EVERY BELIEVER A PRIEST.
In ancient Israel, the priests acted as mediators between God and His people. These priests stood as representatives of all the people and brought sacrifices to the Lord. Once a year, the high priest would enter the most sacred part of the Temple, the Holy of Holies. There he would approach the Mercy Seat and present an offering for the sins of all the priests and the people. The Mercy Seat symbolized the Presence of God among His people.
Jesus vividly and dramatically changed the way we approach God.
I Timothy 2:5,6 says, "There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men..." In brief, Jesus became our High Priest, our only Mediator who acts on our behalf before the Father. When Jesus cried out from the cross, the scriptures say that the curtain of the Temple that screened the Mercy Seat from the people was split open. Through Jesus, mankind gained direct access to the Father. We no longer require a priest to act on our behalf!
Even though God is now accessible to every one who believes, we still tend to resort to the old way of thinking. I remember reading stories in the Old Testament of God's promise that He would be King for Israel but that Israel demanded an earthly king anyhow. The kings they got were poor substitutions for the King who wanted to rule over them with blessing. I think some of us tend to do the same thing with Jesus. We demand and expect to have earthly mediators...mediators who end up being poor substitutions for the Great High Priest, Jesus.
For some time now, I have been uncomfortable with the clergy/lay distinctions that we have come to be so familiar with. I see in scripture the distinctions for church order and gifts, but I do not see evidence of spiritual aristocracy or hierarchy in the Body of Christ. Many of us see it as normal that our clergy act as priests -- guarding doctrine, administering communion (sacrifices), performing baptisms and other rituals, etc. We often believe that our clergy are servants acting on behalf of the people.
And the rest of us just show up with our sacrifices (of praise, tithes, etc.).
I am not suggesting that pastors and priests are a bad thing. I am, after all, one of them. What I am saying is that the role of priest and representative belongs to all who follow Christ. The church is not made of bricks and mortar or of kings and princes but of men and women who are "being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood..." (1 Peter 2:5). Not only is God accessible to all who believe, but every believer is a minister for God.
Just showing up to "church" and relying on the pastor to do all the praying, serving, teaching, ministering to the sick, visitation, etc is hardly the New Testament understanding of being the Body of Christ. We are all to be the functioning Body, with Christ as the Head. Through Christ, we all have access to the Mercy Seat. Through his spiritual body (us), Jesus has access to humanity.
And I believe this is how the Father intends to grow His Kingdom on the earth!
"...but you are a chosen generation, 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).
{I have had many healthy and lively conversations and discussions with my Catholic brethren and friends with who's theology on this matter I know I conflict. I have a great fondness, respect, and appreciation for my Catholic brothers who serve as priests for their people, and I -- in no way -- wish to diminish their service or disregard their love for their people.}
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