We Believe in the Ascension

He ascended to heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

Nicene Creed

He ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand of the Father.

Apostles’ Creed

For forty days after his resurrection, the Lord Jesus appeared repeatedly to his disciples. ‘He presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive’ (Acts 1.3a). During this period, he ‘spoke about the kingdom of God’ (Acts 1.3), after which he went with them to the Mount of Olives. There, he told them that they would be his witnesses in the power of the Holy Spirit and was then ‘taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight’ (Acts 1.9).

The bodily ascension of Jesus is a core belief of the Christian faith.

It sets the pattern for the manner of his return, stated clearly by ‘two men dressed in white’.

“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

Acts 1.11

The New Testament goes further, though. In the book of Hebrews, the writer assures us of his present exaltation.

Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.

Heb 7.26

Luke uses similar language in the book of Acts.

God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Saviour . . .

Acts 5.31a

In John’s gospel, Jesus challenges his disciples, asking, ‘what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before!’ (John 6.62). This was his position by right and one he held before his incarnation; he was merely returning there. Just as importantly, the ascension was also the culmination of the ‘great reversal’, described most succinctly by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippians. He ‘humbled himself’ and ‘was obedient to death’ but of course, death could not hold him.

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Phil 2.9-11

The New Testament emphasises three consequences that flow from the ascension of Jesus.

THE SENDING OF THE SPIRIT

Speaking on the Day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter says that it is because of Jesus’ ascension and exaltation that the Holy Spirit has been poured out.

God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.

Acts 2.32-33

The empowerment of the Church by the Holy Spirit for its mission of making Jesus known to the world was made possible by Jesus’ ascension.

JESUS THE INTERCESSOR

In the book of Hebrews, we read about Jesus as ‘our great high priest, who has ascended into heaven’. He sits at the right hand of the Father, as an exalted human being. As the writer to the Hebrews continues . . .

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.

Heb 4.15

Because Jesus is our High Priest and he knows our weaknesses, we can come confidently before God’s throne knowing it is a throne of grace and that, ‘we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need’ (Heb 4.16b). Jesus is exalted at the right hand of God, where he intercedes for us (Heb 7.25; Rom 8.34).

Right now, the ascended Jesus is praying for you and for me and he invites us to join him in prayer.

GRACE GIFTS

In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul writes,

But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says:

“When he ascended on high,

he took many captives

and gave gifts to his people.”

Eph 4.8

When he ascended, Jesus gave grace gifts to his people. When we think about spiritual gifts, we often think of abilities given to believers, but in this passage Paul describes people as gifts to the body of Christ. Specifically, the people whose ministry of the word equips others.

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Eph 4.11-13

This is all made possible by Christ’s ascension. When he ascended he poured out the Spirit to empower his people and gave people to equip them for his service.

These truths about the ascension frame Christian ministry.

CHRIST IS THE HEAD

The ascension of Jesus reminds us that the hope of the Church is not in ministers. We may be leaders, but we are not the leader. The head of the church is Christ alone. He is the Chief Shepherd of his sheep. All authority is his and he reigns supreme above all powers. When Christian leaders fail, it is such a great assurance to remember that the Lord of the Church is without sin. We may fail, but he never does. His perfection is our boast, and he will never disappoint us. His completed work of salvation, and his seat at the right hand of the Father is a powerful corrective to any activist tendencies we may have. We must remember that we do not achieve the salvation of any soul; nor do we sustain the Church by our activity.

He is the Saviour and sustainer of all things; we merely bear testimony to this wonderful truth.

PLAYING OUR PART

At the same time, the ascension of Jesus reminds us that his work on earth now continues through his body and that ministers have a vital role to play. We do not save people—that is a gift of God’s grace received by them through faith and not due to their works or ours (Eph 2.8-9). Nevertheless, it is through the preaching of the gospel that God brings salvation. We do not determine how God’s people serve him—he prepares work in advance for them to do (Eph 2.10)—but it is through our teaching and the example we set that they can be equipped for this work. It is a marvel that Christians are both the workmanship of God—what God is making in this world – while at the same time being the instruments of God – the means by which he is accomplishing his work (Eph 2.8-10).

Within this wonderful divine plan, those who preach and teach have a particular role to play.

If you are a pastor-teacher serving Christ’s church, have you ever given thought to the fact that you are a gracious gift to the people you serve? Give thanks to God for the privilege you have of caring for, protecting, and teaching his people. Your ministry is Christ-ordained, so make sure it is Christ-honouring.

If you are a member of a church, consider for a moment that those who lead you are a gift from Christ to you. Give thanks for them and be grateful for their care of you. Remember also that you have a role to play in making their service a joy for them.

CHRIST THE CONQUEROR

Christ ascended and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He now intercedes for us and also waits . . .

But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool.

Heb 10.12-13

He reigns as he waits for his enemies to become his footstool, showing that they have been completely defeated. Until then, there is work to be done, and he has given the Church a grace gift of servants, who are called ‘to equip his people for works of service’.

Whether you are among those who lead, or you are one who is led, the charge is the same. We are all called to the work of extending the reign of Christ in the lives of those who bow the knee and confess that he is Lord.

So, make this your confession today: ‘I believe in the ascension’.