So that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. (Eph. 3.10)

Growing up in Fundamentalism I was always instructed to view the Incarnation as merely (and it seemed imply exclusively) a necessity for Christ to redeem fallen humanity. The Incarnation was for much more than that narrow scope according to the bible however. While human redemption is a vital component, especially from our view, it pales when considering all God reveals in scripture.

According to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. (Eph. 1.9b-10)

Christians believe God created all things by Christ: yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. (1Cor. 8.6). Furthermore, all entities, good and evil, exist solely by Christ and for him: For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together (Col. 1.16-17).

God is Spirit

By virtue of creation and its continued maintenance , Jesus is the only legitimate Lord. He is the eternal King of the ages. However, by design, creation is fallen which opens up the need for restoration and expansion. Jesus’ famous words to the Samaritan woman indicate the spiritual reality: God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4.24). This speaks to the need of revelation and agency of the Spirit. Jesus was already king but not priest or sacrifice. The Incarnation provides Christ with control of the material universe, fallen as such to preserve it and not demolish it. How God extends control of matter is through redemptive love of His chosen creatures. John, viewing the vision on Patmos saw The Lamb as slain, therefore, Christ exhibits in His resurrected human body the wounds that redeemed us. The theme of eternity is love.

God is Not Only Good

So far this post has been a nice story with a happy ending. The bible has much more to say than a nice ending however. Some want to portray God as a cosmic Santa Claus giving out goodies. God is good, but he is more than just “good” He can also be severe as seen in the eternal judgments on the fallen angels and humans. Fallen angels have left their position (Jude 6) and therefore just as the disciples knew to replace Judas with another in Acts 1. 20-26, so it seems that the redeemed will fill their positions since: for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection (Lk. 20.36).