Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Jesus the King


"Q. 26. How doth Christ execute the office of a king? A. Christ executeth the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies." (Westminster Shorter Catechism) 

In what two ways is Jesus king?
While Jesus has eternal dominion over all as God, he also has received a mediatorial dominion over all as our Redeemer, on the basis of his death and resurrection, to the end that he might save, lead, and protect God’s elect and restore God’s reign over a fallen world (John 17:2, Matt. 28:18, 1 Cor. 15:24-26). It is in this second sense that he was “given” all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18). Not only does Jesus, as our Redeemer, execute the offices of a prophet and of a priest, but also of a king

Why do we need a king?
By nature, the fallen world is under the domain of Satan and the judgment of God. They are condemned outlaws, hostile to God, doing whatever their corrupt will desires, under a tyrant’s sway. They are like sheep without a shepherd (Matt. 9:36, 1 King 22:17, Ezek. 34:5-6), scattered, going their own way, subject to ravenous wolves. But by grace, sinners are brought into the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God and of his Christ (Col. 1:13-14). Jesus binds the strong man and plunders his house, drawing people into his kingdom (Matt. 12:25-29).

As early as Genesis 3:15, mankind was taught to believe in the king who delivers sinners from the domain of darkness with victory over the serpent. God said to that ancient serpent the devil, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Gen. 3:15).

When did God first promise kings for his people? 
God promised to Abraham and Jacob to raise up kings from their offspring (Gen. 17:6, 16; 35:11), and instructions for a king were given in Deuteronomy 17. The book of Judges pointed to Israel’s need for a king to deliver and lead them. “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes”(Judges 21:25).

After God rejected Saul from being king, whom did he raise up and establish as king over his covenant people?
King David, son of Jesse, a shepherd from Bethlehem. The kingdom of Israel under King David and his heirs was an Old Testament manifestation and type of the kingdom of God. God chose this people and provided them with a king to deliver them and give them peace and rest (2 Sam. 7:8-11, Ps. 78:70-72). He promised to raise up David’s offspring to succeed him and to establish his throne forever (2 Sam. 7:12-16, Ps. 72, 89:1-37).

The kings like David, Asa, and Jehoshaphat received God’s word from the priests and enforced it, guided the people by it, delivered the people from their enemies, gave them peace in the land, and interceded for the people.

Yet, as David’s descendants acted corruptly, the kingdom fell. Was God done with the offspring of David? What did the prophets say? 
The prophets explained to the people that this situation was temporary. God would remember his covenant with David and raise up his heir and restore his kingdom and make it greater than ever before (Is. 9:6-7, 11:1-10, Ezek. 34:23-24, Micah 5:2-4). The king would come to Israel and shepherd God’s people and extend his reign to the ends of the earth. This would be the Christ, God’s anointed, who would deliver his people and establish heaven’s reign on earth. As the fulfillment of this prophecy, Jesus came as the Son of David, the promised king (Luke 1:31-33).

How does King Jesus subdue us to himself? 
He does so by subduing our hearts by converting us by his word and Spirit, so that we offer ourselves freely on the day of his power (Ps. 110:3, see also Acts 15:14-18). He powerfully calls out of the world a people to himself, bestowing saving grace upon his elect, rescuing them from the domain of darkness. He applies redemption by his word and Spirit.

How does King Jesus rule us? 
He rules his people internally by his grace, by his Spirit who writes God’s word on our hearts. He rules his people externally by his officers, his laws, and his censures (Eph. 4:11-12, 1 Cor. 12:28, Is. 33:22, Matt. 18:17-18). He also rules them in his providence by rewarding their obedience, correcting them for their sins, and ordering all things for their good (Rev. 2:10, 3:19).

How does King Jesus defend us? 
He defends us from our enemies by preserving and supporting us under all our temptations and sufferings, and by restraining and conquering our enemies. He both carries his sheep and he fights off the lions and bears (Is. 40:11, 1 Sam. 17:34-36).

The kingdom of heaven is both a shelter and a transforming power, a place of protective defense and a power of righteous sway. It is a tree where the birds make their nest and it is leaven which transforms the dough (Matt. 13:31-33). (1) It is a shelter where there is reconciliation with God rather than condemnation, favor rather than wrath. In this kingdom there is justification and adoption, and thus peace and joy, through Jesus Christ (Col. 1:12-14). We take refuge under the protection of our king. (2) Jesus reigns in our hearts by his grace, producing sanctification, societal reform, and a new way of life. As a little sin can spread its corrupting influence in people and communities (1 Cor. 5:6), so the reign of Christ spreads its reforming influence in people and communities.

How does King Jesus restrain and conquer his and our enemies? 
As Jesus places us on his side, his enemies become ours as well. As the world hated him, so it hates his disciples. Therefore, in addition to death, our enemies include the world, the flesh, and the devil. But Jesus shall restrain and conquer them, for his glory, for our good, and to fulfill his messianic task to restore the world. He “will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses” (110:5-6). As Psalm 2 describes the choice, we must either submit to the king and take refuge in him or suffer his wrath and perish (Ps. 2:12). He wields this power even now as he extends his kingdom (Rev. 2:15-16, 22-23). For example, he overthrew Jerusalem for its persistent persecution of him and his disciples. But one day he will return in glory to raise the dead and judge the world, repaying with affliction those who afflicted his church, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God or obey the gospel, purifying his church of all hypocrites, bringing all of this work to perfect completion (2 Thess. 1:6-10). 

Psalm 110 serves as a good summary of his kingship. Jesus was enthroned as king when he ascended to his Father’s right hand on the basis of his victorious work of redemption (Ps. 110:1). He now rules in the midst of his enemies, making his enemies his footstool (110:1-2). He does this in two ways, (1) by subduing the hearts of his people by his word and Spirit, so that they “offer themselves freely on the day of [his] power” (110:3), and (2) by restraining and conquering all his and our enemies, executing judgment among the nations (110:5-6).
"[The kingdom of God] was symbolized in the throne of David in Jerusalem and the Jewish theocracy, and it was visibly set up in its higher spiritual form when the long-promised Son of David, having redeemed his people on the cross, rose from the dead, ascended to the heavens and sat down at the right hand of God. This kingdom is not one among the many competing kingdoms of the earth. It is antagonistic to the kingdom of Satan only: all the natural kingdoms of men, except in so far as they are compromised with the kingdom of Satan, are penetrated and assimilated and rendered subservient to its own ends by the kingdom of God. All other kingdoms have their rise, progress, maturity and decadence, while this kingdom alone is eternal, growing broader and waxing stronger through all ages until its consummation in the city of God."
-A.A. Hodge, "The Kingdom Of Christ," Popular Lectures on Theological Themes (1887)

Tuesday, January 7, 2025

Jesus the Priest


"Q. 25. How doth Christ execute the office of a priest? A. Christ executeth the office of a priest, in his once offering up of himself a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice, and reconcile us to God; and in making continual intercession for us." (Westminster Shorter Catechism)

Jesus became our redeemer to deliver us from our estate of sin and misery. As our redeemer he executes the offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king

Why do we need a priest? 
Because apart from him we are alienated from God, guilty and defiled, condemned by divine justice, unable to dwell with a holy God.

Who were some of the priests in the Old Testament? 
Aaron, Eleazar, Phinehas, Zadok, Joshua (the high priest after the exile), and Ezra. Some of the priests were also prophets (Ezekiel) and one was also a king (Melchizedek).

What did they do?
They received God’s word from the prophets and taught it, maintained the worship and vindicated the holiness of God, offered the various sacrifices and gifts of the people to God, and interceded for the people (Deut. 33:8-11, Lev. 10:10-11, Mal. 1-2, Heb. 5:1-4).

Where was it prophesied that the Christ would be a priest? 
Isaiah 53 and Psalm 110. "The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, 'You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek'" (Psalm 110:4).

What is significant about Jesus being a priest of the order of Melchizedek? 
As Hebrews 7 explains, Melchizedek was the priest-king of Salem who received a tithe from Abraham and was a type of Christ. Being of the order of Melchizedek, Jesus is superior to the Levitical priesthood and is a priest-king of peace and righteousness, without beginning or end. It also defeats the objection to the priesthood of Jesus on the grounds that he was of the tribe of Judah rather than Levi - the Christ who was prophesied to be king was also appointed by God’s oath as a priest of the order of Melchizedek.

How was Jesus greater than the Levitical priests? 
In contrast to the Levitical priests, who were “many in number because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, [Jesus] holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever” (Heb. 7:23-24). Jesus is God and man, and he was raised from the dead, to never die again, being made a “priest forever” by God’s oath. He also personally sinless and undefiled, without need to offer sacrifice for his own sins (Heb. 7:26-27).

Was it requisite that our priest be man? 
Yes, priests were chosen from among men to act on behalf of men in relation to God (Heb. 5:1-2). Jesus is a merciful high priest, able to sympathize with our weakness, having been tempted as we are, yet without sin (Heb. 2:17, 4:15).

What is the sacrifice that Jesus offered for sins? 
The sacrifice that he offered was himself. He partook of our flesh and blood to die for us, bearing our sins in his own body on the tree. Jesus secured an eternal redemption by his once-for-all offering of himself as a sacrifice without blemish to God (Heb. 9:12, 14). “But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:26).

How is this sacrifice superior to the sacrifices that were offered by the Levitical priests? 
The animal sacrifices of the old covenant were shadows of what was to come. They pointed to Christ, directing the old covenant saints to believe in the Christ to come for their salvation. The fact that these sacrifices had to be continually offered showed their insufficiency of themselves to take away sins. It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins (Heb. 10:1-4). The sacrifice of Christ did take away sins, once for all (Heb. 9:13–14). And rather than purifying the earthly holy place, which was a copy of the heavenly, Christ entered into the heavenly holy places by means of his own blood, appearing before God for us (Heb. 9:11-12).

What did Jesus do by his sacrifice of himself?
By his death, Jesus satisfied divine justice and reconciled us to God. His sacrifice of himself was a “propitiation” for our sins (Rom. 3:25, Heb. 2:17, 1 John 2:2, 4:10), which is to say that by atoning for our sins it appeased the just wrath of God and incurred God's favor. It is the grounds for our forgiveness, the debt of sin having been paid by Christ. By it, we are reconciled with God - peace has been made by the blood of the cross (Col. 1:20).

This is not to say that Jesus and the Father were at cross-purposes. The Father had sent the Son because of his love for us, so that God and sinners would be reconciled. As John Murray has said, “The doctrine of the propitiation is precisely this: that God loved the objects of His wrath so much that He gave His own Son to the end that He by His blood should make provision for the removal of this wrath.” (John Murray, The Atonement. Philadelphia, PA: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1962, p. 15)

How does Jesus continue to execute the office of a priest for us? 
He continues to make intercession for those who draw near to God through him (Heb. 7:25, Is. 53:12). As the Westminster Larger Catechism says, "Christ maketh intercession, by his appearing in our nature continually before the Father in heaven, in the merit of his obedience and sacrifice on earth, declaring his will to have it applied to all believers; answering all accusations against them, and procuring for them quiet of conscience, notwithstanding daily failings, access with boldness to the throne of grace, and acceptance of their persons and services" (Q&A 55).

Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Jesus the Prophet


"Q. 24. How doth Christ execute the office of a prophet?
 A. Christ executeth the office of a prophet, in revealing to us, by his word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation." (Westminster Shorter Catechism)

The eternal Son of God became the Redeemer to deliver us out of an estate of sin and misery and into an estate of salvation and glory. He is not our redeemer and mediator by nature, but by grace. In this capacity and for this purpose, he is a prophet, priest, and king

Who were some of the prophets of the Old Testament? 
Moses, Samuel, Nathan, Elijah, Elisha, Jonah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, etc. 

What did they do? 
They delivered God’s word to the people, speaking and writing his word. God put his words into their mouths (Jer. 1:9). They often received and described visions given by God, and sometimes were given parables or demonstrations to deliver the message (Hos. 12:10). They often did miracles which demonstrated God’s power and mercy, as well as verified the message. They often interceded for the people in prayer.  

How did the ministry of the prophets differ from the teaching ministry of the priests? 
The prophets spoke as oracles of God, delivering revelation to God’s people. The priests received the written word of the prophets and taught it. The prophets delivered new revelations from God by speech and writings, while the priests read and taught those Holy Scriptures (Deut. 31:9-13, 33:10, Lev. 10:11). And while there were some women prophets in the Old and New Testaments, the ministers of the word in both eras have always been men.

Was there a prophetic expectation that the Christ would be a prophet? 
I think it is safe to say that Moses was the greatest prophet in the Old Testament. The concluding postscript of Deuteronomy says that “there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt…” (Deut. 34:10-11). Yet, Moses prophesied in Deuteronomy 18:15-16 that the Lord would raise up a prophet like Moses for his people, to mediate between them and the Lord.

When people began to observe Jesus’ teaching and miracles, they realized that he was this great prophet, the Prophet. The Gospel of John makes this clear by noting that John the Baptist denied that he was the Prophet (John 1:21-27), while the people correctly realized that Jesus was the Prophet (John 6:14, 7:40). Peter quoted the prophecy of Deuteronomy 18 in Acts 3:22 as referring to Jesus.

How was Jesus greater than the other prophets? 
Both John and the writer of Hebrews points out that Jesus surpassed the other prophets by being God himself, the eternal Word, the only-begotten Son of the Father (John 1:1-3, 14-18, Hebrew 1:1-3, 3:1-6). Jesus makes his Father known perfectly and completely because he is “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Heb. 1:3). And as the Redeemer who accomplished redemption, Jesus proclaimed the final and permanent administration of the covenant of grace. Jesus is the final word. “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…” (Heb. 1:1-2a). This is why Scripture was completed and special revelation ceased once his word, delivered through the apostles, was written down (Heb. 2:3-4).

How did Jesus exercise his office as a prophet before his incarnation? 
By inspiring the prophets by his Spirit (1 Peter 1:10-11). Not only is Jesus greater than all other prophets, but he was always at work through the other prophets. The Old Testament was given through him, as he worked by his Spirit to prepare his people for his coming and to build them up through faith in him.

How did Jesus exercise his office as a prophet during his earthly ministry? 
Jesus exercised this prophetic ministry during his time on earth as he preached the gospel, taught his disciples, told parables, pronounced blessings and woes, foretold future events, taught through symbolic actions, and did many miracles, signs, and wonders. He made the Father known, revealed the substance and fullness of the covenant and the kingdom, and established the new covenant administration.

How did Jesus exercise his office as a prophet during the apostolic age?
He revealed God’s will by his Spirit through through his apostles whom he commissioned (John 14:25-26, 15:26-27), as well as by the NT prophets (Eph. 3:5, 4:11, 1 Cor. 12:28, Acts 13:1). The apostles and prophets (OT and NT) are the foundation and he is the cornerstone (Eph. 2:20). 

How does Jesus exercise his office as a prophet now? 
Jesus continues to exercise this office as he disciples us through Scripture and enlightens our minds by his Spirit to understand it (1 Cor. 2:12-16). He also continues to gift men for the ministry of the word, not as infallible prophets, but as preachers and teachers (Eph. 4:11).

What is it that Jesus makes known to sinners by his word and Spirit? 
The will of God for our salvation. This includes a knowledge of the true God, his works, and his will. The purpose of this revelation is that we might be justified by faith in Christ and conformed to his image by his discipleship (John 20:31, Matt. 28:18-20, 1 Tim. 3:15-17).

He delivered the full and final revelation of this message with his coming, a message that was once delivered to the saints through the prophets and apostles, and which was written down for the church in the New Testament. As this message has been delivered by the Prophet, and we await no greater revelation until his second coming, prophecy has ceased and we expect no further revelation. Let us attend to the written word of God and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.