The title "Christ" means that Jesus is anointed by the Spirit of God to save us performing three offices: prophet, priest, and king. I think the least appreciated office of Christ is that of prophet. It just seems to me that there is very little discussion of this point. However, it is an extremely important one.
The Bible teaches that one of our chief problems is that we are born blind, ignorant, and foolish. "Professing to be wise, they became fools" (Rom. 1:21). We were alienated and enemies in our mind (Col. 1:21). There is none who understands (Rom. 3:11).
In spite of the fact that we are foolish and ignorant, we think that we are wise and full of light. Each one of us imagines that we have some great insight on the things of this world. We are filled with pride over our perceived wisdom.
What we need to do is to come to Christ for knowledge. We need to acknowledge that we are blind. Especially in America, where most of us can obtain the basic provisions for our bodies fairly easily, we imagine that it is due to our insight and wisdom. The reality is that we are "wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked" (Rev. 3:17). Brakel says, "Renounce therefore your own intellectual ingenuity and shrewdness and cast yourself at His feet as one who is ignorant and even unfit to be instructed." This is what the Apostle says, "If any man among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool that he may be wise" (1 Cor. 3:18-19). "And if any man thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know" (1 Cor. 8:2).
Some people draw a wrong conclusion from this fact, and they think that since everyone is in darkness that we should not even be concerned about the truth. This is a wrong deduction. Instead, we should conclude from our common ignorance that we should go and sit at the feet of Jesus, submitting all of our thoughts to the Word of God instead of relying on our own vain imagination.
How can we do this? First, we need to listen to the Word of God with careful attention. Jesus speaks to us through His Word (1 Pet. 1:10-12). If we would gain knowledge, we must listen to the one who has knowledge, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Second, we must come with open hearts, ready to obey the Lord. "If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God" (Jn. 7:17). We must say with Samuel, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." We must always be asking the Lord, "What do you want me to think?" and "What do you want me to do?"
Third, we must recognize that truly receiving knowledge from the Word is not a mere intellectual assent. Someone may be able to state the doctrine of the Trinity clearly but yet not believe it. They may even think that it is true but not understand its implications or commit themselves to the Triune God for salvation. When God works to regenerate someone so that they can believe the Gospel, He illumines their soul. He gives them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6). Someone may have heard the Gospel a thousand times, but when the Lord drives it home to our hearts, we receive it and know in our hearts that it is true and what we need and desire.
Even for Christians, there is a continued need not only to grasp the definitions and proofs of the doctrines but also to truly take them to heart. The Ephesians, for example, did know the Gospel. They had received it (1:12). However, Paul prayed for them that "the eyes of their understanding might be enlightened..." (1:18). He kept asking that God would make them able to comprehend the width and and length and depth and height of the love of Christ (3:14-18). Thus, there must be constant prayer and requests for illumination as we study God's Word and hear it preached.
Christ alone can truly give us this knowledge by breaking through our sinful darkness with His glorious light. This is what makes Him different from all other teachers. A mere human teacher may be able to explain and apply the Scripture, but only Christ can truly drive it home to the heart, illuminate the soul, and cause it to grip us in a life-changing way.
We must seek this knowledge and thus submit to Christ as our teacher for two primary reasons. First, the source of damnation and destruction is ignorance and darkness. Paul said that the Gentiles "have their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart" (Eph. 3:18). If we continue in such an ignorant condition, we will be lost forever. No one can have faith without knowledge. No one can have love without knowledge of God and Christ. Thus, without knowledge, there is neither faith nor love, both of which necessarily exist in those who are converted. Furthermore, to the degree that we retain that darkness, to that degree we will continue to be alienated from the life of God.
Second, when God illuminates our heart, we have joy, light, life, peace, and glory. "Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart" (Ps. 97:11). Those who know the truth shall be set free (Jn. 8:32). Those who behold the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18). It yields stability and confidence (Is. 33:6, Eph. 4:13-14). Knowing God is eternal life (Jn. 17:3). Our destiny is to know God face to face in heaven, and this will be our highest joy. God will fill our hearts with joy through this knowledge truly in a way that only those who have experienced it can really understand.
So, come unto the great Prophet, Jesus. He is a humble, gentle, and kind teacher. He has all treasures of wisdom and knowledge. He cannot only give words that communicate to the mind but powerfully illuminates the soul. Confess your ignorance and darkness and come to the light of the world (Jn. 8:12).
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
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2 comments:
You must be able to transport yourself into the minds of the men and women of my Church. We also have been having some discussions on this very thing, Jesus being Prophet, Priest and King.
I am most afraid of Jesus "My King". I like being absolved of my wrong doing by the Priests of the Most High. I can overcome the Prophet when He comes and says:::> "you are the man" when I repent and seek absolution as David did. But what troubles me most is this "Truth", that, right now Jesus is "King" and He is the ruler of the kings of the earth! Poor Uriah is a good example of the king's power. Not that Jesus would ever send us to our own destruction to hide His sin. That's impossible. However, as one preacher noted, "....there are no exits out of hell. Once you are there, you are there forever".
Having identified with your article "Is Christ Your Teacher?", I do have one more "Jesus" to add to that thrice list.
Jesus, son of Adam is Who I add to your list!
Here I am most as ease seeing He can relate to me in my humanity because I am also a son of Adam, full of his sin nature inherited from him after his fall from the Everpresent Presence of His Holiness and Glory!
Psa 62:1 To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.
Psa 62:2 He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.
Psa 62:3 How long will all of you attack a man to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
Psa 62:4 They only plan to thrust him down from his high position. They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. Selah
Christ can address the Words of that Psalm quoted above seeing He knows the full result of it already. In this world, we indeed, will have tribulations!
Let us not forget these Words also and realize this about Him, that being sinless, He nevertheless acted on our behalf and for our salvation, with a broken heart:::>
Heb 5:1 For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
Heb 5:2 He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness.
Heb 5:3 Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people.
Seeing He had no sins of His own to atone for, in His humiliation, He became our sin so that we might become His Righteousness!
2Co 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Third, we must recognize that truly receiving knowledge from the Word is not a mere intellectual assent. Someone may be able to state the doctrine of the Trinity clearly but yet not believe it.
What’s the difference between “intellectual assent” and “belief?”
You say that someone may be able to state the doctrine of the Trinity clearly “but yet not believe it.” That’s absolutely true, since one only needs to have an intellectual “knowledge” or “understanding” of the doctrine of the Trinity in order to state it. But if one “assents” to the doctrine of the Trinity, then by definition he “believes” the doctrine of the Trinity to be true. To “assent” to something means “to admit a thing as true; to express one's agreement, acquiescence, concurrence, or concession.” (Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.). Thus, how “intellectual assent” differs in any way from “belief” is a mystery to me.
They may even think that it is true but not understand its implications or commit themselves to the Triune God for salvation.
True again, since a devout Papist may sincerely “believe” or “assent” to the doctrine of the Trinity, yet not “believe” or “assent” to the one true gospel of salvation. But that example isn’t a contrast between genuine “belief” and “intellectual assent”; it’s a contrast between genuine “belief” or “assent” to the doctrine of the Trinity, and genuine “unbelief” or “non-assent” to the one true gospel of salvation.
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