Reformation 500 WEEK 12: Heidelberg Catechism,
QUESTION 31-32
Question 31: Why is He called Christ, that is,
Anointed? Because He is ordained of God
the Father and anointed with the Holy Spirit to be our Chief Prophet and
Teacher, who has fully revealed to us the secret counsel and will of God
concerning our redemption; and our only High Priest, who by the one
sacrifice of His body, has redeemed us, and ever lives to make intercession for
us with the Father; and our eternal King, who govern us by His Word and
Spirit, and defends and preserves us in the redemption obtained for us.
MESSIAH is the Hebrew word, and CHRIST is the Greek word,
meaning ANOINTED. In the Old Testament, prophets, priests, and kings were
anointed with oil to symbolize that they were ordained and gifted by God to
fulfill the duties of their office. They were types (examples) of what God intends every believer to become
through Christ the ultimate Prophet, Priest, and King (Num. 11:29; Rev. 1:6).
Isaiah foretold that Messiah would be anointed with the Holy Spirit
(11:1; 61:1). At His baptism, Jesus the Son of God was anointed by the Father
with the Holy Spirit to fulfill His threefold office (Acts 10:38). As our Chief
Prophet, He has fully revealed the truth to us, especially the truth about
our redemption in Him (Matt. 16:16-17; John 1:18; 15:15; 17:8). As our only
High Priest, “by the sacrifice of Himself” (Heb. 9:26), He has redeemed us
by His blood (Heb. 9:11-15). And with His Father in heaven, “He always lives to
make intercession for us” (Heb. 7:25), praying that our faith would not fail
(Luke 22:32; John 17:9-15). As our eternal King, at God’s right hand, He
governs us by His Word and Spirit, preserving us in the faith so we persevere
in showing ourselves thankful for our salvation (Heb. 12:2; 1 Peter 1:5).
Question 32: But why are you called a Christian? Because by faith I am a member of Christ
and thus a partaker of His anointing, in order that I [as a prophet] also
may confess His name, [as
a priest] may present myself a living
sacrifice of thankfulness to Him, and [as a king] with a free conscience
may fight against sin and the devil in this life, and hereafter in eternity
reign with Him over all creatures.
Every
believer is a member of Christ, united as one body to the risen and glorified
Lord Jesus Christ in heaven (Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor. 6:17; Eph. 2:6; 5:30), “united
to Him by the same Holy Spirit dwelling in Him and in us” (Ursinus; cf. John
15:5; 1 Cor. 12:13). Therefore, we are called Christians, “anointed
ones,” for we all share in the anointing of Christ’s Spirit (1 John 2:20, 27),
enabled by the same Spirit to imitate and follow Christ as prophets, priests,
and kings – to know, love, and live truth (Jer.
15:16). “As prophets, we are to confess the name of Christ and declare
His truth to others [Matt. 10:32; Eph. 4:15]. As priests, we are to
present ourselves as living sacrifices to Christ and dedicate all we are and
have to the service of God [Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9-10]. This includes our
talents and our money. As kings, we are to exercise dominion by the Word
of God over ourselves, our homes, our churches, our society [Gen. 1:28]. We are
to fight the good fight against sin and the devil and reign with Christ both
now and forever [2 Tim. 4:7; Rev. 2:26; 5:9-10]. When we begin to grasp the
real meaning of being a Christian, life becomes a wonderful, new challenge”
(Jones, Study Helps, 74).
NOTE: These Posts were written and designed as bulletin inserts by Pastor David Fagrey of the Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD .
Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: Reformation 500 HC QAs 31-32
For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: Reformation 500 Week 12
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