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.