Threefold Office of Christ

Definition and Meaning

The threefold office of Christ is the doctrine that Jesus Christ accomplishes salvation by holding the three offices of prophet, priest, and king together. In Latin it is called the munus triplex. Both "Christ" and the Hebrew "Messiah" mean "anointed one." Because prophets, priests, and kings were the officeholders installed by anointing in the Old Testament, the doctrine takes as its starting point the meaning of the title "Christ." According to this doctrine, Christ as prophet reveals and teaches the will of God. As priest, he offers himself as a sacrifice to accomplish atonement and intercedes for his people, standing between them and God. As king, he rules and protects the church. The doctrine belongs to the part of Christology that deals with the work of Christ.

Biblical and Historical Background

The Old Testament records the anointing of Elisha as prophet (1 Kings 19:16), Aaron as priest (Exodus 29:7), and David as king (1 Samuel 16:13). The New Testament portrays Jesus in all three offices:

• Prophet: the "Prophet ... like unto me" of whom Moses spoke (Deuteronomy 18:15; Acts 3:22)
• Priest: the eternal high priest after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 4:14; Hebrews 7)
• King: the King of kings (Revelation 19:16)

The scene in the synagogue at Nazareth, where Jesus read Isaiah 61:1 and declared that he himself was the anointed one (Luke 4:18–21), is also frequently cited in support of the doctrine.

Some writers in the early centuries of church history already mentioned the three offices together. John Calvin is generally credited with systematizing them into a doctrine; in the Institutes of the Christian Religion he organized the work of Christ under these three headings. The doctrine was subsequently incorporated into Reformed documents such as Question 31 of the Heidelberg Catechism (1563), Chapter 8 of the Westminster Confession of Faith, and the Westminster Catechisms, and it was also adopted in Lutheran theology. Since the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church has taught that the baptized faithful share in the priestly, prophetic, and kingly offices of Christ. At the same time, some theologians have criticized the doctrine, arguing that separating the three offices too sharply artificially divides the single, unified work of Christ.

Practice in Korean Churches

In Presbyterian churches, the doctrine is taught through Questions 23–26 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Many churches cover these questions in baptism and confirmation classes or in doctrinal study. Question 32 of the Heidelberg Catechism teaches that believers also share in Christ's anointing, so that they confess his name, present themselves as living sacrifices, and fight against sin. This teaching is used, together with the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, to explain the calling of believers.

John Wesley likewise described Christ as prophet, priest, and king. In the theological education of various denominations, including Methodist, Holiness, and Full Gospel churches, this threefold distinction serves as a common framework for teaching Christology. In preaching and discipleship training, the expression "the prophetic, priestly, and kingly calling" of believers is widely used. The duties of pastoral ministry are also sometimes explained by analogy to the three offices: the proclamation of the Word, prayer and the sacraments, and church discipline (the governance of the church).