Monday, March 24, 2014

Lenten Devotional – Day 17

Q. 23. What offices does Christ execute as our Redeemer?

A. Christ, as our Redeemer, executes the offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both in his estate of humiliation and exaltation.

“Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb. 4:14-15)

The prophet was an individual who said No to his society, condemning its habits and assumptions, its complacency, waywardness, and syncretism. He was often compelled to proclaim the very opposite of what his heart expected. His fundamental objective was to reconcile man and God. Why do the two need reconciliation? Perhaps it is due to man’s false sense of sovereignty, to his abuse of freedom, to his aggressive, sprawling pride, resenting God’s involvement in history. - Abraham J. Heschel, The Prophets

WordBecameFlesh  Mike Horton of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals says, We're raising our children to become atheists by turning Christ into little more than a football coach. ... I think it competes with His role as Savior if this is the primary message that people are getting. I don't think that Christianity is preventative. Christ has His three offices, prophet, priest and king. And certainly a prophet tells us how we should live as well as being a priest who lives in that place and fulfills the obedience that we couldn't deliver on. And a king rules us, but that's very different from simply giving us helpful hints on how we might be able to live a more fulfilling life. - Jamie Lee Rake, Door Interview: Mike Horton, The Door, March-April 1999, 20.

  “An enduring contribution is Calvin’s treatment of the work of Christ as mediator between God and humanity as expressed in a threefold office of prophet, priest and king. This tied the work of Christ to the covenant history of Israel in that prophets, priests, and kings in ancient Israel were all “anointed.” Christ as “prophet” is the teacher of perfect doctrine who conveys “perfect wisdom” to us. As king, Christ reigns over the church and enables us to pass through the miseries of the world with the assurance that “our King will never leave us destitute, but will provide for our needs until, our warfare ended, we are called to triumph.” As priest, Jesus Christ is our “everlasting intercessor” who through his death has “washed away our sins, sanctifies us and obtains for us that grace from which the uncleanness of our transgressions and vices debars us.” Jesus’ sacrifice was a willing self-sacrifice – not the demand of a wrathful or vengeful “Father-figure.” Jesus Christ was both “priest and sacrifice.” Jesus Christ was both “priest and sacrifice.” These biblical roles of prophet, priest, and king are ways of understanding what Jesus Christ has done. They link his work with God’s work in ancient Israel.” – Donald K. McKim, “Introducing the Reformed Faith”, p. 94.

  In the Old Testament these three figures were office-bearers of God. The prophet spoken the word of God. The king reigned on earth on behalf of God. The priest interceded with God on behalf of the people. When the Christian tradition used the threefold office of Christ, however, in view is not only continuity with Israel’s prophets, priests, and kings, and the role they played, but also a profound discontinuity. In Christ these offices were not just fulfilled, but radically transformed. First, in Israel’s experience the three figures were usually separate. In Christ they were held together in the unity of his person. Second, in Israel the three offices were often just taken over by the Church’s doctrine of Jesus Christ, nor was this doctrine squeezed to fit into their shape. Rather, in Christ something new happened, as the old was redeployed in the service of the new reality in Jesus Christ. In this way, Christ is as prophet, both Teacher and Teaching, as priest, both Priest and Sacrifice, and as king, both Victor and Victory, in a way that profoundly redefines the terms in and through his own life and ministry.” – Andrew Purves and Charles Partee, “Encountering God: Christian Faith in Turbulent Times”, p. 41.

Today’s Lectionary Readings
Morning Psalm: 148
Evening Psalm: 4, 48
Jeremiah 7:1-15
Romans 4:1-12
John 7:14-36

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