Priesthood of All Believers

By Pastor Joe

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. 1 Peter 2:9

In my early days of following Christ, there were two terms I did not fully understand. The first one was saint. What do you mean I’m a saint? Where’s my statue then? I learned later that all believers are called saints in the New Testament because they are set apart for God. The second word was priest. Ok, saint I could buy, but now I can’t get married because I’m a priest? How does that work?

Priests are very common in the Bible. Yes, our meaning of the word has changed over the years. In the Bible, a priest was someone who would act as a go between God and the people. They would teach about God, officiate the prescriptions of God, and judge between the people for God. At their best, a priest always knew and understood that before he can do anything on behalf of the people, he had to be right with God. This is a solemn and frightening proposition. At their worst, men like Nadab, Abihu, Eli, and many of the priests in Jesus’ day did not take the responsibility seriously. Too bad…God does.

So, 1 Peter 2:9 says that we are not only priests but members of a royal priesthood. This is a very common term in the Bible. It is closely related to the words we use for king or kingdom. In the whole chapter, Peter is referring to the position Jesus gives his believers. As his ROYAL priests (and not merely your everyday, run of the mill priests), we represent him. People should come to us when they have questions about God. This presupposes that we act like it. And, we should endeavor to be right before him first, and then we are in a position to speak his words and represent him. Nothing has changed regarding God’s opinion of his priests either. We need our High Priest, Jesus Christ, to teach, train, and set the example for us; we cannot fulfill this role on our own. Hmmm…I think my old idea of priesthood sounded easier.

Read 1 Peter 2:9-25.