The Saving Work of Christ: an Overview

The Saving Work of Christ

When we consider the saving work of Jesus it is easy enough to say that “my faith saves me.” Likewise, when we focus on that all-important work of God, we also tend to emphasize the result: redemption, salvation, or sanctification. The purpose of this piece is to look at how Jesus accomplished all of these things. My hope is to present, with some clarity, the beauty of the actions of God. The saving work of Jesus is timeless and eternal, but he also accomplished it in time and in history. To that effect, I will be looking at his incarnation, passion, resurrection, ascension, and the Pentecost.

The Incarnation

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14)

The saving work of God began when man sinned against God. He promised that the seed of woman might strike the head of that ancient enemy (cf., Gen 3:15). This promise was fulfilled through the Blessed Virgin who, greater than the patriarchs and prophets, submitted herself in obedience to the divine will. When Mary uttered her fiat, the angel departed. The messenger of God’s word was no longer necessary for, at that moment, the Word had already been conceived by the Holy Spirit (cf., Lk 1:30-38).

The Word came down from heaven, assuming human nature and human flesh in its fullness. For, “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God, a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Phil 2:6-7).

This was the first step. The divine was joined to the human. In doing so, God blessed humanity, for his dwelling place was not only in spirit, but in spirit and truth, both invisible and visible.


The Passion

The mission of Jesus was clear: “the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mk 1:15). Jesus had come to inaugurate the Kingdom. Yet it would not be accomplished with conquest, as the Promised Land had once been. Rather, it would be accomplished by God himself being conquered. The humiliation of the people of God throughout the ages would culminate in the humiliation of God Himself, through the scandal of the cross.

Yet, “the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to those of us who are being saved it is the power of God. … The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Cor 1:18, 25).

Sacrifice had been instituted in humanity, and especially in the people of God, for the sake of atonement, worship, thanksgiving, and many other things. The blood of the lamb which had saved the Hebrews in Egypt was now the blood of the Lamb that would permanently shelter those who remain in Him from death. The Lord Jesus, who was fully human and divine, offered his pure humanity on behalf of humanity itself. We were “ransomed from the futile ways [we] inherited … with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. … You have been born anew, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Pet 1:18, 19, 23).

In tasting death, “he bore our sins in his body on the tree” (2:24). He “died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but being made alive in the spirit” (3:18).

He bore corruption, injustice, dejection, humiliation, and both sin and death itself. He bore the condemnation of the human race in his own person.


The Resurrection

While he bore the condemnation of the human race, David had once said, “my heart is glad and my soul rejoices; my body also dwells secure. For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your godly one see the Pit. You show me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy, in your right hand are pleasures forever more” (Ps 16:8-11).

Of this, Peter says that David, “being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne, he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption” (Acts 2:30-31).

Death may have been able to enslave humanity, but death could not conquer God. Life is greater than death. God “created all things that they might exist, and the creatures of the world are wholesome, and there is no destructive poison in them; the dominion of Hades is not on earth. For righteousness is immortal” (Wis 1:14-15).

While man had lost righteousness through sin, righteousness had been restored in faith and through Jesus.

The Resurrection not only raised the godly-man, Jesus, but he restored man to union with God. This only takes place, however, if we are in union with Him who restored us.


The Ascension

The Resurrection was not enough for the plan of God. It was already a great mercy that God restored us to grace. The Ascension is a mystery of equal power and majesty.

In order to truly make us children of God we would need the capacity to be godly, not in facsimiles, in in the fullness of truth. This is why the Son ascended, so that He might “put all things in subjection under his feet” (1 Cor 15:25). He ascended to the highest heavens with “angels, authorities, and powers subject to him” (1 Pet 3:22). By ascending he went into the true sanctuary of God to appear in the presence of God in our behalf. He presented himself to God, the priest, the altar, the sacrifice.
The act of forgiving sins, of offering for sins, and the act of interceding on behalf of the sins of others is perfected in Christ.

There is a second mystery, however, housed in this act. Christ stands as High Priest and intercedes for us. He ascended bearing the wounds of his passion, while also glorified. He showed that his body and his humanity were preserved from destruction. In ascending to the Father he likewise brought our humanity to the highest heavens as well, higher than the angels and principalities who serve God endlessly.

Imagine, if you can, that the very life of the Triune God, now has the humanity that he saved, within it. Indeed, “his divine power has granted us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he was granted to us his own precious and very great promises, that through these you might escape corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature” (2 Pet 1:3-4).


The Pentecost

Such is the glorious mystery of his ascension, and this alone would have been abundantly gracious. Despite all these things, the disciples of Jesus remained in one place.

The disciples had heard of the Holy Spirit, Advocate and Counselor, but feared that when Jesus left them, they would be left behind.

Jesus spoke plainly, “If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I” (Jn 14:28). No one who is apart from Christ can bear the fruit of the Spirit.

In former times, the Spirit came upon prophets and believers through a special grace. The Pentecost fulfilled that great line of Moses, “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!” (Num 11:29). The one whose gift is prophecy is, as Paul says, one who speaks that the Church may be edified (cf., 1 Cor 14:1-5).

The Pentecost was a sort of holy exchange. God had brought our human nature into himself, allowing us the possibility of being his sons and daughters. In doing so, the Spirit of truth, justice, consolation, and peace could find a suitable dwelling place among those who believe.

This is the act of sanctification and deification.


Closing

This is the work of Jesus, in brief, and the great mystery he accomplished. The Triune God has done these things in time and in history so that humanity might experience and know the full power of God. He showed us the “immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:7). We were made to be one in Christ, one Body and one Spirit. We are through these actions, through faith and the Spirit, to reach “mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; … we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Eph 4:13, 15).

Let us give thanks to Him who has shown us the way, given us truth, and is our life.

Glory be to the Father who calls us, the Son who perfects us, and Spirit who leads us to life. Blessed be the name of the Lord, now and forever.