---
title: 'The Church’s Ministry to the Lost in Christ Our Prophet, by Francis Beattie'
type: post
author: 'Caleb Cangelosi'
date: 2021-12-08
url: https://confessional.org/blog/2021-the-churchs-ministry-to-the-lost-in-christ-our-prophet-by-francis-beattie
---

# The Church’s Ministry to the Lost in Christ Our Prophet, by Francis Beattie

“It is to the church that \[Christ\] reveals God’s will. This, of course, follows from his place and service in the covenant of grace. As Mediator of that covenant he acts for his elect seed, given to him by the Father. This seed is the whole body of the elect, and this constitutes the church in the sense of the invisible church. But, as the visible church stands, with her divinely-ordained laws and appointed ordinances, as the concrete form of the invisible church at any particular age, the visible church is also to be included in the view now taken of that body to which the revelation is made by the prophet of the covenant. To this body God makes known his will in this way, and this same body having received the divine oracles, is also the appointed custodian of them. She is also to be the interpreter of the revealed will of God, and also its exponent and herald to the world. Hence, according to the Standards, God does not reveal his will directly to the world by his Son, Jesus Christ, the Mediator of the covenant, in a general or indiscriminate way, but he reveals that will primarily to the church ; and, then, it is the duty and privilege of the church to make it known to the world. Here, in its covenant aspects, emerges the fundamental principle of all forms of missionary effort, both at home and abroad. God, through Christ, by the Spirit, has given the message of life to the church, and the church in turn is to give this saving message to the whole world...

Even now, the Holy Spirit is obtained by men only because the Mediator of the covenant exercises his prophetic office as well as his priestly. By this means Christ, by and through his word and Spirit, is constantly revealing to his church and people those things which make them wise unto salvation. And then his church is in turn commissioned to declare to men the will of God in the message of the gospel. Here, again, in a slightly different way, the great duty of the church, to give the good news of life and salvation to all the nations of the earth, is announced. The Standards, therefore, exhort the church to forget not her true mission among men in the world. She is to be the living mouthpiece of God, through Christ, by the word and Spirit, to the world.

It may be interesting to note an inference which can be properly made at this point, in regard to the nature of the office of the minister of the gospel. It is evident, from what has just been said, that the office of the gospel minister stands closely connected with the prophetic office of Christ. It does not, therefore, stand directly related to the priestly office, so that in no proper sense are the ministers of the gospel to be regarded as priests, nor should they assume any priestly functions. They are but the mouthpieces of the church, as she seeks to declare the message of God to the world. They are the stewards of the manifold mercies of God, and they are to interpret the word and declare the message to the world. Behind all this lies the prophetic office of Christ, and to this office that of the gospel ministry is directly related. Christ alone is the priest at the altar, and his servants are ministers, not priests.”

— [*The Presbyterian Standards* (1896)](/authors/francis-robert-beattie), 142, 145-146