Page 66 - Christology - Student Textbook

Section 15: Work of Jesus Christ; Part II

15.1. Connect.

Forty days after the resurrection of Christ, His disciples watched Him descend into the
clouds and go back to heaven. He was physically gone. While He sent the Holy Spirit to
indwell every believer, He is physically not here on earth any longer. He has been gone for
more than 2000 years. Have you ever wondered what He has been doing during all that
time? The Bible says He is seated at the right hand of the Father, so we know He is present in
Heaven seated on a thrown next to God the Father. But what is He currently doing?

Today we will look at the present work of Jesus. The Bible tells us that He is busy doing lots of things
for those who love Him. Let’s find out some of His activities….

15.2. Objectives.

1. The student should be able to explain the current work of Jesus Christ, specifically, that
which relates to His redemptive work.

2. The student should be able to cite the works that demonstrate a continuation after Christ’s
ascension to the heavens.

4. The student should be able to draw a conclusion from those works.

15.3. Current Work of Jesus Christ

Multiple theologians such as Ryrie, Chafer, Walvoord, and others have admitted that the
subject concerning the current work of Jesus Christ has been overlooked in the majority of
study and writing. We know His current work is strongly and irrefutably connected to His past
work. What He is doing now is connected to what He has done in the past. John F. Walvoord
said, “At least a dozen important aspects of His present ministry were contingent upon the fact of
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His resurrection.” Notice that by current work, we mean anything that has been done or is being
done subsequent to Jesus’ resurrection.

The Sending of the Holy Spirit
The coming of the Holy Spirit to indwell believers was not a novel idea found in the New Testament.
The Holy Spirit was promised in the Old Testament. The verses about the coming of the Holy Spirit in
the New Testament is what theologians or scholars label as developmental passages. They are
building from what was already discussed in earlier main passages.

Joel prophesied the coming of the Holy Spirit hundreds of years before the occurrence of the actual
event (Joel 2:28-32). In that passage, Joel reminded the people of Judea that the disaster of an
invasion of the locust that left their lands bare was a judgment of Jehovah (1:1-12). He further
stated that in the future the LORD’s army was coming which would bring “anguish; every face turns

156 Walvoord, Jesus Christ our Lord, 211.

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