InCarnation – encompasses our Lord’s birth, ministry, suffering, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. The C in Incarnation is for Christ and all He accomplished as Immanuel.
New Covenant – in the blood of the Lamb of God — the once-for-all sacrifice, making the old covenant obsolete and leading to its conclusive termination by the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. During this present and final age our ascended Lord reigns from on High (Psalm 110:1-2) and through His Spirit indwelling His people – living stones in the new living temple, His body.
ViCtory – The triumph of the sovereign, enthroned Lord Jesus Christ and His church over all opponents in time and history is inevitable. “For the earth will be filled With the
knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:14)
Consummation – “Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts and end to all rule and all authority and power For He must reign till He has
put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:24-26); and “we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:2)
Sometime around 1,992 years ago the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ ascended with the clouds of heaven up to the Ancient of Days (cf. Daniel 7:13). Having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, He left the glories of heaven and came to this sin-cursed earth, took on flesh and lived a sinless life — obedient to the Father unto death, even death on a cross. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21).
What a miracle of love: God became a man! That part of the blessed work of redemption, as determined since before the foundation of the world by intraTrinitarian Covenant (pactum salutis) was accomplished in the fullness of time, in accordance with divine decree. Christ came forth, to faithfully perform the atonement for the sins of His people, as typified in the Old Testament, by perfect righteousness and substitutionary propitiation; as He proclaimed upon the cross, “it is finished.”
The third day thereafter He rose from the dead, and that calls for a never-ending chorus of hallelujahs. It behooves us to rejoice as we faithfully meditate upon the blessed historical truth of the Holy Spirit inspired Scriptures. Worthy is the Lamb of God Who was slain. All praise and glory to God Who is blessed forever, amen.
With the glorified God-Man reigning at the right hand of Majesty on High, the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, regenerates sinners to new life in Christ Jesus; comforts, counsels and empowers His people, and seals us for the day of redemption. How then should we live? Never forget that we’re now spiritually alive and well, with the Spirit Himself dwelling within us. Therefore, not only are you a part of His body which is a living temple, but also your body itself is a temple! Mindful of being thus set apart as Holy, we pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. We are no longer slaves to sin, but rather bond servants of Jesus Christ. Let us go forth, not on our own strength, but abiding in Him, obeying His commandments. This indeed is a most gracious gift from above. For the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
In light of all this, zeal for God’s glory ought to burn within us, as the Holy Spirit quickens us and fans the flames within our souls! Indeed, man’s chief end is to glorify God, and how better to effectuate that purpose than to bring every thought, word and deed captive to Christ. His kingdom is advancing on earth, and we are the instruments. Inaugurated in the 1st century, the kingdom of heaven has expanded by the millions in Africa and Asia and throughout the world. The Christian foundation of the American experiment may be crumbling, but we must think globally and long term. Besides, we walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7).
So with our reigning Lord Jesus as the Head over all things, and us as the members of His body, the feet should be moving and the hands reaching out, the tongue speaking… we may not see it in our generation; even so, ours is not to sit back, wait, watch or complain about what Jesus is doing or not doing. We are what Jesus is doing!
After declaring “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” … the next word our Head says is “Go”… go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world” (Matthew 28:18-20). Amen.
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