The Lordship of Christ over His Church⤒🔗

There is an intensely intimate bond between Christ and his body. The future of Christ has consequences for the future of his church. Believing that should be seen as one of the great riches we have in the church. Christ is our Lord. And his lordship is full of glory! The perspective on the future of the church rests on Christology. In other words, our future is in Christ’s hands.

In this context we should take note of some biblical realities. Christ’s lordship cannot exist apart from his work as our Mediator. Christ is Lord and King because his Father gave him the threefold office of King, Priest, and Prophet. As we reflect on Christ’s future we need to realize the foundation of it in the atonement achieved on Golgotha. Christ who is our Head is the same one who was crucified, died and was buried, descended into hell, and on the third day arose from the dead. This forms in the deepest possible sense the basis of his royal glory.

Christ’s kingship is not a static fact. It is embroiled in a life-and-death struggle with the force of darkness that in principle was disarmed on Golgotha (see Col. 2:14-15) and subjected to God’s ultimate eternal reign. God’s kingdom is filled with Christ’s salvation.

If we would say this in as compact a way as possible, we can emphasize that the essence of the kingdom is present in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the kingdom in person.

All of this implies that Christ’s church is already living in the reality of that kingdom, but not yet without sufferings and temptations. Fundamentally, Satan is disarmed, yet at the same time the church needs to be alert to Satan’s designs (2 Cor. 2:11).

With amazing clarity we see this perspective of the struggle when Paul describes in Ephesians 6 the spiritual suit of armour of the believer. Each piece of armour represents an aspect of the work fulfilled for us in our Lord Jesus. Man has no share in even the smallest bits of victory. He simply needs to remain standing in faith, and to pray in the Spirit.

This means that the church can never boast about its own achievements. She may walk in faith in the knowledge — possibly in the midst of temptations and persecutions — that our Lord and King, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered.

Guarantees for the Future←⤒🔗

How can the church be sure about the future promised her? From what has been said thus far it shows that this certainty is a certainty of faith. In that certainty lies a combination of two things:

The victory over all enemies of God has been achieved. There can be no doubt about that. The victory song is already being sung, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and strength and wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing!” (Rev. 5:12). The Bible is full of such songs of praise to our God!

The church walks by faith, not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). Walking in faith does not mean living in uncertainty but in a knowledge that is divine and guaranteed sure. Has the Holy Spirit of God not been given us as a seal for the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30)? The other expression of this guarantee, this reality of the Holy Spirit — that is the reality of faith — comes to us when Paul speaks of us having received from the Spirit the first fruits, that is, the first gifts, even as “we groan inwardly, waiting eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Rom. 8:23).

It is the Spirit who convinces us that such a perfect harmony exists in the work of the triune God. It is all on account of the eternal love of the Father; it is all on account of Christ and nothing without him; it is all part of the living in faith and hope by the congregation, which is a holy temple of the Holy Spirit, and which is “being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Eph. 2:22).

The Fulfillment of Christ’s Work←⤒🔗

There has been much dispute about the question whether Christ’s atoning work would come to an end, so that he would no longer be the Saviour, or no longer be distinguished from the Father.

The outcome of that thought would be that ultimately, Christ would no longer be Head and King over the Church, because his kingship fulfilled a temporary role in the all-encompassing kingdom of God. The Dutch theologian A.A. van Ruler believed that Christ will lay down his human nature at the consummation of all things. The incarnation of the Son of God will come to an end, and he will return to the essence of the triune God. Van Ruler calls this the “messianic intermezzo.”

Among the Reformed theologians the conviction of most is that Christ will preserve his human nature. It is very much a matter of the meaning of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 15:27-28. We can read there that when Christ has put all his enemies under his feet, yes, everything has been put in subjection, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

Calvin already gave his view on this matter when he said that Christ, when he fulfilled his work as Mediator, would no longer be the sent one of the Father. He will then accept the glory he had with the Father from before the creation of the world. He will hand over his kingship to the Father. Then the divine glory of Christ shall be seen even more, as it is currently hidden as under a veil.

There were discussions about this already in the early church. That was in the time when the church struggled to describe in a faithful manner the doctrine of the Trinity and of the eternal kingship of Christ. The Council of Constantinople concerned itself with this in 381 AD. In its decision the council referred to Luke 1:33 where this promise is about Christ: “He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Strive over Theories?←⤒🔗

These discussions about the future of Christ’s kingship appear as a quarrelling about theories, which is what it has been at times. And yet it is important for the church to know whether or not the bond between our Head, Christ, and his body, the church, will last eternally!

Note the importance of the word “until” in 1 Corinthians 15:25, “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.” Does that mean that at the moment of his victory his kingship will have come to an end? We need to take into account that “until” points us primarily to a goal, to a future perspective, rather than that it serves as a limitation! The word “until” has an identical function to Christ’s words in Matthew 28:20: “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” We do not know what exactly is coming at the fulfillment of times, yet no one needs to doubt whether that future will be any less than this present, but instead it will be much more beautiful and rich.

In that light we also see the future of Christ and the future of the church.

When Christ as Mediator subjects himself to his Father, the inseparable bond between him and his church will remain. Doesn’t that represent the crowning of his work as Saviour, or the answer to his prayer in John 17:24, “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world”? Then, in the relationship between the Father and the Son, is the harmony complete. That means victory because of the work that has been accomplished, and because of the people who have been brought home. Everything then comes into its place. Christ is then King without a task yet to be accomplished, but his glory as King remains. Everything is finished. And honour and glory remain forever, for the Father and for the Lamb.

1 Corinthians 15:28 ends with “that God may be all in all.” These words indicate perfection. The end that is approaching does not mean that something no longer will exist. As Mediator of his people, as the one who bought their freedom through his blood, Christ has eternal significance. Joy in him will be impossible to stop. It is in him, it is through him. Not in bypassing Christ, but in Christ will be the eternal riches of the church that God is all in all.

In that sense, there will be no end, that Christ will be King and Lord over his own people.