p. 643 | CHRIST AS PROPHET by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Aug 21, 1893

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 19, No. 41.

CHRIST AS PROPHET.

By Editor

THE BEARING OF THE SUBJECT ON RELIGIOUS LEGISLATION.

JUST now we are repeatedly met at every turn and from every quarter with a demand for legislation on moral and religious questions, or for legislation on a moral or religious basis. The special demand in this respect is for Sunday laws. Where such laws already exist, their rigid enforcement is demanded. Where they are weak or mild, more stringent laws with adequate penalties are demanded. And where no such laws exist, as in California, both their enactment and enforcement are demanded. This demand in nearly all cases comes from professed Christians. The majority of those who make this demand we concede to be sincere and earnest men and women, believing that it would be for the advancement of Christ's cause and the glory of his name that their demand be complied with on the part of the civil powers. If this be true, we will find, no doubt, ample reason for such a position in what the New Testament reveals concerning Christ in some one of his offices or relations to the race. In this paper we wish briefly to consider him in his relations of Prophet, Priest, and King. What relation did he sustain to civil laws? What relation did he design his followers to sustain? What saith the Scriptures?

CHRIST THE TEACHER.

His coming as a prophet is predicted through Moses. Referring to the request of Israel that God should not in his majesty speak to them any more (Ex. 20: 19), Moses declares that God would send to them on earth a teacher who would represent Him. He says:—

"I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him." Deut. 18: 18, 19.

That this prophecy applied to Christ is shown by Peter in Acts 3: 22, 23. In verse 26 he gives the purpose of sending Christ, namely, "To bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities." This was the object of Christ's coming. It was to dethrone sin in the heart and place himself there instead by the voluntary will of the individual. John 7: 17. How was Christ related to civil government? What may we learn from his teaching and example?

1. Though Creator of all things (John 1: 1-3), there was no portion of earth possessed by Christ. He declares: "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head." Luke 9: 58. He not only possessed nothing, but he absolutely refused to accept of office when the people were ready to force it upon him. "When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone." John 6: 15. Further than this, Christ expressly declares that he could not of right reign over this world in its present condition. In reply to the question of Pilate, "Art thou the King of the Jews?" Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews." John 18: 36. That he was a king, that he was born for that purpose, Christ declares in the next verse; but that kingdom was future (as will be noticed later); his mission as teacher was to bear witness unto the truth, and not to build himself up in any way.

2. Consistently with what he said to Pilate were his instructions to his disciples. First, when Christ declared that he should suffer and be crucified, Peter, who had imbibed the idea of a temporal kingdom ruled by Christ, rebuked him. What was Jesus' reply to the zealous disciple?

"He turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan; thou art an offense [R. V., "stumbling block"] unto me; for thou savorest [mindest] not the things that be of God, but those that be of men." Matt. 16: 22, 23.

And then Jesus lays down the very foundation principle of all true Christian life and work in the following words: "If any man will come after me, let him DENY HIMSELF, and take up his cross, and follow me."

Secondly, when John and James desired the first places in what they supposed would be Christ's earthly kingdom, Jesus thus addressed his disciples:—

"Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you; but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant; even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." Matt. 20: 25-28.

Christ, therefore, came not to rule, but to serve, not to seek for the high places of earth, but to minister to the needy.

Thirdly, when Jesus was slighted by the Samaritans who would not receive him, James and John thought to avenge the insult, as the servants of an earthly king naturally would; and they inquired of him: "Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of Man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." Luke 9: 51-56.

It, therefore, is not the Spirit of Christ which actuates men to call down curses upon the heads of those who may commit, or seem to commit, sin.

Fourthly, when Peter, at the time of Christ's arrest, drew the sword and wounded one who came to apprehend his Master, Jesus said, "Put up again thy sword into his place; for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword." "The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" "Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?" Matt. 26: 52, 53; John 18: 11. As Christ's kingdom was not of this world, his servants had no right to promote his kingdom by any earthly means or power.

3. Christ, while here, possessed no power as a judge. On one occasion, when a multitude were gathered around him, "one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me." But Jesus replied, "Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?" (Luke 12: 13, 14), as much as to say, "I have no right to judge you; that is not my province." But as he is no respecter of persons, if he is not a judge of one, he is not of another. And this he expressly declares: "And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not; for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world." John 12: 47. That was Christ's doctrine. He came not to judge, did not judge. Are those Christ's servants who assume authority which he did not exercise? Are those Christ's servants who presume to sit in judgment upon men who will not perform their interpretation of Christ's words, when Christ would not judge those who rejected his words? Are those Christ's servants who seek to punish men by civil law for violation of religious dogmas, when Christ would not even condemn those who rejected his teaching, but left it all to God and the great day? Are those Christ's servants who, instead of leaving it to God, put themselves in God's place and presume to condemn, and execute judgment?

4. Christ ever taught that his kingdom was at that time future. While he was born heir to the throne of David (John 18: 37; Luke 1: 32), it was necessary that he should go away, receive for himself a kingdom (Luke 19: 12), and return to take it. This kingdom will Christ possess when he comes the second time. Thus Jesus speaks: "When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory." Matt. 25: 31. And therefore he taught his disciples to pray, "Thy kingdom come." He therefore had no connection with civil laws while here, nor did he rule only as he was enthroned voluntarily in the hearts of men.

To summarize: The Scriptures teach: (1) That Christ in his mission to this earth at the first advent came to teach God's will, to minister unto men, to live our example, and to die to redeem us from sin. (2) That he possessed not so much as a place to lay his head; that he would not be made king; that his kingdom was not of this world. (3) He showed by his instructions to his disciples that the path of self-denial was "the path to glory" and to God; that his disciples should not seek greatness by ruling, but by serving; that when they sought to execute judgment on those who rejected Christ, they were not possessed of the Spirit of Christ; and his warm-hearted disciple was rebuked for lifting a sword in the Master's defense. (4) That

Christ's kingdom was yet future, and would not be set up till he come again. From these we conclude that so far as Christ's teaching and example are concerned, Christians have no right to compel, coerce, or condemn men by civil law or to civil penalties for violation of any religious observances whatsoever. "As He is, so are we in this world."

Christ as Priest and King we will consider in the future.