In Lesson Two we learned that the church is the body of Christ and that as a part of that body all of us play a significant role in the church even though the roles are quite diverse. And as God blesses His church He does so by giving spiritual gifts to all. It is important for members of the body of Christ to discover, develop, and use the spiritual gift or gifts given to them by the Holy Spirit for use in the church. That's backdrop number one which we need to know if we are to understand properly the subject of spiritual gifts.
The second thing we need to know as a backdrop is that Scripture tells us that we are priests of the most high God. This is what we call the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. What it means is that as priests we have (all of us) an important role to play in God's Kingdom.
But what is the priesthood of all believers? The historian Philip Schaff provides us with an accurate and workable definition.
"The right and duty of every believer to read the Word of God in his vernacular tongue, to go directly to the throne of grace, and to take an active part in all of the affairs of the church according to his peculiar gift and calling."
Take a look at those rights and duties. It is quite clear that the practical implication for believers of the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers is that all believers are to take an active part in the affairs of the church. God's people are special. God's people are priests. God's people have an important role to play in the work of the church.
But what does the Bible tell us about our being priests of God and what we should be doing about our priesthood?
When we look at the Old Testament we notice four things about the development of the term "priest."
Turning now to the New Testament, we see the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy. Jesus becomes the Great High Priest spoken of in the Old Testament. This is best displayed in the letter to the Hebrews (7:24-27):
24 - "But because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood.
25 - Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
26 - Such a high priest meets our need -- one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.
27 - Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself."
Jesus became a better High Priest than the priests of the Old Testament in that He sacrificed Himself (at the cross) once-for-all for the sins of all mankind.
Now -- because of His priestly sacrifice through which we have full forgiveness of sins and membership in His Kingdom -- we too are priests. He has now made all who believe in Him kings and priests before God.
| I Peter 2:9 |
Match the verses |
"Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years." |
| I Peter 2:5 | "And has made us to be kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father -- to him be the glory and power for ever and ever! Amen." | |
| Revelation 1:6 | "You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" | |
| Revelation 5:10 | "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." | |
| Revelation 20:6 | "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of the darkness into His marvelous light." |
According to the above passages, the Great High Priest, Jesus Christ, makes all believers priests. We, by virtue of our faith in Jesus Christ, are all priests. But there is more. We are priests with a purpose, with a job/task to perform as priests.
We are priests! That is God's doing. Through faith in Jesus Christ, the High Priest who offered Himself as the once-for-all sacrifice for the sins of mankind, we become priests. He makes us to be something special -- nothing short of priests. That's justification -- what God has freely made us before God.
But we are priests with a purpose! We all play a part in the game. All believers are participants (priests) and not mere spectators. We are priests with a purpose, a job to do. That's sanctification -- what we do in response to God's love and mercy for us in Christ Jesus.
Now, if what we've learned is true -- that all believers are priests with a purpose -- then what about our pastors in the church? What is their role? Well, Paul gives us the answer when he wrote to the Christians n Ephesus:
"to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. (4:12)."
"As soon as we have become Christians through this Priest (Christ) and His priesthood and in Baptism through faith have been engrafted into Him, we have the right and authority to teach and confess the Word, which we have from Him, before everybody, even one according to his calling and station. For though we are not all in the public office or calling, still every Christian should teach, instruct, exhort, comfort, and reprove his neighbor through God's Word whenever and wherever anyone is in need of it, as a father and mother must do with their children and servants and a brother, neighbor, citizen, or peasant with another. For a Christian can instruct and admonish another who is yet ignorant or weak in the Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, etc.; and whoever hears this is in duty bound to receive it from him as God's Word and to confess it publicly."
"Every function of the members of Christ's body is a ministry; and Christ Himself is the primary holder of every ministry. This implies that all Christians are known by one word: servant. God rules through those who serve. There is no other way. Christ continues His ministry through His people.
The church does not exist for her own purpose but only as a servant of Christ. She serves God's purpose, but must never control it. She serves the world, but must never forsake it. Servant hood is the key to priesthood.
This service, however, is an obligation; and no one may contract out of it. It is the priesthood of all believers and not merely some. So having received the benefits of Christ's Passion, the believer goes forth into the life of the world to render to Christ that form of service or that ministry for which God has equipped him. But all are expressions of the same priesthood, and one is not more important than the other."
"So far as the Christian faith is concerned the practical handle in our time is lay religion. If in the average church we should suddenly take seriously the notion that every lay member, man or woman, is really a minister of Christ, we would have something like a revolution in a very short time, it would constitute both the big dose and the required novelty. Suddenly the number of ministers in the average church would jump from one to five hundred. This is the way to employ valuable but largely wasted human resources."
" In spite of its affirmation of the priesthood of all believers, there is perhaps no function which Protestantism has so much neglected. Not only have Protestant laymen not assumed the priestly role, but until recently even the clergy have shunned it. A major task of Protestant churches today, not merely the clergy, but the whole church, is to understand and accept their priesthood."
"The idea that the service of God should have to do only with a church, altar, singing, reading, sacrifice, and the like is without a doubt the worst trick of the devil. How could the devil have led us more effectively astray than by the narrow conception that service to God takes place only in church and by works done therein... The whole world could abound with services to the Lord, Gotesdienste -- not only in the churches but also in the home, kitchen, workshop, field."
"No amount of change in the structure of the church, no multiplication of boards and commissions will have any lasting and radical effect on the church's mission if the individual Christian does not come to a proper understanding of his calling in the body of Christ. As long as the laity considers itself to be a passive element in the church to be served by the professional clergy the institutional self interest of the church is bound to be dominant over the essential character of the church as the mission of God to the world."
"Jesus was not satisfied in having a succession of audiences to which he might proclaim hi Gospel; he was interested primarily in having disciples in whom and through whom his ministry would be multiplied many times over. We must first recognize that rarely does the church meet the world with a trained minister or theologian present to speak for the church."
"The greatest gain in converts was not where the most money was raised but where the most Christians were at work personally winning their neighbors for Christ."
Copyright © 2001 by Our Savior-LCMS, Winchester, VA. All rights reserved.
Revised: 09 Jan 2005 04:16:58 -0000
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