I first heard Don Carson speak in 1993 at Cornerstone Church, Nottingham. Don preached a sermon on John’s Gospel that opened up Scripture for me in a new way as he showed the deep connections between the testaments. The next year I heard him at the UK’s Word Alive conference where I attended a set of seminars that Don ran on biblical theology. This was the first time I had heard of biblical theology, and I was gripped by Don’s presentations. I still have the notes from 30 years ago, and the familiar topics of Melchizedek, Psalm 110, and the use of the law are there. Don’s insights are unsurprisingly helpful, e.g., on the topic of which commands of Scripture retain applicability, at one point he states: “There is a sense in which every statement in scripture is both absolute and relative.” He goes on to explain that all of God’s truth is culturally laden because we are culturally laden. However, it was the question time that I found most helpful. Don started each session with 20 minutes of questions that had remained from the previous day. His ability to answer even the most obscure question inspired me to deepen my own understanding of the Scriptures. In his writing and his speaking Don has remained a significant example and influence on my Christian life and work as a lecturer. I give thanks to God for him.

1. Exalted above the Heavens

This article is a summary of my NSBT volume,¹Peter C. Orr, Exalted above the Heavens: The Risen and Ascended Christ, NSBT 47 (London: Apollos, 2018). which considers Jesus in his exalted state. Generally speaking, as Christians we have tended to focus our attention on what Jesus did (his life, death, and resurrection) and what he will do (return and reign). And while there has been something of a revival in the study of Jesus’s ascension,²E.g., Douglas Farrow, Ascension Theology (London: T&T Clark, 2011); Patrick Schreiner, The Ascension of Christ: Recovering a Neglected Doctrine (Bellingham, WA: Lexham, 2020). there is a tendency to consider Christ’s exalted state simply in relation to the events of his ascension or his parousia. Studies which consider Jesus in his exalted state are relatively rare. However, the Christ that Christians trust in, relate to, and love is the Christ who not only lived, died, rose, and will come again but who is presently at God’s right hand. Christian faith, as well as Christian theological reflection, must take into consideration this significant aspect of Christ’s identity.³At this point I need to acknowledge some specific feedback that I received from Don when I sent him the draft. He pointed out that my book was actually more of a systematic theology rather than a biblical theology. He was, of course, correct. He is, of course, a gracious man and allowed the book to be published. In the series preface, he noted the “rather unusual approach to biblical theology” that I took. I am grateful that he allowed this “unusual book” (as he also called it) to be published! This book examines the exalted Christ through the lens of his identity (chs. 2–4), his location (chs. 5–8) and his activity (chs. 9–10).

2. The Identity of the Exalted Christ

The issue of the identity of the exalted Christ concerns the continuity between Jesus as he walked the earth and as he sits at God’s right hand. I imagine that most readers of this journal do not need to be convinced that the NT affirms a basic continuity in identity between the earthly Jesus and the risen and exalted Christ.

However, it is important to note that the resurrection and exaltation of Jesus does not leave his identity entirely unchanged. At the narrative level this can be seen in the fact that there is need for revelation following his resurrection. Even his closest followers could not immediately and naturally recognize him. For Luke, only when their eyes are “opened” (24:31) and Jesus is “made known to them” (24:35) can the disciples grasp who he is. For John, Jesus does not only appear to the disciples but is “manifested” or “revealed” to them (21:14).⁴All Scripture quotations are from the ESV unless otherwise noted. Their way of relating to him has changed following the resurrection. His identity has changed, not in the sense that he is a different individual but that he cannot be apprehended and perceived simply with the naked eye. I argue that Jesus’s identity undergoes development in a number of ways. We see this when we consider his name, his resurrection, and his relationship to the Spirit.

There are a number of texts in which Jesus is said to receive a new name following his resurrection and ascension. In Philippians 2:9, following his exaltation Jesus receives “the name that is above every name.” Here his identity as the divine Lord “expands,” not in the sense of taking on something wholly new but by being more widely and clearly known. In Ephesians 1:21, his exalted name reflects the move he makes from death to being seated at God’s right hand. Hebrews 1:4 speaks of Jesus inheriting a “more excellent name”—that of the Davidic Son. This is the name by which Jesus is identified and recognized following his resurrection from the dead. Finally, in Revelation 3:12 we saw that Jesus’s new name points to his identification with both his exalted status with God and his identification with his people (3:12).

How do we understand verses in the NT where, following his resurrection, Jesus is described as being made “Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36) and “Son of God” (Acts 13:33; Romans 1:4)? In both cases, I attempt to show that Jesus did not become someone entirely new (i.e., as if prior to the resurrection he was not Lord, Christ, or Son). However, nor is the resurrection a mere demonstration of what was true of Christ already. The resurrection actually does change Jesus by bringing him into the full expression of his identity as son, Lord, and Christ. In Luke there is a parallel with Jesus’s identity as Saviour which he had before the cross but which he fulfilled or realized by his death on the cross.⁵This is the argument of Kavin Rowe, “Acts 2.36 and the Continuity of Lukan Christology,” NTS 53 (2007): 37–56. Similarly, for Paul in Romans 8, believers are “sons” of God already, but we will only enter into the fulness of our sonship following the redemption of our bodies (Rom 8:23). Likewise, for Jesus his resurrection brings about the full experience and expression of his identity as Lord, Christ, and Son of God.

Regarding the identity of the exalted Christ in relationship to the Spirit, in Romans 8:9–10 Paul switches between the Spirit dwelling in believers to Christ dwelling in them. This suggests to some that, at least at the level of experience, Christ and the Spirit cannot be distinguished.⁶E.g., James D. G. Dunn, Christology in the Making: A New Testament Inquiry into the Origins of the Doctrine of the Atonement, 2nd ed. (London: SCM, 1989), 146–47. In 1 Corinthians 15:45 Paul describes Christ as a “life-giving” Spirit, suggesting that the risen Christ has become “a” if not “the” Spirit.⁷E.g., Hendrikus Berkhof, The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit (Atlanta: John Knox, 1977), 25. Perhaps even more starkly, in 2 Corinthians 3:17 Paul states that “the Lord is the Spirit,” suggesting, again at the very least at the level of experience, that Christ and the Spirit are indistinguishable. However, what we show is that Christ is not “embodied” in the believer as the Spirit but is present in a personal sense by the presence of the Spirit himself in the believer. The relationship between Christ and Spirit is such that if the Spirit is present to the believer, then Christ is. The depth of the relationship between Christ and the Spirit (inherent in the very phrase, “Spirit of Christ,” with its parallels to “Spirit of God”) means that the “density” of mediation that the Spirit provides is such that if the Spirit is “in” a person, in a real sense Christ is too. However this presence of Christ by the Spirit must be understood in the context of the absence of Christ. These two aspects of the Christian’s experience are held together most clearly in Romans 8, a chapter which helps us to see both the personal dimension of the Spirit’s mediation and the Spirit acting as a “substitute” for the absent Christ. The absence of Christ is too often overlooked when scholars examine the relationship between Christ and the Spirit. By ensuring that we do not neglect the heavenly location of Christ (Rom 8:34), the nature of his “embodiment” by the Spirit comes into clearer focus. It is neither a material embodiment nor an experiential identification without remainder. To have the Spirit is to have Christ because the Spirit is the Spirit of Christ, not because the Spirit is Christ, nor even because the Spirit is experienced as Christ.

3. The Location of the Exalted Christ

Where is Jesus now? The obvious answer is that Jesus is in heaven, as affirmed by a number of NT texts: he is at God’s right hand (e.g., Rom 8:34; Col 3:1; Heb 1:3; 1 Pet 3:22). Luke (24:50–53) and Acts (1:9–11) both describe Jesus’s ascent into heaven. Paul, in fact, describes Christ as having “ascended far above all the heavens” (Eph 4:10). In his sermon in Acts 3, Peter tells the crowd that Jesus is the one “whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring” (3:21). So, the NT is crystal clear, Jesus is in heaven.

However, there are also a number of NT texts which affirm that Jesus, in some sense, remains with us. The fundamental and frequent Pauline description of the believer as being “in Christ” (Rom 12:5; 1 Cor 1:2; 2 Cor 1:21; etc.) does not admittedly have to indicate a sense of location, but the description of Christ as dwelling in the believer (e.g., Gal 2:20; Rom 8:10) locates Christ with the believer. Further, we have Jesus’s solemn promise to his disciples at the end of Matthew’s Gospel: “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (28:20). So, the NT is also crystal clear, Jesus dwells in and with believers.

We can think of this seeming tension in terms of his presence (e.g., Matt 28:20) and his absence (e.g., Acts 3:21). In the book, I argue that this absence is a function of his on-going humanity and possession of a discrete, localizable body. Because he remains localizable, he is bodily absent. As such, his presence is always a mediated presence. Because of his relationship with the Holy Spirit, Christ is present to believers in a real way. But it is never an unqualified presence—that remains for the future. Very simply, we can conceive of his location as: absent in body, present in the Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 5:3; Col 2:5).

In terms of the presence of Christ, I examine one of the most important sections in the NT to deal with Christ’s on-going presence: 2 Corinthians 2–4. Here we see that Christ’s presence is both mediated and epiphanic, i.e., Christ is made present. In this epiphanic mode of his presence Christ does not act as the subject of his presence but is made present through the person of Paul and through the Spirit-carried preaching of his gospel. He is the object rather than subject of his presence. Believers encounter him in a mediated but powerful way. The power of this encounter is revealed in the effects of this presence as believers come to know Christ (2:14), are “known and read” by all (3:2), are transformed from glory to glory (3:18), experience God’s re-creating light (4:6), and have the Spirit-formed life of Jesus work even in their mortal bodies (4:11).

Considering Christ’s epiphanic presence and his absence together helps us conceptualize both more clearly. Though Christ is absent his influence is not removed from the world. His epiphanic presence has powerful epistemological, transformative, and eschatological (death or life) effects in the world. The believer can encounter and experience the risen Lord in the most profoundly transforming way. However, although this mode of Christ’s presence is significant, it does not override his absence.

The different entities involved in the mediation of Christ’s presence point to the complexity involved in this mode of his presence. Paul does not randomly switch between himself, the Spirit, and the gospel. Rather we see that the gospel and the apostle (and by analogy the Corinthian church) provide the external canvas upon which Christ is displayed. As the gospel is heard, Christ’s glory and “face” are seen (3:18; 4:4–6). As the apostle is heard preaching and seen suffering, the aroma of Christ is smelt (2:14–17) and the “life of Jesus” encountered (4:7–12). This latter encounter, though, brings the role of the Spirit into focus. It is the Spirit who provides the “depth” to this mode of Christ’s presence. Believers do not simply encounter Christ as a cinema-goer observes a screen or a reader engages a text. Rather, the Spirit, who shares Christ’s divine status as “Lord,” enables the epiphanic presence of Christ to penetrate to the very depth of the recipient’s being (3:18; 4:10–11; cf. 4:2).

4. The Work of the Exalted Christ

In the final section of the book, I consider the ongoing activity of Christ on earth (ch. 9) and in heaven (ch. 10). His activity on earth is further divided into the progress of the gospel (e.g., Col 1:29), the perseverance of Christians (e.g., Rom 14:14), the discipline of Christians (e.g., 1 Cor 11:32), and his speech (e.g., 2 Cor 13:3). His activity in heaven has two aspects: his acting as God from heaven and his intercession (Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25). The latter in particular is an aspect of his ongoing ministry that is frequently overlooked by Christians but is an aspect of Christ’s ministry that is very significant for our assurance and our final salvation. When we sin, we can remember that Jesus is sitting down, that his work is finished, that he is appearing in heaven on our behalf—that full atonement has been made. When we struggle to persevere and are tempted to give up, we can remember that someone is always praying for us, and not just anyone, but the risen and exalted Lord Jesus. Jesus is the one who is continually interceding that we will be saved to the uttermost (Heb 7:25).

5. Conclusion

This book concludes with some reflection on the pastoral significance of the exalted Christ. I seek to show how Christian hope, Christian life, Christian faith, and Christian theology are all inextricably bound up with the exalted Christ. To highlight one aspect of that conclusion, I reflect on how considering Jesus’s eternal humanity helps undergird our conviction regarding the uniqueness of humanity, in the face of some (e.g., Peter Singer) who argue that humanity is not distinct or unique, a position that frequently undergirds, for example, arguments in favour of abortion or euthanasia, which question the inherent value of human life. Christians tend to turn to the doctrine of creation to understand the place of humanity, focussing on humans as the image of God. While this is right and helpful, it needs to be complemented with the fact of Jesus’s eternal humanity. That the exalted Christ is a glorified human being shows us what humanity is meant to be and what redeemed humanity one day will be. Human beings are unique in God’s eyes, and we know that because the Son of God became a human being and remains a human being forever.

---