Blog Archives: February 2018

Question 26: How doth Christ execute the office of a king? Answer: Christ executeth 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. Of the three offices described in the catechism, king is the one that sounds the least religious. We can understand the meaning of this word without any reference to Christianity, but simply by looking at political realities. The words that the catechism uses to describe Jesus' kingship - subduing, ruling, defending, ...

Question 25: How doth Christ execute the office of a priest? Answer: Christ executeth 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. A priest is someone who is able to stand as a mediator between God and people, appealing to God on behalf of the people. The catechism emphasizes two aspects of Jesus' priesthood: offering a sacrifice and making intercession. Hebrews 8:3 tells us that "every high priest is appointed to ...

Question 24: How doth Christ execute the office of a prophet? Answer: Christ executeth the office of a prophet, in revealing to us, by his Word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation. A prophet is someone who authoritatively speaks the word of God. At the outset of his ministry Jesus declared his prophetic status: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor." (Luke 4:18) The gospels summarize Jesus' ministry as a ministry of preaching and teaching (Matthew 4:23, Luke 4:15), and ...

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 ...