I just want to say first, that I am pretty surprised at myself that I have made it more than halfway through this massive book! 621 pages down....
Now we are at chapter 29, The Offices of Christ.
Among the people of Israel, there were three major offices, prophet, priest, and king.
Christ fulfills all three of these offices.
1. Prophet:
Prophets in the Old Testament spoke God's words to the people. Often people in the New Testament spoke of Jesus as a prophet when they didnt know much about him, but saw something great from him.
The Epistles never call Jesus a prophet, but points out that Jesus is special as he is "the son."
They almost avoid calling Jesus a prophet, as he is so much more than that. He is the one that all the prophets spoke about who was coming, thus putting him on a whole different level. Jesus was also not merely a messenger of God's revelation, but the source of revelation from God.
Instead of saying, "thus says the Lord," but Jesus could say, "I say unto you."
2. Priest
In the Old Testament, priests were the ones who offered sacrifices on behalf of the people. They made the people acceptable to come into God's presence.
As priest, Jesus offered a perfect sacrifice for Sin. He continually makes it possible for us to come into God's presence.
As priest, Jesus continually prays for us. He is the only one who is perfectly suited as man and God, to understand and pray on our behalf.
3. King.
Jesus was king, but his kingdom was not "of this world." He is the king of kings and lord of lords.
There are parallels for us. Adam was a prophet in that he had true knowledge of God and spoke truthfully about God and his creation. Adam was a priest who could come before God (before the need for a sacrifice for sins). Adam and Eve were also king/queen in the sense that they ruled over the creation around them.
After sin entered, those three offices were removed from Adam and Eve. Others took up the role throughout history, but often they were also sinful and corrupt in their jobs.
When Christ came, he did and does perfectly fulfill those three roles.
As Christians, we can imitate Christ in these roles, as we "prophetically" proclaim the gospel to the world, and prophetically proclaim God's truth to others. We also are priestly in the sense that we can offer sacrifices of praise to God and come before him. We are also kingly in that we share the kingly reign with Christ, and have been given limited authority.
Now we are at chapter 29, The Offices of Christ.
Among the people of Israel, there were three major offices, prophet, priest, and king.
Christ fulfills all three of these offices.
1. Prophet:
Prophets in the Old Testament spoke God's words to the people. Often people in the New Testament spoke of Jesus as a prophet when they didnt know much about him, but saw something great from him.
The Epistles never call Jesus a prophet, but points out that Jesus is special as he is "the son."
They almost avoid calling Jesus a prophet, as he is so much more than that. He is the one that all the prophets spoke about who was coming, thus putting him on a whole different level. Jesus was also not merely a messenger of God's revelation, but the source of revelation from God.
Instead of saying, "thus says the Lord," but Jesus could say, "I say unto you."
2. Priest
In the Old Testament, priests were the ones who offered sacrifices on behalf of the people. They made the people acceptable to come into God's presence.
As priest, Jesus offered a perfect sacrifice for Sin. He continually makes it possible for us to come into God's presence.
As priest, Jesus continually prays for us. He is the only one who is perfectly suited as man and God, to understand and pray on our behalf.
3. King.
Jesus was king, but his kingdom was not "of this world." He is the king of kings and lord of lords.
There are parallels for us. Adam was a prophet in that he had true knowledge of God and spoke truthfully about God and his creation. Adam was a priest who could come before God (before the need for a sacrifice for sins). Adam and Eve were also king/queen in the sense that they ruled over the creation around them.
After sin entered, those three offices were removed from Adam and Eve. Others took up the role throughout history, but often they were also sinful and corrupt in their jobs.
When Christ came, he did and does perfectly fulfill those three roles.
As Christians, we can imitate Christ in these roles, as we "prophetically" proclaim the gospel to the world, and prophetically proclaim God's truth to others. We also are priestly in the sense that we can offer sacrifices of praise to God and come before him. We are also kingly in that we share the kingly reign with Christ, and have been given limited authority.
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