What is the Work of Christ?

What is the Work of Christ?

Who is the Redeemer of God’s elect?

The Answer is, The only Redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so was and continues to be God and man, in two distinct natures and one person for ever. This is the teaching of the Bible in the following verses:

ü  1 Timothy 2:5,6;

ü  John 1:14;

ü  Galatians 4:4;

ü  Romans 9:5;

ü  Luke 1:35;

ü  Colossians 2:9;

ü  Hebrews 7:24,25

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What is the Work of Christ?

The Lord Jesus Christ, by His perfect obedience and sacrifice of Himself, which He through the eternal Spirit once offered up to God, has fully satisfied the justice of God, procured reconciliation, and purchased an everlasting inheritance in the Kingdom of heaven for all those whom the Father has given unto Him.

What offices does Christ execute as our Redeemer?’

The Answer is, Christ as our Redeemer executes the offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both in His state of humiliation and exaltation.

This is the teaching of the Bible in the following verses:

ü  Acts 3:22;

ü  Hebrews 12:25;

ü  2 Corinthians 13:3;

ü  Hebrews 5:5-7;

ü  Psalm 2:6;

ü  Isaiah 9:6,7

ü  Matthew 21:5;

ü  Psalm 2:8-11

From these verses we have three questions:

1.     How does Christ execute the office of a prophet?

Answer.  Christ executes the office of a prophet, in revealing to us, by His Word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation.

ü  John 1:18;

ü  2 Peter 1:10-12;

ü  John 15:15 and

ü  John 20:31

Christ’s PROPHETIC office is necessary for us because of our ignorance of God, of His creation, of ourselves and of the way of salvation. General revelation is not a sufficient medium of educating a fallen being in spiritual things. This is because the Fall impaired our mental and spiritual faculties so that we are unable to naturally know God. Only the gospel is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes.

A prophet is one who brings God’s words to men, i.e. prophets are men who speak from God (2 Peter 1:21) to men. All the writers of Scripture are prophets, hence they constantly cried, “Thus says the Lord.” Unless one speaks directly from God, he has no business claiming this prophetic office.

Christ is our great Prophet, to whom all other prophets point. Read Deuteronomy 18:15,18, Acts 3:22-26, Hebrews 1:1-2. He perfectly fulfilled and continues to fulfil the office of the prophet. All the other prophets were shadows the reality and the full realization of the prophetic office is in Christ. When Christ came, He fully fulfilled the Old Testament prophecy, but more than that He was the ultimate prophet.

Christ not only brings God’s words to us, He Himself is a revelation of who God is (John 1:18, 14:7-9). In Christ’s day there was the expectation that this great Prophet would come, as prophesied by Moses in Deuteronomy 18 (John 1:21, 6:14, 7:40). At the Day of Pentecost, Peter said that the ultimate Prophet had already come in the Person of Christ. All the prophets were inspired by the Spirit of Christ (1 Peter 1:10-11) so that all the Scriptures can be regarded as the revelation of God through Christ Himself. Without such revelation we could know nothing about the way of salvation for we are in the darkness of ignorance by nature (see Jeremiah 17:9, 1 Corinthians 2:14, Ephesians 4:17-18).

2.     How does Christ execute the office of a priest?

 Answer.  Christ executes the office of a priest, in His once offering up Himself a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice, and to reconcile us to God, and in making continual intercession for us.

ü  Hebrews 9:14, 28

ü  Hebrews 2:17

ü  Hebrews 7:24,25

Christ’s PRIESTLY office is necessary for us because sin alienated us from God and rendered us imperfect in the best of our services. The best things we do as Christians are unacceptable except through Christ and the cleansing of His blood. His priestly office is necessary because we are sinners.

A priest is one who represents men before God in order to bring reconciliation and peace. Hebrews is the book of the Bible that refers much to Christ as our Priest (see chapters 4:14 – 10:18, and especially the summary statement of 8:1). The priests of the Old Testament pointed forward to Christ as our great High-priest since they failed, being themselves sinners. They had the work of sacrifice for sin and intercession for the people of God, just as Christ has (5:1-3, 7:25, 10:12).

Christ is the Priest in that He is both the Priest and the Sacrifice. He is the spotless, unblemished and acceptable Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He is the great High Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death by death from continuing in office, but He holds His priesthood permanently, because He continues for ever (Heb. 7:23-24). He is both the temple and the atonement providing a perfect propitiation for our sins.

God’s elect can only be reconciled to God through the priestly work of Christ (Hebrews 2:17-18). Those who are saved continue to need His priestly work because of sin. After His once for all atonement, He entered permanently into the heavenly tabernacle and sat at God’s right hand where He for ever lives to intercede for us.

3.     How does Christ execute the office of a king?

Answer.  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.

ü  Acts 15:14-16

ü  Isaiah 33:22;

ü  Isaiah 32:1,2

ü  1 Corinthians 15:25;

ü  Psalm 110

Christ’s KINGLY office is necessary for us because of our averseness and utter inability to return to God. Being dead in sin needs the King who would and could rescue us and secure us from our spiritual adversaries and bring us to God. A king both rules and defends his people.

The kings of the Old Testament pointed forward to the coming King, the Lord Jesus. David and Solomon specifically point forward to Christ as shown in Psalms 2 and 72. Christ sits on the throne of David (Luke 1:32-33, Acts 2:33-36, see also Matthew 2:2, 21:5, 27:11,37, John 1:49, Acts 17:7, Revelation 17:14).

Remember that the kingdom of God came with the coming of Christ (Matthew 12:28, John 18:36). It has now been established both on earth and in heaven and it awaits its fully inauguration when Christ comes the last time.

Why do we need a king?

1)      We need Christ’s kingly office so that by His power He might bring us back to God. Never forget that our conversion is a work of Christ’s power by,

a)      paying the penalty for our sins by His atoning sacrifice rescuing us from the wrath of God,

b)      giving His perfect righteousness acceptable to God and so satisfying the demands of God’s law and justice,

c)      giving us His Holy Spirit who applies His work of redemption by enabling us to believe and repent.

2)      We need His kingly office to be protected from our spiritual adversaries, the world, the flesh and the devil. He is able to do this because He is “head over all things to the church” (Ephesians 1:22). Here is the guarantee that we shall be kept “until we finally enter His heavenly kingdom”.

Conclusion:

·         We must never underrate sin. You who think of your sins lightly should mark the sacrifice appointed for atoning sin and see who bears the awful load – It is the Word, the Lord’s anointed Son of God and Son of Mary. This should help us to loathe sin, and kill it and love holiness, and live righteously.

·         A study of Christ’s Person and work as mediator ought to make us to praise Him for His grace. Who could have expected Him to do such things for we who are so unworthy? Who can calculate what it cost Him to become man and to suffer on the cross for us? Who can measure the breadth, and length, and depth, and height of the love of Christ (Ephesians 3:18-19)?

·         At the same time it ought to give us comfort. As mediator, Christ has done everything from beginning to end that we sinners need. We know the will of God for our complete salvation. We have a sacrifice that cleanses us from all sin. We have a Lord who will keep us to the end. May the Lord help us always to look to Christ and to depend on Him.