Westminster Project 8.3
The Lord Jesus, in his human nature thus united to the divine, was sanctified and anointed with the Holy Spirit beyond measure, having in him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. It pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell in him, for the purpose that, being holy, harmless, undefiled, and full of grace and truth, he might be thoroughly equipped to carry out the office of a mediator, and a payment for them. He did not take this office to himself, but was called to it by his Father, who put all power and judgment into his hand, and gave him the command to carry it out.
(WCF 8.3)
God created us to glorify Him and to enjoy Him forever (WSC 1). Yet, because of our first parents’ sin and its ramifications, our coming to God on our own was completely and utterly derailed (Gen 3:16-19, Rom 5:12-21; cf. Rom 1:18-25). God knew this would be the case when He first created us; He knew we would be tempted and fall into rebellion (1 Jn 3:20). That’s why Jesus was the willing and prepared sacrifice “from before the foundation of the world” (Jn 1:29, Rev 13:8). In other words, Christ’s substitutionary atonement was not an afterthought, but a planned and purposeful event in history (Gen 50:20, Acts 2:23).
In Old Testament times, the people of God looked forward to Christ’s coming. They saw Him in the promises, types, and shadows (Heb 8:5-6). The primary place they “saw” Jesus was in the priesthood and temple system. There were lambs, blood, and substitutionary sacrifice on behalf of the sinner (Lev 6:24-30; cf. Ex 12:1-28, 43-51). Yet, these things only looked forward to what Jesus would accomplish, as He was the substance of these things, and the elect knew it (Isa 52:13–53:12, Heb 10:1-4).
I mention this because the temple was hugely significant. If people wanted to meet with God, they had to go to Israel and approach a priest to stand on their behalf before the altar. Not even the priest was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place — that was reserved for the High Priest, and only once a year on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:1-34, 23:26-28). All this illustrates that God’s presence dwelt in the temple; it was the meeting place of the eternal with the temporal — a place where God condescended to meet sinful humanity. This was a type of the ministry Jesus would fulfill for His people (Jn 2:19-21, Heb 9:11), or as the Confession puts it: The Lord Jesus, in his human nature united to the divine, was sanctified and anointed with the Holy Spirit beyond measure, having in him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Simply stated, Jesus became the focal point of meeting with God. He is what the temple, sacrificial system, and priesthood were all about (Lk 24:44, Heb 9:12-14). That was the place where one would have a priest “mediate” on their behalf before our Holy God. The Confession expresses it this way: It pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell in Him, so that, being holy, harmless, undefiled, and full of grace and truth, He might be thoroughly equipped to carry out the office of mediator and atoning payment for us.
Thus, Jesus, being fully man and fully God at the same time, was the perfect sacrifice and is the perfect mediator, who—until this very day—is in Heaven interceding on behalf of His blood-purchased people (Heb 4:14-16). Incredibly, this honor was something He accepted in full submission to the Father, who bestowed it on Him. As we read, He did not take this office upon Himself, but was called to it by His Father, who put all power and judgment into His hand and gave Him the command to carry it out.
God, eternal in Father, Son, and Spirit, chose a people from before time to save and secure by the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ (Rom 8:29-30, Eph 1:4-6). The Father sent Him, and the Spirit led Him so that we might be rescued for all eternity. This is not just a future hope but something we possess now because of God’s work on behalf of His people — a gift that can never be taken away. Gone are the days of going to the temple; come are the days of refreshing, where all the people of God no longer have to wait for a special day but are invited anytime to speak to our Father in Heaven through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.