Shorter Catechism Q. 24. How doth Christ execute the office of a prophet? A. Christ executeth the office of a prophet, in revealing to us, by his word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation.
Commentary: A prophet is a spokesman. He speaks on behalf of another person. In this sense, he is like an ambassador or messenger. A prophet of God, therefore, is God’s official spokesman. God tells his prophet what to say, and the prophet relays that message to others (Deut. 18:18.). Consequently, Christ performs his office of a prophet by “revealing to us…the will of God.”
As a prophet, Jesus has a particular divine message for us, which is “the will of God for our salvation.” He came to make known God’s offer and way of salvation from our estate of sin and misery (Luke 4:18-19).
Jesus disclosed his message of salvation, not by natural revelation in creation or by acts of providence, but “by his word and Spirit.” He made it known by his Spirit through the prophets of the Old Testament (1 Peter 1:10-11), through his own preaching and teaching (John 3:34), and through the apostles (John 14:26; 16:13).
Although the message of salvation has “once for all been delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3), and is written down for us in the Scriptures (2 Tim. 3:15-17), Jesus continues to speak by “his word and Spirit,” wherever the Scriptures are read and faithfully preached (Heb. 1:6-7; 1 Thess. 2:13; Eph. 2:17).