Foundations of Faith
THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST (I)
Studies of the Person and work of Christ, including His deity, humanity, sinless perfection, sufferings, atoning death, and resurrection can be found in the Jun94-Oct94 and Dec96-Mar97 issues of GROWING. A further feature of the work of Christ not covered earlier is the ascension of the risen Christ to heaven and His ongoing activities there for us.
For a period of 40 days, the risen Christ “showed Himself alive” to the disciples “by many infallible proofs,” and spent time “speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:2, 3). During this period He was seen several times by His disciples as well as by over “500 brethren at once” (1 Cor. 15:4-7), a powerful testimony to the fact of His resurrection. Christ also encouraged His disciples (John 20:15-17,27-29; 21:4-19), taught them from the Old Testament Scriptures “the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:29,44-46), commissioned them to preach the gospel among all nations (Matt. 28:19, 20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47; John 20:21; Acts 1:8), and asked them to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:5). Finally, with His disciples watching, Christ ascended into heaven.
Were the disciples depressed or grief-stricken at the departure of their beloved Lord? No, we read that they “returned to Jerusalem with great joy and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God” (Luke 24:52, 53), and “in prayer and supplication” (Acts 1:14). They eagerly anticipated what their ascended Lord had in store for them, and they were not disappointed.
Not just the 120 early disciples (Acts 1:15), but believers in Christ ever since have been greatly blessed by the ascension of Christ to heaven.
1. Christ ascended that He might enter “in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Heb. 9:12). This contrasts with Old Testament times when the priests were required every year (on Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement) to bring the blood of a sin offering into the innermost room of the tabernacle, the most holy place. Christ’s ascension signifies that the work of redemption is truly finished and fully accepted by God. This means there is nothing left for us to add by our own efforts and works. Christ has done the whole work necessary for our salvation. All we have to do is reach out, with the empty hands of faith, and receive God’s eternal salvation as a free gift (Eph. 2:8, 9; see Apr97 and May97). Then, and only then, will we be truly able to do good works, for they will be produced by the Holy Spirit and flow out of gratitude and appreciation to our precious Saviour for all that He suffered on the cross for our sakes (2 Cor. 5:14,15; Eph. 2:10; Tit. 2:11-14).
2. Christ ascended that He might send the Holy Spirit to dwell in the hearts of the believers. “The Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:39). “The Father … shall give you another Comforter … the Spirit of truth…. He dwells with you and shall be in you” (John 14:16, 17). Many Christians say that life would be so much better if we could have Christ living with us day in and day out as the 12 disciples did. However, when Christ was on earth He was limited to being in one place at a time. In contrast, the Holy Spirit is with and in every believer in the whole world at all times. The many blessings of the indwelling Spirit have been discussed previously (Nov94-Apr95). (See Assignment 1)
3. Christ ascended that He might give spiritual gifts unto men. “When He ascended up on high, He … gave gifts unto men…. He gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:8-12; see Jan99-Aug99). This relates closely to #2 above, being one of the blessings of the Holy Spirit. It is singled out here because of its specific connection with the ascension of Christ.
4. Christ ascended that He might “be Head over all things to the Church.” The apostle Paul prayed that “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ” would show the believers “the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe.” It is the same power that raised Christ “from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion … and gave Him to be the head over all things to the Church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Eph. 2:15-23). The Church, the body of Christ made up of all true believers in Christ (Jul98), exists today because of the ascension of Christ. It is always well to keep in mind that the Head of the Church is alive and seated with His Father in heaven. This means that every movement of the body of Christ is to be subjected to the direction and leadership of the Head of that body. The body is not left on its own to devise its operating principles; its Head has provided us with an instruction Book. Also, the Head, in anticipation of His death, resurrection, and ascension, has told us, “where two or three are gathered together unto my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20).
5. Christ ascended that He might become our High Priest, Intercessor, and Advocate in order to help us to deal with the trials and temptations of this life. (This will be expanded upon in the next issue.)
6. Christ ascended in order to prepare a place for us so that we might be with Him and enjoy Him forever. “I go to prepare a place for you, and … I will come again and receive unto Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2, 3).
7. Christ ascended that He might be crowned King of kings in preparation for His return to set up His kingdom upon the earth for 1,000 years. “I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He who sat upon him was called Faithful and True … the Word of God…. And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations and … rule them with a rod of iron…. And He has … a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev. 19:11-16). (#6 and #7 will be considered in more detail in later issues this year, should the Lord tarry.)
Running the Race
Assignment 1: Write out a verse in Acts 2 that links Christ’s ascension into heaven with the sending of the Holy Spirit.
Assignment 2001-17: Here are the remaining questions of a review quiz based on the 2001 issues of GROWING. Please refer back to the indicated issue when answering each question.
10. (Oct.) The October issue presents five different theories as to the timing of the creation events in Genesis 1. Select one of these theories and give at least one argument in its favor and at least one argument against it.
11. (Nov.) Give two arguments in opposition to the theory that the universe, life, and man came into existence totally by chance.
12. (Dec.) Give two arguments in opposition to the theory of macroevolution.