He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things. ~ Eph 4:10
The incarnation of the Son of God at Christmas is one of, if not THE, most glorious truths of the Christian faith. The beauties of the Son of God, born to suffer for the sins of His people for the glory of God are magnificent. However, there can be a difficulty in the minds of Christians, at times, with the immanence and the transcendence of Jesus.
‘Immanence’ means working inside of something or existing within something. It is often confused with ‘imminence’, which indicates that something is about to happen. The immanence of Jesus is His experience as humanity in the incarnation.
Jesus was immanent to the human race. He truly and really took on flesh, was born in a manger in the tiny village of Bethlehem, was raised by impoverished parents, and was trained as a carpenter. He was known, loved, hugged, and dialogued with by those who interacted with Him.
But Jesus wasn’t only immanent. ‘Transcendence’ means to be beyond the reach of any possible experience or knowledge. Things that are transcendent are impossible to grasp in any rational way. He is gloriously transcendent in His person, as the second member of the Trinity, in whom the fullness of Godhead dwells bodily (Col 2:9).
He is the One who created the universe, Who sits at the right hand of the throne of His Father, Who has all authority in heaven and on earth, and Who dwells in unapproachable light. He is the mighty God, the sustainer of all things through the word of His power.
How do we bring these things together?
To be honest, I don’t think we can. The apostle John was one of Jesus’ closest friends on earth. He calls himself ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved’, and at the last supper, he leaned on Jesus’ bosom as a dear brother and friend. And yet, when Jesus appears to him on the island of Patmos to give him the book of Revelation, John didn’t shake hands or give Jesus a hug. He fell down in terror. Jesus was immanent, but He is transcendent.
Nativity scenes and other Christmas decor often seek to harness this truth. There are stars over the infant, attempts to paint light around the manger, and other such things. But this is not the point of the birth of Christ.
Paul explains these two realities to us in a simple sentence in Eph. 4:10. Jesus really did descend to earth (this verse is not talking about a descent into hell—it means He became a man). He entered into the world just as any other baby has entered into the world. He was consummately human. And, in a cattle stall in little village in the country, everything was dirty, humid, grimy, and probably quite uncomfortable.
But that was the point.
The very One that lay in the manger is the same One who ascended above all the heavens, in order that He might fill all things! The baby was the Creator and Sustainer of all matter—transcendent and glorious beyond all describing. He is consummately God, very God, self-existent and sustaining all things that exist.
This is so stunning to Paul that he emphasizes it—He who descended is Himself also He who ascended—this is one being who fills both of these roles. But that’s the whole point. He is the God-Man, the incarnate Son of God.
The whole point of Christmas is Jesus—Son of God, Son of Man, immanently human in all ways like we are, and yet transcendently glorious beyond all our deepest imaginings. He is Immanuel—God with us.
