GOD originally purposed mankind to have the ‘world to come’ subject to them; has the purpose of God been thwarted or has God changed his mind? Not at all! The purpose of God for mankind is going to be even more perfectly fulfilled. Though we do not see this at the moment apparently in our world, what we do see is Jesus. Here is the glory of Christ which exalts him in a new and different way to the highest honour above all principality and powers.

Mankind has fallen, so what does God do? The Apostle tells us we see Jesus, firstly made a little lower than the angels. We see him made human. The eternal Word became flesh, flesh of our flesh, and came to live amongst us on this earth. He was made like us. But as we look back on the history of Jesus we see more than this. We see Jesus, who became flesh and dwelt among us, who identified himself with mankind in this very real way - we see Jesus now crowned with glory and honour, because he suffered death in the purpose of God, so in the grace of God he might taste the death we deserve in our place.

Because Jesus died bearing the punishment for sin due to sinners, and suffering it in our place, he was exalted to the highest place on the throne of God; but who is it who is so exalted? It is the man, the God-man, Christ Jesus. This is the amazing and glorious fact that it is a man who sits of the throne of heaven. It is a man that sits at the right hand of God on the throne of glory.

This is astounding. It is amazing. Man is crowned with glory and honour. In a very complete way man has everything under his feet. Jesus, the man, is so exalted and so fulfills the promise and purpose of God to exalt mankind. But does this alone fulfill the purpose of God, and does it satisfy the purpose of God expressed in Psalm 8 which we have considered, and we have to say that it does not seem to on its own, but this is not the whole story.

God’s grace, his unmerited favour was in the dying of Jesus. The dying of Jesus was not for himself. Jesus was tasting death, or accepting the death, for everyone, that is for human beings who are the real sinners and deserving of eternal death. If this is the meaning of Christ’s death, and the Bible everywhere tells us it is, then the exaltation of the man, Christ Jesus, to the throne of glory has more in it than just the glorification of Christ the Saviour and redeemer. He was tasting death for others for the purpose of the blessing of others. He was tasting death for others that they may be saved from death, which includes this awful separation from the fellowship and the family of God which was bound up in God’s creation purpose.

So Paul goes on by telling us that God’s purpose in Christ, which makes Christ so much higher and better than angels, and everything, was to bring many sons to glory. Christ’s exaltation to the highest place is for the exaltation of many others, other sons of God, to glory. God’s purpose is that human beings may be exalted to be family of God, to be sons and daughters of God. God’s purpose in Christ was that we might be exalted to his heavenly glory. We do not sit on the throne as Christ reigns on the throne, but we are exalted to royalty as we become sons of glory and sons and daughters of God.

But what is revealed here concerning the marvelous purpose of God for the blessing of redeemed humanity? If we who deserve to die, and deserve to suffer eternally and be separated from God for ever - if we who deserve to suffer are to know this glory, then it is fitting for God to exact the just penalty for our sin and dishonour on the one he sends to bring many sons to glory.

The truth is that it is not fitting for God to ignore his holiness, and so ignore sin. It is not fitting for sinners to be brought to glory, unless their sins are purged, and the punishment fully met. This is because God is the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy, and must fulfill, and never deny, any part of his character. So it was fitting that the one God made the pioneer, or the worker and provider of our salvation, be made the perfect Saviour and provider of salvation. The only way Jesus could perfectly provide salvation and be the perfect Saviour was through suffering.

This statement, though totally comprehensive, hardly describes what was fitting. What was the suffering that made Jesus the pioneer of our Salvation. What was the fitting suffering that made salvation possible, and made it possible that God should fulfill his desire and fulfill his purpose to crown mankind with glory and honour, placing all things under their feet? This suffering was the suffering of eternal hell and separation from God. So Jesus gave up the glory of heaven, and that dwelling with his Father in a oneness that is beyond imagination. So Jesus became a human being and experienced all the awful consequences of sin in the miseries and limitations we know in life on earth. So also then he gave himself up to the justice of God, and gave himself up to death on the cross, and suffered being forsaken by God, and to be in utter loneliness and blackness of eternal death and hell. This is the suffering he endured, which God inflicted on Jesus so that he may be truly the pioneer of our salvation.

Let us meditate on this, but let us meditate on how this suffering was essential, and God and Christ were ready to accept and endure it for our sakes. Let us meditate with grateful hearts on what it cost for us to be brought to glory. What thankfulness and worship this will create within us towards God. What hate of sin this will create in our hearts. What desire for holiness and to live for God this will impress on our minds and wills. What rejoicing in humble abasement of gratitude this will bring to our souls.