When we investigate the life of Christ we realize that there is progressive phases in His revelation of Himself to humanity. According to the Scriptures and from the New Testament perspective we discover that He is eternal and existed since eternity, we call it the pre-existence of Christ. His Mediatorship actually started before the foundation of the world. At the foundation of the world He acted as Mediator through whom God created the world. We can call this phase the pre-incarnate ministry of Christ, or the pre-historic ministry of Christ.
At the predestined time He was sent to earth, God became flesh and walked among humans. Thus He became the predestined Lamb of God to be sacrificed as an substitute, and it serves as and atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world, for them that believe. He also preached, taught healed the sick and disclosed God to people . We can call this stage His earthly ministry.
After His crucifixion He was raised from the dead and appeared for forty days to more than 500 people. Among them were the trustworthy apostles and women like Mary who witnessed these events first hand. Today we have the Gospels and numerous scriptures in the New Testament that witness these events. But this is not where this true story ends. The most important is His ascension witnessed by His eleven apostles, let us call them trustworthy witnesses. He didn’t just disappear . There was a reason for His ascension, and this is vital for our understanding and real experience of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was taken up to take seat at the right hand of God to fulfill vital functions. With the authority of God, competent to do what he promised. This stage refers to His heavenly ministry.
In this article we are briefly going to look into these vital functions of the Glorious, Exalted Christ our Lord, busy executing His heavenly ministry, and the practical effect of this on the believing Christian. This is a fresh perspective on whom Christ really is with a revolutionary effect on practical Christian living.
Seated with Godly Authority to bestow grace and love.
In Mat 28:18 Jesus made the following statement: “And coming up Jesus talked with them, saying, All authority in heaven and on earth was given to Me.” Seated at the Right hand of God with all the authority in heaven and earth put Him in the position of power and authority to act as He wishes. He has the authority to forgive sins, bestow grace, pardon and love. He is in the position to enter into a reconciled relationship with His followers, seen that by His substitutionary sacrifice He atoned for our sins. He can justify, pardon and adopt us as His children and gather us in a community under His headship. Seated at the right hand of God He is now in the position to fulfill His heavenly ministry. This heavenly ministry is exercised from a different platform, namely the heavens. His heavenly ministry is exercised from a different position and is a continuation of His earthly ministry with better effect, not bound by space or time. From heaven He is at the right hand of God to fulfill among other the following offices.
Seated with God to be High Priest
Old Testament Priests just shadows/types
The Old Testament Levitical priesthood gives us an idea of the functions of priests which was just a foreshadowing of the real High Priest to come, our Lord Jesus Christ. God appointed the way of atonement by the mediation of an appointed priest to offer a sacrificial lamb on behalf of the sinner. The shedding of blood of the victim was done as a substitute for the sinner. The sins will then be forgiven by God and communion with God restored. They had to do this repeatedly. Only the High Priest had the privilege to access the Holy of Holies, a typical representation of the throne room of God’s house. The old Testament priests were also commanded to bless God’s people. The following four basic functions ( atoning sacrifice, mediation, blessing and access to the throne of God on behalf of His people ) will be briefly mentioned in relation to Christ’s heavenly ministry as High Priest. We will see that this Old Testament priesthood was incomplete and only fully realized in Christ.
Christ’s Priesthood Perfect. The perfect atoning sacrifice.
Although we can learn a lot from the Old Testament priesthood, Christ’s High Priestly office do have certain additions and even contrasts to the Old Testament priesthood seen that the appointed Old Testament priests performed these functions as shadows or types of the realities fulfilled in Christ. Christ’s priesthood is described as perfect in contrast to weak men seen that He is sinless, perfect in His love and care for the house of God, He can sympathize with us in perfect compassion seen that He walked the road of incarnation, suffering and death. He can help the tempted because of His own experience of human temptations. He is trustworthy, the Mediator of the New and better covenant, He is eternal and lives forever to intercede for us. And most importantly He is the Son of God, He is God and capable to act and do things completely beyond the power of weak men. It is important to realize His unlimited bargaining power as son of God, the appointed, authorized High Priest of God who completed His God sent mission and fulfilled the will of His Father. How effective will Christ our High Priest be at the right hand of God to make intercession for us on the ground of his sacrificial death? (Rom. 8:34). John made the following statement: “And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation relating to our sins, and not relating to ours only, but also relating to all the world.( 1Jn 2:1-2)
When we relate to Him and believe in Him as our High Priest who offered Himself as an acceptable sacrifice to God due to His perfection and realize that He is seated at the right hand of God as our living, heavenly and Godly High Priest who intercedes constantly for us on our behalf, we have total assurance that our forgiveness and atonement is guaranteed. We can be assured that God is completely propitious to us on the following grounds: 1) That Christ our High Priest was and is a perfect sacrifice in the sight of God on our behalf. 2) That Christ is living and seated at the right hand of God with the full authority and power to intervene and intercede as advocate for us.
Christ the only Mediator.
Christ’s office as Mediator describes the essence of His being the best. Mediation implies estrangement and alienation between parties. The estrangement between God and humans necessitate a Mediator to initiate, promote and maintain good relations between parties and to reconcile. Through His blood and perfect sacrifice He paid the ransom price towards God’s law to initiate good relations. Through His heavenly ministry He is able to maintain good relations and to carry it through. The ultimate goal of atonement is to restore this estranged relation to it’s original state before the fall of humanity in Eden. A close, intimate peaceful relationship.
In the New Testament the designation of Mediator belongs exclusively to Christ. To designate the office of Mediator to any one other than Christ is to deprive Him of His exclusive honour that belongs to him alone. 1Tim. 11:5 states that Christ is the “one Mediator” between God and humans. He is the only begotten son of God elected and anointed one and lamb of God, sent from God to fulfill this mission..
His mediation in creation and our salvation.
Scripture is clear about the pre-incarnate mediation as the pre-existent Son of God in the creation of heaven and earth.(Heb.1:2). We were elected in Him before the foundation of the world and predestined to adoption through Him.(Eph. 1:4 and 5). All Gods dealings with humans are through Jesus Christ the Mediator. Election, redemption, reconciliation, atonement, adoption, regeneration, repentance, sanctification and equipment for service are all part of the extensiveness of His Mediation.
Christ’s continuing mediation in our access to God.
The ascension of Christ and His positioning at the right hand of God guarantee us that His mediation didn’t stop at His finished work on Calvary and is never suspended. He is continuing His mediation in all the aspects of our relationship with God and specifically in our access to the throne of God. Heb 10:19 ” Therefore, brothers, having confidence for the entering of the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus,” He conveys us into the Father’s presence (Jn.14:6; Rom.5:2; Eph.2:18). We are dependent on His continued mediation in every aspect of our salvation. Do we realize the privilege and the consequence of this grace granted to us? If we have access to the throne of God and to stand in His presence, imagine what benefits might flow from that; heavenly treasures of wisdom, solutions to complex problems, access to secrets, creativity, plans for survival in difficult times, spiritual gifts, salvation, comfort, power from on high, grace, pardon and communion with the All Mighty.
Christ seated to bless.
Eph 1:3 “Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies with Christ.” (LTV) The last thing Christ did while He was taken up to heaven at His ascension was to bless his followers. What a precious last impression of their Lord. Luk 24:51 And it happened as He blessed them, He withdrew from them and was carried into Heaven.
Christ seated as Prophet (Word of God)
This section will be continued in future post. For the moment a brief note on this office of Him. He is also the communication of God to humans. We must also know Him as our prophet, The Prophet of God. He spoke to us in the scriptures and also through the Holy spirit and the church.
Christ seated as King and Head of the Church.
This section to be continued in future post. For the moment a brief note on this office of Him. As head of the church I understand that He has got the final say in the church and that everybody in the church is subject to Him. He is actively directing and leading His community of believers. We can also understand the Head of the church in anatomical terms. The head accommodates the brain which coordinate and directs the movement of all the parts of the body. He is indeed the Life giving Spirit of the body. This is of meaning for the next section on the Holy Spirit. He coordinates the gifts.
The reason for the Christs ascension was and is to be seated in place of absolute power and authority to execute His heavenly ministry in ultimate effectiveness as High Priest, King and Prophet (Word Of God) for our benefit.
ASCENSION AND PENTECOST.
As we have seen, the ascension of Christ has everything to do with the exaltation and glorification of Christ. The position of ultimate power and authority invested in Him is to execute His heavenly ministry mainly for our benefit.
Pentecost as we all know has to do with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. But the same golden rule applies here as with His ascension-this also has everything to do with His exaltation and glorification. Again designated with authority and power from heaven, He received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father and through Him as Mediator the Spirit has been poured out on the day of Pentecost. The Lord Jesus Christ is still the center of glorification and exaltation.
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is in essence an extension of His being and an extension of His ministry. It is a pity that some churches and individuals see the Holy Spirit just as a fanatical experience and a thrill that gives them goosebumps. Most people are after the thrill and exalt the gift above the Giver. The Gospel of John is clear on the function of the Holy spirit, He will do the following: Joh 15:26 “And when the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth who proceeds from the Father, that One will witness concerning Me. Joh. 16:14 “That One will glorify Me, for He will receive from Mine and will announce to you. Christ is still the main attraction. The Holy Spirit will Glorify Him and proclaim Him. The Spirit will equip believers with gifts and ministries to proclaim and glorify Christ. The Holy Spirit wasn’t send to thrill but to equip believers to be functional in this world and church to disclose Christ.
The ascension of Christ is the exaltation and glorification of Himself. This honour belongs to Him exclusively.
