Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery, Pt. 3

Continuing our blog series on the hymn Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery, let us eagerly engage the content of verse 2. In the previous post, we glanced briefly into the beauty and gravity of the incarnation. From the great condescension, we were stirred to greater affection for Christ through God’s great grace in sending to us, the condemned, his only begotten Son. In this post, we will focus solely on the Son’s life and suffering.

VERSE 2

Come behold the wondrous mystery

He the perfect Son of Man

In His living, in His suffering

Never trace nor stain of sin

See the true and better Adam

Come to save the hell-bound man

Christ the great and sure fulfillment

Of the law; in Him we stand

In the four gospel accounts, the word Son, referring to Jesus, is linked to a handful of phrase endings. For example, we read Son of God (John 1:34), Son of David (Mark 10:47), Son of the Most High (Luke 1:32), Son of the Blessed (Mark 14:61), and, with this one being of primary focus, Son of Man (Matthew 25:31). Though each phrase is divinely inspired and orchestrated to serve a specific context, Son of God and Son of Man overshadow the others in numerical use. In fact, Son of God in the gospels is used 20 times, with Son of Man taking the top rung with 49 uses. Interestingly enough, in the NewTestament letters the term Son of God is used more often than Son of Man. 

Is there something significant about the Son of Man being referred to in high volume in the gospel accounts? I think so. As one author puts it: 

If you do a study of the term “Son of Man” in the Gospels you’ll see that [Jesus] didn't refer to himself most often as Son of God but as Son of Man. He said things like, in Mark 10:45, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” So he calls himself Son of Man very often.

I think the reason he did so is because, on the face of it, Son of Man is an ordinary phrase for “human being.” He was born of a man.1

In other words, Christ purposed to identify himself with humanity. Of his intent, we could adopt three summary terms (though other aspects could be considered), to help us better understand the significance of Christ’s humanity: 1) Christ, the Second Adam, 2) Christ, the Spotless Sacrifice, and 3) Christ, the Supreme Standard. Let us take each one in stride:

1. Christ, the Second Adam

Romans 5:12: Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned

Romans 5:18-19: Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

Two men are in view here. Adam, man’s initial representative, is the one who through sin brought about condemnation and death (Genesis 2:15-3:24). Christ, referred to as the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45), perfectly adhered to and fulfilled God’s righteous decrees. This is important because if the corrupt Adam were to represent us before the Father, we could never be acquitted under his headship. His abandonment of obedience negates any hope of reconciliation, as his act of treachery has placed a mark of condemnation upon every man. Yet a man came. This man, Jesus, came to give his life as a ransom. He came to represent humanity with his perfect humanity, fulfilling the Law in every regard. He came to bridge the abyss that separated God in his holiness from man in his depravity. In fact, the author of Hebrews writes: [Christ] had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people (Hebrews 2:16-17; emphasis added). Christ had to be human to satisfy the wrath of God. He had to be perfectly human. He had to be the perfect, spotless sacrifice…

2. Christ, the Spotless Sacrifice

Referencing the Passover Lamb (Exodus 12), the apostle Peter states believers have been ransomed from sin by the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot (1 Peter 1:18). This points to propitiation: A sacrifice that bears God’s wrath to the end and in so doing changes God’s wrath toward us into favor.2 The apostle Paul states that through Adam’s disobedience all have fallen short of the glory of God and must pay the penalty for their sin against God (see Romans 1-3). Yet Christ, the spotless Lamb, was given to bear the wrath of God for the sins of the elect. Being perfect and taking on our sin, the redemptive bridge known as the Cross allows the repentant to run freely into the arms of the Father. Declared forgiven by his death and righteous by his resurrection, Christ, in his humanity (though still fully divine), restored what could never have been apart from his grace.

3. Christ, the Supreme Standard

This great grace of God in Christ to redeem the repentant doesn’t just leave us forgiven, however. It also motivates us to live with fervor unto God. Consider the following verses:

1 Peter 2:21-24: For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

1 John 2:6: Whoever says he abides in [Christ] ought to walk in the same way in which we walked.

Christ’s humanity served not only to satisfy the wrath of God, rather it also is the standard by which the redeemed must live. To be exact, his is the standard by which the redeemed can live out because of his redemptive work. Once dead in sin now alive in Christ, the strength and power necessary to obey the Father’s desires is available. As believers, we stand in Christ. His power, now ours. His righteousness, now ours. His heavenly gain, ours.

But perhaps we’ve forgotten the gravity of redemption. Perhaps we’ve abandoned the joy found in pondering our place in Christ. Let’s be honest: Does grace no longer excite us? Does grace no longer motivate us to live to righteousness? Brothers and sisters, we must observe anew God’s great grace to us in Christ. We must resolve to burden ourselves with his love every morning that we might honor Him with our every thought, word, and deed. As he lived, so we must. May deceit be far from our mouths; may reviling be replaced by compassion.

So, back to the lyrics. As we sing to him the perfect Son of Man and the true and better Adam, may our hearts melt in adoration over the truths of Christ’s perfect humanity. May our hearts be pricked with conviction over the great grace of God in Christ in which we stand and serve.

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1. Piper, John. Why Is Jesus Called “Son of Man”? http://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/why-is-jesus-called-son-of-man, accessed 5.13.16.

2. Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, p. 1253.

Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery, Pt. 2

In the last post, Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery, a new hymn for the Church, was introduced. In this post, we will begin unpacking its lyrical suitcase and discover how each verse is informed by Scripture. Let us begin!

VERSE 1
Come behold the wondrous mystery
In the dawning of the King
He the theme of heaven's praises
Robed in frail humanity

In our longing, in our darkness
Now the light of life has come
Look to Christ, who condescended
Took on flesh to ransom us

To fully comprehend and appreciate the condescension of Christ, primarily referring to the theological teaching of incarnation or the act of God the Son whereby he took to himself a human nature,1 we must begin, as it were, in eternity past (Christ's preincarnational state). This is so because the incarnation means that he who never began to be in his specific identity as Son of God, began to be what he eternally was not.2 Consider John 8:58: Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am."3 Though this may only prove in the minds of some Christ's existence before Abraham, meaning not exclusively eternal, even more so contemplate Jesus' high priestly prayer in John 17, specifically verse 5: And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. Yet again, following the flow of logical reasoning, if Christ divinely claimed in Scripture to be equal to the Father (John 14:8-10) and knowing explicitly that the Father is eternal (Psalm 90:2), then it leads us to conclude that Christ is indeed eternal.

Where is the significance in all this, though? Are we trying to prove the eternality of Christ for the sake of intellectual satisfaction? Not necessarily. Though it is important to seek to learn the depths of God's revelation to us in his Word, we must aim to discover how each precept, whether imperative or indicative in nature, affects, or should affect, our lives - our grace-filled sanctific strivings to live out godliness before the Lord. Thus, gazing into the condescension of Christ helps us understand the gravity of such a merciful feat.

Scrolling back to John 17:5, we must be humbled by the fact that Christ, who had all glory with the Father before the world existed, submitted himself to the Father's plan to save ruined sinners and came to earth in the flesh. Being fully God and fully man, Christ came as Emmanuel (God with us) to deliver from bondage those who could never deliver themselves. Not deserving his condescension, we who have repented of our sins and trusted in the merit of Christ for salvation, must be the most humble, the most worshipful creatures. Christ came. Christ gave. We have been redeemed. Yet, do our lives prove our thankfulness to the Father for sending the Son? Are we often bowed down in spirit over the great condescension of our Savior? Rarely, if we're honest, would we leave a prosperous position to serve others of any status. Yet this is what Christ did for the elect.

To the theme of heaven's praises robed in frail humanity, to the light of life who came, may we by the incarnation be moved to repent of taking such a merciful endeavor for granted. May we not forget that we once were in longing, in our darkness, yet have been granted life through the regenerative work of the Spirit. Move us Father, by the Spirit's power, into deeper worship of your fullness. As Christ came to serve by saving sinners, ultimately serving you, may we live to mercifully serve others and bow our every thought, word, and deed to your very desires. May the incarnation continually motivate us unto deeper devotion to you.

Join us next time as we delve into verse two and unfold the truths of Christ's life and suffering.

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1. Grude, Wayne. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, p. 1245.

2. Frame, John. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief, p. 883.

3. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Emphases mine.

Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery

In 2013, modern song and hymn writers Matt Boswell, Michael Bleeker, and Matt Papa joined minds and convictions to pen the words of a wonderful, and I'm sure lasting, hymn for the modern Church. Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery invites singers and listeners alike to journey through the Gospel, thanking God for his mighty and gracious work in Christ to redeem fallen man. From the doctrine of the incarnation to abridgments on vicarious atonement, federal headship, union with Christ, the second advent, and glorification, this theologically rich tune is certain to stir gratefulness within the hearts of both young and elder saints.

Throughout the next several posts, join me as we explore various lyrical elements and discover the Scriptural support underlying each facet. For now, however, listen and enjoy!