I don't know what happened last week. I completely forgot to post the Shorter Catechism questions. It had been a long day at school and after class I got dressed up to go out to dinner for my roommate's birthday. I know, excuses excuses... I am sorry I forgot to do it, though!
So from last week we have:
23. What offices doth Christ execute as our Redeemer? Christ, as our Redeemer, executeth the offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both in his estate of humiliation and exaltation. (See: Acts 3:22, Hebrews 5:6, and Pslam 2:6)
24. How doth Christ execute the office of a prophet? Christ executeth the office of a prophet, in revealing to us, by his Word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation. (See: Hebrews 1:1-2 and John 16:13_
25. How doth Christ execute the office of a priest? Christ executeth 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. (See Hebrews 4:14, Hebrews 9:28, Hebrews 7:25, and Colossians 1:20)
26. How doth Christ execute the office of a king? Christ executeth 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. (See 2 Corinthians 10:5, Matthew 11:29, and 2 Timothy 4:18)
Personally, I think I struggle the most with Christ as prophet. God knows all. Everything that has come before us, everything in our lives, and everything that is to come after us. And yet I want to control. I want to be center. I want to see results right now. Ultimately, I struggle with understanding how everything He ordains is for my good and for the good of His Kingdom. The mere thought of a being that knows ALL blows my mind. I can't fathom it. But in His word and in the Holy Spirit I put my faith that He does know, and He is in control.
As for this week...I'm not going to do questions from the Shorter Catechism. This morning we discussed Arminianism and Calvanism. It was a hard discussion but interesting and ultimately good. I feel like the topics are far too deep to get into on my blog. These things are better saved for real face-to-face conversations and relationships. However, I'd like to open this up for discussion. If you have any thoughts on either side, feel free to share them.
As for myself I would say I'm not really a 5 point Calvanist...at least not without wrestling through things. I see biblical references that point toward Calvanism (and thus away from Arminianism) but it's still not easy. Nothing is clear cut, black and white.
So there it is, folks. Doctrine Thursday is back!
I totally understand!! I definitely struggle with Christ as prophet. It's so hard to see sometimes, in the world and in my life. Often, I want to ask, "if God knows all, then why do I have to struggle so much in my life?" "why do so many Christian people suffer? (or even people in general?)" It's hard to view Christ, go through the things we go through, and understand that everything he does is for our ultimate good.
ReplyDeleteBut I have to remember that being Christian doesn't mean the absence of suffering. Sometimes, suffering helps us. If we suffer, we build character, and what doesn't kill us makes us stronger.
"Even though Jesus was the Son of God, he learned obedience by what he suffered." Hebrews 5:8
Another point is that our suffering my ultimately help others. Christ died for the world and rose 3 days later, and though what he went through on earth was terrible, he sacrificed himself and we have joy and freedom and love because of it. If a person goes on a mission in a dangerous land, where there is war and poverty, they may end up getting hurt or killed, but they may also bring people closer to Christ because of it.
But yes, sometimes it's hard to see the bigger picture, what God wants for us. We are inclined to be selfish and want what brings us joy and want things done our way, but God uses the things we go through to teach us lessons and to humble us and to understand him more.
Fantastic post! :) I think it is easiest for me to understand him as priest, because it is often drilled into my head that he sacrificed himself, dying on the cross, to save us. I think about that most.