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Scripture Reading: Heb. 2:9; Col. 1:20; 2:15
The cross of Christ not only terminates; it also redeems. The cross terminates Satan, sin, the world, and everything that is contrary to God, incompatible with God, condemned by God, and rejected by God. The cross also redeems everything that God foreordained that He would gain, everything that belongs to God, and everything that is for God. In order to accomplish God’s eternal plan, the cross of Christ terminates everything that is not of God, that opposes God, and that resists God, and the cross also redeems everything that was lost but that God wants to gain, that is for God, and that belongs to God. This is the negative function of the cross.
Many people believe that the redemption Christ accomplished on the cross is only for the redemption of sinful and fallen man. However, the Bible speaks of Christ dying on the cross not only for sinners but also for all things. Hebrews 2:9 says that Jesus tasted death on behalf of everything. The blood that Christ shed on the cross reconciles sinful and God-opposing man to God, and it also reconciles to God all things that were affected by Satan’s rebellion and man’s fall, “whether the things on the earth or the things in the heavens” (Col. 1:20). Thus, Christ redeemed man and all things on the cross. Christ’s redemption of all things is related to three matters.
First, all things were created by God according to His eternal plan to express Christ; hence, all things are related to Christ (John 1:3; Col. 1:16). God created all things to fulfill His purpose, but they were defiled by Satan’s rebellion and man’s fall before this purpose could be realized. Nevertheless, God did not abandon His desire for His creation to express Christ. God’s plan included the redemption of all things in order to accomplish His eternal purpose for Christ related to all things.
Second, God first appointed Satan and then man to be the head and representative of all creation, and He gave them the authority to rule over all things in creation (Ezek. 28:13-14; Luke 4:5-6; Gen. 1:26). Satan’s rebellion and man’s subsequent fall defiled all that they represented and ruled. With Satan’s rebellion and man’s fall, creation was no longer in a condition that matched God’s righteousness, holiness, and glory. In order for the righteous, holy, and glorious God to use creation in His glorious plan for His Son, Christ had to taste death on the cross on behalf of everything, according to the requirements of His righteousness, holiness, and glory.
Third, God created all things to be a delight to Christ. The Bible unveils that Christ found delight in and loved created man and that He also found delight in and loved all things that God had created for Him (Rom. 8:28; 11:36; Eph. 1:23; Col. 1:20). Christ died on the cross for all things, and He redeemed them according to God’s predetermined will, according to the requirements of God’s righteousness, holiness, and glory.
In order for Christ to redeem all things, He had to be joined to all things. In order to redeem all things that had been lost and to taste death on behalf of everything, Christ entered into creation and was joined to it. In His incarnation the Word became flesh in order to be joined to man and to all things (John 1:14). Although the incarnation was necessary in order to impart the uncreated life of God into created man through Christ’s putting on of humanity and all things, incarnation was also necessary in order to redeem man by His suffering God’s righteous judgment on behalf of man and all things.
Christ became flesh to be joined with creation, including man and all things; He put on creation. Hence, creation was hanging on Christ when He was on the cross, because it was included in Christ. When Christ died on the cross, He not only terminated all things but also suffered God’s judgment and tasted death on behalf of all things in order to redeem man. Christ’s death was an all-inclusive death that terminated all things and redeemed all things. His death terminated all things condemned by God and redeemed all things that God wanted to gain.
Christ’s being joined to all things and His bringing all things with Him through the judgment of His death are typified by the ark that passed through the judgment of the flood in Genesis. The ark contained Noah’s family of eight and all the animals (chs. 7—8). The ark typifies Christ, and Noah’s family typifies redeemed man. Noah’s family being in the ark means that redeemed man is in Christ. The animals that were in the ark typify all things being redeemed in Christ. The animals in the ark passed through the judgment of the flood. Similarly, all creation passed through the judgment of death in Christ. The animals were included in the ark and passed through the flood so that they might be redeemed. Similarly, creation was joined to Christ and passed through death in Christ in order to be redeemed. Just as the ark redeemed the animals from God’s condemnation and judgment so that they would be acceptable to God, Christ redeemed all things from God’s condemnation and judgment into His presence so that creation would be acceptable to God.
In Revelation all the redeemed things are before God. In chapters 4 and 5 the four living creatures who are before God represent not only creation but also redeemed creation. In 4:9-11 the four living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits upon the throne, to the God who has created all things, and in 5:9 the four living creatures sing praise to the redeeming Lamb, who was slain and has purchased for God by His blood men out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation. In verse 13 every creature that is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea and all things in them says, “To Him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might.” The four living creatures are before God and praise Him as representatives, and all things, which were not merely created but also redeemed, are before God. On the cross Christ accomplished redemption for all creation. God redeemed all creation through the death of Christ on the cross.
Because all things have been redeemed by the cross of Christ, they hope to be freed from the slavery of corruption, the result of Satan’s rebellion and man’s fall, into the freedom of the glory of the redeemed children of God (Rom. 8:21); that is, all creation hopes to be restored (Acts 3:21). During the coming restoration, all things will be freed from the effect and defilement of Satan’s rebellion and man’s fall. The condition of all things will match Isaiah’s words: “The light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, / And the light of the sun will be sevenfold, like the light of seven days”; “the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, / And the fruitful field is considered to be a forest”; and “the wolf and the lamb will feed as one, / And the lion will eat straw like the ox... / They will not harm nor destroy” (Isa. 30:26; 32:15; 65:25). All things will be restored because they have been redeemed by Christ. All things will be freed from the slavery of corruption, which was brought in by Satan’s rebellion and man’s fall, through the redemption that Christ accomplished on the cross by shedding His blood. His redemption reconciles all things to God and brings them into the freedom of the glory of the redeemed children of God.
Even though the redemption that Christ accomplished on the cross was for all things as well as man, the primary focus of redemption is on man. Man is the most important thing that God created through Christ and for Christ; hence, man is also the most important thing that God redeemed through Christ and for Christ. God determined in His plan that man would be the most important creature and also the center of all created things. Everything that has been redeemed is a means to express the glory of Christ, but redeemed man is more than just a means to express the glory of Christ. Redeemed man is also a vessel to contain Christ’s life with Christ’s nature (Rom. 9:21-24). All things were reconciled to God through the cross of Christ, but only man also received the life of God through the cross of Christ. Christ redeemed all things on the cross so that all things could express the riches of His glory, but He redeemed man so that man would also be filled with the fullness of His life (Eph. 3:19). All things were redeemed by Christ, but all things did not receive His life and nature; hence, they cannot be the same as Christ. However, through Christ’s redemption man also received Christ’s life and nature in order to be the same as Christ and to be His partner in glory (2 Pet. 1:3-4; Heb. 3:14). In relation to creation, the death of Christ redeemed all things, but in relation to man, the death of Christ gave man the divine life also. Man is the highest and most important creature redeemed by God.
Christ terminated all things on the cross in order to clear up the defilement in the universe, and Christ redeemed all things on the cross in order to impart His life into man. Among the things that were redeemed, only man received the life of God. Christ accomplished redemption in order to impart His divine, uncreated life into created man. This is the central purpose of redemption. The redemption that Christ accomplished on the cross is to recover man and all things that were lost in the fall so that man could be gained as a vessel and God could impart His life into man.
Christ’s redemptive death on the cross recovered and redeemed all things, including man, and also imparted the divine life to redeemed man. Christ imparted His divine, uncreated life into the man whom He redeemed through His death. In His redemptive death the divine life in Christ was released and imparted into man. The death of Christ was an all-inclusive death through which the Creator passed so that His divine, uncreated life could be released. In His death created man also died in order to receive the Creator’s uncreated life. Before Christ’s death on the cross, the Creator could not be joined with created man. However, Christ’s redemptive death joined the Creator with created man so that the life of the Creator could enter into created man.
This joining in death can be likened to grafting. A tree that produces sweet oranges has little in common with a tree that produces bitter oranges, but through a grafting cut that involves death, the two trees can be joined. Through a grafting cut, the life of a sweet orange tree can flow into a branch from a bitter orange tree. In order for the sweet orange tree to release its life, there is a need for a cut of death, but in order for a branch from the bitter orange tree to receive the life of the sweet orange tree, there is also a need for cutting. Both trees need a grafting cut of death before the life of one can become the life of the other. Christ’s redemptive death, which joined and connected God the Creator to man the creature, is likened to grafting in Romans 11:17-24. In and through Christ’s wonderful death, the uncreated life in God can enter into created man to be his life.
According to the Bible, the release of the divine, uncreated life in Christ required both creation and redemption in order for this life to enter into created man. In creation God “calls the things not being as being” (4:17), but creation alone is not enough for Him to be able to impart His life to created man. God created all things out of nothing, but He did not impart His life into all the things He created. All things were created by God, but not all things have the life of the Creator. The life of the Creator entered into created man only through redemption. God’s redemption “gives life to the dead” (v. 17). Furthermore, created man had to pass through death and resurrection in Christ in order to receive the divine life. Death and resurrection are implied in the redemptive death of Christ and in His divine life. The redemptive death of Christ brought created man into death so that the divine, uncreated life of Christ could enter into created man. Christ’s redemption makes it possible for created man to receive the life of the Creator and be raised from the dead through faith to become a new creation.
The life of God the Creator can enter into created man because of Christ’s redemptive death on the cross. Christ’s death removes the barrier between man and God and enables man to draw near to God. His death also brings redeemed man into union with God so that God and man can be joined as one in the fellowship of God’s divine, uncreated life. In Christ’s death both God and man experienced death so that God’s uncreated life could flow out of the creating and redeeming God into created and redeemed man. Without the death of Christ, the life in God would not have been released, and without the death of created man, God’s life could not have entered into man even when it had been released. Both Christ and man had to die in order for the divine life to flow out of God into man. Both Christ and man had to be wounded before the life of God could enter into man.
Blood transfusion is an illustration of this. In order for blood to flow out of person A to be transfused into person B, both A and B must be cut. Both A and B must be cut in order for A’s blood to become B’s blood. Both God and man were cut in Christ’s redemptive death on the cross so that God’s life could flow into man. When the Lord died on the cross, He accomplished redemption, and His all-inclusive death “wounded” both God the Creator and man the creature. Thus, the uncreated life in the Creator could flow into created man and become his life. The Creator and the creature were joined not only in His death but also in the life that flowed out through His death.
Everything that was redeemed through Christ’s death on the cross will participate in the coming restoration. Redeemed creation will not share God’s life, but it will be delivered out of the corruption of the old creation into glory. This is according to the principle of death and resurrection. The ultimate restoration of all things will come with the appearing of the new heaven and the new earth. The new heaven and new earth will come from the restored old heaven and old earth. This is also according to the principle of death and resurrection. On the side of termination and judgment, the old heaven and old earth will pass away (2 Pet. 3:10-12), but on the side of redemption and restoration, the old heaven and old earth will be restored to become the new heaven and new earth (v. 13; Rev. 21:1).
On the side of termination and judgment, we have been terminated on the cross, but on the side of redemption and the impartation of life, we have become the new creation by passing through death and resurrection (1 Pet. 1:3; 2 Cor. 5:17). Even though we are of the old creation, we have been renewed through regeneration, based on the redemption of Christ, to become the new creation. Similarly, all things of the old creation will be renewed and restored through the redemption of the cross to become the new heaven and the new earth. Whereas God’s redeemed people will enter into His glory and into the freedom of His glory through the renewing of regeneration, the redeemed things will enter into this glory and freedom through the renewing of restoration (Rom. 8:21).
Even though all things and man were redeemed by the cross, the ultimate issue of the redemption of all things is different from the issue of the redemption of man. Whereas the ultimate issue of the redemption of man gives man God’s life and renews man by regeneration, the ultimate issue of the application of redemption to all things will only be restoration by renewal. Although Christ’s redemption on the cross restores all things, it does not regenerate all things.
Negatively, the cross of Christ terminated and redeemed all things. The cross also overcame all things. The cross overcame Satan, who is the ruler of God’s enemies, and the demons and evil spirits under him (Gen. 3:15; Heb. 2:14; Col. 2:15). The cross overcame sin (Rom. 8:3), the world (John 12:31), the flesh with its passions and its lusts (Gal. 5:24), the old man (Rom. 6:6), and the self (Gal. 2:20). The cross overcame everything that opposes God, contradicts God, hinders God’s will, and frustrates God’s plan. The cross of Christ is a place of victory. It is the only place of victory in the universe. On the cross Christ triumphed over Satan and over his authority of darkness (Col. 2:15). Hence, Christ can plunder Satan’s house and take back those taken captive by Satan (Matt. 12:29). On the cross Christ judged the world, releasing those who were usurped by the world. On the cross Christ dealt with sin, delivering those who were under the bondage of sin. On the cross Christ put the flesh and the old man to death, delivering man from the flesh and the old man. On the cross Christ removed all barriers between man and God, bringing estranged man fully into God’s presence, even into God Himself. On the cross Christ overcame everything and accomplished everything.
May we see and receive the victory of the cross, and may we apply it to everything that we encounter. Whoever has the cross has victory. Wherever the cross is, there is victory. The cross is not only a place of victory; it is a place of triumph. The cross is not only victory; it is also a triumph (Col. 2:15). When we receive the cross, we have victory and triumph. May we overcome by the cross and triumph in the cross!
There are two negative functions and one positive function of the cross.
The first function of the cross of Christ is to terminate everything. The cross has terminated Satan, sin, sinners, the flesh with its passions and lusts, the old man, and the self. The cross has terminated man. This means that the cross has also terminated Satan, who was mixed with man. By terminating Satan, the cross also terminated the demons and evil spirits who were with him and the world that was under him. By terminating sin, the cross terminated the law as the power of sin (1 Cor. 15:54, 56; Col. 2:14). In terminating the flesh and the self, the cross terminated the law, which the flesh endeavors to obey and the self delights to keep. Everything that opposes God, is contrary to Him, frustrates His eternal plan, and hinders His work of the new creation has been terminated by the cross. Every difficulty and problem in the universe has been dealt with and terminated by the cross.
The second function of the cross of Christ is to redeem all things. According to His plan, the cross redeemed everything that God created in order to be gained for Christ. God foreordained that man would be for Christ, and He created all things for Christ. The cross redeemed man and all things. It redeemed the earth and all things on the earth, and it redeemed the heavens and everything in the heavens that belongs to God. The cross redeemed everything that God desired to gain but was lost and everything that God prepared for Christ but was corrupted. Everything belonging to God and intended for God in heaven and on earth, whether people or things, was redeemed through the cross.
Redemption follows termination and accompanies termination. The cross of Christ terminated everything in the universe, and it also redeemed all things. The cross separated everything that God does not want from everything that He wants. Christ brought everything in the universe with Him into His all-inclusive death. Whatever God does not want was terminated by His death, and whatever God wants was redeemed by it. On the one hand, the death of the cross terminated everything that was hanging on Christ, and on the other hand, the cross redeemed the things that God desired to gain. The things of God that were terminated by His death were also redeemed through the death of Christ.
The third function of the cross of Christ is to impart life, to give God’s uncreated life to created man. This is the primary function of the cross. The impartation of life is the primary focus of God’s eternal plan related to the cross. Termination and redemption are related to the effect of Satan’s rebellion and man’s fall on all things. If it were not for the corruption and defilement brought in by Satan’s rebellion and man’s fall, the only function of the cross of Christ would be to impart life. However, due to the consequences of Satan’s rebellion and man’s fall, God’s eternal plan for the cross of Christ also includes the work of termination and redemption.
Termination and redemption are for imparting life; they are preparatory procedures for imparting life. Termination removes everything in the universe that hinders God from imparting His life into created man, and redemption regains man and all things in the universe for God so that man can be a vessel for the expression of God’s life. The cross of Christ terminated everything in the universe that hindered God’s life from entering into created man, everything that kept the divine life from being expressed. As vessels to express the life of God, man was redeemed by the cross of Christ so that God’s life can be imparted into those who believe. The cross of Christ also restores all things to be a realm for the expression of God’s glory. The cross of Christ accomplished God’s eternal plan so that God’s life can enter into man, and Christ can be expressed through all things.
