Jesus: Your Prophet, Priest, or King?

Greetings in Christ Jesus, Fellow Soldiers.

Jesus is our prophet, priest, and king. He is our prophet in that He is the perfect fulfillment of all prior prophets in His revealing the truth of God by Word and by Spirit. Hebrews 1 tells us that in the past, God sent prophets, but in these final days, He has revealed Himself in His Son. Jesus not only perfect bears the Word for us, but is Himself the Word. He is truth personified. As the truth, He proclaims Himself to be the way and the life. He preaches faith and repentance in His name.

Jesus is our priest in that He is the perfect fulfillment of the Old Testament priesthood as our representative and advocate before God by His own blood. Having endured every temptation and suffering known to man, He is called our "great high priest" by God through the author of Hebrews. Unlike the sinful priests of old, Jesus never had offer atonement for His own sin. Rather, He offered His own perfect life and death for sinners.

Jesus is our king in that He is the perfect fulfillment of all prior kings in His ruling and defending His people. Most Old Testament kings exposed God's people to judgment due to their own disobedience. Even David, in his sin, was a weak example of righteousness, even as "a man after God's own heart." Jesus, however, is the perfect king. To secure His people from the guilt and power of sin and the devil, He became a servant, purchasing His people once and for all by His own blood. Now He reigns over His people as Lord, securing their eternal life and requiring their grateful obedience.

These great "offices" of Jesus, described in brief here, are not only valuable truths of the Christian faith, they are sources of conviction and comfort for Christians. Yet, we often tend to favor one or two of the offices at the exclusion of the third.

Do you wrestle with one of these offices of Jesus, not truly recognizing the full ministry of Christ on earth and heaven? If you struggle to truly believe one of these great doctrines, what are the consequences for the way you live and way you approach the throne of grace in prayer?