24 Jan 2021
We must begin at the beginning: Jesus is the last “Adam” at the beginning of the Gospel and also on the cross. Whereas the first Adam was exiled from paradise because of his sin, Jesus, as the obedient, last Adam has the authority to reopen paradise for those who believe – even for the thief on the cross next to Him. As the obedient last Adam in the face of temptation, Jesus brings the beginning of new creation, a new age as contrasted with the first age that came with the first Adam (note parallels between Luke 1:35 and Genesis 2:7 and the meaning of the new wine in John 2 signifying a new age).
Jesus’ obedience, is empowered by the Holy Spirit (cf. Luke 4:1-13; Acts 10:36-38), and Jesus’ relationship to the Spirit is unhindered. In Apostle Paul’s exposition, Adam was not able to impart the Spirit (1 Cor. 15:49; cf Gen. 5:1,3), but the last Adam has become life-giving Spirit (1 Cor 15:45). Jesus’ continued obedience to the will of His Father, in the power of the Holy Spirit, preserves His righteous character and safeguards His claim to divine sonship (Luke 23:47) – Jesus is the fully righteous one who has been exalted as Lord and Christ and He possesses full authority to pour out the Spirit (Acts 2:33-36).
Luke describes Jesus as the last Adam by means of His genealogy and wilderness testing, but also through the description of Jesus as Son of God and Son of Man. Luke’s emphasis on Jesus as the last Adam is related to His universalizing message in which Jesus is the Saviour for the whole world (Luke 2:31-32). Christ as the last Adam stands as head of a new humanity (note that some theologians termed Jesus as the second Adam in relations to Him starting a new humanity contrasted to the old). The theological argument for Jesus as the last Adam is given fully by Apostle Paul (Rom. 5:12-21; 1 Cor.15:45-49), but Luke communicates similar concepts through his narrative.
If we see Paul’s understanding of Jesus as the last Adam to be in accord with our understanding of Luke’s view of Jesus as the last Adam, then we can see how the obedience of Jesus as the last Adam can in some sense be done on behalf of those who trust in Him. If the disobedience of Adam had negative consequences for all who are “in him”, so will the obedience of the last Adam, Himself a representative figure, have positive consequences for all those “in Him” (cf. Rom. 5:12-21). That Jesus represents His people is also prominent in the Gospels (besides Luke). Herein lies the essential message of the gospel – Jesus took all our sins upon Him, and for them died upon the cross – He becomes our substitute. The blood of bulls and goats could not atone for man’s sin; the substitute for a human being had to be Himself a man. It was for this reason the Son of God became a man – the Word became flesh (John 1).
The gospels view Jesus as one who has come to accomplish a righteous mission, and this mission includes, but is not limited to, His sacrificial death. Jesus’ entire ministry, and indeed entire life, is viewed as being in accord with Scripture and God’s eschatological salvation. The righteousness that characterised the life and mission of Jesus as the messianic representative was not for Himself but for others. We must not fail to note the relationship between Jesus’ full obedience and the lack of perfect obedience from all who preceded Jesus. Jesus is one who is wholly without sin, one whom John the Baptist hesitated to baptize for the repentance of sins (Matt. 3:14). Jesus Himself calls others to repentance, and He has the authority to forgive sins. He demonstrates a life of full conformity to His Father’s will. Since the sin of Adam, no one had ever fulfilled God’s will in the way that Jesus does in the Gospels. Jesus’ filial obedience is set in contrast to the filial disobedience of Adam and Israel. Indeed, Jesus’ obedience entails a lifelong obedience to suffering on His way to the cross, which is set in contrast to and overcomes the sin of previous generation. The blessedness of life that was held out to Adam is realised by means of the perfect righteousness of Christ, which ironically comes through His death.
The life and death of Jesus are interwoven, so we must think of HIs work as a unified whole. Just as we cannot fully appreciate the significance of Jesus’ death apart from the character of His life, neither can we fully appreciate the life of Jesus apart from His death. Jesus’ lifelong obedience climaxes in His obedience unto death. The salvation accomplished by Jesus must be viewed in the light of the finality of His death and resurrection, even as we await the consummation of His work when He returns. What might have appeared to be the ultimate defeat for Jesus (HIs death on the cross) becomes through the resurrection the greatest victory, with death itself being defeated. Adam’s legacy has cast a long shadow over humanity, yet the curse of Adam’s sin is definitely overcome in the glorious resurrection of the perfectly obedient last Adam. In Jesus, the perfect devotion to God and perfect sacrifice are united; perfection of life and perfection of sacrifice are united in Him. Jesus’ obedience serves as vicarious obedience. As the last Adam and Messiah, Jesus is a public person with corporate significance; as the head of a new humanity, He acts not only for Himself but for those He represents. Jesus’ obedience benefits His people. (Rom. 5:12-21). Jesus’ entire obedience, which is vindicated in His resurrection, is the ground for believers’ justification today. The active and passive obedience of Jesus are not two stages of Jesus’ obedience but are two aspects of the lifelong, integrated obedience of Jesus. Active obedience refers to Jesus’ full realisation of all that God requires of humanity, whereas passive obedience refers to His suffering the penalty due to humanity as a result of sin.
Jesus shows us the unity of obedience and love that the covenantal law of God always required. Jesus’ people, then, must be united to Him by faith, and so receive the blessings of salvation through the work of the last Adam. By following in the righteous steps of the Messiah, we learn how to truly love God and love our neighbour. Jesus is definitely and representatively obedient as the last Adam and Son of God, and His people are obedient in a derivative sense, through faith in Him. Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant, which is sealed in His blood. The full measure of the law has been met, and the penalty of sin has been overcome through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Our faith and hope must therefore be in Jesus Christ, who has proven obedient on our behalf.
The resurrection of Jesus is the first step of HIs exaltation. It is the declaration of victory over sin and death. The ascension of Jesus is Christ’s victory parade (when a king conquered his enemies) – this is the second aspect of HIs exaltation. The ascension was Christ’s visible triumph over His enemies as He returned to heaven – the victor returns with His spoils of battle. As Apostle Paul puts it, ” And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” ( Colossians 2:15). Therefore, we know our enemy is defeated and our sins are forgiven. Because we are in union with Christ and our salvation was secured by Him, there is a sense in which every Christian was in that victory parade. This is the guarantee that we too shall ascend on high and share His glory. We shall live with HIm in glorified bodies. On the basis of His completed work, Jesus now gives His church the Holy Spirit and gifts of office and service (the ‘spoils’ of battle).
Revelation 5:9-14 captures some of the unrestrained joy of that occasion. All the angels, all the elders representing the church, and all of heaven and earth were praising Him. What a day that was! Angels had sung at His descent in humiliation. With how much more joy did they sing when their Captain and Master, whom they had longed to rush forth and defend (Matthew 26:53), returned in glory! The streets of heaven must have been lined with all the souls of those who had gone ahead, along with all the angels of heaven. Every heavenly creature was straining to look at the glorified God-man as He marched right up to the throne of God and received the scroll.
Christ’s reward was His crowning as mediatorial King – He sits at the right hand of the Father -it is a metaphorical expression to show that He has been given supreme authority; God the Father has given to Him the execution of all things. It symbolises that Christ’s glorification has been accomplished and that He has been given the authority to execute the decrees of God (this is the significance of the scroll). It is as the God-man that He is declared to be Jehovah forever and ever. It is the ultimate guarantee that His work is finished. When Christ ascended into heaven, He did not cease being a man. He is still the God-man and always will be. The divine nature is again manifested in all its splendour and glory. The human nature is glorified in sinless perfection, and because of its union with the divine it receives all glory and honour. As the glorified God-man, Christ Jesus is crowned and enters into His mediatorial reign. He exercises HIs offices of prophet, priest and king.
He is ruling over all things for the sake of the church (Eph. 1:20-23). Every event that occurs anywhere in the world, small as well as major – everything is being controlled by Christ for the sake of the church. There is not one little thing in all of life that slips out from under that umbrella of authority. He is actively gathering, preserving and vindicating the elect. If we know this, how is it that we feel that Christ has abandoned us in our time of difficulties and pain? Why do we doubt Him and complain that He does not care? I repeat – there is not one little thing in all of life that slips out from under His umbrella of authority.
When the last elect person has been converted and brought to that degree of sanctification appointed by God, then Christ shall return, and the perfected church will be handed over to the triune God. Then Christ will cease His role of Mediator. We will still love and worship HIm as our Saviour, but His role of mediation will be accomplished with His second coming. God has no loose ends. He completes what He starts. The salvation project begun in eternity will be brought to a perfect conclusion. The culminating event of Christ’s exaltation as the God-man is His second coming.
Paul teaches us that Christ’s second coming will be physical, visible and personal. At a specific moment in history, a great electrifying shout will ring out from heaven. Then, accompanied by His angelic army and the souls of the just men made perfect and heralded by the blast of a trumpet, Christ will appear immediately in such a manner that every inhabitant of the earth will see HIm in a split second.
The second thing Paul teaches is that the dead will be raised and their bodies and souls will be reunited. Their souls will accompany Christ, and at His word the graves will give up their prey. Christ will reunite body and soul.Those who remain alive will be transformed and will meet in the presence of Christ.
Third, Christ will execute judgement. All people will be gathered before Him The righteous will be on Christ’s right and the unrighteous on His left (Matthew 25:33). On the day of judgement no one will be held in suspense awaiting the outcome. In fact, the righteous will sit with the Lord in judgement upon the reprobate.
Finally, when the judgement is finished, the Lord Jesus Christ will hand the mediatorial kingdom over to God the Father. “Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet” (1 Corinthians 15:24,25). Elect angels and redeemed people will live with the triune God forever in the bliss of perfect fellowship.
The second coming would be sudden and unexpected. We are to live with a consciousness that the Lord Jesus is coming. We ought to live with an awareness of our short life span, particularly in comparison to eternity and God’s purposes. We must be prepared for HIs coming for us personally in our death or coming for us corporately at His second coming. This means that we are to live as faithful stewards who will give an accounting for the deeds done in the flesh (Matthew 24:45-25:30). We must be faithful and not negligent or lethargic in the responsibilities He has given to us.
Furthermore, the doctrine of Christ’s second coming gives strength and comfort. God fortifies us as we meditate on the truth of Christ’s final return. For the time being, we suffer and struggle with sin, with our infirmities, and with Satan and all those who follow him. But Christ is coming. He will deliver and vindicate. He will make all things well. Each of us ought to long to be with Christ and see the church vindicated and made perfect. It will be a glorious day when sin is eradicated once for all and we will praise God with unfettered strength and devotion.
Moreover, we are comforted in the midst of our grief for lost loved ones who were Christians. True, death is unnatural. We should not be separated from them. It tears us up. But Paul reminds us that we should not grieve as those who have no hope ( 1 Thess. 4:13). Christ will return, and the dead will be raised. Then there will be the greatest family reunion ever. Thus, Paul concludes his discussion of Christ’s return, “Therefore encourage each other with these words ” (1 Thess. 4:18).