July 9, 2025
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (KT) — Albert Mohler’s new book, “Prophet, Priest and King: The Three Offices of Christ,” began with a question.
“I often ask myself, what is the church not talking about that it should be talking about? What's missing in terms of its teaching?
In his book, Mohler, who is president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, draws attention to a biblical teaching that he said is important for modern evangelicals to know and understand.
“The church has found it absolutely essential to affirm, to celebrate and to worship Christ as the one who fulfills perfectly and infinitely three offices as Prophet and Priest and King. This has worked its way into our preaching throughout years, but less so lately,” Mohler told Kentucky Today. “They reveal to us what Christ has done for us perfectly in achieving our salvation.”
In the book, Mohler details how Jesus fulfills the three offices.
Prophet
“Most of what the prophets did was to confront the people of God with the Word of God. Some of it was focused on the future. Some of it. That's where most evangelicals think prophecy begins and ends. Now, certainly it's precious in Scripture. Jesus himself said of the Old Testament prophecies, ‘These are they that testify of me.’ And so, we celebrate that,” said Mohler.
“A lot of people hear prophecy and think predictive but, remember, most of the prophecy in the Old Testament was not predictive — but confrontational.”
Mohler added that preachers serve as prophets when they faithfully preach God’s word from the pulpit.
“He's not going to show up as a prophet because he's got some private word from God. He's going to show up as a true prophet if he preaches the Word of God.”
Priest
“He is our Great High Priest. In other words, He is a priest for sinners. He fulfilled his priesthood perfectly. And you know, I hear a lot of evangelicals get nervous around the word priest. They say, ‘Well, we don't believe in an earthly priesthood.’ Well, you don't. That's right, you don't. You shouldn't. The Roman Catholic Church claims a continuing priesthood with, by the way, a continuing sacrifice of Christ in the Mass.
“No, the New Testament says it's once for all, but we need a priest. We're only saved if we have a priest. We confess our sins to a priest … but it is Jesus Christ, the Great High Priest. “He alone is mediator and priest,” Mohler said.
“We don't believe there is now an earthly priesthood. we believe that the once-for-all nature of the cross means that Christ is our Great High Priest forever, which is exactly what the New Testament tells us.”
King
“He is a king forever. He was a king born as a baby, so He was the baby born as king. But in his obedience to the Father to the cross, as Paul says in Philippians, God has highly exalted him and given him the name that is above every name, that every tongue should bow, and every tongue should confess Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
“There are two phases to that kingship revealed in the New Testament. One is the right now when Jesus is Lord, but He has not brought His Kingdom into fullness in such a way that He has judged all the nations and is ruling directly with the saints in His Kingdom. We're waiting for that day.
“Where Christ is most visibly king right now is in the rightly ordered church, ordered by Scripture. And that's where Christ's reign is most clearly seen. But one day it will be seen everywhere.”
The offices are indivisible
While the three offices of Christ are distinct, Mohler said it is important to talk about them collectively and not individually.
“We get a lopsided Christology, a lopsided understanding of Christ, if we say, ‘Okay, I'm going to talk about Him as prophet, but I'm not really going to pay attention to Him as priest.’
“I mean, a part of what Jesus does as prophet is to teach the meaning of the cross and of His ministry. And you can't say, I want Jesus as king, I want Him to make all things right, but I don't need a priest.
“Every one of those [offices] helps us to understand, especially in the early church and in the Reformation, how the gospel was distinguished from false gospels because of the three offices of Christ.”
Understanding should affect the way Christians live
Mohler said embracing the three offices of Christ should affect the way Christians live every day.
“I can only sleep at night because Jesus Christ is Lord. I can only find meaning and security and purpose in life because Christ is the reigning King.
“I can only deal with the headlines of the day because one day Jesus will set all things right. And I can only deal with the problem of my sin because I know that Christ is the Lamb who taketh away the sin of the world.
“My Christian existence, every single minute, depends upon Christ being Prophet and Priest and King. He is all three of those, always and perfectly. Thus, we're saved.”
Mohler’s “Prophet, Priest and King: The Three Offices of Christ,” will be available beginning April 1 wherever books are sold.
___
This story first appeared in Kentucky Today.
