Question 23: The Offices of Christ

Question 23: What offices doth Christ execute as our Redeemer?

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

An office can be defined as "That which a person does, either voluntarily or by appointment, for, or with reference to, others." (thefreedictionary.com) This definition helps us to understand how appropriate this question is. We have said that Christ is a Redeemer: he purchases his elect from their estate of sin and misery and delivers them into an estate of salvation. But how does he do this? What does he do on our behalf in order to accomplish this? To answer this question is to describe Christ executing offices - holding positions and performing duties that benefit his people.

The rest of the answer to this question describes both what Christ does and when he does it. His activity involves speaking as a prophet, ruling as a king, and serving as a priest. He performed these offices while on earth during his time of humiliation, and he continues to perform these offices now in heaven. The meaning of each of these will be further explained in the next five questions of the catechism.