A Royal Priesthood in the Bible
In the Bible, a royal priesthood is a group of people with both a priestly status and kingly authority. This unique position gives believers both access to God and the authority to rule. Jesus, the King of Kings and the everlasting High Priest, is the perfect example of this divine combination. God said that He would rebuild the tabernacle of David to include both kings and priests.
Meaning of a royal priesthood
In the Bible, the term royal priesthood means both authority and access to God. Christians are called to be royal priests, ministering with authority. They will rule the earth one day, having authority to fight battles for the kingdom. They have an intimate relationship with God and teach the Word of God.
During the Old Testament, only certain people were chosen to become a royal priesthood. This was different from the Levitical priesthood, which was comprised of one tribe and only performed ceremonial functions. Old Testament Israel was to be a royal priesthood. However, the priesthood had to be separate from the monarchy.
The priestly role is traced through the Bible, beginning in Eden with the first Holy of Holies and tabernacle. Aaronic priests served in the tabernacle and in the garden, serving as commissioners. And when Jesus came into the picture, he worked alongside the human royal priesthood.
While the priestly duties of King Saul are not specific to his kingship, they are unique. The king cannot perform his priestly duties – they are reserved for the high priest chosen by God. Moreover, the king cannot be a priest because he is not a king.
Priests are living witnesses of God’s love. They walk with the broken and the lost, watching over their fragile frames. Their mission is to bring people back to God, the King of Love. This means that priests are living reminders of God’s love and mercy.
The high priest, also known as Melchizedek, was a royal priest. He led the people to God by offering sacrifices. He secured righteousness and peace to the people. His name means “the Son of God.” In a similar way, the priests of Abraham were royal priests.
Israel was God’s special possession, and therefore the entire nation was to be a holy and priestly people. Moses explicitly called the children of Israel to this calling, which was tied to God’s election and covenant promises. They were called to this priestly role because of the God’s redemptive mercy.
The nation of Israel had a duty to manifest God’s glory. And the Jewish people today have the same responsibility. Hence, Peter urges Jewish people to live excellently among the Gentiles and to glorify God. And as we see, there are many ways in which the royal priesthood has been put to good use.
Justification by faith
The Justification by Faith doctrine aims to restore the priesthood of all baptized believers and put them on equal footing before God. As a result, it eliminates the hierarchy of access to God. In the Reformation, Luther sought to restore the doctrine of a royal priesthood of all believers. Since the third century, the gap between the ordained and laity had been widening. This gap had de-sanctified the temporal world and exalted the spiritual realm.
In the Bible, the royal priesthood is a group of believers whose role is to preach and teach the excellencies of Christ to the world. While not all are called to be preachers or teachers, every believer has a responsibility to bear witness to Christ in some way. For example, the Scripture in John 16 says that the Holy Spirit is sent to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. This responsibility can extend to public prophetic proclamation and other arenas.
Justification by faith for a royal priestship in the Bible should be based on the Gospel. By sanctifying every individual through baptism in the name of Jesus, royal priests are empowered to proclaim the Gospel message to others. It is also important to remember that this doctrine is a doctrinal mandate from Jesus. The royal priests in the Bible are required to make disciples of all nations and baptize them in the name of the Trinity. They are also commanded to teach everything they learn, including the Gospel, to all creatures.
The concept of a royal priesthood in the Bible can be applied to both kings and priests in a biblical sense. In the Bible, the Christian is a royal priest and is given this position by God through faith. As a royal priest, he has direct access to the king and his Father.
Despite this, the Roman priesthood tried to take away the royal priesthood of individual believers, forcing the individual believer to listen to and obey the priests. However, Luther reemphasized the royal priesthood of believers. Some, however, misapplied this principle and despised the work of public teachers of the Word.
The role of the royal priest in the Bible is an important one. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that the royal priesthood is a personal ministry, and the royal priest is the person who performs this function. This means that the individual Christian does not give up his priesthood, but instead exercises his ministry in a public manner. He is the one who prays, works, and gives gifts, and his faith is in Jesus Christ.
The concept of a royal priesthood in the Bible is a result of the concept of a spiritual nation. The people who believe in the Lord are distinct from the rest of the world, as Christ Himself explained in Matthew 5:13. The idea of justification by faith is derived from this principle. In other words, people who believe in Christ are brought into alignment with God’s standard of righteousness by belief.
Taking back the throne of Israel
When Israel was under the control of surrounding empires, it was subject to corruption and abuse. For example, the Seleucids, a Greek Empire during the Hellenistic Period, conquered the country around 200 B.C. As a result, the Jewish Aristocracy began to adopt Greek culture for economic purposes.
In the Old Testament, God designated certain tribes as priests. One of those tribes was the Levites. Their job was to stand between the holy God and unholy people. As such, the Levites were the designated tribe for priests.
The priesthood of Melchizedek predates the priesthood of the Levitical priesthood. This means that the priesthood of Melchizedek existed before Moses. Christ’s priesthood, on the other hand, was created by God, not through Aaron. Therefore, Aaron was given temporary authority over Christ’s priesthood, but He took His rightful place as the high priest of Israel.
In the future, God will establish two classes of people. The first one is Israel, all of whom belong to Christ, and the second is the nations who serve Israel. These nations will learn about God through Israel and will be saved as a result.
Peter’s concept of a royal priesthood comes from the Exodus 19 priesthood, but the new priesthood of the New Covenant is not a new royal priesthood, but a revival of that royal priesthood. Taking back the throne of the nation of Israel through a royal priesthood is the ultimate plan of God for the Jewish people.
In the Old Testament, the priesthood was an institution that reminded Israel of God’s holiness. The priesthood was a dangerous job. People who chose to worship the Lord should do so with care and not risk their lives. After all, priests were a necessary intermediary between God and the Israelites. But they couldn’t do so carelessly because God looks at the heart.
The Book of Leviticus is filled with things to say about the priesthood. For example, it teaches us that God’s plan never intended for the descendants of Levi to be the only priests in Israel. God called Israel out of Egypt for a special purpose, and the entire nation was supposed to serve as a holy nation.
The Aaronic priesthood was imperfect and provisional. Because of this, it failed at its very beginning. In contrast, the new royal priesthood is a perfect royal priesthood. As its firstfruits, the Church will worship at the Altar of Incense, the place where the Altar of Sacrifice is used to offer sacrifices.
Moses told the Israelites to separate from pagan influences when they entered the promised land. This instruction was to prepare them for God’s judgment.
Comments are closed.