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.
Q. 24. How does Christ execute the office of a prophet?
A. Christ executes the office of a prophet, in revealing to us, by his Word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation.
Q. 25. How does Christ execute the office of a priest?
A. Christ executes 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.
Q. 26. How does Christ execute the office of a king?
A. Christ executes 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.
Many of us in our work lives have had jobs that came with a job description. This is a document that lays out the qualifications and responsibilities of a particular job. I have a job description as the Senior Pastor of Grace Community Church. Sometimes, these descriptions are broad and general. At other times, they are detailed and specific. Regardless of which category, we all know that almost no job description covers all the work that one will actually do in that position.
It is the same when we use the shorthand “the person and work of Christ” to talk about what Jesus did and does. There are some specific works that He did, such as His dying on the cross, that quickly comes to mind. We also think of His work in broader categories such as His teaching and healing. Yet, deep down, when we give it some thought, we know our descriptors are insufficient. There is a depth and breadth to the work of Christ that we will most likely be pondering for eternity.
However, there is benefit in considering what we can of the work of Christ. The Westminster Shorter Catechism (WSC) provides one framework through its discussion of the three-fold offices of Christ as our Redeemer. The term “office” speaks of official position or role. So, we speak of the office of the President of the United States. That doesn’t mean the room in the White House where the president conducts business or takes phone calls. Instead, it refers to the position and the authority that comes with it.
WSC speaks of three offices that Christ held and which duties He executed. The offices are those of prophet, priest, and king. We see these offices set out in the Old Testament. Moses was a prophet. Aaron was a priest. David was a king. While they might at times do the work of another office (Moses and David interceding for the people like a priest, for example), they only held one position in terms of office. In Jesus, we have one person who holds all three.
While there is much to consider in this three-fold “job description”, let me note two points.
Question 23 places all this work under the broad heading of Jesus as our Redeemer. So, all that Jesus does as a prophet, priest, and king has as its goal not only His glory but our good. As a prophet, He reveals to us. As a priest, He reconciles us to God, and makes continual intercession for us. As a king, He is subduing us to himself, ruling and defending us, and restraining and conquering all his and our enemies. When we speak of His work, we should be reminded that we are the recipients of the benefits of that work
Notice also that this work is ongoing and continual. The verb tenses are in the present. Even His work on the cross, which was done once for all, and is a past historical event, has ongoing effect. We must take care not to think of the work of Christ as only what He did during His earthly life. Remember what we celebrate at Easter and every Sunday, that Jesus is risen and alive.
So take comfort, saints, in knowing that Jesus is acting as our prophet today when we read, study, meditate upon, and listen to the preaching of His word. He is acting as our priest today as we pray and He hears our prayers and makes intercession for us. And He is acting as our king today in making us more like Himself, in protecting us from the wiles of the enemy, and in expanding His kingdom. And let our meditation on His work for us enliven and deepen our worship of Him, our great Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
