own
righteousness".(4) Christ intercedes to the uttermost! Oh what
peace we often forfeit because of a weak understanding of the work
of our ascended High Priest on our behalf. He has become a surety
of a better covenant, for unlike the Aaronic priesthood, which had
a succession of priests due to death, our High Priest has an
unchangeable and untransferrable priesthood, for He always lives
to make intercession for those who come to God through Him. (Heb
7:22-25)
Christ the
King
The third of
Christ's offices is that of a king. Although the Son of God, the
second person of the Trinity has always shared in the dominion
over all creation, yet Calvin notes that "He truly inaugurated His
kingdom only at His ascension into Heaven."(5) Christ, who humbled
Himself to the point of death, even the humiliating death of the
cross, has been vindicated and exalted to the right hand of the
Father. (Phil 2) This session was the coronation of the God-man,
as His human nature now shares in the glory that Christ had with
the Father before the world was. (John 17:5) He has been given a
name that is above all names, and at His name every knee shall bow
and every tongue confess that He is Lord. (Phil 2) He is Lord of
Lords and King of Kings. (Rev 17:14) His throne is forever and
ever. (Heb 1:5)
As Christ
performs His kingly work, this everlasting throne becomes a mercy
seat to those being saved, but a judgment seat to rebels. In His
mercy the King takes a people for Himself, subdues their hearts by
His effectual grace and makes them willing to bow the knee in
submission and reverence with thankfulness. We are triumphed over
by the reigning King, but so far from a life of groveling at His
feet, we are raised up and ascend with Him and sit with Him in the
heavenlies. (Eph 2) We who were sinners and enemies have become
joint heirs with Christ. Our King rules and defends us and
delivers us from all of our enemies. Not so for those who will not
kiss the Son and submit to His Lordship. Christ's ascension and
session marks the sure doom for His enemies for " He must reign
till He has put all enemies under His feet". (1 Cor 15:25) All
things are in subjection to Him and though we do not see it
manifested in the world, all authority and power is His and His
session is the guarantee of His total dominion. Because of sin,
the first Adam was unable to fulfill the dominion mandate, but the
second Adam will subdue and restore all things by fulfilling the
Great Commission.
Captivity
captive
Jesus promised
that He would build His church and that the gates of Hades would
not prevail against it. (Matt 16:18) Whether the "gates of Hades"
is understood as the power of death or the rulers of Hades, as
those sitting in the gates, the reason they cannot prevail is that
they too are subject to Christ. In His resurrection, Christ
conquered sin, Satan and death. In His ascension, He triumphed
gloriously over them as He led captivity captive. (Eph 4:8) A
triumphal procession as after a military victory seems to be in
view here. John Owen says that Satan and his evil angels were led
openly in the sight of Heaven as the triumph of the seed of the
woman.(6)
Our benefits
As you can see,
the implications of the ascension and session of Christ are far
reaching indeed. In a paper such as this, I can only hope to
entice you to study this glorious doctrine further, for in it is a
treasury of Christ's glory and rich encouragement The second Adam
has undone the curse of the first Adam and has opened the kingdom
of heaven to all believers. He has gone to prepare a place for us.
"Eye has not seen nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart
of man what God has prepared for those who love Him." (1Cor 2:9)
He pours out His Spirit and gives gifts to men to sanctify and
edify us. Here is a beautiful quote from Calvin, speaking of the
benefits imparted to our faith through the ascension. "Thus he
turns the Father's eyes to his own righteousness to avert his gaze
from our sins. He so reconciles the Father's heart to us that by
his intercession he prepares a way and access for us to the
Father's throne. He fills with grace and kindness the throne that
for miserable sinners would otherwise have been filled with
dread".(7) Now here is something worth celebrating!
Notes
1. Alexander
Schmemann "Celebration of Faith, The Church Year" (Crestwood, NY :
St. Vladimir's Seminary Press 1994) pp17
2. Cornelius Van Til "The Defense of the Faith" (Phillipsburg, NJ
: P & R Publishing, 1955) pp17
3. Westminster Confession of Faith, Ch 1, sec 6
4. Louis Berkhof "Manual of Christian Doctrine" (Grand Rapids, MI
: Eerdmans Publishing Co.) pp 205
5. John Calvin "Institutes of the Christian Religion"
(Philadelphia, PA : The Westminster Press 1960) Book 2, pp522
6. John Owen "Works" Vol 1, pp318
7. op. cit. pp525 |