Christ is Our Prophet, Priest and King
The Heidelberg Catechism, questions and answers 31 and 32 says
Q. Why is he called “Christ,” meaning “anointed”?
A. Because he has been ordained by God the Father and has been anointed with the Holy Spirit1
to be our chief prophet and teacher who fully reveals to us the secret counsel and will of God concerning our deliverance; our only high priest who has delivered us by the one sacrifice of his body, and who continually intercedes for us before the Father; and our eternal king who governs us by his Word and Spirit, and who guards us and keeps us in the deliverance he has won for us.
Q. But why are you called a Christian?
A. Because by faith I am a member of Christ and so I share in his anointing. I am anointed
to confess his name, to present myself to him as a living sacrifice of thanks, to strive with a free conscience against sin and the devil in this life, and afterward to reign with Christ over all creation for eternity.
We call this the office of all believers. It was one of the great truths of Scripture lost in the Church of Rome and restored to the church by the great work of Reformation that God accomplished in the 16th century. It’s that idea that I want to explore in some depth in this short series of articles.
Although the word “office” appears a number of times in the Old and New Testament Scriptures (Genesis 41:13, 1 Chronicles 6:32, 9:22,26,31, Psalm 109:8, Isaiah 22:19, Acts 1:20), there is no single Scriptural word in either Hebrew or Greek that is equivalent to our word office. Instead, we derive our understanding of office from descriptions and ideas associated with those who held various positions of authority in Israel and the church.
In light of this Scriptural data, we may define office as a position of authority held among the people of God and for their good by appointment from God and anointing of the Holy Spirit. This definition includes five essential elements.
- God appoints to the office. No one holds office legitimately apart from the calling of God. That calling may be direct (as in the case of Moses and the twelve apostles) or through others such as prophets, elders in the congregation or even the congregation itself.
- God is the supreme authority and holds all office bearers accountable to himself for the duties he has given them.
- The calling to office includes an anointing of the Spirit which not only gives the office but also qualifies for it. This was especially evident in the office of judge held by such men as Gideon, Jephthah and Samson. The Spirit came on each of them in different ways to enable them to do the work to which God was calling them. It’s also clear in the case of Saul who received the Holy Spirit at his anointing and prophesied. In this respect the Biblical concept of office differs significantly from the idea of office outside the church. Though we may still say, e.g., that “the authorities that exist are appointed by God” (Romans 13:1), those appointments do not necessarily include the gifts from God which enable a man to do the work associated with the office.
- The office is a position of authority. In his appointing men to office God bestows on them the right to exercise authority and a power of some kind to enforce that authority among those subject to them. Thus, he gives elders authority to rule in the church and bestows on them the power of the keys of the kingdom of heaven for the enforcement of that authority. He gave to the priests authority over the temple and its service and the right to exclude from the house of God and the ceremonies of the law those who were unclean or otherwise unfit to participate in the religious exercises of the people. Thus also believers will judge the world and reign with Christ in the new heavens and earth.
- The office is a position of service, and that service is both to God and his people. No one is to hold office for his own benefit or pleasure but always to perform some necessary service directed to God (such as offering sacrifices) or to his people (such as judging them, leading them in war or performing rites of purification). Our Lord Jesus Christ exemplified this service aspect of the office when he offered himself to God and when he washed his disciples’ feet and commanded them to do the same for each other.
When God raised Jesus from the dead he gave to him all authority in heaven and on earth, so that all authorities in whatever sphere they may rule are subject to him and will appear before his judgment seat to give an accounting of their work. Christ, in fact, rules over all authorities in every sphere of life – the home, the state, the workplace and the church. He rules over supervisors, bureaucrats, policemen, legislators, judges, despots and kings.
In the church he is the supreme office bearer whose office, according to our Heidelberg Catechism, question and answer 31, embraces the offices of all the Old Testament office bearers. As prophet, he reveals to us the full counsel and will of God. As priest, he offers himself for our sins and makes intercession for us with the Father. As King he governs us by his word and Spirit and guards us against all his and our enemies.
All the essential elements of the office are present in him. He was called by God, anointed by the Spirit, given authority and appointed for service both to God and men.
Next time we’ll take a look at the special offices in the Old Testament.