Christ’s state of exaltation began with His return to life in the grave and exhibited itself to the lower world by His descent into hell, to the world by His glorious resurrection, and to the highest heavens by His ascension and session at the right hand of God the Father.
Our dogmaticians define the state of exaltation as "the state of Christ, the God-man, in which He, according to His human nature, having laid aside the infirmities of the flesh, received and assumed the plenary exercise of the divine majesty” (Baier).
The doctrine of Christ’s exaltation is clearly taught in Phil. 2, 9—11; Eph. 1, 20—23; 4, 10; etc. The Formula of Concord expressly rejects the error (kenosis) that Christ was exalted according to His divine nature. It declares: "We reject and condemn when it is taught . . . that all power in heaven and on earth was restored, that is, delivered again, to Christ according to His divine nature, at the resurrection and His ascension to heaven, as though He had also according to His divinity laid this aside and abandoned it in His state of humiliation.” The reason for this rejection is given in the words: "By this doctrine not only the words of the testament of Christ are perverted, but also the way is prepared for the accursed Arian heresy, so that finally the eternal deity of Christ is denied and thus Christ, and with Him our salvation, is entirely lost, if this false doctrine were not firmly contradicted from the immovable foundation of the divine Word and our simple Christian catholic faith.” (Art. VIII, Epit., 39.)
As Christ’s humiliation, so also His exaltation took place for our salvation, so that in the doctrine of the two states the entire Gospel of reconciliation is wrapped up, Rom. 4, 25; 2 Cor. 5, 18—21. Our Christian faith rests upon both the crucified and the glorified Christ, 1 Cor. 15, 1—23; Rom. 4, 25.