Christ My Prophet, Priest, and King > "Surrender All"

Why is he called "Christ" meaning "anointed?"

Answer: Because he has been ordained by God the Father and has been anointed with the Holy Spirit to be our chief prophet and teacher who fully reveals to us the secret counsel and will of God concerning our deliverance, our only high priest, who delivered us by the on sacrifice of his body and who continually intercedes for us before the Father and our eternal king, who governs us by his Word and Spirit and who guards and keeps us in the deliverance he has won for us (Heidelberg Q&A 31)

 I want to define what it means to "surrender all" to Jesus as I heard it and experienced it as a young Christian. The idea of total and complete surrender was used in context of coming to saving faith. In order to be  assured of a right standing with God, I had to surrender every facet of my life to Christ.  I was always confused and scared when I heard the concept explained in this manner, particularly when it came to considering the genuineness of my faith. "Surrender all" also seemed to be synonymous with obedience to Christ.  Self-examination as well as obedience was emphasized over Christ's work for me. I did not understand that self-examination was to lead to mercy and that the fruit of good works was a natural result of my union with Christ.  That environment caused fear, suspicion, and the constant questioning of whether or not I had any right to know that Christ's promises of forgiveness of sins and righteousness was for me. Obedience inadvertently became the gateway to knowing Christ as my Savior and Mediator. In an environment where the emphasis of my life was defined by my own obedience and love for Christ, this concept only drove me deeper into myself instead of outward to Christ. I wrote previously of this concept here in which I defined '"total surrender" within the context of  God's law.  I could never seem to find consolation in the Gospel because I was never sure that I "surrendered" enough.  

I have loved learning from the Heidelberg Catechism. It is the Church's Book of Comfort that the Lord has used graciously in my life to clarify concepts that have always been so confusing to me.  "Surrender All" and "submission to the Lordship of Christ" is a concept that has been clarified for me by the grace of God by learning of Christ as my Prophet, Priest, and King. This has clarified that all of my salvation - justification, sanctification, and glorification are in the hands of  the triune God. This God is kind, merciful, just, and faithful. Understanding Christ as my Prophet, Priest, and King has contextualized my own obedience as swallowed up in the purity of Christ's sacrifice.  Beloved, we can enjoy being under the care of the triune God, whose sovereignty is never divorced from His kindness. 

Christ our Prophet - What has Christ revealed to us concerning our deliverance? 

"Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power" - Hebrews 1:1-3

Christ has revealed that "God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." (John 3:17) Christ has revealed Himself to be the Savior who delivers us fully from our sins. He has revealed to us that He is able to "save to the uttermost those who draw near to him in faith" Hebrews 7:25. He has revealed in His living that He has obeyed every single law in our place. He has revealed by His death, that He fully absorbed the wrath of the Father and paid the penalty for our sin. Christ has revealed in His burial that He was truly dead.  Christ has revealed in His resurrection that we are indeed perfectly justified. He has truly made purification for our sins. Both His life and His words declare to us that our sins are forgiven and we are not under the curse and wrath of God. Resurrection has the perpetual and last word. Jesus has declared that salvation is in Him - completely outside of us and for us. 

Christ our Priest - Christ Intercedes

"After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs" (Hebrews 1: 3-4) 

Because we have been purified by the blood of Christ, we can now approach the throne of grace by way of our Mediator. He has offered up his body to be the final sacrifice for our sins and now sits down at the right hand of the Father perpetually interceding for us. He sustains our faith with His prayers. This truth gives us great comfort because we know that the Father loves His Son and is pleased to answer His prayers.  We do not approach the Father in hopes that we will be accepted because of  our "surrender". We come clothed in Christ's surrender for us. That is true rest and comfort!

Christ our King - He Governs and Keeps Us

We understand and believe that God cares and loves His creatures and governs all things according to His will. How often have we ever considered Christ's governance of our sanctification?  Our ownership has been transferred to a Savior who has purchased us with His own blood. We are no longer our own and as much as we can be tossed to and fro by our circumstances, and by the evils we face in this present age, Christ keeps us and governs us by His word and Spirit. He has subdued all of His enemies definitively by His death and resurrection. Christ our King helps us to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:12-13). Even the desire to obey and live according to God's commands is wrought in us by the Spirit of our Reigning King. He subdues and conquers the continual vestiges of sin our lives through His Word and Sacraments. Knowing this allows us to continue to fight sin with a free conscience, and to continue to consider ourselves dead to sin but alive to Christ. The Triune God is in our corner. His work for us is completely outside of us and for our benefit.  Therefore let us with joy and gratitude "by the mercies of God to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual worship" (Romans 12:1) 

Christ as our Prophet, Priest and King, is indeed better than our surrender. Why? Because we come to Him knowing that He benefits us more than we can ever give to Him. He has surrendered for us more than we surrender to Him. He is the one who created us to be His "workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10). Instead of  surrendering the meager filthy rags of our own obedience outside of Christ, let us instead receive the whole Christ who is for us our Prophet, Priest, and King. Let us walk by faith knowing that He grants us everything we need for life and godliness, knowing that He keeps and preserves us in the deliverance that He bought with His own life.