Restoring Glory (Imago Dei part 4)
In the last article we looked at the human failure to be what God made us to be - royal rulers over creation. Instead of the glory of YHWH projecting from our lives, we sought our own glory, thus failing to launch God's human project. All of Paul's language surrounding sin is wrapped up in human failure to be the imagers God made us to be (Rom 1:23; 3:23). The last article ended with a look to the ideal human - Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus exerted his royal rule as an imager precisely as YHWH intended for humanity. Thus, John looked to Jesus as the word become flesh and we saw His glory (Jn 1:14). The author of Hebrews similarly looked to Jesus as the exact imprint of YHWH on earth and the radiance of His glory. Jesus' life, death, ressurection, and enthronement as the ideal human all pulse with the anticipation of restoring human glory. That is what this article will explore.
Resurrection
The resurrection of Jesus is the most critical element of YHWH's restoration. Jesus, the ideal human imager of God (Col 1:15), died a human death and resurrected a human body. Certainly there was a change in body from corruption to glory (1 Cor 15:43f; 15:51ff; Phil 3:21), nevertheless the body raised was still a body that could be seen, felt, touched, and experienced in human reality (Jn 20:27f). The resurrected and glorified Jesus was still innately human, though free from the corruption of the Adamic world. Much like Jeuss, our human bodies will not be abandoned in the resurrection, rather they will be glorified in the resurrection, finally becoming what YHWH intended humans to become from the start (Phil 3:21).
Now, through the resurrection, there is a human, Jesus of Nazareth, who has been raised, enthroned, and is now ruling over creation as the "first fruits" of the rest of redeemed and restored humanity (1 Cor 15:20, 23). When Paul says the "first fruits" he is looking in anticipation of a coming resurrection of the redeemed humans being transformed into a similar glory and raised to a similar rule.
The bodily, human resurrection is central to YHWH's restoration project. Afterall, it is a human restoration in view. The story of scripture is about YHWH and humanity, the human failure, and YHWH's restoration of humanity. He is certainly not abandoning this human project to change us into some floating spirit! Resurrection has human bodies in view - bodies that will be raised to display YHWH's glory and reign over creation as was intended in the beginning (Gen 1:26-28). We are living in anticipation of becoming "like Him" in His glory through the resurrection (Col 3:4; 1 John 3:2).
Reign
Another big key to what is being restored is seen in Christ's royal reign. It is evident that Jesus was raised to reign on His throne (Acts 2:33ff; 5:31). Through Jesus, human rule over creation is restored, ushering in the eschatological vision of YHWH. While this Christological Reign is critical to New Testament theology, it is not what I want to focus too much time on here. The New Testament emphasizes a coming reign of all of redeemed humanity alongside Jesus in the eschaton (Matt 19:28).
This is not anything new. Daniel anticipated the saints ruling alongside the rise and reign of the son of Man (Dan 7:18, 27). Jesus spoke of his disciples who gave up everything to follow him as sitting on thrones in the regeneration (Matt 19:28). The apostle Paul looked at those who followed in the likeness of Christ as "reigning in life" through Jesus (Rom 5:17; 2 Tim 2:12). Jesus made a promise to those who remained true during the great persecution that they would "sit down with Me on on My throne" (Rev 3:21). Furthermore, the vision of the eschatological city that John saw shows the bondservants of God and of the lamb reigning forever and ever (Rev 22:1-5).
Redeemed humanity is living in anticipation of royalty. This royalty is not merely some reward offered to those who have behaved themselves in this life. Rather, it is a picture of the restoration of what God made humans to do from creation - to rule (Gen 1:26-28). To reign over creation is to be human in the way that God designed them to be (Ps 8:3-8). This is the "glory" we anticipate in the eschaton - a raised, embodied, restored rule over a renewed creation free from the curse of Adam (Rom 8:18ff; Rev 22:1-5).
Already-Not-Yet
So what's left to do but wait for the eschaton when all will finally be restored to glory? Notice, that question was never posed be Jesus nor the apostles. They did not view their reality as living in simple waiting. To be sure, they were waiting anxiously for the revelation of Jesus and the redemption to come (Rom 8:23ff; 1 Cor 1:7; Gal 5:5), but there was an understanding that the seeds of the eschatological redemption were already taking root and growing around them. They were "already" in the eschatological hope, but they had "not-yet" seen it come to its fullness.
The incarnation of Jesus broke through history with the message that the Messianic Kingdom had already arrived (Mark 1:15). Christians living after the resurrection of Jesus saw themselves has already knowing in part, but not yet seeing clearly as if "face to face" (1 Cor 13:12).
In this "already-not-yet" tension Christians are living in, we need to understand that we are doing more than just waiting for the fullness of whats to come. There is a restoration of glory already happening! Paul said,
"but we all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are [already] being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." (2 Cor 3:18)
There is a transformation taking place in Christians right now that is drawing us into the glory of Jesus as we fix our eyes upon Him, beholding His glory.
And again, Paul says,
"and you have put on the new self who is [already] being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him" (Col 3:10).
There is a certain beholding of Jesus that brings forth restoration and renewel of our current reality. Each day we draw deeper into Christ we are brought further from the old order of corruption in Adam, and drawn deeper into the new order of glory in Christ. The result is an infectious spreading of YHWH's restoration project to bring about glorious and just rulers of this world in the here and now. This sends a widespread hope and longing for the fullness of that glory to be revealed at the coming of Jesus.
The Glory Cycle
There is a continuity to each of these articles I've written. None of them are comprehensive in what the Biblical narrative demonstrates, but they give you a taste of the Biblical portrait of what YHWH is seeking to accomplish through Jesus and the gospel. The good news is one of restoration to God and His intent for the world. He is restoring what is right. It is not merely about personal salvation from hell, but about a cosmic and human restoration of all things that has been long anticipated (Acts 3:21) - a reconciliation of things in heaven and on earth (Col 1:20).
There is the cycle that holds much of the Biblical story surrounding humanity together (see image below - much of this is developed from Matthew W. Bates, Why the Gospel).
God made humans with glory to rule (Gen 1:26-28)
Humans fail to carry glory (Gen 3, Rom 1:23; Rom 3:23).
King Jesus is the perfect image of glory (Jn 1:14; Heb 1:3)
Humans are transformed into His glorious image (2 Cor 3:18; Col 3:10)
Glorious rule will be restored in humans (Mt 19:28; 1 Jn 3:2; Rev 22:1-5)
The continuity of this "glory cycle" is a central element of the Biblical narrative, and it is centered on what it means to be humans - the very image of God. God is restoring what humans failed to do from the start. He made us in his image - that is - to have glory, honor, and dominion (Gen 1:26-28; Ps 8:3-8). We failed on all fronts to display God's glory, bring honor and justice into creation, and exercise proper dominion over the created order (Rom 3:23). Jesus of Nazareth is revealed as the ideal human, perfectly imaging God's glory, bringing forth justice and honor, and is thus exalted to rule over creation (Heb 1:3). Jesus is viewed in heaven as the ideal human praised with "glory, honor, and dominion" (Rev 1:6; 5:13). These terms are everything God intended humanity to be (Ps 8:3-8), and now Jesus has embodied them perfectly. We now, through Him, are being restored day by day to that same glory, honor, and dominion God intended in us. We are now beaming forth with the radiance of the Son, bringing about honor and justice in the world by harnessing the creation to God's glory. We do all of this anticipation of a final restoration of human dominion. We look for the day we will be glorified as Jesus has been glorififed (1 Cor 15:43; Phil 3:21). We look for the day we will rule as Jesus is ruling (Mt 19:28; Rev 3:21).
The glory of YHWH will be restored in creation through Jesus and His human project! Praise be to Him for these magnificant promises and the "hope of glory" which we anxiously await (Col 1:27; Rom 8:23ff).
-Kolton Ballance
Glory Cycle adapted image from the one presented by Matthew W. Bates in Why the Gospel?
