“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
From the Westminster Shorter Catechism…
Q26. How doth Christ execute the office of a king?
A26. Christ executeth the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies.
Of the many Bible passages about Jesus fulfilling the office of king for his glory and our good, Philippians 2:9-11 is an excellent one, but what does Jesus do with God’s “high exaltation,” with a “name that is above every name,” and with the ones “confessing that Jesus is Lord”? One wonderful way to summarize how the Bible answers those questions is found above in the Westminster Shorter Catechism. These short summaries of the Bible in question and answer format provide wonderful bitesize sentences that summarize enormous chunks of the Bible. In our case, regarding Jesus as king, the answer provides three parts to Jesus’ role as king.
First, he subdues us. At first glance, that doesn’t sound pleasant. Perhaps the word subdue carries with it that negative connotation of someone preventing you from doing what you really want to do. In a sense, that’s correct. Take my two year old son, Isaac, for instance. Sometimes, he can “get on a roll.” Like an avalanche coming down the mountain, he gains emotional momentum until tantrums, attempted destruction, and intentional disobedience seem to be his only way out—unless I subdue him. I can spot those moments for him from a mile away, and if possible, I scoop him up, remove him from the situation, hug him tightly, remind him he’s my son, and transition him away from the path of destruction he was walking. In other words, I subdue him.
Second, as king, Jesus rules and defends us. When you wake up in the morning, is the first thing you think about an attack from a foreign country? Why not? Why was 9/11 such a shock to the system of the USA? It’s because no matter the leadership ideology in any given year, no matter the political motivations, no matter the ethical leanings, the US government rules and defends her people with power against foreign entities seeking our physical harm. Now transition that thought into the spiritual realm, and instead of a sinful and (sometimes) disappointing human government, consider Jesus Christ’s perfect government of his people. Jesus’ rule is one of protection from ourselves (subduing us from our own sin) and our enemies (those seeking our spiritual destruction). Remember, the gates of hell shall never prevail against Jesus’ bride, the Church. This is because Jesus himself, the bridegroom and king, rules and defends us.
Third, he restrains and conquers all his and our enemies. Dear Christian, go be a better Christian. Dear Christian, go save someone’s soul. Dear Christian, go grow the church. Dear Christian, dear Christian, dear Christian… As Christians, sometimes we forget the it is Jesus who is subduing, ruling and defending, and restraining and conquering. Be freed from the lies that you on your own can be righteous. Be freed from the guilt that no matter what you say, your friend, father, son, or coworker just won’t believe. Be freed from the fear that your church lives or dies on the programs you create to draw people in. Be freed by the King who does these things on our behalf. He is the one who restrains and conquers, and, therefore, grows his kingdom.
Consider these things today. Praise the King who saves. Look to Jesus Christ, the firstborn from the dead! Happy day after Easter, and blessings,
Jeremiah