Difference between revisions of "Christ's PRIESTLY Office"

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Christ's PRIESTLY Office

Question 35: How does Christ execute the office of a priest?

Answer: 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. "Now once in the end of the world has he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." Heb 9:26.

What are the parts of Christ's priestly office?

Christ's priestly office has two parts his satisfaction and intercession.

I. Christ's SATISFACTION ; this consists of two branches.

[1] His ACTIVE obedience. "He fulfilled all righteousness." Christ did everything which the law required; his holy life was a perfect commentary upon the law of God; he obeyed the law for us.

[2] His PASSIVE obedience. Our guilt being transferred and imputed to him, he suffered the penalty which was due to us; he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. The paschal lamb slain, was a type of Christ who was offered up in sacrifice for us. Sin could not be done away without blood. "Without blood there is no remission of sin." Christ was not only a lamb without spot  but a lamb slain .

Why was it requisite there should be a priest? There needed a priest to be an umpire (a mediator), to mediate between a guilty creature and a holy God. How could Christ suffer, being God? Christ suffered only in the human nature. But if only Christ's humanity suffered, how could this suffering satisfy for sin? The human nature being united to the divine, the human nature suffered, the divine satisfied. Christ's Godhead supported the human nature that it did not faint, and gave virtue to his sufferings. The altar sanctifies the thing offered on it. Matt 23:19. The altar of Christ's divine nature, sanctified the sacrifice of his death, and made it of infinite value.Wherein does the greatness of Christ's sufferings appear?

(1.) In the sufferings of hisbody . He suffered truly, not in appearance only. The apostle calls it the death of the cross. Phil 2:8. Cicero, when speaking of this kind of death, says, "How can I describe being raised up on a cross?" Though he was a great orator he lacked words to express it. The thoughts of this made Christ sweat great drops of blood in the garden. Luke 22:24. It was an ignominious, painful, cursed death. Christ suffered in all his senses. His eyes beheld two dreadful objects, his enemies insulting, and his mother weeping. His ears were filled with the revilings of the people. "He saved others, himself he cannot save." Matt 27:42. His smell was offended when their spittle fell upon his face. His taste; when they gave him gall and vinegar to drink. His feeling ; when his head suffered with thorns, his hands and feet with the nails. His whole body was one great wound; now was this white lily dyed with purple color.

(2.) In the sufferings of hissoul . He was pressed in the wine-press of his Father's wrath. This caused that vociferation and outcry on the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!" Christ suffered a double eclipse upon the cross, an eclipse of the sun, and an eclipse of the light of God's countenance. How bitter was this agony! The evangelists use three words to express it. "He began to be amazed ." "He began to be faint ." "To be exceeding sorrowful ." Christ felt the pains of hell in his soul, though not locally yet equivalently.

Why did Christ suffer? Surely not for any desert of his own. "The Messiah shall be cut off but not for himself," it was for us. One man sins, another takes the punishment; he suffered, that he might satisfy God's justice for us. We, by our sins, had infinitely wronged God; and, could we have shed rivers of tears, offered up millions of holocausts and burnt-offerings, we could never have pacified an angry Deity; therefore Christ must die, that God's justice may be satisfied. It is hotly debated among divines, whether God could have forgiven sin freely without a sacrifice. Not to dispute what God could have done, when he was resolved to have the law satisfied, and to have man saved in a way of justice as well as mercy ; it was necessary that Christ should lay down his life as a sacrifice.

(1.) To fulfill the predictions of Scripture. "It was written long ago that the Messiah must suffer and die and rise again from the dead on the third day."

(2.) To bring us into favor with God. It is one thing for a traitor to be pardoned, and another thing to be made a favorite. Christ's blood is not only called a sacrifice, whereby God is appeased but a propitiation, whereby God becomes gracious and friendly to us. Christ is our mercy-seat, from which God gives answers of peace to us.

(3.) Christ died, that he might make good his last will and testament with his blood. There were many legacies which Christ bequeathed to believers, which would all have been null and void had he not died, and by his death confirmed the will. Heb 9:16. A testament is in force after men are dead; the mission of the Spirit, the promises, those legacies, were not in force until Christ's death; but Christ by his blood has sealed them, and believers may lay claim to them.

(4.) He died that he might purchase for us glorious mansions; therefore heaven is called not only a promised  but a " purchased possession." Eph 1:14. Christ died for our preferment; he suffered that we might reign; he hung upon the cross that we might sit upon the throne. Heaven was shut to us but the cross of Christ is the ladder by which we ascend to heaven.His crucifixion is our coronation!

Use one: In the bloody sacrifice of Christ, see the horrid nature of sin. Sin, it is true, is odious as it banished Adam out of paradise, and threw the angels into hell; but that which most of all makes it appear horrid is this, that it made Christ veil his glory, and lose his blood. We should look upon sin with indignation, and pursue it with a holy malice, and shed the blood of those sins which shed Christ's blood. The sight of Caesar's bloody robe incensed the Romans against those who slew him. The sight of Christ's bleeding body should incense us against sin. Let us not parley with it; let not that be our joy, which made Christ a man of sorrow.

Use two: Is Christ our priest sacrificed? See God's mercy and justice displayed. I may say as the apostle, "Behold the goodness and severity of God."

(1.) Thegoodness of God in providing a sacrifice. Had not Christ suffered upon the cross, we must have lain in hell forever, satisfying God's justice. (2.) Theseverity of God. Though it were his own Son, the Son of his love, and our sins were but imputed to him yet God did not spare him but his wrath did flame against him. Rom 8:32. If God was thus severe to his own Son, how dreadful will he be one day to his enemies! Such as die in wilful impenitence, must feel the same wrath as Christ did; and because they cannot bear it at once, therefore they must endure it forever.

Use three: Is Christ our priest, who was sacrificed for us? Then see the endeared affection of Christ to us sinners. "The cross," says Augustine, "was a pulpit, in which Christ preached his love to the world." That Christ should die, was more than if all the angels had been turned to dust; and especially that Christ should die as a malefactor, having the weight of all men's sins laid upon him, and that he should die for his enemies. Rom 5:10. The balm-tree weeps out its precious balm, to heal those who cut and mangle it; just so, Christ shed his blood, to heal those who crucified him.

He died freely. It is called the offering of the body of Jesus. Heb 10:10. Though his sufferings were so great, that they made him sigh, and weep, and bleed; yet they could not make him repent. "He shall see of the travail of his soul, and be satisfied." Isa 53:1. Christ had hard travail upon the cross yet he does not repent of it but thinks his sweat and blood well bestowed, because he sees redemption brought forth to the world. Oh infinite, amazing love of Christ! a love which passes knowledge! a love which neither man nor angel can parallel. Eph 3:19. How should we be affected with this love! If Saul was so affected with David's kindness in sparing his life, how should we be affected with Christ's kindness in parting with his life for us! At Christ's death and passion, the very stones cleave asunder, "The earth shook, rocks split apart." Matt 27:51. Not to be affected with Christ's love in dying, is to have hearts harder than rocks.