The necessity of holiness proved from the design of God in sending Jesus Christ, with the ends of his mediation.
IV. We have yet other considerations and arguments to plead unto the same purpose with them foregoing; for one principal end of the design of God in sending his Son into the world was, to recover us into a state of holiness, which we had lost: “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil,” 1 John iii. 8. The manifestation of the Son of God was his incarnation, 1 Tim. iii. 16, in order to the work which he had to accomplish in our nature; and this was, in general, the destruction of the works of the devil; and among these, the principal was the infecting of our nature and persons with a principle of sin and enmity against God, which was the effect of his temptation. And this is not done but by the introduction of a principle of holiness and obedience. The image of God in us was defaced by sin. The renovation or restoration hereof was one principal design of Christ in his coming. Unless this be done, there is no new world, no new creatures, no restoration of all things, — no one end of the mediation of Christ fully accomplished. And whereas his great and ultimate design was to bring us unto the enjoyment of God, unto his eternal glory, this cannot be before, by grace and holiness, we are “made meet for that inheritance of the saints in light.” But we shall consider this matter a little more distinctly.
The exercise of the mediation of Christ is confined unto the limits of his threefold office. Whatever he doth for the church, he doth it as a priest, or as a king, or as a prophet. Now, as these offices agree in all the general ends of his mediation, so they differ in their acts and immediate objects: for their acts, it is plain, — sacerdotal, regal, and prophetical acts and duties, — are of different natures, as the offices themselves are unto which they appertain; and for their objects, the proper immediate object of the priestly office is God himself, as is evident both from the nature of the office and its proper acts. For as to the nature of the office, “every priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins,” Heb. v. 1. A priest is one who is appointed to deal with God in the behalf of them for whom he executes his office. And the acts of the priestly office of Christ are two, oblation and intercession, of both which God is the immediate object. He offered himself unto God, and with him he makes intercession. But the immediate object of Christ’s kingly and prophetical offices are men or the church. As a priest, he acts with God in our name and on our behalf; as a king and prophet, he acts towards us in the name and authority of God.
This being premised, we may consider how each of these offices of Christ hath an influence into holiness, and makes it necessary unto us:—
First, For the priestly office of Christ, all the proper acts of it do immediately respect God himself, as hath been declared; and, therefore, he doth not by any sacerdotal act immediately and efficiently work holiness in us. But the effects of these priestly acts, that is, his oblation and intercession, are of two sorts:— 1. Immediate, such as respect God himself; as atonement, reconciliation, satisfaction. In these consist the first and fundamental end of the mediation of Christ. Without a supposition of these all other things are rendered useless. We can neither be sanctified nor saved by him unless sin be first expiated and God atoned. But they are not of our present consideration. 2. The mediate effects of Christ’s sacerdotal actings respect us, and are also of two sorts:— (1.) Moral, as our justification and pardon of sin. (2.) Real, in our sanctification and holiness. And hereunto, as God doth design them, so he effecteth holiness in all believers by virtue of the oblation and intercession of Jesus Christ. Wherefore, although the immediate actings of that office respect God alone as their proper object, yet the virtue and efficacy of them extend themselves unto our sanctification and holiness.
Tit. ii. 14, “He gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” His “giving himself for us” is the common expression for his offering himself a sacrifice to God as a priest, Eph. v. 2. And this he did not only that he might “redeem us from all iniquity,” from the guilt of our sins, and punishment due unto them, which are regarded in redemption, but also that he might “purify us to himself,” sanctify us, or make us holy and fruitful, or “zealous of good works.” His blood, as through the eternal Spirit he offered himself unto God, “purgeth our conscience from dead works to serve the living God,” Heb. ix. 14. There is a purging of sin which consists in the legal expiation of it, in making atonement; but the purging of a sinner, or of the conscience, is by real efficiency, in sanctification, which is declared to be one end of the oblation of Christ, chap. i. 3. So where he is said to “wash us from our sins in his own blood,” — namely, as shed and offered for us, — Rev. i. 5, it is not only the expiation of guilt, but the purification of filth, that is intended.