Lord's Day 12 — Tuesday: Christ Our Prophet
Lord's Day 12: The Name 'Christ' - Three Offices
Tuesday — Christ Our Prophet
The Catechism
Q31. Why is he called 'Christ,' meaning 'anointed'?
Because he has been ordained by God the Father and has been anointed with the Holy Spirit to be our chief prophet and teacher who fully reveals to us the secret counsel and will of God concerning our deliverance; our only high priest who has delivered us by the one sacrifice of his body, and who continually pleads our cause with the Father; and our eternal king who governs us by his Word and Spirit, and who guards and keeps us in the freedom he has won for us.
Q32. But why are you called a Christian?
Because by faith I am a member of Christ and so I share in his anointing. I am anointed to confess his name, to present myself to him as a living sacrifice of thanks, to strive with a free conscience against sin and the devil in this life, and afterward to reign with Christ over all creation for eternity.
Today's Emphasis
As our chief Prophet and Teacher, Christ fully reveals God's secret counsel and will concerning our deliverance. He does not merely bring a message from God—he is the Word of God made flesh, the final and complete revelation of the Father.
Scripture Readings
Deuteronomy 18:15
The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen.
John 1:18
No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.
Hebrews 1:1-2
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
From the Reformers
John Calvin (Institutes of the Christian Religion, II.15.2)
"We see that he was anointed by the Spirit to be the herald and witness of his Father's grace, and not in the common manner; for he is distinguished from other teachers who had a similar office. And here, again, it is to be observed, that the unction which he received, in order to perform the office of teacher, was not for himself, but for his whole body, that a corresponding efficacy of the Spirit might always accompany the preaching of the gospel."
Reflection Questions
• In what ways do you treasure Christ's prophetic Word as the complete revelation of God's will for your salvation?
• How should Christ being our 'chief prophet' shape the way we evaluate other sources of spiritual teaching and guidance?
Growing in grace through the Catechism — The Hearthside Team 🔥