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“It is your destruction, O Israel, That you are against Me, against your help” (Hosea 13:9 NASB).
Mankind, having brought himself into this woeful condition, is neither able to help himself, nor is he willing to be helped by God out of it. But rather, mankind is inclined to lie inert and insensible of his woeful condition until he perishes. Yet God, for the glory of His rich grace, has revealed in His Word a way to save sinners, to wit, salvation by faith in Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God. This way of salvation is by virtue of, and in accordance with, the Covenant of Redemption that was made and agreed upon between God the Father and God the Son in the counsel of the Trinity before the world began.
The sum of the Covenant of Redemption is this: God, having freely chosen for life20 a certain number of lost mankind for the glory of His rich grace, gave them, before the World began, to God the Son, the appointed Redeemer. The Covenant of Redemption stipulated that God the Son would:
Humble Himself so far as to assume a human nature, including a soul and a body, into personal union with His Divine nature
Submit Himself to the Law as the substitute and security for the Elect
Satisfy justice for the Elect by giving obedience in their name, even to suffering the cursed death of the Cross
Ransom and redeem the Elect all from sin and death
Purchase for the Elect righteousness and eternal life, with all saving graces that lead toward them
Apply the purchase to every one of the Elect by means of His own appointment, in due time,
The Son of God (who is Jesus Christ our Lord) accepted the stipulations of the Covenant of Redemption before the world began, and in the fullness of time:
Came into the world
Was born of the virgin Mary
Subjected Himself to the Law
Completely paid the ransom on the Cross
By virtue of the aforesaid agreement made before the world began, in all ages since the fall of Adam, Christ is still engaged in the work of actually applying the purchased benefits to the Elect. He does this by keeping and providing a covenant of free grace and reconciliation with them through faith in Himself. By this covenant, He makes over to every believer a right and possession in Himself and to all His blessings.
In order to accomplish the Covenant of Redemption and to make the Elect partakers of the benefits of the Covenant of Grace, Christ Jesus21 was invested with the threefold office of prophet, priest, and king. He was made a prophet in order to reveal all saving knowledge to His people and to persuade them to believe and obey that knowledge. He was made a priest in order to offer up Himself as a sacrifice for all the Elect, once for all time, and to intercede continually with the Father for making their persons and services acceptable to Him. Christ was made a king in order to subdue the Elect to Himself, to feed and rule them by His own appointed ordinances, and to defend them from their enemies.
20 In this context, life refers to eternal life, as opposed to eternal death in Hell.
21 Jesus is the personal name of Our Lord, and Christ refers to His office as Son of God, prophet, priest, king, savior, and so on. Both word orderings are found in Scripture; the matter is similar to either “President George Washington” or “George Washington, the President.”
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