A quarterly magazine for the proclamation and defense of the Gospel
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A quarterly magazine for the proclamation and defense of the Gospel |
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Vol. 5, Issue 3 | Autumn 2011 |
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Primum Mobile is a quarterly web magazine. This issue and all its contents are © Copyright 2004-2011 by the editors. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
by Paul Lytle
Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.-1 Corinthians 15:24-26
Q. 45. How doth Christ execute the office of a king?
A. Christ executeth the office of a king, in calling out of the world a people to himself, and giving them officers, laws, and censures, by which he visibly governs them; in bestowing saving grace upon his elect, rewarding their obedience, and correcting them for their sins, preserving and supporting them under all their temptations and sufferings, restraining and overcoming all their enemies, and powerfully ordering all things for his own glory, and their good; and also in taking vengeance on the rest, who know not God, and obey not the gospel.-Westminster Larger Catechism
We have priests and prophets before Moses, but Moses really established both offices as we would come to understand them. He was the first great prophet, and under his guidance, Aaron became the first high priest. But the office of the king was not brought about until much later. For centuries, God was the king over the Jewish people. He wrote their laws and established their justice. It wasn’t until the time of Samuel that another king was crowned, and the people sought one then out of a lack of faith.
The elders came to Samuel and said, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:5). But Samuel wasn’t very happy about this. He was God’s prophet, and God was their leader. But God told him, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them” (8:7-8).
I’m going into this much detail on how this happened for a reason. Understanding Jesus as king may be the most difficult of the three offices. But when we look at the text, it should be the most clear, because God expressly took this office for himself from the beginning, even after he had sent prophets and priests for the people. The people rejected his rule and requested a new king, but the understanding was from the start that God was king over his people.
When Isaiah saw Jesus in Isaiah 6, Jesus was upon his throne even then. This is not simply an office he took upon himself once he ascended, though we do recognize that he is ruling at the right hand of the Father even now.
We mean a few different things when we speak of Jesus as king. In the first place, He is the head of the church. We see this too with our passage from 1 Samuel. Surely God here is sovereign over all things, and yet he has chosen a people for himself, and he is their King. In the same way, Jesus has saved a people for himself in his death upon the Cross, and he has a kingdom promised for those whom he has saved. This is the Church – the bride of Christ. Not everyone is part of this kingdom, but only those who have repented and have faith in Jesus. As Priest, he has interceded for those people who would believe upon him, and it is those He has brought into His kingdom. He, in his providence, disciplines us in our sin and rewards, in many ways, in our faithfulness. He protects us, guides us by his Spirit, and orders all things for our good.
Yes, for Jesus is king even now, and He rules from the right hand of the Father on this very day. He “who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him” (1 Peter 3:22).
We see this also in the passage from 1 Samuel, if we are paying attention. You see, the people wanted a human king of their own, but it did not happen by their word, but by the word of God. Yes, it was an evil thing they desired – to be rid of God as their king. But they did not succeed here, for God had to allow it before it could happen. God did not lose control; He merely allowed someone to sit on the throne.
We must understand that God is sovereign. He is in utter control of all things. Perhaps it does not seem like it, for God does not make this control so very clear as it will be in and after the Second Coming. He has not come to sit upon a throne before us all, though it is truly a throne upon which He sits. In His sovereignty He has allowed others to stand in places of power. He has allowed events to take place. He has even allowed evil, but never outside of His control, but always exactly as He wishes it to be by His good will. He does these things for His glory. For His glory He has allowed men to go astray. He will reveal His glory in His mercy toward some and His wrath against others. And yet not a molecule has escaped His control. “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases” (Psalm 115:3).
The New Testament reveals that it is Jesus, seated at the right hand of the Father, who wields this power. It is He who is the head of the Church. It was through Him, even, that all of creation was made. It is He who brings about the sovereign will of God.
Finally, it is He who will return in power and glory.
See, it is not just over the Church that Jesus ultimately rules. He is coming again, and in that Second Coming: “And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:14-16). He is coming, and His coming will put all of earth and heaven under His rule forever, and He will literally rule for all eternity.
Let us not tremble at this, unless, of course, we will not repent. This same God who will return in judgment also spoke to us, as a prophet, on how we may be saved. And more still, this same God, who saves a Church for Himself, has, as priest, made the sacrifice needed for that Church to be saved. He has paid it all, and He loses not one of who the Father gives Him. If you will repent and believe on Him, you will find that He has paid your debt too.
We worship an incredible God. We worship a God who is a prophet – who speaks what we need to know for salvation and righteousness. We worship a God who is a priest – who takes our place in death and pays the punishment we deserve for our sin. And we worship a God who is a king – who has a real kingdom and real power, and is leading His children to an eternity of peace and communion with our Lord.
