The roles of the Prophet, Priest, and King are crucial in the scriptures—each of the three offices functions in some way as the mediator.  The prophet brings the Word from God to His people.  The priest represents the people before the Holy God.  Finally, the king is to protect God’s people and exemplify the character of God. It is through the fulfillment of the three-fold office of Mediator accomplished in the person and work of Jesus that God reveals His plan of redemption and accomplishes the redemption of His people.

Prophet, Priest, and King!  Take a minute and think about the first thing that comes to your mind when you see those three words.  Begin with the prophet, maybe the words, old, wise, or someone who speaks with and on behalf of God.  However, what do the sacred writings say about prophets?  Words like warning, exhortation, conviction, prayers, sorrow, anger, ridicule, martyred/killed, prosecutors, and witnesses are among some of the descriptions the Bible uses to describe these men and women. (1)  In this article, we will explore and hope to gain insight into these men and women to see their amazing and impactful role in the lives of God’s people.  The Westminster Confession of Faith assembly met in 1643-1649 and in the shorter catechism asked and answered four questions on the three offices of mediator.

Westminster Shorter Catechism:
Q#24: “How does Christ execute the office of a prophet?”
A: “Christ executes the office of a prophet, in revealing to us, by his Word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation.”

The next word is Priest.  Again, take a second and contemplate what comes to mind when you read that word.  Some thoughts might be prayer, sacrifice, Roman Catholicism (confession), fancy and colorful garments, forgiveness, worship, and blood. Once again, we ask, “What does the Word of God say?”  From scripture, we see words like, representative, set apart, atonement, or as Westminster would say satisfaction, and guardians of God’s sanctuary. (2)  The priestly office teaches us how to approach and worship our Creator.  Because of our rebellion against Him, the role of priesthood shows our need for a mediator that satisfies God’s holy and righteous demands for our sinful rebellion against Him, 1 Chronicles 16:4-28, Hebrews 7:23-25.

Westminster Confession of Faith Shorter Catechism
Q#25: “How does Christ execute the office of a priest?”
A: “Christ executes the office of a priest, in his once offering up of himself a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice, and reconcile us to God, and in making continual intercession for us.”

The final word in our list of three is King.  Thoughts that come to mind when contemplating Kingship, could be rule, sovereignty, authority, strength, dominion, and conquest.  While all of these describe a king, the scriptures use words like righteousness, justice, and wisdom as well to describe the character of the king and how the king is to rule (Proverbs 8:15,16, 16:12, 25:5, 29:4; 2 Samuel 23:3; Isaiah 32:1).  The earthly king’s reign is established by God and he should subordinate his rule to God (Daniel 2:21). (3) It is through the wisdom of the Lord that the ruler is to dispense justice on behalf of God’s people (1 Kings 3:9).  Through kingship we understand God’s righteous justice and enforcement of His laws in our everyday lives, and also in defending His people against His/our enemy(ies) (Proverbs 20:8, Psalm 110:1-4, Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalm 62:5-7, Exodus 14:14, 1 Corinthians 1:24,30).

Westminster Confession of Faith Shorter Catechism
Q#26: “How does Christ execute the office of a king?”
A: “Christ executes the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies.”

The roles of the Prophet, Priest, and King are crucial in the scriptures—each of the three offices functions in some way as the mediator.  The prophet brings the Word from God to His people.  The priest represents the people before the Holy God.  Finally, the king is to protect God’s people and exemplify the character of God. It is through the fulfillment of the three-fold office of Mediator accomplished in the person and work of Jesus that God reveals His plan of redemption and accomplishes the redemption of His people.  By fulfilling these roles Jesus is revealed as our ultimate prophet, priest, and king.  In question #23 the shorter catechism of the Westminster Confession of Faith firmly teaches the office of redeemer expressed in terms of prophet, priest, and king.

Q: 23, “What offices does Christ execute as our Redeemer?”
A: “Christ, as our Redeemer, executes the offices of a prophet, of a priest, and a king, both in His state of humiliation and exaltation” (Deuteronomy 18, Isaiah 61:1, and Psalm 110:1-4).

The Biblical Foundation

We have looked at the doctrine of the three-fold office of prophet, priest, and king from the Westminster shorter catechism. The doctrine taught and cemented in the reformed confessions is never made up or expressed unless the ministers believe the Word of God implicitly or explicitly teaches that doctrine.  For the ministers/teachers who labored to give us the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Word of God was “the only rule for faith and life”.

Read More