The Role of the Son Within Redemptive History: The Work of Redemption

The role of Jesus during his incarnational ministry is seen perfectly in his life, death, and resurrection, but with a careful reading of Scripture there are many implications that can be made of how this work fits into the bigger picture of what God is doing throughout history.  With a proper understanding that the Jesus of the Bible already is Creator of the entire cosmos, what is his role within the stage of redemption?  There are five statements to be made concerning the Son’s role within the Trinity during the salvation-historical stage of redemption.

1) Jesus, the Son, is the Word incarnate sent by the Father who pursues and accomplishes his mission in obedience to the one who sent him.  In John 1:14 we see that Jesus is the Word incarnate, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father.”  Beale says this concerning Jesus as the logos,

The term “the Word” conveys the notion of divine self-expression or speech (cf. ps. 19:1-4).  The Genesis creation account provides ample testimony to the effectiveness of God’s word: he speaks, and things come into being (Gen. 1:3, 9; cf. 1:11, 15, 24, 29-30).  Both the Psalmist and prophets portray God’s word in close-to-personified terms (Ps. 33:6; 107:20; 147:15, 18; Isa. 55:10-11), but only John claims that this word has appeared in space-time history as an actual person, Jesus Christ (1:14, 17).  Most critical in this regard is Isaiah’s depiction of God’s word as going out from his mouth and not returning to him empty, but as accomplishing what he desires and achieving the purpose for which he sent it (Isa. 55:11; cf. 40:8).  In this passage Isaiah provides the framework for John’s “sending” Christology, which presents Jesus as the Word sent by God the Father who pursues and accomplishes his mission in obedience to the one who sent him.  This sender-sent relationship, in turn, provides the paradigm for Jesus’ relationship with his followers.[1]

2) Jesus, the Son, has now taken up residence among his people as the true and last Adam.  Paul says this about Adam being a type of Christ in Romans 5:23, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned… nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.”  As we have already seen, Christ has now taken up his ruling authority of the true embodied Adam as what man was intended to be as perfect, holy, and in complete relation to the Father.  Where Adam failed, Christ has succeeded.  For since by a man came death, by a man also came the life, the resurrection of the dead (1 Cor. 15:21).  For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive (1 Cor. 15:22). 

3) Jesus, the Son, has become the penal substitutionary atonement for the sinfulness of humanity to satisfy the wrath of the Father.  Tom Schreiner gives this definition of penal substitution,

“The Father, because of his love for human beings, sent his Son (who offered himself willingly and gladly) to satisfy God’s justice, so that Christ took the place of sinners.  The punishment and penalty we deserved was laid on Jesus Christ instead of us, so that in the cross both God’s holiness and love are manifested.”[2]

Because of Adam’s disobedience and the entrance of sin and death into the world, sin has reigned from time of Adam until now.  This sin has affected all of humanity in the separating the Creator from his creation (Rom. 1).  The penalty for sin is death (Rom. 6:23).  Sinners deserve eternal punishment in hell from God himself because of their sin and guilt.  God’s holy anger is directed (Rom 1:18) against all those who have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).  And yet because of God’s great love, he sent Christ to bear the punishment for our sins.  Christ died in our place, took to himself our sin (2 Cor. 5:21) and guilt (Gal. 3:10), and bore our penalty so that we might receive forgiveness of sins.[3]  In being the punishment for our sins, Christ became our propitiation (1 John 2:2).  Wayne Grudem defines this word saying, “propitiation means a sacrifice that bears God’s wrath to the end and in so doing changes God’s wrath toward us into favor.”[4]  This progressive work of the Father from Creation onward is now seen in Christ becoming the penal subsitutionary atonement for the sin of humanity to satisfy his wrath on sinners.

4) Jesus, the Son, is the first fruits of the resurrection of the dead that is to come.  It should be noted that such forgiveness would not be ours apart from the death and resurrection of Christ (Rom. 4:25).[5]  Mark Driscoll says this concerning Jesus’ resurrection, “Jesus promised that he would not only rise from death to prove beyond any doubt he is God, but also that he would judge everyone who has every lived and determine their fate.[6]  Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep… Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at his coming.”  This language that Paul uses of Jesus being the first fruits is crucial to understanding God’s redemptive plan.  With Christ’s resurrection and his power and defeat over death, Christians also have the promise of a bodily resurrection at his second coming. 

5) Jesus, the Son, is exalted at the Father’s right hand interceding as the perfect High Priest for his church.  Luke writes in the book of Acts that after Christ bodily ascended into heaven he took his place at the Father’s right hand (Acts 2:33; 5:31).  Not only did Jesus deservingly sit down at the right hand of the Father but he also sits interceding for his church as our perfect high priest.  Hebrews 7:26-28 is a great passage that discusses Jesus Christ, under the priestly order of Melchizedek, being the perfect high priest who reigns forever.  The high priest Melchizedek was a type of Christ, but Jesus comes as our complete and eternal high priest.[7]  Jesus though is not only priest but he is also prophet and king, being the true fulfillment of the three offices in the Old Testament.  Christ now sits exalted at the Father’s right hand, as we the church await his second coming and the ushering in of the New Heaven and Earth.

[1]Ibid., 421.

[2]Beilby, James and Paul R. Eddy, The Nature of the Atonement: Four Views (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006), 67.

[3]Ibid., 72-73.

[4]Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 575. 

[5]Beilby, Jame and Paul R. Eddy. The Nature of the Atonement: 4 Views, 73.

[6]Driscoll, Mark and Gerry Breshears. Vintage Jesus: Timeless Answers to Timely Questions (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2007), 142.

[7]Phillips, Richard D., Hebrews: Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing Company, 2006), 254.