A few days ago we saw that “Christ is all and in all.” What God planned before the foundation of the world is “that He Himself might have the first place in all things.” Today we want to see how Christ’s redemption accomplishes God’s plan.
God’s plan has one goal with two aspects: (1) to have all things expressing Christ’s glory, so that Christ may have the first place in all things, and (2) to have man conformed to Christ, having His life and His glory.
Colossians 1 tells us these two things: (1) Christ has the first place in all things, and (2) Christ is the Head of the church.
Ephesians 1 also tells us these two things: (1) Christ is heading up all things in the heavens and on earth, and (2) the church becomes His inheritance.
Revelation 4 and 5 also tell us these two things: (1) chapter four speaks of creation, and (2) chapter five speaks of redemption.
God’s creation is for the carrying out of His plan. God’s goal in creating all things and man, is to have all things express Christ and to have man conformed to Christ, having His life and glory. However, Satan rebelled and came in to interrupt, causing all things to become disjointed and causing man to fall. Therefore, God had to use redemption to achieve the goal of His creation. As a result, Christ’s redemption must (1) reconcile all things to God, and (2) redeem fallen mankind and impart His life to them. To solve God’s problems, Christ’s redemption must also (3) deal with the rebellious Satan, and (4) take care of man’s sin.
Christ’s redemption indeed solved these four matters. It accomplished God’s goals: (1) by reconciling all things to God, and (2) by dispensing His life to man. It also solved God’s problems: (3) by dealing with the rebellious Satan, and (4) by taking care of man’s sin. Two are positive and two are negative.
Before the foundation of the world, the Father had a conference with His Son, in which He asked His Son to come as a man to accomplish redemption. Redemption is not a temporary remedy that God made in time, but a plan according to His predestination. Christ did not come to the world to become a man according to Adam’s image; rather, Adam was created according to Christ’s image. Genesis 1:26 is God’s plan, while 1:27 is God’s execution of His plan. Verse 26 says that it is “Us” that plan, while verse 27 says God created according to “His” image. Verse 26 tells of the plan in the conference of the Godhead, while verse 27 tells of the creation of man according to the Son’s image. Within the Godhead, only the Son has an image. Adam was created according to Christ’s image. That is why Adam is a type of Christ (Rom. 5:14). Christ’s coming to the world was not a temporary remedy; it was out of God’s plan. Christ was anointed before the foundation of the world. He is the universal Man. He is not limited by time and space. He is the anointed One from before the foundation of the world. He is also the Christ who fills the universe. Bethlehem and Judea are both universal. Not only was Christ born in Bethlehem and baptized in the Jordan River; the universe was also born and baptized there. The Christ in the Gospels should be considered as the universal Christ.
The first thing in Christ’s redemption is His incarnation. Christ was incarnated to be a man in order to come from the position of the Creator to the position of the creature. He had to take on a created body before He could die for man and for all things. There must first be Bethlehem before there can be Golgotha. There must first be the manger before there can be the cross.
(1) Christ’s redemption reconciled all things to God. All things were created in Christ (Col. 1:16). When God deals with Christ, He deals with all things. All things are dealt with by God in Christ, just as Levi had offered up tithes in Abraham’s loins (Heb. 7:9-10). Christ tasted death on behalf of everything (Heb. 2:9). On the cross He reconciled all things to God (Col. 1:20). The extent of Christ’s redemption covers not only man but all things as well. All things have not sinned; therefore, redemption is not needed for them. The problem between all things and God is that they are not reconciled. Therefore, they need only reconciliation.
(2) Christ’s redemption gives man His life. Christ’s redemption not only reconciles all things to God, but also causes man to have life and to be like Him. Redemption releases His life. When Christ was on the earth, His divine life was restricted and confined to His flesh. When He was in Jerusalem, He could not be in Galilee. Christ’s death enabled this confined life to be released.
“The grain of wheat” in John 12:24 is God’s only begotten Son. The life of this grain of wheat is confined to its shell. If it does not fall into the ground and die, it will forever be one grain. If it dies, and its flesh is broken, the life within will be released, thus producing many grains. All these grains will be identical to that one grain. We can also say that every grain is in that one grain. Christ died to reproduce us. Before His death He was the only begotten Son. After His resurrection He became the Firstborn among many sons. Christ’s resurrection regenerates us so that we can obtain His life.
“Fire” in Luke 12:49 refers to Christ’s life. When Christ was on earth, His life was confined to His outer shell. Through His baptism—His death on the cross—this confined life was released. Christ’s life was released and was cast on the earth. After being cast on the earth, it was kindled. This caused division on the earth. Christ’s death is a great release of His life! As a result of His death, His life was imparted to us.
The above shows Christ’s redemption accomplishing God’s two goals. Let us go on to see how Christ’s redemption solves God’s two problems.
(1) Christ’s redemption has dealt with the rebellious Satan. What overcomes Satan is not the cross but the blood. Satan knew that if his poison were injected into the first couple, this poison would spread to all their descendants. Satan committed spiritual fornication with our forefather and put this sinful poison of lying into his soul. The life of the soul is in the blood. Man’s life is passed on through the blood (Acts 17:26). Consequently, the sinful poison of this first couple has passed on to us through the blood.
Christ’s blood has no poison; it is precious and incorruptible. He bore the sins of many on the cross and died, emptying all of His blood. When He resurrected from the dead, He was without blood. After His resurrection He had bones and flesh, but no blood. “He poured out His soul unto death” (Isa. 53:12). In Christ, our blood has been poured out. Satan has no ground to work in us. Christ’s blood has destroyed and dealt with Satan and all he has.
(2) Christ’s redemption has dealt with man’s sins. Our sins need Christ’s death. The substitutionary death of Christ abolished all the records of our sins before God. The representative death of Christ, the Head, has delivered us from our sins.
Christ’s death accomplishes God’s two goals and solves God’s two problems. This is Christ’s victory. This victory has already been accomplished. God keeps us on the earth to maintain this victory and to preach it to every creature (Col. 1:23). Our baptism and the breaking of bread are to display the victory of Christ’s death to the angels, the devil, the nations, and all things.
The goals of Christ’s redemption are that we be His particular people (Titus 2:14) and living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1), that we would live to Him and die to Him (Rom. 14:7-9), that we would be the temple of the Holy Spirit glorifying God (1 Cor. 6:19-20), that we would live to Him (2 Cor. 5:15), and that whether through life or through death, Christ would be magnified in our body, so that for us to live is Christ (Phil. 1:20-21).
The goal of redemption is to give Christ the first place in all things. In order that Christ may have the first place in all things, He must first have the preeminence in us. We are the firstfruit among all things. First we must be subjected to Christ, then all things can be subjected to Christ. The cross enables God to reach this goal in us. The cross makes us decrease and makes Christ increase. The cross will find room for Christ and will ensure that Christ has the first place. God works through the cross, which in turn works through the environment to dig into us deeply, causing us to know Christ and be filled with Him, so that Christ may have the first place in us. Christ’s redemption has accomplished God’s plan before the foundation of the world. This plan is to give Him the first place in all things. We should forget about our personal interests and care only for the accomplishment of God’s eternal destiny which is to have Christ gain the first place in all things. When we see the Messiah, we will cast away our waterpot! When we see God’s Christ, we will cast away everything!
(Morning, January 27)