Theology Thursday
Q. 23. What offices doth Christ execute as our Redeemer?
A. Christ, as our Redeemer, executeth the offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both in his estate of humiliation and exaltation.
Westminster Shorter Catechism
I’m a Dad. It’s one of my ‘offices’, along with ‘Pastor’, ‘Husband’ and ‘Brother’ (in the Christian sense). An office is a God instituted role that comes with specific responsibilities. In the Old Covenant, there were three such roles, Prophet, Priest & you guessed it, King.
Let’s go through each of these offices.
Prophets spoke on behalf of God, proclaiming His Word to Israel (most often calling out Israel for its sin rather than speaking God’s future promises).
Priests were the teachers and ministers, they reminded Israel of the law and offered sacrifices on behalf of the people.
Finally, the King ruled over God’s people, dispensing justice and mercy and guiding the people in the way they should go.
In the Old Covenant. These roles were usually filled by just one man. Aaron was the priest. Moses was the prophet. Saul was a King. In some rare instances, two offices were held by the one person. Melchizidek was a priest and king. David was king and prophet.
Only Jesus assumes all three roles. And only Jesus fulfilled His roles perfectly. He is the prophet who speaks God’s Word with absolute faithfulness because the Father’s words are His words.
He is the perfect High Priest who teaches the truth about God and offers Himself as a once and for all sacrifice on behalf of sinners.
He is the King of Kings, who rules and reigns perfectly over God’s people, leading them to faithful worship and blessing.
Now, is this just theological intellectualism? Or does it mean something for us today? It does. Because Jesus fulfils His roles perfectly we can trust Him. Did you just skip over that? Don’t. Just consider it for a moment.
We can truly trust Jesus. We can trust His words - that they are true. We can trust His sacrifice. It’s sufficient to truly save us from their sins. And we can trust His rule - He is worthy and able to lead us into true blessing.
That’s not small potatoes. That’s everything.
For Today:
Pray:
Passages: Deuteronomy 18:18, Hebrews 1:1-2, Hebrews 4:14-15, Luke 1:32-33, Leviticus 4:1-23
A. Christ, as our Redeemer, executeth the offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both in his estate of humiliation and exaltation.
Westminster Shorter Catechism
I’m a Dad. It’s one of my ‘offices’, along with ‘Pastor’, ‘Husband’ and ‘Brother’ (in the Christian sense). An office is a God instituted role that comes with specific responsibilities. In the Old Covenant, there were three such roles, Prophet, Priest & you guessed it, King.
Let’s go through each of these offices.
Prophets spoke on behalf of God, proclaiming His Word to Israel (most often calling out Israel for its sin rather than speaking God’s future promises).
Priests were the teachers and ministers, they reminded Israel of the law and offered sacrifices on behalf of the people.
Finally, the King ruled over God’s people, dispensing justice and mercy and guiding the people in the way they should go.
In the Old Covenant. These roles were usually filled by just one man. Aaron was the priest. Moses was the prophet. Saul was a King. In some rare instances, two offices were held by the one person. Melchizidek was a priest and king. David was king and prophet.
Only Jesus assumes all three roles. And only Jesus fulfilled His roles perfectly. He is the prophet who speaks God’s Word with absolute faithfulness because the Father’s words are His words.
He is the perfect High Priest who teaches the truth about God and offers Himself as a once and for all sacrifice on behalf of sinners.
He is the King of Kings, who rules and reigns perfectly over God’s people, leading them to faithful worship and blessing.
Now, is this just theological intellectualism? Or does it mean something for us today? It does. Because Jesus fulfils His roles perfectly we can trust Him. Did you just skip over that? Don’t. Just consider it for a moment.
We can truly trust Jesus. We can trust His words - that they are true. We can trust His sacrifice. It’s sufficient to truly save us from their sins. And we can trust His rule - He is worthy and able to lead us into true blessing.
That’s not small potatoes. That’s everything.
For Today:
- What roles/offices do you fill in life?
- Have you ever noticed these different ‘offices’ in the Bible?
- Reflect on Jesus’ roles and what they mean for you today.
Pray:
- Praise God, the Father for His grace to us, giving us His Word, His sacrifice and His rule.
- Give thanks for Jesus who fulfils all His roles perfectly.
- Ask God to help you see and understand Christ’s roles and what that means for us today.
Passages: Deuteronomy 18:18, Hebrews 1:1-2, Hebrews 4:14-15, Luke 1:32-33, Leviticus 4:1-23
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