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The Threefold Office of Christ – Part Three

July 16, 2008 by Brian

Though God’s people were to look to the future for the prophesied deliver(s), Israel itself was part of God’s plan of redemption. The nation was to be a priest to the nations (Ex. 19:6). They could bless the families of the earth (Gen. 12:3) by leading them to the true God (Deut. 4:1-8). But Israel was also part of the world’s sin problem. God predicted that Israel would fail to keep his law and would therefore suffer the covenant curses (Deut. 30:1-8). Israel, even in Moses’ day, was comprised of people with uncircumcised hearts. They needed regeneration so they could turn and obey they Lord (Deut. 30:1-10). Though Israel successfully conquered the Promised Land (Josh. 10:40; 11:23; 21:43-45), Joshua told the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord” (24:19).

The book of Judges confirms Joshua’s prediction. The people quickly turn from beings priests to the nations to becoming like, or even worse than, the nations. By the end of the book, one judge offered human sacrifices. Another judge was more concerned with Philistine women and personal vendettas than with delivering God’s people. Israel’s judges were unable to restore God’s people to God’s law.

Not even the priestly class in Israel maintained the true worship of Yahweh (Jdgs. 17-18). The last account of the book includes an incident eerily reminiscent of the Sodom story. Amazingly, the story in Judges is darker than the one in Genesis. In Sodom, the angels blinded the men and no wicked deed was accomplished, but in Judges, the men of Gibeah “knew her and abused her all night until the morning” (19:25). They left her for dead, and the concubine’s master dismembered her and sent the pieces of her body throughout the land. Israel, the priest to the nations, had become worse than the worst of the nations (Sodom throughout Scripture is the illustration of human wickedness; Deut. 32:32; Isa. 1:10; 3:9; jer 23:14; Ezek. 16:46-56; 2 Pet. 2:6; Jude 7; Rev. 11:8).

The nations needed a better priest, and their priest, Israel, needed better priests (The last two accounts in Judges feature wayward Levites, including a descendant of Moses himself; cf. Block, Judges, Ruth, 512). The text explicitly notes Israel needed a king. Four times it says, “In those days there was no king in Israel” (17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). The closing words of the book are, “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (21:25). These words recall the actions of Adam and Eve doing what was right in their eyes. Israel was acting in the same manner that led to the distortion of human dominion at the beginning, and God said they needed a king to fix this sin problem.

The storyline of Scripture moves forward into the book of Samuel. Stephen Dempster says, “It is hard to imagine a worse situation than the end of the narrative of Judges, but this is it” (Dempster, Dominion and Dynasty, 135). The opening chapters of Samuel reveal that sin permeated the priesthood. Eli’s sons insisted on taking whatever raw meat would come up when they stabbed it with a meat-fork (1.2:13-17) despite Torah prohibitions (Lev. 7:22-25, 31-36; Deut. 18:3-4). Furthermore, they corrupted the women who ministered at the tabernacle (1.2:22; cf. Ex. 38:26) in a way that may have mimicked the forbidden cult prostitution of the Canaanites (Deut. 23:17). In summary statements, these men are called “sons of Belial” and men who “did not know the Lord” (1.2:12; this contrasts with Exodus which repeatedly says that the purpose for God’s miraculous deliverance was so Israel would know that he is the Lord: Ex. 6:3, 7; 10:2; 16:6, 12; 29:46; 31:13). Their actions were said to be blasphemy (1.3:13). Eli was little better. Despite his strong words, his remonstrance with his sons was ineffectual (1.2:22-25). Priests like this could not mediate between God and man.

God intervened at this crisis point in Israel’s history by raising up a prophet: Samuel. The necessity of a prophet showed the failure of the priesthood. The priests could receive revelation from God through the Urim and Thumim. They were given the responsibility of teaching God’s word. These tasks mirror the prophetic tasks of receiving revelation from God and declaring his word to the people. Samuel was a faithful prophet (1.12:3-5), but he was not sufficient to turn the people to God. Furthermore his sons became known for their wickedness (1.8:1-3).

Israel was in need of a righteous king, priest, and prophet.

Works cited
Block, Daniel I. Judges, Ruth. New American Commentary. Edited by E. Ray Clendenen. Nashville: B&H, 1999.
Dempster,Stephen G.  Dominion and Dynasty: A Theology of the Hebrew Bible. New Studies in Biblical Theology. Edited by D. A. Carson. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2003.

Filed Under: Biblical Theology, Christology

The Threefold Office of Christ – Part Two

July 15, 2008 by Brian

See Part One

The sin that disordered man’s blessing of dominion also disordered his relationship with God. God revealed that sacrifice is necessary for sinful man to approach God. Some see this in the killing of animals to provide clothing for Adam and Eve (cf. Waltke & Fredericks, Genesis, 95).  More clearly, the chapter directly following the account of the Fall reveals that humans now approached God in worship through sacrifices. The position of Leviticus in the Pentateuch further reinforces the necessity of sacrifices if sinful man is to approach God. Exodus closes with the erection of the tabernacle, which was a symbol of God’s presence (Exod. 29:46). This raised the question that existed since man’s sin drove him from the presence of God (Gen. 3:8, 23f.): how can God dwell with sinful man? This is the question that Leviticus exists to answer (Lev. 26:11-13), and it answers it with a detailed exposition of Israel’s sacrificial system (cf. Kiuchi, “Leviticus,” 152.).

Sacrifices imply priests. If Job reveals the state of true religion in patriarchal times, it may be that the father served as the priest for the family (Job 1:5; cf. Gen. 8:20; 12:7; 13:4; 35:1). Melchizedek, king of Salem, also served as a priest (Gen. 14:17), and this may indicate that for a time kings served as priests for their subjects. With the establishment of the nation Israel, God ordained a separate class of priests to mediate between God and man for the nation.

For mankind to receive revelation from God about his condition and about God’s expectations regarding worship, fallen man needed prophets. Abel (Matt. 23:34), Enoch (Jude 14), and Abraham (Gen 20:7) were all prophets, but among the covenant people, the office of the prophet originated when the people of Israel asked for someone to mediate between them and God (Ex. 20:18-21; Deut. 5:22-27; 18:15-16) (Robertson, The Christ of the Prophets, 25). Not only was Moses the first to fill this office, he was the greatest of Israel’s prophets (cf. Robertson 36-39).  As his ministry drew to a close God told the people to look for a future Prophet like Moses (Deut. 18:15-22; cf. Acts 3:22-23).

By the close of the Pentateuch, God’s people knew that sin had disordered mankind’s dominion over the world, and they knew that as part of God’s restoration they ought to look for a Judean king and a Mosaic prophet. There was no prediction at this point of a coming priest, but the Israelites probably already realized the insufficiency of their sacrificial system and thus the need for something more than they had in their current priestly system. [While many liberals have suggested a tension between the Pentateuch’s sacrificial system and the prophetic critique, Childs suggests the basis for the prophetic critique is found in Leviticus 26:14-45, which predicts the judgment of Israel for its sins in the exile. In the exile Israel is unable to offer sacrifices and they must simply cast themselves on the mercy of God (Childs, Old Testament Theology in a Canonical Context, 160f.).]

Works Cited
Watke, Bruce and Cathi J. Fredericks. Genesis: A Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001.
Kiuchi, Nobuyoshi  “Leviticus.” In New Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Edited by T. Desmond Alexander and Brian S. Rosner. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2000.
Robertson, O. Palmer.  The Christ of the Prophets. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2004.
Childs, Brevard S.  Old Testament Theology in a Canonical Context. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1985.

Filed Under: Biblical Theology, Christology

The Threefold Office of Christ – Part One

July 14, 2008 by Brian

From the time of Eusebius of Caesarea (Ecclesiastical History 1.3), Christians have recognized that Christ held three offices: Prophet, Priest, and King. These three offices are not a later theological construct. All three play a major role in the history of redemption recounted in Scripture.

The seed for the Christological office of king lies in the dominion blessing of Genesis 1:28-30. As the climax of God’s creation, as the creature made in the image of his Creator, man was to rule the earth as God’s vice-regent. The text does not provide extensive information as to what the nature of this unfallen dominion would have been like. Some speculate that humans were to extend the conditions of Eden throughout the world (cf. G. K. Beale, The Temple and the Church’s Mission, 83f).

Before the original intent of mankind’s dominion could be realized, Adam and Eve sinned and the entire world fell under God’s judgment. The sin of the first couple affected more than their spirits. The blessing of dominion was distorted by sin. After the Fall, the very ground resisted mankind’s dominion (3:17-29). In some ways, the creation seemed to now have dominion over its ruler: “for you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (3:19).

Genesis 4:17-26 reveals that the creation blessing has not been annulled. Cain is fruitful and he multiplies. Some of his descendants are recorded, and the multiplication of descendents is implied by the building of a city. Lamech’s bigamy should also be viewed in the context of the multiplication of progeny. Nor was dominion aspect of the blessing removed. The cultural achievements of Genesis four are all instances of subduing the earth. Some men assert their control over the animal world by domesticating animals. Others learned how to manipulate creation to create musical instruments. Men also learned how to forge minerals from the earth into tools. These cultural achievements are recorded in the line of Cain to demonstrate that the creation blessing still retained force among fallen man.

God also reaffirmed man’s dominion over the earth after the Flood. He gave the animals and plants into man’s hand (9:2-4). But the disorder of sin is also apparent in this passage. Man may rule the beasts, but the beasts will eat him (9:2). Though God also lays down a basic law of social order (Murder is a capital offense; 9:5-6), when men once again organize themselves socially, they exercise their dominion in defiance of God (11:4). For sinful man, the blessing of dominion became a curse, and man’s dominion needed to be curtailed (11:6).

At this point in the story the dominion of man over the earth does not appear to be beneficial, but the closing chapters of Genesis raise the issue of kingship in a more hopeful manner. This time the king is the solution. Jacob prophesied a king from Judah would rule over a restored earth (49:8-12; This interpretation presumes the translation, “until he whose right it is comes” (HCSB; cf. T/NIV). This translation is based on (1) the reading שלה rather than שילה in thirty-nine Hebrew manuscripts, (2) the translations of the LXX, Syriac Peshitta, and Targum Onkelos, and (3) the probable allusion to this verse by Ezekiel 21:26-27. For a survey of the views and detailed augmentation for this interpretation see Smith, 206-23).

The promise of a Messianic king in this passage is commonly recognized, but his dominion over a restored world is often missed. The prediction of a restored world is found in verse 11 A world in which vines can be used for hitching posts is manifestly overflowing in agriculture. Likewise washing clothes in the juice of crushed grapes indicates the extravagance of this future age. Smith notes this creates quite a contrast with the present world of famine, thorns, and sweat (Smith, 215f.). This prophecy invests the promise to Abraham, “kings shall come from you,” with greater significance than would have been at first apparent.

Works Cited

Beale, G. K. The Temple and the Church’s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God. New Studies in Biblical Theology. D. A. Carson. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2004.

Smith, Bryan.  “The Presentation of Judah in Genesis 37-50 and its Implications for the Narrative’s Structure and Thematic Unity.” Ph.D. diss., Bob Jones University, 2002.

Filed Under: Biblical Theology, Christology

Poythress on Textures in Inaugurated Eschatology

July 14, 2008 by Brian

This is a fascinating thought worth pondering:

Inaugurated eschatology does indeed constitute a common theme across the NT books. But one can still see differences in the detailed textures of the way in which it is integrated within different NT books. Vos notes one striking difference between Paul and Hebrews:

“The representation of the present age is not the same in both. For Paul the present age is the evil age and the new age is the perfect age. Paul thus presents a bisection of universal history, with the resurrection of Christ as the dividing point. In Hebrews, however, the old age is the Old Testament. Thus Hebrews presents not a bisection of universal history, but a bisection of the history of redemption, which results, therefore, in a philosophy of redemption and revelation. The writer of Hebrews does not regard the old Diatheke as something evil, but rather as the world of shadows (the Levitical world).”

One may extend Vos’s observations to other NT books. Revelation represents the present age as the age of intense spiritual war, culminating in the final battle and the consummation era of peace. Luke represents the present age as the age of the spread of the gospel, culminating in final answerability at the judgment (Acts 17:31). John represents the present age as the age of the revelation of the glory of God in Christ (John 14:9), by means of the presence of Christ through the presence of the Holy Spirit as “another helper” (John 14:16).

From https://www.frame-poythress.org/poythress_articles/2008Kinds.htm

Filed Under: Biblical Theology

Ridderbos on Glory and the Image of God

June 24, 2008 by Brian

Herman Ridderbos made an interesting and little noticed connection between man as created in the image of God and “glory” in his Pauline theology (p. 71)

He notes these passages:

ESV 1 Corinthians 11:7 For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man.

ESV 2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

ESV Romans 8:29-30 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

ESV 2 Corinthians 4:4-6 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

ESV Romans 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

ESV Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Any reflections in the comments on the significance of this connection are welcome.

Filed Under: Biblical Theology

Vos on Revelation and Redemption

June 24, 2008 by Brian

Vos offers insightful comments on the relation revelation has to redemption:

“Revelation is the interpretation of redemption; it must, therefore, unfold itself in installments as redemption does. And yet it is also obvious that the two processes are not entirely co-extensive, for revelation comes to a close at a point where redemption still continues. In order to understand this, we must take into account an important distinction within the sphere of redemption itself. Redemption is partly objective and central, partly subjective and individual. By the former we designate those redeeming acts of God, which take place on behalf of, but outside of, the human person. By the latter we designate those acts of God which enter into the human subject. We call the objective acts central, because, happening in the centre of the circle of redemption, they concern all alike, and are not in need of, or capable of, repetition. Such objective-central acts are the incarnation, the atonement, the resurrection of Christ. The acts in the subjective sphere are called individual, because they are repeated in each individual separately. Such subjective-individual acts are regeneration, justification, conversion, sanctification, glorification. Now revelation accompanies the process of objective central redemption only, and this explains why redemption extends further than revelation. To insist upon its accompanying subjective-individual redemption would imply that it dealt with questions of private, personal concern, instead of with the common concerns of the world of redemption collectively. Still this does not mean that the believer cannot, for his subjective experience, receive enlightenment form the source of revelation in the Bible, for we must remember that continually, alongside the objective process, there was going on the work of subjective application, and that much of this is reflected in the Scriptures. Subjective-individual redemption did not first begin when objective-central redemption ceased; it existed alongside of it from the beginning.”

Vos, Biblical Theology, (BoT), 6.

Filed Under: Biblical Theology, Bibliology

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