Priesthood of Believers
- Rev. Jerry Lepasana
- Jul 18, 2010
- Series: Back to Basics
Back To Basics: Part XIX
PRIESTHOOD OF BELIEVERS
1 Peter 2:4-10 (NIV):
4 As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious tohim--
5 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.
6 For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."
7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,
8 and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message--which is also what they were destined for.
9 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 darkness into his wonderful light.
10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
In God’s eyes, all believers are esteemed as ministers of Jesus Christ. Although, there may be different ministries, God has called every Christian into an active service – He literally has saved us to serve Him. After Paul had met Jesus on the road going to Damascus, God has sent His servant Ananias to reveal to him God purpose for his life. Acts 9:15 states it clearly:
But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.
Later, Paul would fulfill his calling as Christ’s apostle to the Gentiles. And as he ministered to the churches, he communicated this plain teaching about God’s people being saved to serve God. Listen to Ephesians 2:10:
10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
This is a direct statement about believers being prepared in advance to do good works. These good works represent our services to God. Whenever we exert an effort to help others become closer to Jesus Christ, we are literally fulfilling our calling.
Do you consider yourself a minister? Many of you might have difficulty applying this title to yourself. Unfortunately, there are many Christians who immediately apply this title to church’s paid staff or full-time pastors. It is common to make a distinction between the clergy and the laity. But, do you find this distinction in the Bible? Is there really a difference between sacred or secular work?
The perfect response to these questions comes from the precious teaching about the priesthood of all believers. This doctrine upholds that once you have believed in Jesus Christ, you are an active minister of God. You may not be a missionary or a pastor, whatever you are doing; God regards you as His priest. In our text (vs.5, 9), the Apostle Peter himself took the time to help the believers understand this truth. As a former Catholic priest during the reformation, Martin Luther appreciated this teaching, and he wrote:
“A shoemaker, a smith, a farmer, each has his manual occupation and work; and yet, at the time, all are eligible to act as priests. . . . Every one of them in his occupation or handicraft ought to be useful to his fellows.” (Woolf, Reformation Writings of Martin Luther, I.116)
Luther conveyed that regardless of work, all believers had been made priests of God. Now, in order for us to really appreciate the doctrine and understand the implications of it on how we live our lives, let’s examine three significant aspects of it:
I. THE MISSION OF THE OLD TESTAMENT PRIESTHOOD:
During the Old Testament times, the Lord has appointed the priests to fulfill three major roles for the nation of Israel:
A. Service – They ministered in the sanctuary of the tabernacle or temple offering sacrifices in order for the people to obtain forgiveness for their sins.
B. Teaching – They were responsible for teaching the people the law of God and passing traditions of the nation.
C. Prayer – They were also responsible in praying for the people especially when they were seeking God’s will.
All these duties revolved behind the concept that the priests were appointed as mediators between God and man. Because of the sins of the people, they cannot approach God directly; they needed the priests to stand as their representative whenever they draw themselves to God. In other words, the people gained access to God through the priests.
However, the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ provided a radical shift in terms of approaching God. After Jesus Christ died on the cross, He became the one and only access to God. This new concept was taught by Jesus Himself and was reinforced by the apostles:
John 14:6 (NIV):
6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
1 Timothy 2:5 (NIV):
5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
Even in our assigned text, Peter assumes that you are going to God through Jesus Christ - As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him (v.4).
Time and again, there are people who are probably asking – Why is it that you don’t have human priests in BCI, the designated clergies who do the work of God? We need to be able to answer this by saying - In reality, we have priests, but they are not like the Old Testament priests who stand as mediators. We believe that all Christians are priests in the sight of God because we are able to go directly to Him after we have believed in Jesus Christ. Even if you take the time to examine the New Testament, the term “Priest” is never used for the designated Ministers in the church. You will find them addressed as pastors and deacons, but never priests. The title priest is equally ascribed to all believers.
On this context, imagine how the early believers felt when the apostles begun telling them – you yourselves are already priests before the eyes of God. Without a doubt, this concept meant so much to all of them. Likewise, we too should consider this as a great privilege. Think of it, we now enjoy an open access to the Almighty God. Despite the presence of sin in us, we are able to go directly to Him whenever we need Him.
II. THE MERIT OF CHRIST’S PRIESTHOOD:
Secondly, the main reason why we no longer need human priests in the church is because the priesthood of Christ. It is absolutely perfect and is more than sufficient for all our needs. He alone is our Great High Priest. Here are two great references about the priesthood of Christ:
Hebrews 4:14-16 (NIV):
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.
16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 7:24-25 (NIV):
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.
Today, we are in a much better position having Jesus as our High Priest compared to those who lived in the Old Testament times. Why? Because Christ’s priesthood is far more effective compared to any human priest based on three grounds:
A. He is always available:
Jesus is in the heavens sitting at the right hand of God, right at the throne room, to intercede for us. We should be confident to go to Him whenever we need Him. He is available for us anytime of the day. In fact, He is the one who invites us to approach Him.
B. He is always accommodating:
Hebrews 4:15 assures us that he will surely understand our predicament and can sympathize with us. He is not only available, he accepts us regardless of our struggles. John Mac-Arthur has given these comments about verse 15:
“When we are troubled or hurt or despondent or strongly tempted, we want to share our feelings and needs with someone who understands. Jesus can sympathize with our weaknesses.”
We have an amazing High Priest who is always prepared to accommodate us whenever we need Him. Knowing this should remove all the feeling of fear or hesitations on our part. Verse 16 gives us the assurance – we will find mercy and help. He will never look down on us because we are going to Him. He feels exactly your pains and struggles, and He is ready to help you when you go to Him.
C. He is able:
This is where the biggest difference lie between human priests and our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ. Human priests might be available and accommodating, but their ability is very limited. Jesus Christ will definitely be more than capable to meet whatever we need. Hebrews 7:24-25 emphasizes the kind of salvation that He is able to provide for us. It is complete and permanent.
Consider this, if salvation is our greatest need, and Jesus is able to resolve this need. Why would we hesitate to bring to Him lesser problems and struggles we have? For sure, He is capable of handling anything.
This reminds me of an incident that occurred in Matthew 9:27-29:
27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"
28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" "Yes, Lord," they replied.
29 Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you";
I just want to highlight this fact – often, we don’t experience the greatness of God’s power because God lacks ability, but because we lack faith towards His ability. Remember, “According to your faith, will it be done to you.”
Again, we don’t need human priests to minister to us because we already have a Great High Priest. He is available, accommodating, and more than able to help us with whatever challenges we have in this life. We should be eternally grateful for having Him.
III. THE MINISTRIES OF THE BELIEVER’S PRIESTHOOD (v.5, 9)
Again, it is a great privilege to be His priest, and with this esteemed position, how are we to minister or function? Peter in verse 5 and 9 has stated two specific ministries we should not take for granted:
A. Presenting Spiritual Sacrifices: Just like the Old Testament priests presenting the prescribed sacrifices in the tabernacle or the temple, Peter refer to believers in verse 5 also offering spiritual sacrifices. Here are our sacrifices:
1. Sacrifice of our Person – We are to present once and for all our bodies as living sacrifices to God. In doing this, we surrender our lives in serving the Lord.
Romans 12:1-2 (NIV):
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.
2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
2. Sacrifice of our Prayers – Every time we intercede or pray for another person, our prayers are presented to God like an offering. The passage provides the picture of a priest offering through the usage of the censer and the altar.
Revelation 8:3 (NIV):
3 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne.
3. Sacrifice of Penitence – Our expressions of repentance are also one of the spiritual sacrifices we offer. God wants us to humbly acknowledge our sins to Him.
Psalm 51:17 (NIV):
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
4. Sacrifice of our Praises - We can also offer the sacrifices of our praises and thanksgiving. God absolutely delights in our verbal expressions of gratitude.
Hebrews 13:15 (NIV):
15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name.
5. Sacrifice of Possessions – God is also pleased when we offer our material possessions as our spiritual sacrifice. We give as an expression of our love and gratitude to Him. Paul referred to the financial support of the Philippians believers to Him as their sacrifice to God.
Philippians 4:18 (NIV):
18 I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.
B. Proclaiming God’s Salvation:
Besides presenting spiritual sacrifices, we must also be involved in proclaiming faithfully the salvation we have received from God. In verse 9, Peter clearly stated - that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Our salvation in Christ has brought us amazing blessings, it is never right to keep these blessings to ourselves. God wants to help each one of us understand that our priesthood is not just for our personal benefits, but for others who also need to experience the grace of God found in His salvation. We need to acknowledge that our being in the light is nothing if we are not affecting those who are still in darkness. Jesus Himself reminds us:
Matthew 5:16 (NIV):
16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.