Threaded throughout the Bible are various names and titles of Christ. They reveal who He is and shed light on His character. But three very distinct titles define the offices in which He holds. Prophet, Priest and King.
Although many Christians aren’t aware of the significance and functions of these three very vital roles, they are foundational to the Christian faith. In the Old Testament, God’s people revered three major offices – prophet, priest and king. Jesus fulfilled each one.
PROPHET
A Prophet is one who reveals God to us and speaks to us on behalf of God. The first prophetic mention of a prophet as it relates to Christ is found in Deuteronomy 18:15, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.” Jesus affirmed Himself as a Prophet (Matt 13:57, Luke 13:33). In Acts 3:22-23, Peter spoke of Jesus as the Prophet who fulfilled Deuteronomy 18:15,18.
As the promised Prophet, Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:18). He preached the gospel and worked miracles (Matthew 4:23, Matthew 11:5) and declared that He spoke that which God told Him to speak (John 12:49,50).
Throughout the ages, fallible men were given the privilege of communicating the truths of God. But when Jesus, the long awaited Prophet, appeared on Planet Earth there was no fear of error. It would be impossible for Jesus to miscommunicate God’s message to mankind because He is God.
Because He is the promised Prophet, we can trust Him. We know what He says is true and that which He has revealed to us about the Father is irrefutable.
PRIEST
A priest is one who stands as a mediator and offers a sacrifice for the sins of man to a holy God. The High Priest was one who would enter the Holy of Holies once a year and offer a sacrifice for sins on the Day of Atonement and place the blood of the sacrifice on the Ark of the Covenant. Jesus is not only a Priest, He is also the High Priest.
Jesus was a Priest after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:6, 6:20, 7:15-17, Psalm 110:4) – the first High Priest mentioned in Scripture. Abraham gave tithes to Melchizedek, who existed before the Aaronic priesthood was established. Melchizedek was a prefigure of Christ – a High Priest who was without father or mother, without beginning or end (Hebrews 7:2).
Jesus is a High Priest who understands the hurts of our hearts and the trials and temptations we face – a High Priest who has given us access to the throne of God (Hebrews 4:15-17). He has entered heaven where His own blood was given in payment for our sins. Once and for all (Hebrews 9:11-12).
Our glorious Savior has secured eternity for us by not only becoming the sacrifice for our sins, but by also being the High Priest who would intercede on our behalf. He entered the Heavenly tabernacle with His own precious blood and sat down on the right side of our Heavenly Father where He makes intercession for us (Hebrews 7:24-26).
Because Jesus is our High Priest and has shed His blood “once and for all”, we have eternal forgiveness of sin, access to the throne of the Living God and help in our time of need.
KING
A king is one who has the authority to rule and reign over a kingdom and over a group of people. The first prophetic mention of King Jesus is in Numbers 24:17 is also found in Psalm 2:5-7 as well as several other verses.
Jesus rules the universe yet His Kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36), it is everlasting (Luke 1:33). He is not only a king, He is the King of kings (Revelation 1:5, Revelation 19:16).
Because Jesus is King, we can rest in the fact that He protects us, fights our battles and has the authority to rule our lives. He is a righteous Ruler and a victorious King. Knowing that we’re on His side gives us the confidence to know that He will have His ultimate way. One day the battle will be over and all wrongs will be made right – our King will see to it.
Today, we just got a glimpse of the offices of Christ. The significance of these offices go far beyond anything I could share in one post. Yet, these roles of Christ are woven throughout Scripture. They tell us a little bit more about who Jesus is and what He came to do.
As Prophet, we can trust Jesus to reveal God to us like no one else can.
As Priest, we know He has been touched with the feelings of our infirmities. He has entered heaven with His own precious blood and is seated at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us.
As King, we find that although He rules the universe we have access to His throne 24/7. He rules in righteousness and He rules in love. He will never falter, never fail, never make a bad decision and never lose a battle. He is a King who calls us friends yet is worthy of our eternal worship.
How does knowing the offices of Christ ground you in your understanding of Christ? How does it help in your daily walk as a Christian?
Thank you Stephanie! You did a great job of covering the offices of Christ. What a mighty Savior we serve!
Kathy ~ I had such a great time re-studying this wonderful truth! I also had a hard time narrowing to just this post, but so thankful that our precious Savior is Prophet, Priest and King and oh so much more! :-)
As I read this, I am filled with awe and wonder. To add to it all, Christ perfectly balanced this mighty roles with humbly serving in those roles. I pray for even a fraction of that humility.
Thank you for all these verse references, too.
Caroline ~ I love how you pointed out the humility in which He fulfilled those offices. Fully God – yet He humbled Himself to serve His wayward creation – all because of His unfathomable love! God is SO AMAZING!
Beautiful Stephanie! Such a lovely post on the offices of Christ. I am looking forward to going through the post more slowly , with my Bible open and color pens in hand. You did a wonderful job.
~Blessings~
Marita
Marita ~ Thank you for your kind words! These sweet truths are SO rich with scriptural support that I only had room to share a fraction of the reference verses!
By the way – I love how you use color pens to walk through the Word. A woman with a color pen in one hand and a Bible in the other is a force to be reckoned with! :-)
Stephanie, I was looking for a quick summary of these three offices and found your post very helpful.
Rejoicing in His Word
FAITH ONLY- IS FAITH WITHOUT OBEDIENCE BY STEVE FINNELL
Men are saved through faith, however, they are not saved by faith only. There is no Scripture that states that men are saved by faith only. The opposite of that is true. Faith plus obedience is required for salvation.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith;and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
Men are saved through faith. Men are not saved by faith only.
FOR BELIEVERS IN CHRIST-FAITH ONLY- PRODUCES NOTHING!
FAITH PLUS OBEDIENCE=SALVATION.
Mark 16:16 He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
You must be obedient to Jesus by believing and being baptized in water. Obedience in faith and baptism are required to be saved.
OBEDIENCE IN FAITH: John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
OBEDIENCE IN CONFESSION: Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
OBEDIENCE IN REPENTANCE:Acts 3:19 Therefore repent and return, so that your sins maybe wiped away, in order that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;(Repentance is the commitment to turn from sin and to turn toward God)
OBEDIENCE IN WATER BAPTISM: Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
OBEDIENCE IS REQUIRED
Acts 5:32 And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.
Hebrews 5:8-9 ……9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,
2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus…….
Salvation and the Holy Spirit were given to those who obeyed.
They obeyed by believing.
They obeyed by confessing.
They obeyed by repenting.
They obey by being baptized in water.
Salvation, without obedience to the gospel, is an unclaimed gift.
Faith only- has never been the means to God’s mercy and promises.
Naaman had faith that the God of Elisha could cure his leprosy, however, it was not cured until Naaman obeyed and dipped in the river Jordan seven times. (2 Kings 5:11,14)
Faith without obedience accomplishes nothing.
The people of Israel had faith that God could save them from the bites of deadly serpents, however, they had to look at the serpent of bronze in order to not perish. (Numbers 21:7:8)
Faith without obedience accomplishes nothing.
Rahab was saved by faith after she welcomed the spies and followed their instructions. Faith plus obedience saved her. (Hebrews 11:31, Joshua 2:17-19)
Faith without obedience accomplishes nothing.
Noah was saved by faith plus obedience. Had he not built the ark he would have perished in the flood.(Hebrews 11:7)
Faith without obedience accomplishes nothing.
Joshua had faith and the walls of Jericho would fall down, however, they did not fall down the minute he believed. They fell down after seven days of obedience. (Hebrews 11:30, Joshua 6:1-5)
Faith without obedience accomplishes nothing.
By faith Moses kept the Passover, however, without the lambs blood on the top and sides of the door frames their first born would have died. It was faith plus obedience that saved their sons. (Hebrews 11:28 Exodus 12:23)
Faith without obedience accomplishes nothing.
FAITH ONLY CANNOT SAVE ANYONE!
(Scripture from: NEW AMERICAN STANDARD VERSION)
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