Q. 28. Wherein consists Christ’s exaltation?
A. Christ’s exaltation consists in his rising again from the dead on the third day, in ascending up into heaven, in sitting at the right hand of God the Father, and in coming to judge the world at the last day.
We have spent the last several weeks in our study of the Westminster Shorter Catechism (WSC). We’ve seen that Jesus, as the only Redeemer of God’s elect, is the one who brings them out of the estate of sin and misery and into an estate of salvation. He accomplishes this saving work by executing the offices of a prophet, priest, and king. In order for this redemption to occur, Christ, the Son of God, became man, and experienced a season of humiliation that culminated in His death on the cross and His burial.
But the redemptive work does not end in the grave. WSC moves on to say that not only was Christ’s humiliation necessary but also His exaltation. This exaltation is evidenced in four ways:
*Christ’s resurrection from the dead
*Christ’s ascension back to the Father
*Christ’s session/rule at the right hand of the Father
*Christ’s second coming in judgment on the last day
As with His humiliation, a key Scripture passage for Christ’s exaltation is the Christ hymn found in Philippians 2. There, Paul writes, Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (vv.9-11). Let us note three truths from this passage and from the catechism.
- First, Christ’s exaltation was something he received. He didn’t exalt Himself but was exalted by God the Father. He didn’t bestow a name on Himself but it was given Him by the Father. Christ’s exaltation is in keeping with His earthly life and teaching. For example, Jesus told a parable about a banquet and warned against taking a seat of honor for yourself near the host, because one greater than you might come along and you will be banished to a much lower seat. Instead, you seek the lower position (one might say the position of humiliation) and then, by the grace of the host, you may be exalted to a higher position.
- Second, Christ’s exaltation has past, present, and future ramifications. Unlike His humiliation which consisted (past tense) of events which were all in the past, His exaltation consists (present tense) of some events which are ongoing or future. The resurrection and ascension are past events, His session/rule is present and ongoing, and His return is future. That is, Christ has been exalted, is being exalted, and will be exalted.
- Third, Christ’s exaltation has implications for all people. Which knees will bow? Every knee. Which tongues will confess? Every tongue. At the end of the day, every person who has lived, is living, or will live will be involved in exalting Christ. For Christians, that is happening now as by the grace of God we experience this grand redemption and lovingly and willingly bow the knee and confess the Lordship of Christ. For others, this will happen on the day of judgment. But it should be clear that Christ’s Lordship extends over all.
And so we see that all these aspects (Christ’s becoming man, His execution of the three-fold office of prophet, priest, and king, and both His humiliation and exaltation) come together in Christ being the only Redeemer of Christ’s elect. But while His humiliation and exaltation carry a unique significance and quality, Jesus also made it clear that they set forth a pattern of life for His people that runs contrary to the way of the world. That, for the Christian, the way up is down. That the first shall be last and the last shall be first. That if we want to be great in the kingdom of heaven then we must become a servant of all. Let us examine our hearts and see if we are following in the way of Jesus and let us heed these words of the Apostle Peter: Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you (1 Peter 5:6).
