The Glory of the Ascension: Celebrating a Doctrine for the Life of the Church

by Ross Hastings

Overview

Rediscover the Majesty of the Ascended Christ

The doctrine of Christ’s ascension is often overlooked in the church today, yet it holds profound significance for Christian theology and the Christian life. The Glory of the Ascension by theologian Ross Hastings invites readers to rediscover this essential truth. With thoughtful precision, Hastings illuminates the ascension as a celebration of the completed atonement, followed by the intercessory work of the Great High Priest, the continuance of the humanity of Christ, and the reversal of the laying aside of the glory of the eternal Son associated with the incarnation. This inspiring volume offers an evangelical Protestant perspective, connecting the themes of glory and ascension to the vitality of the church and individual faith.

This book:

• Provides an in-depth and constructive theological exploration of a neglected doctrine.
• Offers an evangelical Protestant account of the ascension and differentiates it from the atonement.
• Connects the ascension to the doctrines of God, Christ, the Spirit, salvation, the church, and eschatology.
• Gives an engaging invitation to wonder, worship, and participation in the triune life of God.

This book is ideal for students and professors of theology, pastor theologians, and any Christians seeking theological depth. Discover the beauty of God’s glory revealed in the ascended Christ and order The Glory of the Ascension today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781514010617
Publisher:	InterVarsity Press
Publication date:	11/11/2025
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

W. Ross Hastings (PhD theology, St Andrews; PhD chemistry, Queen's) is the Sangwoo Youtong Chee Professor of Theology at Regent College, Vancouver. Among other books, he is the author of Missional God, Missional Church; Total Atonement; and The Resurrection of Jesus Christ. He also serves as an Anglican priest at St. John's Vancouver and enjoys watching rugby, soccer, and cricket. He lives in Vancouver with his wife, Tammy. They have five children and nine grandchildren.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Abbreviations

1. Why the Ascension Matters for Everybody and Everything
2. Methodology: The Biblical-Christological Unveiling of the Ascension
3. The Glory of His Deity: Ascension by the God of Iridescent Glory
4. Glory Concealed, Glory Revealed
5. The Glory of His Threefold Office as Prophet, Priest, and King
6. The Glory of a Completed Atonement, the Glory of an Eternal Salvation: Atonement Accomplished in the Session, Atonement Applied in the Intercession of Christ
7. The Glory of God in the Ascended Human: Implications for All of Human Life
8. The Glory of a Finished Objective Atonement
9. The Glory of the Heavenly Application of the Atonement
10. Glory in the Church
11. The Glory of the Kingdom Come, His Coming Again in Glory: Inaugurated and Future Eschatology
12. The Shared Glory of the Cosmic Christ
13. The Glory of Heaven

Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Bibliography
General Index
Scripture Index

Editorial Reviews

"In this insightful work, Ross Hastings attends to the ascension, that most overlooked event in the history of Jesus Christ, and presents a luminous account seeking to retrieve its significance and highlight its wonder. Hastings offers an account that is—characteristically—deeply informed by Scripture and tradition, encouraging us to consider the doctrinal landscape from the refreshing perspective of the ascension. But this account also cares deeply about the Christian life and about the church and its mission in the present. Perhaps above all, this is an uplifting book, drawing our vision upward toward the glory of God, the beauty of the ascended Christ, and the assurance of heaven, offering hope in uncertain times. It comes warmly recommended."

Paul T. Nimmo

"Christian theology is characterized by interrelationships, balance, and proportion, as doctrines shape and support each other. In his account of Christ's ascension, Ross Hastings helps restore some of that proportion to a Protestant theology by means of what amounts to a small systematic theology of the ascension, shot through with biblical and historical theology. To read this book is to dwell richly on why the Apostle's Creed includes the vital fact that 'he ascended into heaven.'"

Adam Johnson

"The Glory of the Ascension is a different kind of Christology from above that takes its bearings not from Christ's pre-existence (i.e., the eternal Logos) but, rather, from Christ's post-existence (i.e., resurrection, ascension, heavenly session). In retrieving this undeservedly neglected episode, Ross Hastings convincingly shows how the ascension is central to Jesus' identity and work, to the whole of salvation history, and ultimately to the glorious end for which the world was created in the first place."

Kevin J. Vanhoozer

"This is a lively and informed exposition and interpretation of the doctrine of the ascension. Although a key doctrine at the heart of the gospel, the ascension is too little discussed. Ross Hastings's thought-provoking and insightful exploration addresses the significance of the ascension for the priesthood of Christ and the atonement in ways that challenge and correct conventional perspectives. This book invites readers into a bold and distinctive viewpoint. Whether or not you agree with all Hastings's conclusions, this book will stimulate serious reflection on a theologically foundational affirmation."

Alan J. Torrance

"Doctrines seem to wax and wane in their popularity and the attention scholars give them. The ascension of Christ has been hidden out of sight in modern theological accounts of salvation, with a few significant exceptions, but of late this trend has been reversed, and Ross Hastings's work is the latest offering on the topic. We find in this work what we have come to expect from Hastings, a work attentive to Scripture, theologically rich, and pastorally thoughtful. Doctrine sings, and in Hastings's hands, the ascension of Christ strikes a rich and compelling note. If the rich expanse of a soteriology that includes Christ's ascension becomes more popular among our pastors and preachers, it will be in no small part due to the influence of this impressive work."

Myk Habets

"Ross Hastings is unfailingly a theologian for the life of the church. Following his works on the atonement and the resurrection, he now focuses our eyes on the glory of God veiled in flesh and made manifest in the ascension of Christ. Seated at the right hand of the Father, Christ takes our humanity into God's presence that we might share in his glory. Drawing together exegetical, historical, and systematic insights, Hastings invites us into a deeper comprehension of the ancient Christian confession that Jesus is Lord."

Austin Stevenson

"The Glory of the Ascension is a different kind of Christology from above that takes its bearings not from Christ's pre-existence (i.e., the eternal Logos) but, rather, from Christ's post-existence (i.e., resurrection, ascension, heavenly session). In retrieving this undeservedly neglected episode, Ross Hastings convincingly shows how the ascension is central to Jesus' identity and work, to the whole of salvation history, and ultimately to the glorious end for which the world was created in the first place."

Kevin. J. Vanhoozer

"In this insightful work, Ross Hastings attends to the ascension, that most overlooked event in the history of Jesus Christ, and presents a luminous account seeking to retrieve its significance and highlight its wonder. Hastings offers an account that is—characteristically—deeply informed by Scripture and tradition, encouraging us to consider the doctrinal landscape from the refreshing perspective of the ascension. But this account also cares deeply about the Christian life and about the church and its mission in the present. Perhaps above all, this is an uplifting book, drawing our vision upward toward the glory of God, the beauty of the ascended Christ, and the assurance of heaven, offering hope in uncertain times. It comes warmly recommended."

Paul T Nimmo