Workmanship as Witness

Book Club | On the Incarnation: Chapter 5

“what was ultimately to become of that body upon which the Word had descended? Mortal and offered to death on behalf of all as it was, it could not but die; indeed it was for that very purpose that the Saviour had prepared it for Himself. But on the other hand, it could not remain dead, because it had become the very temple of Life.” (p. 94)

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Welcome to week 5 of Book Club. It’s been a blast getting to dialogue over this great work, both here on the substack and in person with you all. Only 3 more weeks until Christmas, which means only 3 more weeks of Book Club in 2025!

Finally we are to the Resurrection, “the supreme object of His coming.” (p. 79)

I love how Athanasius explains the necessity of the Resurrection of Jesus. The Word, who cannot die, became flesh so that He could die. But because He cannot die, His body could not stay dead, but rather rose by necessity—as it belonged to Life Himself.

Two paradoxes are resolved:

1. Man’s salvation could not be brought about by anything less than death, yet no man could stand in the place of all men as a representative and bearer of that death—for all had sinned.

2. The only One righteous is God; but as spiritual and immortal, He could not die.

But God, in His wisdom, takes a form which is subject to death—a body of flesh like ours.

“It therefore died, as mortal, but lived again because of the Life within it, and its resurrection is made known through its works.” (p. 94)

The body of Jesus could not but rise to Everlasting Life; and because He has risen, we who have been united to Him through faith and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit shall rise also. Because He lives, we who are His shall live as well. Amen.

And as he says above, Jesus’ bodily “resurrection is made known through its works.”

What are the works of the resurrected Christ? The righteous deeds of the saints which make up His Body—the actions which you and I, and every believer in history, have performed as led by the Spirit who fills and guides us.

Athanasius brilliantly points out that this is always how God has operated:

“It is, indeed, in accordance with the nature of the invisible God that he should be thus known through His works,” (p. 94,95)

The invisible God has always been making Himself known through His visible works.

The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
² Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
³ There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
⁴ Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world. (Psalm 19:1-4a)

In fact, this was the purpose given to Humanity: make the invisible God visible—bear His Image and likeness in the creation, reflecting His nature to all onlookers.

This is what Jesus restores us to through His resurrection—to bear the Image of God as we were destined.

And as we do this—as we reflect the nature of God as those transformed by the Spirit through the resurrection of Jesus—we bear witness to that resurrection of Jesus. His work in us proves that He lives; for one who has died has no power to affect change or spur along the growth of his own body. But Jesus, the living One, proves in the world that He is alive and active. Though He is unseen in the world because He has ascended to the Father until the appointed time, our works are a witness that He lives. As Gamaliel, that leader of the Jews, says in Acts 5 about the disciples of Jesus:

“Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. 36 For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. 38 So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!”

This movement was of God. In fact, it was of the Living God, Jesus Christ the Lord of the living and the dead, King of kings and Lord of lords. The works of the disciples of Jesus, from Peter and John in Acts 5 to the faithful works of you and I today, bear witness that Jesus—the Living God—is present and active in the world.

The unseen God makes Himself known by His works; and “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”¹

May we walk in these good works, witnessing to the world that Jesus is alive—that He has saved, raised, renewed, and is transforming us until that day in which we are completely conformed to His Image. Jesus commands us to be perfect, “as your heavenly Father is perfect.”²

And I think I agree with Lewis when he says in reflection on this passage:

“I think [Jesus] meant,” he says, “The only help I will give is help to become perfect. You may want something less: but I will give you nothing less.”

Jesus will settle for nothing less than what is best for us, and that best is perfection.

The world is witness to this perfecting work of Jesus in us. May we joyfully receive this perfection, and through it, proclaim to the world that Jesus Christ is risen!

Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

• What stood out to you from this chapter?

• Can you think of more ways that the resurrection of Jesus is witnessed to here on earth?

• Did anything in this chapter change the way you think about the resurrection of Jesus?

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Next week’s reading will be Chapter 6!

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1. Ephesians 2:10

2. Matthew 5:48