Exalted Above the Heavens: The Risen and Ascended Christ (New Studies in Biblical Theology, vol. 47 | NSBT)

by Peter C. Orr

Publishers:

IVP Academic; Apollos

, 2018

Overview

Christians usually focus on what Jesus has done (his life, death and resurrection) and what he will do (his second coming and eternal reign). While there has been something of a revival of interest in his ascension, studies of Jesus in his exalted state are relatively rare. However, the Christ that Christians trust in, relate to and love is not only the one who lived, died, rose and will come again: he is also currently seated at God’s right hand. Christian faith as well as theological reflection must take into consideration this significant aspect of Christ’s person and work.

In this New Studies in Biblical Theology volume, Peter Orr attends to this somewhat neglected topic in biblical theology. He explores the New Testament witness to Jesus as he is now, the exalted Christ, through the lenses of his identity, his location and his activity.

Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.

Key Features

• Explores the theology of Jesus in his exalted state
• Focuses on the implications of Colossians 3:1–2
• Offers theological and pastoral reflections

Contents

• Introduction
• The Identity of the Exalted Christ: the Exalted Christ and the Earthly Jesus
• The Identity of the Exalted Christ: the Exalted Christ and the Spirit
• The Identity of the Exalted Christ: the Exalted Christ and the Church
• The Location of Christ: Ascension, Exaltation, and Absence
• The Body of the Exalted Christ
• The Location of Christ: Paul and the Bodily Absence of Christ
• The Location of Christ: the Epiphanic Presence of Christ
• The Activity of the Exalted Christ on Earth
• The Activity of the Exalted Christ in Heaven
• Concluding Reflections

Top Highlights

“He argues that the organizing principle of the Bible is the ‘kingdom of God’, and divides the Bible into four main epochs, which each provides development in the revelation of the kingdom of God: the kingdom of God revealed in Israel’s prehistory (Gen. 1–11);⁴ the kingdom of God revealed in Israel’s history (Abraham to Solomon); the kingdom of God revealed in prophetic eschatology (Solomon to the end of exile); and the kingdom of God revealed in Jesus Christ (the NT).” (Page 2)

“There appears, then, to be something of a tension between the absence and presence of Christ” (Page 3)

“Names are also connected to covenantal blessings in the Bible” (Page 13)

“Their way of relating to him has changed following the resurrection. His identity has changed, not in the sense that he is no longer the same individual, but in the sense that he is not apprehended simply with the naked eye. To understand Jesus as the risen Jesus is to have his identity revealed. Of course, this was true during his earthly ministry—a true grasp of his identity was only ever a result of revelation (Matt. 16:17; John 3:2–3). And so to grasp fully that Jesus is risen, to identify him as the risen Lord, is not simply a matter of observing a natural phenomenon but of revelation. A full apprehension of his identity as risen Lord comes only through revelation.” (Page 11)

“We have a very similar thought, then, to Acts 13:33: the resurrection does change the identity of the risen Christ. He is not simply shown or declared to be the Son of God; his resurrection means that he is powerfully appointed Son of God in the realm of the Spirit. While he was son of David in the realm of the flesh, the resurrection brings him into a new realization and experience of the divine Sonship that was his from before his birth and which he possessed in his earthly life but which is now fully realized.” (Page 34)

Praise for the Print Edition

Instead of. . . . using the synthetic and analytic categories of systematic theology, Dr. Orr largely confines himself to the categories deployed by the biblical writers themselves. Written with verve and clarity, this book promises not only to bring sharper thinking to a rather confused domain of Christology, but also to invite us to deeper adoration as we contemplate overlooked characteristics of our triune God.

—D. A. Carson

Product Details

• Title: Exalted Above the Heavens: The Risen and Ascended Christ
• Author: Peter C. Orr
• Editor: D. A. Carson
• Series: New Studies in Biblical Theology (NSBT)
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2018
• Pages: 252
• Resource Type: Biblical Theology
• Topic: Doctrine of Christ

About Peter C. Orr

Peter C. Orr is lecturer in New Testament at Moore College in Sydney, Australia. He is the author of Christ Absent and Present: A Study in Pauline Christology.