17. The Work of Christ in His Humiliation
9. What does the incarnation of the Word (John 1:14) teach us about the relationship between God and humanity?
Reflect on the theological significance of God becoming flesh and dwelling among us, and how this impacts our understanding of redemption.
10. How can believers today find assurance and hope in the truth that Jesus is both fully God and fully man?
Consider the practical and devotional implications of Jesus' dual nature for your faith and daily walk with Him.
17. The Work of Christ in His Humiliation The Incarnation marks the outset and initiation of Christ's earthly ministry, yet it is neither the entirety nor the core of His work. It is prudent to rightly conceive and lucidly understand this in light of those who contend that the full reconciliation and union of God and man was consummated through the assumption of human nature.
Proceeding from the notion that religion constitutes such a communion between God and man, wherein both are necessary and complementary, they assert that this communion, disrupted by sin or unattainable at a lower, carnal level, was first embodied and realized historically in Christ. Thus, the singularity of Christianity resides in the fulfillment of the religious ideal, implanted as a disposition and seed within human nature, in the person of Christ.
Indeed, it is a profound honor for humanity that the only begotten Son, who was in the form of God and with the Father, assumed the form of a servant. Christ thus shares in our humanity; He is of the same flesh and blood, and with us, He possesses a common soul and body, mind and will, emotions and sensations. In this natural sense,
Christ is our brother, flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone. Yet this natural (physical) communion, significant as it is, must not be equated or conflated with the spiritual and moral communion.
Amongst men, it is evident and frequent that kin and blood relatives may be spiritually estranged and sharply opposed to one another.
Christ Himself declared that His coming would set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and that a man's foes would be those of his household (Matt 10:35, 36). Thus, natural descent does not determine spiritual kinship; the communion of blood and the communion of souls are often worlds apart.
Had Jesus done nothing more than take on human nature and proclaim the unity of God and man, it would be utterly incomprehensible how we could thereby enter into spiritual fellowship with Him and be reconciled to God. On the contrary, by assuming a sinless human nature and living in unbroken communion with God, He would have set Himself apart from us, deeply impressing upon us our own powerlessness, for we, as frail, sinful creatures, could never emulate His exalted example. Hence, the Incarnation of the Son of God, in itself, cannot constitute the act of reconciliation and redemption; it is the commencement, the groundwork, and the prelude, but not the act itself.
Moreover, had the Incarnation alone effected the reconciliation and union of God and man, there would have been no necessity for the life and, particularly, the death of Jesus. It would have sufficed that He, whether through conception and birth or otherwise, assumed human nature, sojourned on earth for a brief or extended period, and then ascended to heaven. In such a scenario, the comprehensive and profound humiliation of Christ would have been rendered superfluous.
However, the Holy Scriptures instruct us otherwise. They declare that the Son of God not only assumed human nature, being like us in all things except sin, but also took on the form of a servant, humbling
Himself and becoming obedient unto death, even death on a cross (Phil. 2:7-8). It was fitting for Him to fulfill all righteousness according to the law (Matt. 3:15) and to be perfected through suffering (Heb. 2:10). The Scriptures foretell that the Christ must suffer and rise again on the third day (Luke 24:46; 1 Cor. 15:3-4). The Father sent Him to accomplish His work on earth (John 4:34), and even commanded Him to lay down His life and take it up again (John
10:18). Thus, all that befell Christ was the fulfillment of what God's hand and counsel had foreordained (Acts 2:23; 4:28). Only upon the cross could Christ declare that all was accomplished and that He had completed the work given to Him by the Father (John 17:4; 19:30).
While the Gospels provide a relatively brief account of Jesus' life, they elaborate extensively on His passion and death. Similarly, the apostolic preaching seldom refers to Jesus' conception and birth but consistently emphasizes the Cross, the death, and the blood of Christ.
We are reconciled to God not by His birth, but by the death of His Son (Rom. 5:10).
Through this scriptural lens, the entirety of Christ's life takes on unparalleled significance and immeasurable value. It is a single, perfect work commissioned by the Father. Though it can be viewed from various angles and perspectives, we must always remember it as a unified work, encompassing His entire life from conception to the death on the cross. Just as Christ's person is one despite the diversity of His natures, so too is His work singular; it is the supreme work of God on earth. Indeed, it is interconnected with the eternal counsel and foreknowledge of God, His revelation to Israel, and His governance of the nations. It extends forward into the ongoing work that Christ continues to perform today in His exalted state. This work, centered in time on this earth, originates from eternity, is rooted in eternity, and extends into eternity.
From antiquity, this singular work of Christ has been encapsulated in the doctrine of the threefold office, and it is particularly due to Calvin that this schema has gained widespread acceptance in the doctrine of faith concerning Christ's work. Nonetheless, objections have been raised periodically, including the contention that the three offices are indistinguishable in the life of Jesus and that their functions are interwoven. This objection holds against a misinterpretation of the three offices but not against their proper understanding.
If Jesus had intended the three offices of prophet, priest, and king to be exercised separately, or temporarily one after the other, such a division and separation in the work of Christ would indeed be impossible to carry out. It is true that sometimes one ministry is more prominent than the other, so that, for example, His public preaching is more reminiscent of the prophetic, His final suffering and death more of the priestly, and His exaltation at the right hand
of the Father more of the royal; but essentially Jesus was always and everywhere active in His three ministries simultaneously. When He spoke, He proclaimed God's words as a prophet, but in doing so He also demonstrated His priestly mercy and His royal power, for through His word He healed the sick, forgave sins, calmed the storm;
He was the King of truth. His miracles were signs of his divine mission and of the truth of his word, but at the same time they were also revelations of his compassion on all kinds of wretched people and of his rule over sickness and death and the violence of Satan. His death was a seal of his life, but also a sacrifice of perfect obedience and a willing act of power to give up life. In a word, his whole appearance, word and work always carries a prophetic, priestly and royal character at the same time.
But having put this in the foreground, it remains of the utmost importance to look at the person and work of Christ from the point of view of the three offices. There are advantages to this which would otherwise be lost.** If Christ had intended the three offices of prophet, priest, and king to be exercised separately or in succession, such a division in His work would indeed be untenable. It is true that at times one office appears more prominent—His public preaching resonates with the prophetic,
His final suffering and death reflect the priestly, and His exaltation at the right hand of the Father manifests the royal. Yet, fundamentally,
Christ was perpetually and ubiquitously active in His threefold office.
When He spoke, He proclaimed the words of God as a prophet, yet He also displayed His priestly compassion and kingly authority, for by His word He healed the sick, forgave sins, and calmed the tempest; He was indeed the King of truth. His miracles attested to
His divine mission and the veracity of His word, yet simultaneously revealed His mercy toward the afflicted and His dominion over sickness, death, and Satan's tyranny. His death was the culmination of His life, a sacrifice of perfect obedience, and a sovereign act of surrendering His life. In essence, His entire presence, speech, and deeds consistently embodied the prophetic, priestly, and kingly offices concurrently.
Nevertheless, it is of paramount importance to consider the person and work of Christ through the lens of these three offices. This perspective yields several benefits that might otherwise be overlooked.
First, this approach illuminates that Christ's advent and entire earthly life were the execution of a ministry entrusted to Him by the Father. With Christ, we cannot speak of a vocation, a craft, or even a moral profession of His own choosing.
According to the Holy Scriptures, He was appointed to an office. An office, unlike a craft or profession, cannot be self-selected but must be conferred by a higher authority. Though He differs from Moses, who served as a faithful servant, Christ, as the Son over His own house, was faithful in all things to the Father (Heb. 3:5-6). He was faithful to the One who appointed Him as Apostle and High Priest of our confession (Heb. 3:2). Christ did not assume the honor of becoming a high priest Himself but was glorified by God, who declared, "Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee" (Heb. 5:5).
Jesus continually emphasized that the Father sent Him, that His sustenance was to do the Father's will, that He acted under the Father's command in all things, and that He completed the Father's
work on earth (John 4:34; 5:20, 30; 6:38; 7:16; 8:28; 10:18; 12:4950; 14:10, 24; 17:4).
This appointment to His ministry predates His incarnation.
Scripture teaches that Christ was with God and was God from the beginning. Furthermore, in Hebrews 10:5-7, it is explicitly stated that when He came into the world, He said, "Sacrifices and offerings You have not desired, but a body You have prepared for Me; behold, I have come to do Your will, O God." Thus, His coming into the world and His incarnation were already part of executing the work commissioned by the Father. This commission did not originate in time with the incarnation but was established in eternity.
Thus, it is written elsewhere that Christ was foreknown before the foundation of the world (1 Pet. 1:20), that election and grace were bestowed upon us in Christ Jesus before the ages (Eph. 1:3; 2 Tim.
1:9), and that the book of life, which has been before God from the foundation of the world, belongs to the Lamb who was slain (Rev.
13:8; 17:8). The conception of Christ's work as the exercise of a ministry links that work to God's eternal counsel. He bears the name of Messiah, Christ, Anointed One, because He was predestined by the Father from eternity and anointed by Him with the Holy Spirit in time.
Secondly, the three offices conferred upon Christ hark back to man's original calling and destiny. It is by no means arbitrary or accidental that Christ was appointed to these precise offices of Prophet, Priest, and King, and no others; this is rooted in God's intention for humanity and, therefore, in human nature itself. Adam was created in the image of God, in true knowledge, righteousness, and holiness,
that he might as a prophet declare the words of God, as a king rule justly over all creation, and as a priest consecrate himself and all his possessions to God as a pleasing sacrifice. He was endowed with a head to know, a hand to rule, and a heart to encompass all in love.
The unfolding of the image of God, the harmonious development of all his gifts and powers, and the exercise of the three offices of prophet, priest, and king, comprised man's destiny. Yet mankind has trampled upon this calling. Therefore, Christ came to earth to reveal once more the true image of humanity and fulfill its destiny. The doctrine of the three offices establishes a fixed connection between nature and grace, creation and re-creation, Adam and Christ. The first Adam is the type, preparation, and prophecy of the last Adam, who is the image and fulfillment of the original design.
Thirdly, the doctrine of Christ's threefold office is intricately linked to Old Testament revelation. As humanity, fallen in Adam, strayed further from its purpose, God chose a peculiar people to be His own.
To Israel, He assigned a prophetic, priestly, and royal mission; they were to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation unto the Lord (Ex.
19:6). This mission, in a special sense, was vested in those individuals whom God called to serve as prophets, priests, and kings within Israel. While Israel, as a whole, could be referred to as the Lord's anointed, this designation particularly applied to the prophets, priests, and kings (Ps. 105:15; Ex. 28:41; 1 Sam. 2:10). Yet, all these individuals were sinners, unable to fulfill their offices perfectly; they, along with the people, looked forward to another who would simultaneously be prophet, priest, and king, the uniquely anointed One of the Lord (Isa. 61:1). Christ is the fulfillment of all
Old Testament revelation, the counterpart of Israel and all its
prophets, priests, and kings. In and through them, He testifies of Himself and prepares for His coming (1 Pet. 1:11).
Finally, only when Christ's work is considered under the rubric of His three offices does it achieve its full depth. Throughout Christian history, there have been those who, like rationalists, saw in Him only a prophet, or mystics who focused solely on His priestly sufferings, or chiliasts who recognized only His kingship. Yet we need a Christ who embodies all three offices. We require a prophet to reveal God to us, a priest to reconcile us to God, and a king to rule and preserve us in the name of God. The entire image of God must be restored in man; not only knowledge but also holiness and righteousness. The whole person must be saved—soul and body, head and heart and hand. We need a Saviour who redeems us wholly and fully, realizing our original purpose in us. Christ, as Prophet, Priest, and King, renews us as prophets, kings, and priests unto God and His Father
(Rev. 1:6; 22:4).
Although anointed from eternity and prefiguring His mediatorial role in the covenant of grace during the Old Testament era, Christ did not fully and truly assume the offices of prophet, priest, and king until He entered the world, declaring, "Behold, I come to do Your will, O God." It was then that He took on human nature, enabling
Him to fulfill His mediatorial work. He had to be human to reveal God's name to mankind, to suffer and die on the Cross, and to bear witness to the truth as the King of Truth.
His reception of the Holy Spirit was, therefore, an initial qualification of Christ's human nature for the task to which He was later called. In recent times, the confession that Christ was conceived
by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary has faced numerous objections. Many have attempted to dismiss the accounts of Matthew and Luke as Jewish or Pagan interpolations into the original Gospel.
However, these challenges have only served to confirm and clarify the truth of this history. It does not derive from Judaism or Paganism but rests on the testimony of Joseph and Mary, as evident from the language in Matthew and Luke. This miraculous conception was initially known only to Joseph and Mary, and perhaps a few trusted individuals. Its very nature did not lend itself to public disclosure.
Only later, when Christ's words and deeds, particularly His resurrection, revealed His true identity, did Mary share the secret of Jesus' conception with the disciples. Even then, the reception of the Holy Spirit was not prominently featured in apostolic preaching. It is perhaps alluded to in Mark 6:4, John 1:13 (7:41-42), Romans 1:3-4,
9:5, Philippians 2:7, and Galatians 4:4, but explicitly mentioned only in Matthew and Luke. Nevertheless, it remains an essential element of the Gospel, consistent with all Scriptural teachings concerning the person of Christ. He was the only-begotten Son, who, as the Word, was with God from the beginning and was God Himself. He actively participated in His conception, and through the Holy Spirit, prepared a true and complete human nature in Mary's womb. The prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, 9:5, fulfilled in Matthew 1:23, declared that a virgin would conceive and bear a son named Immanuel, who would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.
Through this reception of the Holy Spirit, Christ's human nature was entirely free from sin from the beginning. Since the Son of God
existed as a person and did not unite Himself with an existing human but prepared His human nature through the Holy Spirit in Mary's womb, He was not subject to the covenant of works, bore no inherited debt, and was not tainted by sin. The Roman doctrine that Mary was conceived immaculately and lived sinlessly is unnecessary, unfounded, and contrary to Scripture, as seen in John 2:4, Mark
3:31, and Luke 11:28. Mary enjoyed a high honor, greater than that given to prophets or apostles; she is the most blessed among women and the mother of the Lord (Luke 1:42-43). Yet, she was like all other humans, and the Holy One born of her (Luke 1:35) owed His purity not to Mary's nature but to the creative and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in her womb.
Although the human nature which Christ took from Mary was holy, it was nonetheless frail. Scripture emphasizes this by stating that He became flesh, not merely man (John 1:14), that He was sent in the likeness of sinful flesh (Rom. 8:3), that He assumed the form of a servant (Phil. 2:7), and that He was made like unto us in all things, sin excepted (Heb. 2:17; 4:15). Christ had to accept such a weak human nature to be tempted, to learn obedience through suffering, to engage in battle and be sanctified therein, to have compassion on our infirmities, and to be a merciful and faithful High Priest; in short, to suffer and die. While in this respect He resembled Adam before the fall, being without sin, He differed greatly in other respects. Adam was created instantaneously, but Christ was conceived in Mary's womb and born as a helpless child. Adam arrived in a world prepared for him, while Christ came to an unprepared earth, with no room for Him in the inn. Adam came to rule and subdue the earth; Christ came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.
The incarnation of the Son of God was not only an act of humble condescension, which remains even in His exaltation, but also an act of profound humiliation. This humiliation began with His conception and continued throughout His life unto death and the grave. Christ was not a human hero with the motto 'Excelsior,' overcoming all obstacles to finally stand at the pinnacle of fame; rather, He descended ever deeper into our human condition. He descended in stages—from conception and birth, through a hidden and humble life in Nazareth, to baptism and temptation, opposition, denial, and persecution, suffering in Gethsemane, condemnation by Caiaphas and Pilate, crucifixion, death, and burial. He moved ever farther from the Father's house and ever closer to us in the fellowship of our sin and death until, in the deepest depths, He uttered His anguished cry of abandonment by God, but then could also proclaim in victory:
"It is finished!"
This humiliation encompasses, in addition to His conception and birth, the humble circumstances of His birth in a stable in Bethlehem, the persecution by Herod, the flight into Egypt with His parents, and the quiet, hidden life in Nazareth during His childhood and youth. The Gospels record little of this because they do not aim to write a biography of Jesus in the modern sense but to reveal Him as the Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the world, and the Only
Begotten of the Father. In line with this purpose, the brief accounts of Jesus' youth are sufficient.
Matthew records that Jesus, after returning from Egypt, lived with His parents in Nazareth of Galilee (Matt. 2:23). His mother had resided there before (Luke 1:26), and there Jesus spent His life until
His public ministry among Israel (Luke 2:39, 51; Mark 1:9). Only
after He was rejected by His fellow townsmen in the synagogue did He settle in Capernaum (Luke 4:28ff; Matt. 4:13).
Matthew saw in this a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy (Matt.
2:23), not a specific statement, for Nazareth and Nazarene are not mentioned in the Old Testament, but rather the overall prophetic narrative that portrays the Christ as a humble and holy man, a man of God. The prophecy indicated that the Christ would have a lowly origin (Isa. 11:1) and that light would rise upon the nations in the darkness of Galilee of the Gentiles (Isa. 8:23; 9:1).
From the quiet life that Jesus led for years in Nazareth, we discern that He was a child submissive to His parents, as it is written: "And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them" (Luke 2:51). As a child, He grew in both physical and intellectual stature, increasing in wisdom and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:40, 52). At the age of twelve, He journeyed with His parents to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover (Luke 2:41ff). On the Sabbath, it was His custom to attend the synagogue (Luke 4:16), and during the week, He likely assisted His father in his trade, for He was later referred to as a carpenter (Mark 6:3). His subsequent life illuminates these quiet years, revealing that He could read and write, was steeped in the Old Testament, understood the doctrines of the Pharisees and Sadducees, recognized the moral needs of the people, was acquainted with civil and social life, loved nature, and often sought solitude to commune with God. These seemingly minor details indicate that during His hidden years, Jesus was preparing
Himself for the task that lay ahead. Gradually, He became increasingly aware of His identity and mission. His divine Sonship and Messianic purpose, with all its implications and duties, became
clearer to Him. Finally, at the age of thirty, the appointed day came for Him to be revealed to Israel (John 1:31).
The occasion for His public appearance was the preaching of John the Baptist in the desert of Judea. John, sent by God, declared to Israel that despite their lineage from Abraham, their circumcision, and their self-righteousness, they were guilty and needed the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Many from Jerusalem, Judea, and the surrounding regions came to John, confessing their sins and being baptized by him. Jesus, too, left
Galilee and came to John in Judea to be baptized, despite John's initial reluctance, for John recognized Jesus as the Messiah, who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire and had no need of baptism for His own sake. Jesus insisted, saying it was necessary to fulfill all righteousness.
Jesus did not seek baptism because He needed repentance and forgiveness, nor did He confess sins as others did. He recognized
John as a prophet, indeed more than a prophet, His own forerunner (Matt. 11:7-14), and viewed John's baptism as a divine ordinance, not a human invention (Mark 11:30). The baptism of John, rooted in God's will, was a righteous act that Jesus was compelled to fulfill. By submitting to this baptism, Jesus wholly conformed to His Father's will and identified Himself intimately with the people, who received repentance and forgiveness through baptism. For Jesus, John's baptism signified a solemn commitment to the entire will of the Father, a public entrance into fellowship with His people, and a royal inauguration into His Messianic mission.
Thus, baptism held a unique significance for Him. It was not a sign and seal of personal conversion and forgiveness but an endowment with the Holy Spirit and fire, which He alone could bestow. Some later sects erroneously believed that the divine nature or power united with Jesus at His baptism, overlooking the incarnation of the Word at conception. Nevertheless, Jesus' baptism marked His full qualification for ministry. As He emerged from the water, the heavens opened, the Spirit of God descended upon Him, and a voice from heaven proclaimed, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:16-17). Though few comprehended it, the day of Jesus' baptism was the day of His revelation to Israel and the commencement of His public ministry as the Messiah.
Yet, before commencing this sacred ministry, Christ withdrew into the solitude of the wilderness for a period of forty days. There He encountered no one, but was surrounded solely by the silent wilderness and wild beasts, engaging Himself in fasting, contemplation, and prayer (Mark 1:13; Luke 4:2). The essence of His contemplation is partially revealed through the narrative of His temptation. The temptation by Satan, occurring at the conclusion of the forty days and detailed by Matthew and Mark, represents a significant moment in the spiritual battle Jesus endured, but it was not the sole instance. Luke explicitly states that He was tempted by the devil throughout the entire forty days (Luke 4:2), and that the devil, after completing every temptation, departed from Him for a season. Jesus, in all things, was tempted as we are, yet without sin
(Heb. 4:15).
The temptation in the wilderness encapsulated the strategy for His public ministry. Having been baptized, He was now full of the Holy
Spirit (Luke 4:1), and it was the Spirit who led Him into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Matt. 4:1). Moreover, Jesus was fully aware of His identity as the Son of God, the Messiah, endowed with divine authority. Yet, the critical question was how He would wield that power. Would He employ it to selfishly satisfy His own needs, to win over the people through spectacular miracles, or by yielding to worldly power to secure an earthly kingdom? The tempter tested Him on these three fronts. But Jesus withstood every temptation; He clung to the Word of God, rebutted Satan's enticements, submitted to the will and path of the Father, affirmed
His obedience, and sanctified Himself as an offering to God. Thus, He not only gained experiential knowledge of temptation, enabling
Him to empathize with our frailties, but because He stood firm where Adam had fallen, He is also able to assist those who are being tempted (Heb. 2:18; 4:15).
In this manner, Jesus was prepared for and initiated into His public ministry. During the initial phase, His prophetic office prominently emerged. Soon after He began His public ministry, the people recognized Him not merely as a teacher (rabbi, master) but also as a prophet. Following the raising of the young man in Nain, the crowd exclaimed, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and "God has visited His people!" (Luke 7:16). This perception persisted until the end of His life; many acknowledged Him as a prophet due to His words and miracles, although they remained ignorant of His priestly and kingly roles, and some even resisted these aspects. To this day, many honor Him as a prophet, one who reveals divine truths more profoundly than others. While the recognition of Christ as Priest and King is contested and dismissed as an archaic Jewish notion, He is
readily acknowledged as a prophet, a dignity even Muhammad accords Him in the Koran.
But Jesus Himself sought to be recognized as a prophet in a higher and more profound sense than many Jews perceived Him. After His baptism by John and temptation in the wilderness, He returned to Galilee and soon entered the synagogue at Nazareth. There, He applied to Himself the prophecy of Isaiah 61:1: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted." He did not present Himself as merely another prophet, but as one far above all others; while the former prophets were servants, He is the Son (Matt.
21:37). He is the only Master (Matt. 23:8, 10; John 13:13-14), and He surpasses them all, exalted high above them. His calling and anointing were established from eternity; His consecration and empowerment began with the miraculous reception of the Holy
Spirit. At His baptism, He received the Spirit without measure and was declared by a voice from heaven as the beloved Son in whom the Father is well pleased. He did not receive sporadic revelations; He
Himself is the full revelation of God—the Word who was with God, who was God, and who became flesh. He dwelt continually in the bosom of the Father, speaking and acting only as commanded by Him. Therefore, He did not deliver a partial revelation to be completed by others but is the complete and final revelation of God, fulfilling and consummating all prior prophecy. In former times, God spoke to the fathers through the prophets in various ways, but in these last days, He has spoken to us through His Son (Heb. 1:1).
Indeed, the prophecy given to the fathers in the old days owes its existence to Him; it was the Spirit of Christ testifying in the prophets
(1 Pet. 1:11), and His testimony was about Christ (Rev. 19:10).
The preaching of Christ was, in the deepest sense, self-preaching—a proclamation of His own person and work. When He began His ministry, He echoed John and the Old Testament prophets by saying,
"The kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the Gospel"
(Matt. 3:2; 4:17). Yet, while the former prophets and John the Baptist foresaw the kingdom as future (Matt. 11:10-11), with Christ, the time was fulfilled, and in His person, the kingdom had come from heaven to earth. God is the King and Father of this kingdom
(Matt. 5:16, 35, 45), and the Father has appointed it to Christ, to bestow upon His disciples according to His good pleasure (Matt.
11:27; Luke 12:32; 22:29).
In His teaching, Christ elucidated the origin and nature of this kingdom, the path leading to it, the blessings it contains, its gradual development, and its ultimate fulfillment. He did not employ philosophical reasoning or scholarly discourse but used proverbs and parables, drawing His imagery from natural phenomena and daily life. He spoke to the crowds in such vivid and relatable terms that they could comprehend His message (Mark 4:33). If many did not understand and resisted, it was evidence of their hardened hearts and the Father's sovereign will, who conceals the mysteries of the kingdom from the wise and reveals them to the childlike (Matt.
11:27; 13:13-15). Yet, His teachings were intrinsically simple and clear, even while addressing the profoundest mysteries of the kingdom of God. For He Himself, in His person, is the Son and heir, the dispenser and revealer of the kingdom. Jesus manifested the Father to us through His presence, His words, and His works (John
1:18; 19:6). Whoever has seen Him has seen the Father (John 14:9).
The word which Christ proclaimed was, in essence, no different from that which had been revealed in the days of the Old Testament. It encompassed both law and gospel; yet Jesus was not a new lawgiver, augmenting or correcting the law of God as given in the Old
Testament. The gospel He proclaimed was not a novel revelation but that which had been disclosed by God since the dawn of time. Jesus did not come to abolish the law and the prophets but to fulfill them
(Matt. 5:17). He accomplished this by purging them of all erroneous interpretations and human accretions, bringing them to their full realization in His person and work. Thus, Christ holds a unique position in relation to the Law and the Gospel, distinct from Moses and the prophets. For while the Law was given through Moses, and the Gospel was announced by the prophets, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). Moses bore the law on tablets of stone, and his role could have been fulfilled by another in due course.
Similarly, the prophets were heralds of the Gospel but were not the Gospel itself. Christ, however, embodied the law within Himself, fulfilling God's will perfectly and without flaw. He was not merely a proclaimer of the Gospel; He was the Gospel incarnate, the greatest gift God has bestowed upon the world. Grace and truth were manifested through Him, inseparable from His person.
The words of Jesus were accompanied and validated by His works.
These also were integral to His mission, fulfilling the will of the Father (John 4:34). He performed them not of His own initiative, but the Father had entrusted all things to Him (Matt. 11:27; John 3:35).
The Son did only what He saw the Father doing (John 5:19); it was the Father dwelling in Him who carried out these works (John
14:10). As they were divine in origin, so they bore a divine character —not only because they were miracles that transcended the natural
order, but also because they were unique and unmatched by any other. While others act according to their own will, Jesus never sought His own pleasure but, denying His own will, fulfilled the will of the Father (Rom. 15:3). Among His works, miracles occupy a significant place. On the one hand, they are signs and proofs of His divine mission and authority (John 2:11; 3:2; 4:54; 7:31; 9:16; 10:37;
11:4), and on the other hand, they always aim at the physical and spiritual salvation of humanity. The miracles of Christ are predominantly acts of healing and redemption, thus part of His priestly ministry.
This is evident from the self-restraint Christ exercised in performing miracles. In the wilderness, He resisted Satan's temptation to use His divine power for personal benefit. Throughout His life, He rejected similar temptations. In Gethsemane, He declared that He could call upon the Father to send more than twelve legions of angels (Matt.
26:53), a principle that applied to His entire public ministry. He consistently refused to perform signs merely to satisfy popular curiosity (Matt. 12:38; 16:1; John 4:48). Often, He found His power constrained by the unbelief He encountered (Matt. 13:58). Moreover,
He frequently enjoined those He healed to keep silent about their miracles (Mark 1:34, 44; 3:12). Jesus sought to avoid fueling the erroneous messianic expectations held by the people regarding His mission and works.
Furthermore, the works that Jesus performed are integral to His priestly ministry, for they manifest His profound compassion. We read repeatedly of His compassion in the Gospels (Matt. 9:36, 14:14,
15:32). Matthew sees in His healings a fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy that "He took our infirmities and bore our diseases" (Matt.
8:17). Elsewhere, this prophecy is applied to the atoning death of Christ, by which He took away the sins of the world (John 1:29; 1 Pet.
2:24). Sin and sickness are intrinsically linked, and as the merciful High Priest, Christ has removed not only our sin but also the root of all our suffering. Through His various miracles—exorcising demons, healing the blind and deaf, restoring the lame and crippled, raising the dead, and exercising dominion over nature—He provides irrefutable proof that He can deliver us entirely from all our miseries.
No guilt is too heavy, no sin too great, no suffering too profound for Him to remove by His priestly mercy and royal power.
The priestly nature of Christ's ministry is most evident in His final suffering and death. The giving of His life as a ransom for many
(Matt. 20:28) is the culmination of the service He rendered throughout His earthly life. As the Lamb of God, He bore the sin of the world continually (John 1:29). His humiliation began with the incarnation, continued through a life of obedience amid suffering, and was consummated in the death on the cross (Phil. 2:8; Heb. 5:8).
Christ was ordained by the Father not only as a prophet but also as a priest, and He fulfilled His priestly office throughout His life.
Notably, Christ is never explicitly called a priest in the New Testament outside of the Epistle to the Hebrews. While His life and death are often presented as a sacrifice, the term "priest" is reserved for this particular letter. This distinction is significant. Christ is indeed a priest, but He is a priest in a wholly different sense from those under the Old Covenant and the Mosaic Law. The Old
Testament priests were solely priests, not prophets or kings. They served for a limited time and were succeeded by others, offering sacrifices of bulls and goats that could not take away sins. Christ,
however, descends from the tribe of Judah, and according to the Mosaic Law, He had no claim to the priesthood (Heb. 7:14).
According to the Epistle to the Hebrews, Christ is a priest after the order of Melchizedek, not after the order of Aaron. This was foretold in Psalm 110, where the Messiah is declared a priest forever, who unites royal dignity with His priesthood. The Epistle to the Hebrews expounds on this, explaining that Christ, like Melchizedek, is a priest because He is also a king, entirely righteous and sinless. He is the King of righteousness and remains a priest forever, never replaced by another. He offers not the blood of animals but His own body and blood, securing perfect and eternal salvation for His people. Thus,
He brings everlasting peace and is the King of peace (Heb. 7-10). The practical exhortation for Jewish Christians, facing the temptation to revert to their old ways, is to press forward. What the Old Testament priests symbolically and typically represented through their sacrifices and intercessions—granting the people access to God's presence—has been fully and eternally achieved by Christ. Through Him, a new and living way to eternal life has been opened, enabling
Christians to approach the throne of grace with complete boldness and full assurance of faith.
Just as the priestly ministry is closely intertwined with the prophetic ministry, so too is the royal ministry of Christ intimately connected with His priestly office. One distinctive feature of Christ's priesthood is its union with His kingship, as prophesied in Psalm 110:4 and affirmed in Hebrews 7:17. Israel was called to be a kingdom of priests unto the Lord (Exod. 19:6); though the offices within Israel were distinct, prophecy foretold that the Messiah, the branch emerging from His own place to build the temple of the Lord, would bear the
royal majesty. He would sit and reign on His throne as a priest, ensuring perfect harmony and unanimous counsel between His priestly and kingly offices for the peace of His people (Zech. 6:13).
Thus, the Messiah, embodying both the royal and priestly roles, would establish the perfect peace His people so desperately needed.
This fusion of the priestly and royal offices endows the Messiah's kingship with its unique character. He will arise from the house of David (2 Sam. 7:16) during a time of its decline (Mic. 5:1). He will be a righteous king, endowed with salvation by God, yet humble, symbolized by His riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey (Zech. 9:9). As the Messiah eschews earthly grandeur and power, His kingdom will not be established by force of arms. On the contrary, the Lord will remove the chariots from Ephraim and the horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be cut off. The Messiah will speak peace to the nations, and His dominion will extend from sea to sea, from the River to the ends of the earth (Zech.
9:10; Ps. 72).
This prophetic vision of the future Messiah finds its complete fulfillment in Christ. The New Testament affirms that He is of the house of David, thereby inheriting the right to David's throne in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom of Israel. Both genealogies in Matthew 1 and Luke 3 trace His lineage to David. The angel announced to Mary that her Son, called the Son of the Most High, would be given the throne of His father David and reign over the house of Jacob forever (Luke 1:32-33). Jesus is universally recognized as the Son of David (Matt. 9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30;
21:9; Rom. 1:3), and this Davidic descent is intertwined with the concept of His kingship and His right to a kingdom (Luke 23:42).
In His own consciousness, Jesus is indeed a king. He preaches about the kingdom of God and often refers to God as the King of that kingdom (Matt. 5:35; 18:23; 22:2). Yet, He distinguishes Himself as the Son of the King (Matt. 21:37), and also as King Himself (Matt.
25:31).
However, His kingship is understood in a different sense from that which the Jews of His time expected. Jesus never asserted His legitimate claims to David's throne before the Jewish authorities,
King Herod, or the Roman Emperor. He resisted the temptation to achieve dominion over the world by worldly means (Matt. 4:8-10).
When the multitudes, after the miraculous feeding, sought to make Him king by force, He withdrew to the solitude of the mountain for prayer (John 6:15; Matt. 14:23). Though He professed His royal authority, He manifested it not through dominating power like earthly rulers, but through serving and giving His life as a ransom for many (Matt. 20:25-28). His kingship was displayed in the authority with which He spoke, proclaimed the laws of the kingdom of heaven, subdued the people, commanded sickness and death to flee, and ultimately laid down His life on the cross, only to take it up again, thereby affirming His role as King and Judge of the living and the dead.
But the spiritual significance which Christ, in accordance with the prophecy of the Old Testament, attributes to His kingship, must not lead us to think that He was not actually a king and that He only bore this name metaphorically. Just as He is a priest not after the order of Aaron but after the order of Melchizedek, and thereby a superior priest to those of the Old Testament, so He is also, by virtue of being a different kind of king than the rulers of the nations, not a lesser but
a greater king. He is the true King, the ultimate King, and the kings of the earth are mere shadows and types of Him. He is the King of kings, the Prince of the kings of the earth, the King who reigns over all, both spiritually and physically, in heaven and on earth, to the ends of the earth and forever.
He never relinquishes His rightful claim to this perfect and eternal kingship, neither before God nor before men. Even during His earthly ministry, He never renounced His divine or human rights. He did not seek to obtain His kingship by force, but through perfect obedience to God. By doing so, He strengthened His claims. In His humiliation, He demonstrated Himself to be the Son of God and, therefore, the heir of all things.
To manifest His kingship in its true sense, He entered Jerusalem on the Sunday that begins Passion Week. At this point, there was no risk of misunderstanding the nature of His kingship. A life of humble obedience, in which He had rejected all earthly power by word and deed, lay behind Him; the enmity between Him and the people was at its peak; and within that same week, they would lay hands on Him and deliver Him to death. Whereas previously He had evaded attempts to make Him king, now He took the initiative in His royal entry into Jerusalem (Matt. 21:1). Before His death, He needed to openly present Himself to the people as the Messiah, the Son of David, sent by God. In accordance with prophecy, He revealed
Himself as a humble king, riding on the foal of a donkey. He was condemned by the Sanhedrin and Pilate for His Messianic claim, for His divine sonship and His Davidic kingship; He was indeed a King
(Matt. 27:11). The inscription above His cross testified to this, despite the objections of the Jews (John 19:19-22).
The entirety of Jesus' life, in His prophetic, royal, and priestly activities, culminates in His death. Death is the culmination of His earthly mission; Jesus came to die. He was fully aware of this. At His first public appearance in the synagogue of Nazareth, He applied to Himself the prophecy concerning the suffering servant of the Lord
(Luke 4:16ff), indicating that He understood He would be led like a lamb to the slaughter. He was the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). The temple of His body was to be destroyed and raised up again after three days (John 2:19). Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so, according to God's plan, the Son of Man must be lifted up on the cross (John 3:14; cf. 12:32-33). He was the grain of wheat that had to fall into the earth and die to produce much fruit (John 12:24).
Thus, from the very outset of His public ministry, Jesus indicated that His death would be the culmination of His life through parables and figurative language. As that end drew nearer, He spoke more plainly and unmistakably. Particularly after Peter, representing all the disciples, confessed Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, in a pivotal moment near Caesarea Philippi, He began to show them that He must go to Jerusalem, suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, be killed, and be raised on the third day
(Matt. 16:21). The disciples failed to understand this and refused to accept it. Peter even took Him aside to rebuke Him, but Jesus perceived this as a temptation and sternly replied, "Get behind me,
Satan! You are a hindrance to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man" (Matt. 16:22-23).
Christ's unwavering commitment to surrendering to death received divine confirmation a few days later on the Mount of Transfiguration; His journey to Jerusalem was in accordance with
the Law and the Prophets (Moses and Elijah) and the will of the Father. He remained the beloved Son in whom the Father was well pleased, and the disciples were admonished not to rebuke Him, but to listen to Him with reverence and submission (Matt. 17:1-8).
Yet, this death was not actively sought by Jesus. He did not provoke the Pharisees and scribes to seize Him. Though He knew that His hour had come (John 12:23; 17:1), it was Judas who voluntarily betrayed Him, and the chief priests and Pharisees who apprehended
Him, the members of the Sanhedrin who condemned Him, and Pontius Pilate who executed Him. God's counsel does not negate historical circumstances or human culpability. Rather, He was delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, yet the Jews took Him and crucified Him with the hands of lawless men
(Acts 2:23; 4:28).
The death of Christ is central to Apostolic preaching, from the very beginning (Acts 2:23ff; 3:28; 2:23ff; 3:14ff; 4:10ff, etc.), and not only in Paul's epistles but in the teachings of all the apostles. Only after Christ's resurrection did the necessity and significance of His suffering and death become fully understood through the instruction of the Holy Spirit. That suffering and death fulfilled His prophetic role, testified to the truth of His teaching, and sealed His entire life.
Under Pontius Pilate, He made the good confession (1 Tim. 6:13), and in His innocent and patient suffering, He left us an example to follow in His steps (1 Pet. 2:21). He is the faithful Witness (Rev. 1:5;
3:14), the Apostle and High Priest of our confession (Heb. 3:1), who initiates and perfects our faith (Heb. 12:2). Moreover, the death of Christ reveals His royal power; it was not a fate He merely suffered, but an act He willingly and voluntarily performed (John 10:17-18).
His crucifixion was an exaltation above the earth and a triumph over His enemies (John 3:14; 8:28; 12:32, 34), as it represented the utmost obedience to the Father's command (John 14:31).
However, we must not stop at this understanding of Christ's death according to Apostolic teaching. In His death, Jesus was not merely a witness and a guide, a martyr and a hero, a prophet and a king. Most significantly, He acted as a priest; His high priestly office is most prominently and clearly demonstrated in His death. According to the teachings of the entire Holy Scripture, His death was a voluntary sacrifice, offered by Him to the Father.
When the New Testament presents the death of Christ under the term "sacrifice," it does so in close connection with the Old
Testament. Sacrifices have existed from ancient times; they appear with Cain and Abel, with Noah and the patriarchs, and are found among all peoples and in all religions. Generally speaking, their purpose is to secure or regain the favor and fellowship of the Godhead by offering a material gift, consisting of living or inanimate objects, which are destroyed in a ceremonial manner. The Lord also included these sacrifices in the legislation for His people Israel. But here they were assigned a different place and a modified meaning.
First, they were limited to the offering of cattle (oxen, sheep, lambs, goats, pigeons) and the fruits of the land (flour, oil, wine, incense, spices) and were to be brought only to Jehovah, the God of Israel.
The offering of human beings, the drinking of blood, and mutilation of the body were forbidden (Gen. 22:11; Deut. 12:23; 14:1; 18:10).
Similarly, all sacrifices to idols, to the dead, and to holy animals were contrary to God's will (Exod. 32:4ff; Num. 25:2ff; Hos. 11:2; Jer.
11:12; Ezek. 8:10; Ps. 106:28). Secondly, they were considered of lesser value than moral commandments; "obedience is better than sacrifice," and the Lord delights in "steadfast love, not sacrifice," and in "the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings" (1 Sam. 15:22;
Hos. 6:6; Mic. 6:6-8; Ps. 40:6-8; 50:7-14; 51:16-17; Prov. 21:3).
Thirdly, the sacrifices served the promise, like the priesthood, the temple, the altar, and the entire legal dispensation. They did not establish the covenant of grace, for this rests solely on God's gracious election, but they served to maintain and confirm this covenant among Israel.
Since the whole nation of Israel was, by virtue of God's election and calling, a kingdom of priests (Exod. 19:6), and the priesthood was a subordinate and temporary institution, the sacrifices (especially burnt offerings, sin offerings, and trespass offerings) were ceremonial indications of how sins committed within the covenant could be atoned for, provided they were not committed with a raised hand but through error or ignorance (Lev. 4:22, 27; 5:15, 18; Num.
15:25ff; 35:11, 15; Josh. 20:3, 9). For deliberate sins that broke the covenant and incurred God's wrath, there was only an appeal to God's mercy, often through the intercession of individuals like
Abraham (Gen. 18:23-33), Moses (Exod. 32:11-14; Num. 14:15-20), and Phinehas (Num. 25:11). For His name's sake, God would forgive these sins (Exod. 33:19; 34:6; Ps. 78:38; 79:8-9; Isa. 43:25; Ezek.
36:22-23; Mic. 7:18).
Through this whole system of sacrifices, God taught His people that the covenant of grace, with all its blessings, was due solely to His mercy. It originated and was grounded in His unmerited favor: "I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on
whom I will show mercy" (Exod. 33:19). Furthermore, through the ceremonial laws and institutions, the Lord made it clear that He could not grant the forgiveness of sins except through reconciliation.
Sin inherently provokes God's wrath, rendering man guilty and unclean. Therefore, a sacrifice is necessary to appease God's wrath, remove guilt and impurity, and restore fellowship with God. For sins for which the law did not prescribe a specific sacrifice, atonement was left to God, who would forgive the sins by atoning for them
Himself; forgiveness presupposes and includes atonement (Ps. 65:3; 78:38; 79:9; Prov. 16:6; Isa. 27:9; Jer. 18:23; Ezek. 16:63). Even for sins that could be atoned for by a prescribed offering, it was God who, through the sacrifice, priest, and altar, covered and took away the sins (Lev. 17:11; Num. 8:19). The entire service of atonement emanated from Him and was ordained by Him.
The blood of the sacrificial animal serves as the principal means of atonement. It represents the life of the creature, the vital essence, and was thus appointed by the Lord to make atonement for souls upon the altar (Lev. 17:11). However, for this blood to effect atonement, it had to be poured out in death through the slaughter of the sacrificial animal, which the sinner brought to the temple, laying his hands upon it. This act symbolized the transfer of guilt, followed by the priest sprinkling the blood around the altar (Ex. 29:15-16, 1920). The laying on of hands, the slaughter, and the sprinkling of blood indicated how the life-blood became the means of atonement.
When the blood thus covered and expiated sins, guilt was forgiven, impurity cleansed, and the covenantal fellowship with God restored.
Priesthood and people, temple and altar, and all instruments of worship were consecrated to the Lord through the blood, thereby
sanctifying them so that the Lord might dwell among the children of Israel and be their God (Ex. 29:43-46).
Nevertheless, this entire sacrificial system was provisional, possessing only a shadow of the good things to come (Heb. 10:1). The tabernacle in the wilderness was but a figure of the true sanctuary
(Heb. 8:5). The priests themselves were sinners who needed to make atonement not only for the people's sins but also for their own (Heb.
7:27; 9:7), and they were prevented by death from continuing in office (Heb. 7:23). The blood of bulls and goats could not truly take away sins or cleanse consciences (Heb. 9:9, 13; 10:4); hence, these sacrifices had to be repeated continually (Heb. 10:1). In sum, they were external, weak, and unprofitable, not perfect, and pointed forward to a better future (Heb. 7:18; 8:7). The faithful in Israel increasingly understood this and looked forward eagerly to the day when the Lord would establish a new covenant, effect true atonement Himself, and allow His people to enjoy fully the benefits of forgiveness and renewal (Jer. 31:33ff; 33:8; Ezek. 11:20; 36:25ff).
This expectation finds its most beautiful expression in Isaiah, whose book of comfort begins with the proclamation that Jerusalem's struggle is over, her iniquity is pardoned, and she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins (Isa. 40:2). The prophecy then unfolds the vision of the suffering servant, who bears our sicknesses and sorrows, our transgressions and punishment, bringing us healing and peace (Isa. 53:2ff).
In harmony with the Old Testament, the New Testament regards Christ's death as a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus declared that He had come to fulfill the law and the prophets and all God's righteousness
(Matt. 3:15). He identified Himself with the servant of the Lord in
Isaiah's prophecy, who was anointed with the Spirit to preach the Gospel to the poor (Luke 4:17ff). According to the Father's command, He came to lay down His life and take it up again, to give life to His sheep, and through His death, to prepare His flesh and blood as food and drink unto eternal life (John 2:19; 3:14).
His death is the true and perfect sacrifice, fulfilling all the sacrifices of the Old Testament law. It is the ultimate act of surrender to the Father's will, proving that He came not to be served but to serve, and thereby becoming a ransom by which many are delivered from the power of sin (Matt. 20:28). His death is the fulfillment of the covenant sacrifice that inaugurated the Old Covenant (Exod. 24:8) and lays the foundation for the New Covenant (Matt. 26:28; Heb.
9:15-22). It is described as a sacrifice and an offering (Eph. 5:2; Heb.
9:14, 26), realizing the concept of the paschal lamb (John 1:29; 1 Cor.
5:7; 1 Pet. 1:19; Rev. 5:6), the sin and guilt offerings (Rom. 8:3; 2 Cor.
5:21; Heb. 13:11; 1 Pet. 3:18), and the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement (Heb. 2:17; 9:12).
Not only have the sacrifices of the Old Testament found their fulfillment in Christ, but also all the requirements and rituals associated with them. The priest who offered sacrifices had to be a man without defect (Lev. 21:17-23), and Christ, our High Priest, is holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners (Heb. 7:26). The sacrificial animal had to be without blemish and perfect (Lev. 22:2025), and Christ is the Lamb without blemish or spot (1 Pet. 1:19). Just as the sacrificial animal had to be slaughtered by the priest (Exod.
29:11-14), so Christ was slain as the Lamb and redeemed us with His blood (Rev. 5:6, 9). No bone of the Passover lamb was to be broken
(Exod. 12:46), and likewise, Christ died without any of His bones
being broken (John 19:36). After the slaughter, the priest took the blood and sprinkled it in the sanctuary for a sin offering (Lev. 16:15;
Num. 19:4) and on the people for a covenant offering (Exod. 24:8).
Similarly, Christ entered the true sanctuary by His own blood, sprinkling it upon His people (Heb. 9:13; 1 Pet. 1:2; Heb. 12:24). The body of the sin offering was burned outside the camp (Lev. 16:27), and Christ, to sanctify the people by His blood, suffered outside the gate (Heb. 13:12). As in the Old Testament, the blood, as the seat of life, became the means of atonement through its outpouring in death and sprinkling on the altar. So in the New Covenant, the blood of Christ is the effective cause of atonement, forgiveness, and purification of our sins (Matt. 26:28; Acts 20:28; Rom. 3:25; 5:9; 1
Cor. 11:25; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:20; Heb. 9:12, 14; 12:24; 1 Pet. 1:2, 19; 1 John 1:7; 5:6; Rev. 1:5; 5:9).
When the New Testament speaks of Christ's suffering and death as an offering, it employs imagery and terminology from the Old
Testament sacrificial system. This should not lead us to think that this imagery is merely accidental or figurative and can be discarded without consequence. On the contrary, Scripture views the Old
Testament sacrifices as types and shadows that find their fulfillment in the sacrifice of Christ. Just as Christ is truly Prophet, Priest, and King, so His death is truly a sacrifice in the fullest sense of the word.
We cannot dispense with the designation of Christ's death as a sacrifice without losing the substance of the matter, which is essential to our salvation.
If Christ's death is called a sacrifice, it means that He offered Himself as a sacrifice to God (Eph. 5:2). Christ is indeed a gift and proof of God's love (John 3:16); God demonstrates His love for us in that
while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8). He did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all (Rom. 8:32). The birth, life, and especially the suffering and death of Christ assure us of God's love. However, this love does not negate God's righteousness but upholds it. It is a love that does not overlook sin but provides a way for its forgiveness through reconciliation. It was according to the Father's command that Christ should die (Matt. 26:54; Luke 24:25;
Acts 2:23; 4:28), and by His death, He fulfilled God's righteousness (Matt. 3:15; 5:17; John 10:17-18; Rom. 3:25-26). In Christ's death,
God upheld His perfect justice while making a way to justify all who have faith in Jesus.
In the second place, Christ's sacrifice is a demonstration of both His active and passive obedience. In former times, passive obedience was so emphasized that active obedience was often overshadowed; but today, the emphasis on the latter sometimes eclipses the former.
According to Scripture, however, the two are inseparably linked and should be viewed as two sides of the same reality. From the moment of His conception and birth, Christ was always obedient to the Father; His entire life can be seen as the fulfillment of God's righteousness, His law, and His commandments (Matt. 3:15; 5:17;
John 4:34; 6:38; Rom. 9:19). Upon entering the world, He declared, "Behold, I have come to do your will, O God" (Heb. 10:5-9). This obedience was fully manifested in His death, especially the death of the cross (Phil. 2:8). The New Testament emphasizes that it was through the suffering and death of Christ that sin was atoned for, forgiven, and removed. Not only the fulfillment of the Law but also the bearing of its punishment was part of the Father's will, which Christ accomplished.
In the third place, Christ's sacrifice is intimately connected with us and our sins. The Old Testament already illustrates this concept, with Abraham offering a ram in place of his son (Gen. 22:13), the Israelite laying hands on a sacrificial animal in his place (Lev. 16:21), and the servant of the Lord being wounded for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities (Isa. 53:5). Similarly, the New
Testament closely links Christ's sacrifice to our sins. The Son of Man came into the world to give His life as a ransom for many (Matt.
20:28; 1 Tim. 2:6). He was delivered up for our trespasses (Rom.
4:25), died in relation to our sins (Rom. 8:3; Heb. 10:6, 18; 1 Pet.
3:18; 1 John 2:2; 4:10), or, as often expressed, for our sake or for our sins (Luke 22:19-20; John 10:15; Rom. 5:8; 8:32; 1 Cor. 15:3; 2 Cor.
5:14-15, 21; Gal. 3:13; 1 Thess. 5:10; Heb. 2:9; 1 Pet. 2:21; John 3:16).
The fellowship into which Christ entered, according to these Scriptural testimonies, is so profound and deep that we cannot fully comprehend or understand it. The term "vicarious suffering" only weakly and inadequately expresses it, as it surpasses our imagination and understanding. There are some analogies among humans that suggest its possibility. We know of parents who suffer for and with their children, of heroes who sacrifice themselves for their homeland, of noble individuals who sow what others will reap. The law of life continues that some work, suffer, and fight so that others may enter into their labor and enjoy the fruit. The death of one can become sustenance for another. The grain of wheat must die to bear fruit.
The mother gives life to her child through childbirth. But all these examples are mere comparisons and fall short of the profound communion into which Christ entered with us. Rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might dare
to die. But God demonstrates His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:7-8).
There was, in reality, no fellowship between Christ and us, only separation and opposition. For He was the only begotten and beloved
Son of the Father, while we were all like the prodigal son. He was righteous, holy, and without sin, whereas we were sinners, guilty before God and unclean from head to foot. Yet, Christ communed with us, not only physically by taking on our nature, our flesh, and blood, but also juridically and ethically by entering into communion with our sin and death. He stood in our place; He positioned Himself in relation to the law of God as we stood to it. He took upon Himself our guilt, our sickness, our pain, our punishment. He, who knew no sin, was made sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21). He became a curse for us to redeem us from the curse of the law. He died for all so that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again for them (2 Cor. 5:15).
Here is the mystery of godliness, the profound mystery of divine love.
We cannot fathom the vicarious suffering of Christ, for we, being estranged from God and filled with enmity towards one another, cannot even begin to comprehend the vastness of what love is capable of, especially the boundless, eternal, divine love. But we are not called to fully understand this mystery; we are called to believe it, to find rest in it, to glory in it, and to rejoice. He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every
one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isa. 53:5-6).
What shall we then say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.
Who is he that condemns? It is Christ who died, yea rather, who is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us (Rom. 8:31-34).
Study Questions for Reflection 1. How does the Incarnation mark the beginning of Christ's work of humiliation, and why is this distinction important for understanding
His ministry?
Reflect on why the Incarnation is just the beginning of Christ's work and not the entirety of it, and what implications this has for His role in redemption.
2. Why is it insufficient to view the Incarnation alone as the act of reconciliation and redemption?
Consider why the life, death, and resurrection of Christ are necessary beyond His assuming human nature to accomplish full reconciliation between God and humanity.
3. In what ways does Christ's taking on the form of a servant highlight His identification with humanity, and how does this impact our understanding of His mission?
Reflect on the significance of Christ sharing in our humanity and what it means for Him to be our brother in flesh and blood.
4. What does Philippians 2:7-8 teach about the depth of Christ's humility and obedience, and how should this shape our response to His sacrifice?
Discuss the implications of Christ humbling Himself to the point of death on a cross and how this demonstrates His obedience to the Father's will.
5. How does the life and death of Christ fulfill the Scriptures and the foreordained plan of God?
Reflect on the role of prophecy and divine foreknowledge in Christ's mission, particularly in relation to His suffering and death as outlined in Acts 2:23 and 4:28.
6. Why is it important to view Christ's work as a unified act, encompassing His entire life from conception to crucifixion?
Consider the benefits of understanding Christ's work as a single, continuous act of redemption and how this perspective helps in appreciating the entirety of His mission.
7. How do the three offices of Christ—prophet, priest, and king— function simultaneously throughout His ministry?
Reflect on how Christ embodies all three offices at once and the importance of recognizing this unity in His work and mission.