THE CHURCH IN PROGRESS

THE POSITION OF CHRIST

To be saved by the grace of God is to be saved by the personification of that grace--Jesus Christ. On the day of Pentecost, Peter said: "Let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36). Upon another occasion, when Peter was preaching in the temple after healing the lame beggar at the gate called Beautiful, he echoed what he had said on Pentecost: "You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead" (Acts 3:14,15). On a similar occasion when Peter was speaking to the household of Cornelius concerning how "they killed Jesus by hanging him on a tree" said: "He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the One whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead" (Acts 10:42).

Jesus was proclaimed to be the Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36), the Prince of life (Acts 3:15), and the Judge of all (Acts 10: 42). He was also proclaimed to be a Prophet. As Peter was speaking to the group that assembled as the result of his healing the lame beggar at the Beautiful Gate of the temple in Jerusalem, he reminded them of how Jesus had been killed by the Jews and how God raised him from the dead. Then, Peter said to them, "Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you, even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. For Moses said, The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people" (Acts 3:17-23).

Jesus became a priest to the people when "God sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways" (Acts 3:26). He became their king in the sense that he was a descendant of David and sat upon his throne. "Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on an oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are witnesses of that fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, The Lord said to my Lord; sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet" (Acts 2:29-35). Jesus, then, became prophet, priest and king in relation to his people; a position that He has held from that time until now, and as long as time shall last on earth.

- Gene A. Ellmore -