Day 17: The Priesthood of Every Believer

Charlie Fiskeaux

In ancient days, very few men talked with God. Even fewer walked with Him. Humanity again and again would forget or turn its back on God, and God would have to intervene to save humanity from its own evil. So God called Abraham to father a nation—the Hebrew nation, consecrated to God. This nation would be set apart to be God’s own family, His witness among the nations of the earth. But even so, not everyone in the family had direct access to God. Not everyone could talk to him face to face. That privilege was reserved for the priests … those who were specially trained in the procedure and reverence due to God. The priests served as God’s conduit to the people; through them God could speak to the people and the people could offer sacrifices to have their sins forgiven. Through the priests God made his law known. Thus being a priest was a significant responsibility and was not to be undertaken lightly (see Leviticus 10, where two of Aaron’s sons apparently did not understand their responsibilities and died as a result).

Despite being chosen by God as his family, most Hebrews only knew God as one knows a rich relative who lives far away and with whom you cannot talk directly. He is someone to admire, but it’s easy to dismiss him and do whatever you want, assuming He’s not watching you. Thus, God had to reprimand and correct His family over and over again as they repeatedly walked apart from Him. Although God’s law is good, the old system of the law and the priesthood was obviously insufficient! (This is one of Paul’s major themes in his letter to the Romans.) What was God to do? Throw away the law and the priesthood and start over?

Rather than scrap and revamp the law and priesthood, God chose to bring them to fullness in his Holy Spirit. (In Matthew 5:17 Jesus states that He came not to abolish the law and the prophets but to fulfill them.) At pentecost, the Holy Spirit fell, and everything changed! Now there wasn’t just one temple where God’s presence dwelt, but thousands of them! (1 Corinthians 6:19) Every Spirit-filled believer was simultaneously both temple and priest, able to talk to God face to face and carrying His Spirit with them wherever they went! This was the ultimate fulfillment of the law and the priesthood…now everyone could be a priest! Everyone had the law written on their hearts! The ultimate symbol of this fulfillment was when the curtain of the temple was torn by God upon Jesus’ death—no longer would God’s presence be separated from his earthly family members! We who carry His Spirit are “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that [we] may proclaim the praises of Him who called [us] out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)

Thus we come back to the idea of consecration. Just as the ancient priests were set apart (or consecrated) to offer sacrifices to God, now are we consecrated to offer sacrifices to God. But what are our sacrifices? While we are indeed called upon to perform practical sacrifices such as giving of our resources and helping others, the primary sacrifice we offer is the sacrifice of praise. Notice in the passage in 1 Peter it says why we have been consecrated as a royal priesthood: “that [we] may proclaim the praises of Him who called [us]…” and in Hebrews 13:15, “Through him [Jesus] then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God…” True praise must proceed from a purified heart, for “out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45) 

Thus, as a consecrated priesthood, our primary duty is to submit to the Holy Spirit’s purification of our hearts, so our hearts may be fully devoted to the praise of the Most High! May it be so with us, Lord Jesus!