Christ Restores All Things

Last updated on: April 4, 2021 at 3:07 am by Henry Karlson

Christ Restores All Things 2021-04-04T03:07:18-05:00 Henry Karlson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

dimitrisvetsikas1969: Resurrection of Christ /pixabay

Christ is Risen!

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn. 1:1 RSV). In the new beginning is the Word, and the Word is with God, and the Word is God. “He was in the beginning with God” (Jn. 1:2 RSV). In the new beginning he is with God. Christ is risen! God has glorified him by raising him from the dead. And yet, he raised himself from the dead, showing that he is God. “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again; this charge I have received from my Father” (Jn. 10:18 RSV). The Word is with God, the Word is raised by God, the Word is God.

“All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made” (Jn. 1:3 RSV). even as all things are remade through him, so that nothing which has been made has not been remade by him. In his death and resurrection, the Word of God personally explored the full range of being. His descent into death took him to the very edge of being itself, next to the point of nothingness, where he then took all the sin of the world and disposed of it so that it was taken back to the nothingness from which it was formed. Then, having fulfilled his mission among the death, he ascended back to life and then to heaven, taking all the good which he found in the realm of being with him, so that all things can participate, in their own way, the glory of his resurrection. This is what Origen believed was indicated by Psalm 16:10 when it said, “For thou dost not give me up to Sheol, or let thy godly one see the Pit” (Ps. 16:16 RSV):

Explicitly, then, he says in this passage that Jesus would not see corruption and that the soul would not be abandoned in Hades, since he had descended in accord with the plan of salvation; because every region needed the visitation of Christ Jesus, including the place beneath the earth, he descended to Hades. For the one who ascended and the one who descended are the same, so that he might fill all things.[1]

Thus, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men” (Jn. 1:4 RSV), and in his glorious resurrection, he shares his life and light to all. Whatever harm sin has caused creation will be overcome and healed by him in the eschaton. The darkness of sin cannot hold him back. Even when he submits to death due to his long-suffering love for his creation, the darkness which death brings cannot overwhelm him; rather, it finds itself being overtaken by him. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (Jn. 1:5 RSV). The light shines in the darkness, the Word is found even in the depths of hell, but hell cannot and will not hold him down. The powers of hell, the powers of sin, are no match for him, even in his submission to them as he willingly descended into the realm of the dead. Even in his weakness, even when he does not struggle against the powers of sin and the death, he is not overcome but overcomes. Even in his weakness, even in his silent embrace of all that befalls him, he is God and without limit while sin, by its very nature, is limited, and will come to an end. He rises from the dead, having conquered death from within, showing to the world his eternal glory. It is this glory which he willing shares with us all. “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (Jn. 1:12-13 RSV).

The resurrection is not some sort of resuscitation. Those who are resuscitated can and will die again. The resurrection is complete victory over death. “For resurrection, properly speaking, is into an incorruptible body.” [2] Those who are taken in by the Word and share in his resurrection will be raised from the dead, and like him, once they are raised from the dead, they will die no more. Death is overcome by the Word of God, and the grace of his resurrection is freely given out to all; anyone who should accept his grace will experience the resurrection of the dead after their own death. They will not experience mere restoration to temporal existence, but rather, they will share in eternal life, and experience eternal life as children of God. And this is because the Word, having gone through the whole of being, has found the good in all things, restoring that good to its original glory and beauty, as St. Maximos the Confessor wrote:

For the words, ‘leave the stump of the roots of the tree to grow in the earth,’ make it clear that the transgression did not utterly destroy the seed of nature nor its potentials for goodness, according to which, by resuming its growth, it will be led back through the resurrection to its former natural stature and beauty.[3]

Christ is risen from the dead! The Word of God which was with God in the beginning is with God in the new-creation, remaking all things in and through his passion and resurrection from the dead. The goodness of creation was never completely destroyed by the power of sin and death. But, if sin and death had not been overcome from within, if it had been allowed to play itself out without any action from God, then sin and death would have prevailed and all things would eventually have been corrupted and destroyed. Sin would have overcome all things, including itself, leaving only the nothingness which existed before creation. But this did not happen. God the Word came among us and revealed to us the glory of God; now only sin finds itself entirely exhausted. The Word now has a place for all things in the kingdom of God, so that all things can share in the grace of God, so that through that grace, God will be all in all.

Christ is Risen! Glorify him!

[1] Origen, Homilies on the Psalms: Codex Monacensis Graecus 314. Trans. Joseph W. Trigg (Washington, DC: CUA Press, 2020), 40 [Homily 1 on Psalm 15].

[2] St. Albert the Great, On Resurrection. Trans. Irven M. Resnick and Franklin T. Harkins (Washington, DC: CUA Press, 2020), 38.

[3] St. Maximos the Confessor, On Difficulties in Sacred Scripture: The Responses to Thalassios. Trans. Fr. Maximos Constas (Washington, DC: CUA Press, 2018), 179-80.

Stay in touch! Like A Little Bit of Nothing on Facebook.
If you liked what you read, please consider sharing it with your friends and family!

Previous Post

April 1, 2021

The Tradition Of Foot Washing

Next Post

April 5, 2021 Understanding The Eucharist

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Abraham abuse Aesthetics AI Aliens Ambrose Ancestors and Everything Andrew Angels Animals Anne Anthony Antisemitism apologetics Apophatic Apostle John Aquinas Artificial Intelligence Asanga Ascension Asceticism Assumption Atheism Attachment Augustine Authority Avarice Balthasar Baptism Beauty Biden birthright citizenship Bishops Black History Books Buddhism Bulgakov Byzantine Calendar C.S. Lewis Calcidius Catholic Catholicism Catholicism Celibacy Charity Chastity children Chrismation Christ Christmas Christology Church Climate Change Common Good Communion Confession Confirmation Conscience Constantine conventions conversion councils Covid Creation Cross Dead Death Death Penalty Debate Deception Demagogues Demons Desert Monks Desert Mothers Desire destruction development Dialogue Dignity Dionsyius Dionysius Discipline Diversity Division Doctor Who doctrine dogma Dormition Dualism Easter Easter Series Ecumenical Councils Ecumenism Education Election Empathy Environment Error Eschatology eschaton Eternity Ethics Eucharist Evangelism Eve Evil evolution Faeries Faith Fear femininity Ficino Florence Florensky Folktale Fools Forgiveness Freedom Future gender Gentile Gentiles Glory Gnostic God gods Good Samaritan Goodness Gospel Government Grace Great Fast Guns Hate healing Health Heaven Hell Hellenism Heresy Hierarchy Hildegard Hinduism History Holiness Holy Spirit Holy Week Hope Horror Human rights humanity Humility hypocrisy ICE icon icons Identification Identity Idol II Nicea Immigration incarnation Individualism Informal Reflections Inklings Intention Inter-Religious Interfaith Internet Interpretation Intrinsic evil Irenaeus Islam Israel Jacob Jerome Jesus Jews John Chrysostom John of Damascus John the Baptist Joseph Judaism justice Justification kenosis Kindnesss Kingdom of God Kingdom of Heaven Law Law of Moses Lazarus Leaf by Niggle Lent Lenten Reflection Liberation Theology Lies Life Listen Literature Liturgy locutions Logic Logos Love Marriage Martyrs Mary Mass Maximos The Confessor Meanness Meditation Mercy Middle Path Migrants Mind Miracles Miriam Morals Moses Movies Music Muslims Myths Names Nationalism Native Americans New Year Nicea Nicholas Nothing Novatian Obedience Occam's Razor Ordination Origen Original Sin Orthodox orthopraxis Pagans Palamas Palm Sunday Paradise Paschaltide Paul Peace Pentecost person Peter piety PKD Plato pluralism Plurality Poem Poetry Poiltics Politics Poor Pope Pope Francis Pope Leo XIV Post Office Prayer Pride Pro-life Prodigal Son propaganda Prophecy Prophets Providence Putin Racism Reading Reason Reflection Refugees Relationships Religion Religion Series Religious Liberty Repent Republicans Rest Resurrection Rich Rites Russia Sacraments Saints Salvation Salvian Santa Science Scripture Self-Giving Sexuality Sibyl Sick Silence Sin Singlehood Social Justice Society Sodom Solovyov Speculations Spiritual Reflection St. Cyril of Alexandria St. Justin Martyr Suffering Sunday of the Paralytic Man Sunday of the Samaritan Woman Superhero Supreme Court Teaching Technology Thanksgiving The Father the Universe Theological Reflection Theology Theosis Theotokos Thomas Timaeus Time Tolerenace Tolkien Tradition Transfiguration Trinity Trump Truth Uncategorized Unity Universities USCCB Value Vatican II Vegetarian Vices Violence Virtue Vocations War Water Welcome Wisdom Womanhood Women Work World View Worship Writing Zacchaeus

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz