CONFORMED TO CHRIST IN GLORIFIED HUMANITY (PART IV)

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“From the Image of Christ to the Final Christian Confession”

By Akin Ojumu

Christian glorification is not the destruction of humanity. It is not humanity transcending creaturehood. It is not man ascending into deity. It is perfected humanity.

GLORY IS PERFECTED HUMANITY

Sin is not essential to humanity. Death is not essential to humanity. Corruption is not essential to humanity. Disease is not essential to humanity. Aging is not essential to humanity. Decay is not essential to humanity. These are consequences of the Fall.

The risen Christ reveals humanity beyond the Fall. He reveals humanity beyond death. He reveals humanity fully alive before God. He is the pattern of redeemed human existence.

THE GREAT MOVEMENT OF SCRIPTURE

The biblical story can therefore be summarized as:

Creation → Fall → Incarnation → Redemption → Resurrection → Glorification → New Creation.

Creation begins good. The Fall introduces sin and death. The Son enters creation. He assumes our humanity. He bears sin and death. He rises victorious. He becomes the Firstfruit of resurrection. His people are raised with Him. Creation itself is renewed. And God dwells with redeemed humanity forever.

This is not merely the salvation of isolated individuals. It is the restoration and consummation of God’s creation under the lordship of Christ.

THE GREAT MOVEMENT OF THE BELIEVER’S SALVATION

The believer’s salvation may likewise be expressed as:

Election → Calling → Regeneration → Faith → Justification → Adoption → Sanctification → Perseverance → Resurrection → Glorification.

And the goal of the entire process is expressed in:

Romans 8:29
“For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers.”

Salvation is therefore thoroughly Christ-shaped. God does not merely save us from something. He saves us into conformity with Someone. Christ Himself is the pattern.

THE CHRISTIAN CONFESSION

We therefore confess:

We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, true God from true God. We believe that for us and for our salvation He became truly human without ceasing to be truly divine.

We believe that in the one Person of Christ, the divine and human natures are united without confusion, change, division, or separation. We believe that He assumed a complete human nature and lived in perfect righteousness.

We believe that He truly suffered. Truly died. Was truly buried. And truly rose bodily from the dead. We believe that His resurrection did not destroy His humanity but glorified it. 

We believe that He ascended bodily and reigns as the risen God-Man. We believe that His resurrection is the firstfruits and guarantee of the resurrection of His people.

We believe that when He returns, the dead in Christ will rise and living believers will be transformed. We believe that our mortal bodies will become immortal.

Our corruptible bodies incorruptible. Our weak bodies powerful. Our dishonored bodies glorious.

We believe that sin will be entirely removed and sanctification completed. 

We believe that we will remain human creatures forever. We will never become God by nature. We will never share the divine essence. We will never cease to be creatures. But we will be perfectly conformed to Christ in glorified humanity.

We believe that this resurrection glory belongs to the larger renewal of creation.

We believe in the resurrection of the body. We believe in the life of the world to come. We believe in the new heavens and new earth. 

And we believe that the destiny of the redeemed is not escape from creation but resurrection life in creation made new, forever in the presence of the Triune God.

In conclusion, to be “conformed to Christ in glorified humanity” means this:

The eternal Son became what we are without ceasing to be what He is. He assumed true humanity. He redeemed humanity. He carried humanity through death. He raised humanity into resurrection glory. And those united to Him will follow where their Head has already gone.

Christ remains eternally God the Son. We remain eternally redeemed creatures. But our humanity will be transformed after the pattern of His risen humanity.

We will be immortal. Incorruptible. Sinless. Holy. Glorious. Embodied. Fully alive. And perfectly fitted for communion with God in the new creation.

The Christian hope is therefore not that man becomes God. It is that, through the God-Man, redeemed humanity finally becomes what God created humanity to be.

The Incarnation reveals that the Son truly entered our humanity. The resurrection reveals what redeemed humanity will become. And the new creation reveals where glorified humanity will dwell forever.

As Paul declares:

1 Corinthians 15:49
“Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.”

And as the Church has confessed for centuries:

We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. 

Amen!

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