This fourth session in the study of the Westminster Shorter Catechism turns to one of the most central questions of the Christian faith: who the Redeemer of God’s elect is. Having considered God’s nature, His work in creation, and humanity’s fall into sin, the focus now shifts from the depth of our problem to the hope that is found in Christ. Christianity does not begin with what we must do to fix ourselves, but with what God has already done for sinners. The Catechism presents Jesus Christ not merely as a moral teacher or an inspiring example, but as the only Redeemer, appointed by God to save His people.
In understanding redemption, it is essential to begin with Christ’s person before considering His work. Just as authority determines the legitimacy of an action, Christ’s identity determines the power and sufficiency of His saving work. His obedience, suffering, death, and victory are effective because of who He is. If He were not who Scripture declares Him to be, His work would not have the infinite value required to save sinners.
The Catechism defines Him as the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, who became man and continues to be both God and man in two distinct natures and one person forever. This truth is not a secondary theological detail but lies at the very heart of the gospel. Humanity sinned, and therefore a true human must obey and suffer in the place of sinners. Yet the weight of God’s judgment against sin is infinite, requiring one who is fully God to bear it. In Christ, these two necessities meet perfectly. God did not save from a distance but entered into human history, taking on our nature while remaining without sin, acting on our behalf from within the very condition we had corrupted.
This union of two natures in one person is often referred to as the hypostatic union. Christ is not divided into two persons, nor are His natures mixed or confused. He is one person with two complete and distinct natures, fully divine and fully human. This union is real and permanent. Even in His suffering and death, His divine nature did not depart from Him, ensuring that His sacrifice carried infinite worth and efficacy. His humanity is also fully affirmed. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary and born without sin. He possessed a true body and a rational soul, experiencing the full range of human life, yet without any corruption. This sinlessness qualified Him to stand as the perfect representative and mediator for His people.
Christ’s saving work is often summarized in terms of three offices: Prophet, Priest, and King. As Prophet, He reveals the will of God for our salvation, not only through His teaching but by the illumination of His Spirit. As Priest, He offered Himself as a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice, reconciling us to God, and He continues to intercede for us. As King, He rules over His people, protects them, and subdues all His and their enemies. These roles were present in the Old Testament through various anointed figures, but they find their complete and perfect fulfillment in Christ. He is the final and true Prophet, the great High Priest who is both sacrificer and sacrifice, and the sovereign King who has triumphed over sin, death, and Satan. To receive the benefits of His work, we must not only admire Him but submit to Him as Lord.
In order to accomplish redemption, Christ underwent both humiliation and exaltation. His humiliation consisted in being born in a lowly condition, living under the law, enduring the sufferings of this life, bearing the wrath of God, dying on the cross, and being buried, remaining under the power of death for a time. This was not forced upon Him but willingly embraced in obedience to the Father. His exaltation followed in His resurrection on the third day, His ascension into heaven, His session at the right hand of God, and His future return to judge the world. These are not minor details but are central to the structure of the gospel. His humiliation secured redemption, and His exaltation declares its success. His resurrection is the decisive victory over sin and death, and His ascension confirms His authority and reign. Together, they remind us that true glory comes not through self-exaltation but through humble obedience and trust in God.
While Christ accomplished redemption, it is the Holy Spirit who applies it to believers. This application is not something we initiate or earn but is the result of God’s grace at work in us. The Spirit brings about what is called an effectual call, an inner and powerful work that takes the outward proclamation of the gospel and makes it effective in the heart. Unlike the general call that goes out to all, this effectual call is personal, sovereign, and transformative. It awakens those who are spiritually dead, unites them to Christ, and enables them to respond in faith. Faith itself is not the cause of salvation but the instrument through which we receive Christ and His benefits. Even this faith is a gift of God, given by the Spirit. Those whom God calls in this way are certainly brought to justification and ultimately to glory, with no loss along the way.
Those who are effectually called partake in the benefits of salvation, most notably justification, adoption, and sanctification. Justification is a one-time legal declaration in which God pardons all our sins and accepts us as righteous in His sight. This is based entirely on the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone. It is not something earned or supplemented by our works. Good works follow justification, but they are its result, not its basis. Adoption is another act of God’s free grace, by which we are received into His family and given the rights and privileges of His children. This flows from justification, as God first declares us righteous and then brings us into His household. It also reminds us that salvation is not merely individual but brings us into a community of brothers and sisters under one Father.
Sanctification differs from these in that it is a progressive work. It is the ongoing renewal of our whole being after the image of God, enabling us to die more and more to sin and live unto righteousness. While initiated and sustained by the Spirit, it involves our active participation as we strive in obedience. This is not a means of earning salvation but the outworking of it. God works in us, and we respond in dependence on His grace. This transformation touches every aspect of life—our thoughts, desires, and actions. Even in our struggles, God continues this work faithfully, often using discipline to conform us to the likeness of Christ.
Alongside these benefits come spiritual blessings such as assurance of God’s love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Spirit, growth in grace, and perseverance to the end. These are not outward or material blessings but deep, sustaining realities that enable believers to endure trials and live with confidence and joy. They guard against a stagnant or joyless Christian life and empower us to love and serve God sincerely.
The final stage of salvation is glorification. At death, the souls of believers are made perfect in holiness and immediately enter into the presence of God, while their bodies rest in the grave, still united to Christ. This union ensures that even in death, the body is not abandoned but awaits resurrection. At the last day, believers will be raised bodily, openly acknowledged and acquitted before all, and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoyment of God forever. Their bodies will be transformed to be like Christ’s glorious body, free from sin, weakness, and decay. This is the ultimate completion of redemption, where what Christ has accomplished and the Spirit has applied is brought to its fullest expression.
In all of this, the focus remains on God’s work from beginning to end. From the sending of the Redeemer, to the accomplishment of salvation, to its application by the Spirit, and finally to its completion in glory, salvation is entirely of grace. Christ is not only necessary but sufficient, and in Him, sinners find not only rescue from sin but the fullness of life with God forever.
