Reign of Grace Media Ministries

CHRIST OUR MEDIATOR

LESSON 12 -- THE FINAL ACT OF CHRIST OUR MEDIATOR

1 CORINTHIANS 15:21-28

When we studied Christ's mediatorial office as king, we listed His duties as king. They were as follows:

A. To bring all of God's elect, all who He redeemed, into the kingdom (John 17:2; 6:37-40; 10:16). As our King He sovereignly brings us under the sound of the Gospel and sends the Holy Spirit to give us life and bring us to faith and repentance (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7). He brings us out of the kingdom of darkness and brings us into (Col. 1:12-14). He brought the thief on the cross into His kingdom (Luke 23:42-43). His lordship, His kingly office, is directly related to His bringing all of God's elect into the kingdom. If He should lose even one, it would destroy His mediatorial lordship. This is why those who believe and promote a universal atonement in which the some or most of those whom Christ redeemed will perish because they have not met certain conditions cannot receive Him as Savior or bow to Him as Lord. Their trust is in a counterfeit christ.

B. To rule over them on earth -- externally by His Word and internally by His Spirit, working in us as justified sinners so that we grow in grace and knowledge, have our hearts continually established with the absolute certainties of His grace, and continually be conformed to Him. He uses His appointed means, such as the ordinances, the continual preaching of the Gospel and study of His Word, prayer and fellowship, and causes us to use these means to accomplish His sovereign purposes in these areas.

C. To protect and preserve them and bring them to final glory (2 Tim. 4:14-18; Jude 1:24-25), by the use of the same means. It is not possible for any sinner whom Christ redeemed to perish. It is His duty as their Redeemer and their King to protect them and preserve them from all that would attempt to separate them from God (Rom. 8:31-39).

D. To return for His church and glorify them with Himself (1 Tim. 6:14-16; 1 Thes. 4:16-18). The second coming of Christ is not only His return to judge the world and execute God's justice against all who rejected Him. It is also His return to gather all His people together and glorify them together with Him. As we who believe expect our Lord's return, we ought to be diligent and faithful in the things of God knowing that God's longsuffering will work to the salvation of His church (2 Peter 3:11-18).

E. To conquer His enemies (Phil. 2:5-9; Rev. 17:14; 19:16). Christ will come again to execute God's justice against the wicked -- all who owe a debt to His law and justice because they do not have a righteousness that answers its demands. This should be an encouragement for all who hear the Gospel to believe and repent.

With these things in mind, we will conclude this study by considering the final act of Christ as Mediator to bring the mediatorial kingdom to its completion.

I. THE ULTIMATE PURPOSE OF CHRIST'S MEDIATORIAL WORK.

1 Corinthians 15:21 For since by man <came> death, by man <came> also the resurrection of the dead. {22} For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

The doctrines of representation and imputation are so essential for a proper understanding of this. Since death came through a man, namely, Adam, also the resurrection of dead believers came through a man, namely, Jesus Christ. Through sin Adam, the representative of the whole human race, doomed all men unto death (Rom. 5:12,17a,18a,19a). Through righteousness Christ, the Representative of the whole election of grace, insured the resurrection of all believers (Rom. 5:15,17b,18b,19b). Sin demands condemnation and death. Righteousness demands justification and eternal life (Rom. 5:21). Adam's guilt is imputed to all whom he represented unto their personal condemnation and death. Christ's righteousness is imputed to all whom He represented unto their personal justification and eternal life. They shall be made alive. God the Father will save them and raise them from the dead based on the righteousness of Christ.

The phrase "in Adam" limits it to all whom Adam represented, to whom his guilt is imputed. This is evidenced mainly in two ways -- (1) making judgments (especially in the area of saved and lost) based on Satan's lie, and (2) speaking peace where there is no peace. This is unbelief of the truth of the Gospel, refusal to repent of dead works and idolatry, and walking after and minding the things of the flesh, bringing forth fruit unto death. The phrase "in Christ" limits this to all whom Christ represented, to whom His righteousness is imputed. This is evidenced mainly in two ways -- (1) making judgments (especially in the area of saved and lost) based on God's truth, and (2) speaking peace only where there is peace based on God's truth. This is faith in Christ and true repentance evidenced by walking after and minding the things of the Spirit, bringing forth fruit unto God. So, although there is universal guilt because all men by nature, even God's elect before conversion, are in Adam, it leaves no room for the God-dishonoring, Christ-denying error of universal redemption or reconciliation. All men by nature are guilty, defiled, condemned sinners. All men by nature refuse to believe God's Gospel and repent. But all men are not in Christ. All do not have justification and life. All do not believe the Gospel and repent. The ultimate purpose of Christ's mediatorial work was to procure and give eternal life to all whom He represented, all for whom He lived, obeyed, died, and rose again. His righteousness demands the fulfillment of this goal (Rom. 4:23-25). Universal notions of the atonement destroy this great truth and reduce salvation ultimately to the sinner's response rather than attributing it wholly to Christ's Person and work.

II. THE FINAL RESULTS OF CHRIST'S MEDIATORIAL WORK.

A. The Kingdom Delivered unto the Father.

1 Corinthians 15:23 -- But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. {24} Then <cometh> the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

Paul is speaking of a new resurrection in this context. This is the bodily resurrection of all who die physically in Christ. The order of successions and arrangement in which these events which will take place are: first, Christ is raised as the firstfruits, and secondly, those who belong to Christ, who are in Him by the imputation of His righteousness and by faith in Him, will be raised. This resurrection will take place at His second coming, the rapture, as recorded in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

The end here refers to the final act, the consummation and end of Christ's mediatorial kingdom reign. This is the accomplishment, completion, and perfection of all things. It is the end of the world as it now is; the end of all evil power, authority, and activity. It is the end of all earthly rule, authority and divisions, such as nations, families, and races. It is the end of all ecclesiastical rule, authority, and power. There will be no more prophets, apostles, bishops, pastors, elders, and teachers. But the mediatorial kingdom of Christ is the main issue here. The grand design of God the Father in creation, providence, and salvation is to have a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness, populated by a holy people perfectly conformed to the likeness of His Son.

In order to understand the language here we must go back to the very beginning. God the Father, in the eternal council and covenant, gave all authority and responsibility to accomplish the salvation of the elect to God the Son. It was God the Son incarnate who accomplished all things to be delivered unto the Father in the end. Prior to delivering up the kingdom to God the Father, Jesus Christ will have subdued, or put down, all rule, authority, and power. This does not mean that Christ will cease to reign. He will always reign as our Mediator, but it simply means that His work of saving God's elect and bringing them to final glory will be accomplished. It will all be finished according to the Father's will and purpose. Christ will then present all things unto the Father for His glory and honor (John 6:38-39; 17:4).

B. Physical death will be conquered.

1 Corinthians 15:25 -- For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. {26} The last enemy <that> shall be destroyed <is> death.

It is necessary and imperative that Christ reign and rule over all things until every contrary creature, word, thought, and imagination be conquered (Phil 2:8-10). The last enemy to be conquered is death. The sting of death has already been conquered and destroyed for all who are in Christ Jesus (1 Cor. 15:55-57). Christ satisfied law and justice and totally removed the curse which is eternal death. But in 1 Cor. 15:26 the apostle speaks of physical death. Even believers, who are not spiritually dead nor will they experience eternal death, are yet subject to physical death. But even physical death will be conquered when we are raised and united to our glorified bodies never to die again. This has to be in the case of every sinner for whom Christ lived, obeyed, died, and rose again. He arose from the dead based on the righteousness He established. His righteousness demanded His own justification and life. It also demands the justification and life of all His people. Righteousness demands life according to God's strict law and inflexible justice. Now, Christ is the firstfruits, and if the firstfruits is alive and successful, then the whole crop (all whom Christ represented in His obedience and death) must be made alive and be successful. It cannot be otherwise.

C. The essential kingdom of God will be revealed.

1 Corinthians 15:27 -- For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under <him>, <it is> manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. {28} And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

Paul quotes from Psalm 8:4-6, and according to Hebrews 2:6-9, this is Christ. God the Father has arranged and placed in official subordination all things under Christ as the Mediator of the covenant of grace. But the Son was placed in official subordination to the Father. This describes, not an inequality of Persons in the Godhead, but an official subordination of the Son to the Father for the purposes of redemption. We may properly say that the Father is glorified in the redemption of sinners as Christ, the Savior and Redeemer, is exalted and given the preeminence. The fact that Christ reigns and rules and is given the preeminence does not mean that the Father is subjected to Him. God the Father, who arranged all things under the authority of the Son, occupies a position over His Son. So, as all things are in official subordination to the Son, and as the Son is in official subordination to Father, this makes all things subordinate to the Triune Godhead. When all is accomplished, God's design in redemption is complete and all evil is cast out, then nothing shall appear but the essential kingdom of God, the power by which God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (three Persons but one God) shall reign.

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