Reason 2: The Throne for Christ

REASON 2
WHY GOD BECAME MAN

The Throne for Christ

 

“For Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him.”
(Colossians 1:16)

The Throne of God

In his book Cur Deus Homo – Why was God a Man, Anselm of Canterbury rejected the popular view held during his time that God became man because man’s sin has made him indebted to the Devil, thus God had to rescue mankind. However, Anselm believed that man is not in debt to the Devil but rather to God–a debt of honor.

Christ’s death is a price paid to God
to appease God’s wrath
so that mankind
can be reconciled to God.

In light of this view, the ransom mentioned by Jesus in the Gospels would be a debt paid only to God the Father. Anselm’s theology is consistent with that explained by Paul. According to Paul’s letter to the Colossians, the second reason God became man is to establish that both Heaven and Earth are His throne. Christ is the reason and purpose for the existence of Heaven and Earth. In Christ, both Heaven and Earth were created by Him and for Him (Colossians 1:16). In addition, Paul also emphasized the ideas of thrones, powers, and authorities, both visible and invisible.

Although Paul addressed political issues on many occasions, in this particular context Paul was not referring to the kingdoms of the Earth, but rather the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. In the book of Ephesians, Paul explains his understanding of the evil powers in the air, in Heaven, and in the world. Satan was an angel of God who rebelled against God, but he still had access to Heaven. As we see in the book of Job, when the angels went before God in Heaven, Satan was with them.

What Was It That Satan Sought?

The Scriptures do not give many details about how Satan promoted the war in Heaven. However, it does reveal significant information about his motives and character, which have been very helpful in understanding his tactics.

Satan wanted
the glory and power of God
for himself.

His prideful desire was to take over the throne of God. Apparently, instead of exalting himself, he was thrown out of Heaven and cast down to Earth. Did Satan not know that God is sovereign over Heaven and Earth, and that God is more powerful than anyone? We can safely assume that Satan knows that he cannot defeat God, but he fights God anyway, because sin, as Cornelius Van Til puts it, is irrational.

Satan has two tactics: first, Satan covers his weakness by pretending, and second, he destroys all of God’s plans by putting power-hungry people in place. Thus, the world will always have a never-ending cycle of political corruption.

The war between God and Satan
will always affect
the politics of this world
because this war is about power.

Satan and his demons are wreaking havoc in the world. They are behind all cosmic warfare in every war between good and evil. Whenever there is an opportunity for someone to gain power, others try to grab it, because with power comes security, wealth, and a life of luxury. Satan seeks to destroy the world by encouraging people to become power-hungry, lustful, and domineering.

One of the mysteries of the Christian life is the question: “Why did God not destroy Satan then and there?” Satan had become, as it were, the god of this age, having come to rule this world. He was cast out of Heaven and took a third of the angels with him so that he could have his kingdom. As it is written in Revelation 12, he was cast down to the Earth and is still trying to take over God. Satan wants to be sovereign over man. He caused the fall of Adam and Eve and exalted himself to be sovereign over fallen mankind.

God’s Perfect Plan

Immediately after the Fall, God pronounces His curse on Satan. Satan is under God’s judgment. When God promised that the head of the serpent would be crushed by the seed of the woman, He was announcing a cosmic war in which the final defeat of Satan and the renewal of the entire universe would take place. He foreshadowed what was to come and then revealed the fullness of His message in the New Testament. God did not simply destroy Satan, even though He has the right and power to do so. The Son of God had to become man because it was the seed of the woman who would crush the head of the serpent. God has allowed Satan to rampage through humanity for centuries.

The world will never be perfect
until the true King ascends
to His throne.

Nothing can thwart God’s plans and timing for Satan’s destruction. In Genesis 3:15, God announced the future coming of a seed that would crush the head of the serpent. God did not say when or how it would happen. God’s plan of salvation was disclosed in small bits and pieces over a long period of time through several Old Testament passages that unraveled the mystery.

Before the beginning of time, the eternal Son of God was on His throne, receiving honor, praise, worship, and glory from all the heavenly beings forever. He was chosen to be the one who could fulfill the promise.

God’s plan of salvation
for sinful mankind
was determined and decreed
before the creation of man.

Trusting in God’s Perfect Plan

God created Adam and called him “the image of God.” This means that mankind bears the image and likeness of God. God appointed mankind to represent Him and His kingdom. However, in ancient Babylon, “image of God” was a title given only to kings. The king bore the image of the most dominant deity, which gave the king the authority to rule over the people and make them serve him. In contrast to the myths of ancient Babylon, the book of Genesis is set squarely against the dominant rival culture. Israel’s concept of humanity is a drastic reversal of what may have been the dominant worldview in the ancient world for centuries.

God the Creator crowned both male and female as kings and established them as His visible image – an authority to exercise dominion over His creation. Our authority derives from the title given to us as God’s image bearers.

A direct result of man
bearing God’s image
is that man is to rule the earth
in accordance with
God’s standards and purposes.

All human beings are called to represent God’s kingship through the entire scope of their lives on Earth. Since the throne represents the rule of a kingdom, man should take God’s goodness and loving kindness to share in our community on His behalf.

 A community of God’s people
living out the will of God
is the prototype
of the kingdom of God.

This means that Christians should care about good governments so that we might live together in an orderly manner and in a cooperative fashion. For this reason, God establishes the authority to use coercive force (Rome 13:4). This is the purpose of the creation of man. Thus, human equality is not merely the result of modernism.

Meanwhile, as we celebrate God’s kingdom as both a “now” and a “not yet,” Jesus warns us to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. A realistic approach to life is also encouraged as we seek to promote human flourishing and the common good. A prominent theologian, Miroslav Volf, advocates that Christians who engage in electoral politics and seek to mend the world through legislative processes should act prudently, with concrete, ethical commitments and in prayerful reliance on God, who generously gives wisdom to those who ask.

It is important to notice that the Kingdom of God revealed in the Bible does not begin  with the coronation of a mighty king, but with the birth of a crying baby. Jesus was born at a time when it had already been established that Caesar Augustus was called the ‘son of god’ – the great savior of the whole world. He was the first Roman emperor to use that title. Caesar Augustus thought he was “the son of god” on Earth, when in fact the baby who was born in a manger during his reign is the Son of God. It is magnificent to see how God has orchestrated His coming at a particular time in history.

The Kingdom of God
drew near to us
when God Himself
came to Earth as a man.

The Crushing of Satan at the Cross

Although the Son of God fully shares in the nature of God Almighty, He did not count equality with God as something to be grasped. He made Himself nothing, relinquishing all His privileges. And being found in the form of a man, He willingly emptied Himself, not only assuming a human nature, but also submitting to a most shameful death in the eyes of God and man – death on a cross.

Through the work of Jesus Christ
on the cross,
evil principalities and their powers
have been defeated and shamed.

The heel of the seed of the woman was bruised, but the head of the seed of the serpent was crushed. Jesus disarmed Satan and triumphed over all the powers of evil in His sacrificial death on the Cross. The cross crushed Satan’s head forever.

Throughout His ministry, Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God and invited people to enter into it. Through His works, Jesus demonstrated the power of the kingdom and His authority over the kingdom of darkness. Then He departed from the Earth and the Spirit was poured out on all His disciples. God has planned everything from the beginning of time to its end. Satan’s rebellion failed both in Heaven and on Earth.

Jesus Christ is King of Heaven and Earth

The throne of glory was reserved for the throne of God. Christ selflessly chose to humble Himself, and as a result, His Father gladly exalted Him. He was exalted to the highest position of honor and authority in Heaven and on Earth because He descended to the lowest depths. There is nothing more important than knowing who Jesus is and what He has done. Jesus is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, through whom all things were created and are now sustained. He is one Person with two natures: fully God and fully man, co-equal and co-eternal with His heavenly Father.

Jesus is the Most High God Himself
who has accomplished all
that God the Father sent Him to do,
which is to save His people
and establish God’s kingdom
on Earth as it is in Heaven.

As the God-man, Christ is now seated at the right hand of God. He reigns over all authority, power and dominion. He is actively working for the final defeat of sin and our complete deliverance. And when all is said and done, Jesus will soon return and take His rightful place as King of kings and Lord of lords over the kingdom of the Earth.

God’s throne on Earth today
is in the repentant human heart,
led by the Holy Spirit guides
into all the truths of Scripture.

He has made His followers kings for His work in administering the government of the Kingdom of God on Earth. As an eschatological community, the church is called to be the light that illuminates God’s love for the world, demonstrating God’s unconditional love and the sacrificial care that each member should offer to others.