We saw in chapter 2 that Calvin understood the office of the prophets to revolve around their roles as interpreters of the Law, that consists of both the doctrine of life and the covenant of grace. Calvin describes Christ's role in the Gospels as prophet or teacher of the Church along these same lines. In his doctrine Christ taught both the principles of a pious life and the Gospel of the salvation that he would accomplish, and thereby he established God's truth in the midst of God's Church. Calvin calls Christ God's “ambassador and interpreter,” for he would make God's ways plain to God's chosen, illuminating both God's gracious initiative in himself toward God's Church and God's requirements of the Church in response. As a considerable amount of all four Gospels consists of Christ's teaching, there is no shortage of material from which Calvin could work to develop his understanding of this office. But ultimately, his thinking on this topic can be summarized largely under the rubrics drawn from Calvin's understanding of the Old Testament prophets – that Christ's teaching revolves around his exposition and proclamation of the doctrine of life and covenant of grace, and that this office is subordinated by Calvin to Christ's royal and sacerdotal roles.