This Week's Focus Passage

Jesus Christ: Both Lord and High Priest

Focus Passage: Psalm 110:1, 4

‘Jehovah saith unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand; Thou art a priest forever.’

Psalm 110 is one of the Old Testament passages most frequently cited in the New Testament, perhaps depending somewhat upon whether indirect as well as direct citations are included in one’s accounting. Nevertheless, it is of great importance to make note of the fact that, in this relatively ancient document, our Savior, Jesus Christ, is referred to repeatedly as both Lord and Priest; and Who is He whose office is that of our Great High Priest, but our Savior Himself. He has saved His people in His glorious position, as Priest, offering Himself, as the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. Thus we may rightly say that God hath made Him both Lord and Priest. This grand truth is much later evinced by each of the synoptic writers, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, along with Peter in his post-Pentecostal sermon to the multitude gathered in wonderment at the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This occasion precipitated that most blessed statement of the Spiritually invigorated apostle, when he declared of Jesus Christ;

‘Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly, that God hath made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified.’

The direct citations from this 110th psalm are particularly those from the first and the fourth verses. In the references found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, it is Christ posing a question to the Pharisees, saying,

‘What think ye of the Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying,

The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Till I put thine enemies underneath thy feet?

If David then calleth him Lord, how is he his son?

While some may imagine, if they dare, to think of Jesus being mistaken in His assessment of the words of David, it is patent that He is teaching that the Christ, the Son of David, is the One whom David in the Spirit calls Lord. The Lamb is the Lord, the Lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the root of David that hath overcome to open the book and the seven seals thereon. Revelation 5:5.

The Lord sitting at God’s right hand is a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. He cannot be received as Savior without being honored as Lord. It is as Lord that He has saved His people. The salvation of the elect could not be obtained by any One other than a Priest and King. He it is whom God set upon His Holy Hill of Zion; He it is Whom we are charged to kiss; Kiss the Son as Lord, as King, as Ruler. It is verily impossible to fail to recognize that David is speaking in Psalm 110 of the very same One spoken of in Psalm 2:

Ask of me, and I will give thee the nations for thy inheritance, And the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

speaks of the very same Lord of Whom we read:

The Lord at thy right hand will strike through kings in the day of his wrath. He will judge among the nations, He will fill the places with dead bodies; He will strike through the head in many countries.

Yes, the Lord is King; the Lord is Great High Priest; the Almighty God. Well would it be for those who teach that a sinner can embrace Christ as Savior today, and be eternally spared the torments of hell, while yet refusing to bow down to Him as Lord, either at another day, or never.

There are many highly regarded, by men, and eminent, before men, preachers, who are teaching this very thing. In their zeal, perhaps, to extol the glorious grace of God in salvation, they assert that God’s grace is so powerful that it will save one who continues to walk in the paths of unrighteousness for his own selfishness sake. They apparently do not comprehend the holiness of God. Seeking to magnify the grace of God, they are trampling upon His holiness. God’s wisdom and power is well able to satisfy both His grace and His holiness. Indeed, He saves a people unto Himself by turning them from their sin; God does not only ‘restore our souls,’ but He ‘makes us to walk in the paths of righteousness for his own name’s sake.’ It is for His Name’s sake; Psalm 11:9; He hath sent redemption unto his people; he hath commanded his covenant for ever: Holy and reverend is His name. Christ bled and died not only to save sinners, but to maintain the righteousness of God in doing so. Paul has brought this before us in Romans 3:25, whom God set forth to be a propitiation, through faith, in his blood, to show his righteousness; not only to magnify His grace, but to magnify His Name.

There are many who are teaching Free Grace as though to suggest that it is to be understood that salvation is unconditional in any way. It is unconditional for us, but not for God. Christ satisfied every condition on behalf of His people. He kept the law of God most perfectly that righteousness might be imputed to those for whom He died. He paid the penalty due His people for their sin, and provided a perfect and complete forgiveness. He is the vicarious Substitute for His own, and He met every condition in order to their justification and sanctification. His own are saved by works, Christ’s works! Furthermore, there are conditions that must be met by the individual sinner. He must repent! He must believe! Christ does not repent for us! Christ does not believe for us! What He has done is to provide, with the new heart promised, both faith and repentance to enable us to come to God covered in His righteousness, both repenting and believing. Hallelujah! What a Savior; what a righteous and Holy God we come to through Christ!

David Farmer, elder

Fellowship Bible Church

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