Christ in His ascension is also the Christ for His heavenly ministry. Acts 2:36 reveals that in His ascension Christ was made not only the Lord but also the Christ, God’s anointed (Heb. 1:9), to carry out God’s commission. In ascension He was anointed, appointed by God for His ministry in the heavens. When He was on earth, He was anointed and appointed for His earthly ministry. But in His ascension He was made the Christ to carry out God’s commission through His heavenly ministry.
Not until His ascension was Christ officially inaugurated as the Christ. On the day of Pentecost Peter said, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:36). In eternity Christ was already Christ. Furthermore, as God’s sent and anointed One in His humanity, He was Christ from the time He was born (Luke 2:11; Matt. 1:16; John 1:41; Matt. 16:16). Then at His baptism He was anointed by God with His Spirit (Luke 4:18). However, He was not officially inaugurated as the Christ until His ascension. Christ has been not only chosen, appointed, and anointed by God but also inaugurated by God into His office. He has passed through death and resurrection and in ascension is now enthroned in the heavens as the Christ. In ascension He was officially made the Christ of God for His heavenly ministry.
In ascension Christ is also Head over all things to the church. According to Ephesians 1:20-22, God’s surpassingly great power has been “wrought in Christ in raising Him from among the dead, and seating Him at His right hand in the heavenlies, far above all rule and authority and power and lordship, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is coming; and He subjected all things under His feet, and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church.” In ascension God gave Christ to be Head over all things to the church. The headship of Christ over all things is a gift from God to Him. It was through God’s surpassingly great power that Christ received the headship in the universe. It was given to Him as a man in His humanity with His divinity to be Head over all things.
Ephesians 1:22 does not mean that God gave Christ to the church as a gift. This verse means that God gave Christ a gift—the headship over all things. According to this understanding, a great gift was given to Christ by God, and this gift is the headship over all things.
Ephesians 1:22 says that God gave Christ to be Head over all things to the church. The phrase “to the church” implies a transmission from the ascended Christ to the church, His Body. Whatever Christ, the Head, attained and obtained is transmitted to the church. In this transmission the church shares with Christ all His attainments: the resurrection from among the dead, being seated in His transcendency, the subjection of all things under His feet, and the headship over all things.
If Paul had concluded Ephesians 1 by saying that God gave Christ to be Head over all things, Christ’s ascension would not have anything to do with the church. Paul, however, added the important phrase “to the church.” This implies that whatever Christ has attained and obtained is being transmitted to the church, His Body. Because the divine transmission is not once for all, the church should continually receive this transmission. God raised up Christ, seated Him in the heavens, put everything under His feet, and gave Him the great gift of being the Head over all things. Now whatever Christ is in His ascension is being transmitted into the church. This is the continual transmission into the church of the ascended Christ with the full significance of His ascension. We should experience this divine transmission day by day.
In ascension Christ is the God-exalted One, the One who has received the name which is above every name. Philippians 2:9 says, “Wherefore also God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name.” How marvelous Christ is! He humbled Himself to the uttermost, but God exalted Him to the highest peak.
The name referred to in Philippians 2:9 is the name of Jesus, as indicated in the following verse. From the time of Christ’s ascension, there has never been a name on earth above the name of Jesus. God has exalted Jesus to be the Lord of all. Therefore, it is altogether right for us to call “O Lord Jesus.” We need to confess the Lord’s name openly. In the New Testament there is the clear word that we are to call on the Lord’s name (Acts 2:21; Rom. 10:13). By His exaltation the Lord has been given a name which is above every name. There has never been a name in history higher than the name of the Lord Jesus. The highest name in the universe, the greatest name, is the name of Jesus.
In Philippians 2:10 and 11 Paul goes on to say, “That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue should openly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” The name is the expression of the sum total of what the Lord Jesus is in His person and work. The words “in the name” mean in the sphere and element of all the Lord is.
In verse 10 are the three levels of the universe: heaven, earth, and under the earth. Those who are in heaven are angels, those who are on earth are men, and those who are under the earth are the dead. The day is coming when those on every level will bow their knees and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. To openly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord is to call on the Lord (Rom. 10:9-10, 12-13). The Lord Jesus as a man was made the Lord in His ascension by God. Thus, every tongue should confess that He is Lord. This confession is to the glory of God the Father. The Greek word rendered “to” in Philippians 2:11 means resulting in. Our confessing that Jesus is Lord results in the glory of God the Father.