Pastor Terrie Beede presented session 17 of the "Studies in Theology" series at Calvary Chapel Milwaukee, titled "The Doctrine of the Son, Part 5: The Work of Jesus Christ (His Offices)". The series is consistently anchored by 1 Timothy 4:16, which exhorts ministers like Timothy to "take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this, thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee". This counsel highlights the importance of a minister's personal adherence to and faithful teaching of sound doctrine, ensuring both their fulfillment of duty and the congregation's nourishment in truth. It emphasizes that theology is not merely an academic pursuit but has practical implications for how believers live and worship.
This session followed previous studies on the doctrine of the Son, which covered Christ's person in the Old Testament (including prophecies of His humanity and deity, and the role of the pre-incarnate Son as the Angel of the Lord), His humanity in the New Testament, and His deity in the New Testament. The previous session (Part 4) concluded the study of Christ's person by examining the necessity of His two-fold nature – being both fully God and fully man.
The study of God the Son aligns with Article Four of the Calvary Chapel Milwaukee statement of faith. This article affirms belief in Jesus Christ as God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit, including His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, teachings, substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension, perpetual intercession, and personal visible return to Earth.
This fifth installment marked a transition from discussing Christ's person to His work, specifically focusing on His three primary offices: Prophet, Priest, and King. These roles, which the Messiah was foretold to occupy, serve to sum up His many roles throughout the Old and New Testaments.
1. Prophet: A prophet's role is to speak for God, delivering God's message from God to man. Christ fulfilled this office as the ultimate Prophet, whose words carried eternal authority directly from the Father, ultimately declaring God, whom no man had seen (John 1:18).
2. Priest: A priest speaks for man to God, mediating between God and humanity. Christ's priesthood is described as "after the order of Melchizedek" (Hebrews 6:20-7:4), a priesthood that predated and was superior to the Aaronic priesthood, having no record of beginning or end, signifying Christ's eternal and unique priestly role. As Priest, Christ offered a "perfect sacrifice" for sins "once for all" (Hebrews 10:10-14). In contrast to the repeated, temporary sacrifices of human priests, Christ's completed work allowed Him to sit down at the right hand of God, having perfected those who are sanctified forever by one offering.
3. King: Jesus is the eternal King. While His kingdom is "not of this world," His divine kingship will be fully realized and evident at His return (Revelation 19).
The session also introduced the "office of a servant," noting that while it is not a traditional distinct office in systematic theology, it is "perhaps greater than any other office because it encompasses all three of these offices together". This highlights that Christ executed His roles as Prophet, Priest, and King through the posture of a servant. In biblical culture, a servant or slave was not always of the lowest class, and often bore the identity and authority of their master, which serves to illuminate the selfless and authoritative nature of Christ's work. The session underscored that a deep understanding of Christ's person and work is foundational to the Christian faith and has practical, personal implications for daily life.