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“Christ as Prophet”

Most people think prophets foretell the future. In the Old Testament, the prophets did foretell the future: the eventual arrival of Jesus Christ.

But what about the gift of the prophet as described by Ephesians? Do they still foretell Christ’s arrival?

The answer, as with the other gifts, can be found by looking to Jesus. The prophets of the Old Testament, like Christ himself, also shared the truth of God’s word.

Prophets of the Old Testament often sought to reveal to people how they fall short of God’s law through ignorance, forgetfulness, and even rebelliousness. Prophetic truth often warned people of impending judgment and destruction for disobeying God and failing to repent.

Christ frees us from judgment and the penalty of death when we believe in him and accept his grace. However, he still desires us to fulfill God’s laws in our life as a way to bring God glory and point others to the Gospel.

Often we forget to relate to Christ as the one who brings this hard truth. Prophecy is a spiritual gift that we should appreciate as a form of grace, not punishment, when modeled after Christ the prophet. Delivered with love, this truth corrects when we are drifting apart from God’s laws.

Christ as prophet expressed these attributes:

• Convicts people of their sin
• Confronts the rebellious and unfaithful, especially leaders
• Conforms to God’s truth in word, spirit, and deed
• Challenges people’s worldly thoughts
• Contrasts those who follow Christ with those who don’t

Questions:

In what ways has Christ, through his word, people, or even another medium, revealed God’s truth to you?

How does his speaking truth and his call to be faithful to God’s word demonstrate his love?

How have those truths come to you and how readily or easily have you received them?