Article XXI of the Confession of Faith

Article XXI is a beautiful article. It is a long article, full of Scripture and full of the language of God Himself.

We read in Isaiah 53, “He was wounded for our transgressions ... brought as a Lamb to the slaughter ... numbered with the transgressors.” We find here what the poet said in Psalm 69, “He restored that which He took not away.” One hears the language of Paul, “The Just One suffering for the unjust.” Scripture is heard throughout this article; therefore we will be able to touch on only a few points.

We have heard and seen that God manifested His justice and mercy in Christ so that the work of Christ, or the coming of Christ, would be to the glorification of the virtues (specifically, the justice and mercy) of a Triune God, so that Psalm 85 becomes reality. In Article XXCI we hope to see how He did this; that is by His satisfaction, by His being our only High Priest.

You know that the name Christ, or Messiah, means Anointed One. Office bearers were anointed for two reasons:

1. Anointing indicates appointment to an office. In 1 Samuel 16:12b we read, “And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” Christ was appointed by the Father from eternity to be Prophet, High Priest, and King for His church.

2. Anointing also means qualification for the office. We think of David: after he was anointed, the Lord qualified him even to overcome Goliath and to lead the armies of the Israelites to victory. We even see it in Saul: although he was an unregenerate king, yet he was not without qualification, for we read in 1 Samuel 11:6 how the Lord qualified him to lead the Israelites to slay the Ammonites.

Christ was appointed and qualified as the Anointed One, as Office-bearer, as Prophet, Priest, and King.

“Grace is poured into Thy lips: therefore God hath blessed Thee for ever.”

In John I we read that “The Word [the Logos] was made flesh.” He is the Word, which indicates His prophetical office. In that same chapter John spoke, “Behold the Lamb of God.” This indicates that He is a Priest. He is also called the Lord of lords in the New Testament, which identifies Him as a King.

Not only the New Testament, but also the Old Testament prophesied of Him. In Deuteronomy 18:15 Moses said, “The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me.” This speaks of Christ as the Prophet. In Psalm 110:4 we read, “The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.” He is the Priest whom the Lord would give in Israel. In Psalm 2:6 we read about the King. “Yet have I set My King upon My holy hill of Zion.” It is manifest therefore that also in the Old Testament the three offices are clearly indicated.

In the days that Christ was on earth, the Jews, and even the disciples, thought that He would be their King, a king who would deliver them from their enemies. They expected that He would free them from their oppressors and that He would sit upon the throne.

The Old Testament did not only speak of Him as a King, however. Isaiah said in chapter 53:7, “He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter.” Here He is pictured as a priest, for the priest presented the sacrifice. It is just as it is stated in the New Testament, “Behold the Lamb.”

He is also clearly foreshadowed in the Old Testament as a prophet. He is the Greater Elijah. And the prophets of old have spoken by His anointing, and have revealed mysteries, and have spoken of His Kingdom. All three offices are necessary in order to save sinners, for we of ourselves have no knowledge any more. We are ignorant and blind, walking in thick darkness. When it is dark outside, we need light to find our way home. That is the work of the Prophet. We have also lost our righteousness, for we are guilty and contemptible before a holy and righteous God, and our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. We need atonement, we need a Priest. Do you need Him? We do not serve God anymore, although we were created for that purpose. We are not holy anymore, for we have lost our holiness. We need someone to restore us so that we may serve Him again, and to bring us back to the service of God. That is the work of a King. All three of these offices are absolutely necessary, and they correspond with the three aspects of the image of God, namely, knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. We need three offices. These offices were not only spoken of in the Old Testament, but they were also foreshadowed. The priest foreshadowed the work of Christ as he brought his sacrifice or offering to the brazen altar of burnt offering. We can see particularly the work of the priest in the sanctuary, for there he went to intercede for the people and to stand between God and the people, and when he returned he laid a blessing upon them. This is the work of a priest, to sacrifice, to pray, and to bless.

This article speaks of Christ’s priestly atoning work. That priestly work is the basis, the foundation, of His entire Mediatorial work. It is necessary and foundational, for without it He cannot be a teacher or a King. How can He teach in the way of salvation if He has not merited it? How could He apply salvation, and protect, keep, and preserve in that salvation, if He had not first merited it Himself? Therefore it is absolutely necessary that Christ is a Priest.

When God teaches His children and gives them some knowledge of Christ, they first see Him as the One of whom we read in Psalm 45:2, “Grace is poured into Thy lips: therefore God hath blessed Thee for ever.” He is the One who has the words of eternal life. They follow Him and they listen to Him, for He is the Prophet. By His prophetical office He makes room for His priestly office. They learn to know the necessity of the shedding of blood, for without this there is no remission of sins. That blood must be applied to the doorposts of their hearts as it was once applied to the doorposts in Egypt. They will also need Him more and more as King to break down the power of sin, to deliver them time and again, in the spiritual warfare, from the power of their adversaries, and to bring them back to God.

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you.”

This priestly work is, as it were, foundational, because without this sacrifice the Prophet has nothing to teach. Without the priestly office there would be no way of salvation. Without the priestly office, without the shedding of blood, no prison could be opened and no lost child of Adam could ever be taken out of the house of the strong man armed. Jesus Christ is the Priest, the only Priest. I hope you may learn this in your own life: that He is the only One. He is an eternal King, but He is also Priest forever.

This article clearly states, “ordained with an oath to be an ecclesiastical High Priest after the order of Melchizedek.” “The Lord hath sworn...Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.” Why is He called a priest after the order of Melchizedek? Melchizedek had beautiful names. His name means King of Righteousness. Is he therefore not a type of Christ, “the Lord our Righteousness”? (Jeremiah 23:6). He was the King of Salem, or king of peace. Isn’t Christ called “the Prince of Peace”? (Isaiah 9:6). Melchizedek was not only king, but he was also priest of the Most High God. He was both priest and king, without father or mother. This means that his father was not a priest and his mother did not come from a priestly family, nor was Melchizedek a descendant of a kingly family. David was a king who would be succeeded by many, for his was a royal house. There was no royal house of Melchizedek. He was king and priest, but there was no one before him, and no one after him. Dear reader, is not Christ the Lord our Righteousness? Is He not the King of Peace? Did He not say, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you”? (John 14:27). Is He not also the Priest of the Most High, the eternal High Priest? There was not one priest before Him, and there will not be one after Him. He is an everlasting High Priest after the order of Melchizedek.

— to be continued —

No Free Will

“O, man! learn from the precept what you ought to do; learn from correction that it is your own fault you have not the power; and learn in prayer whence it is that you may receive the power.”

“What God promises, we ourselves do not through choice or nature, but He Himself does by grace.”

— Augustine

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