PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS

The 'priesthood of all believers' or the 'general priesthood' is a Christian doctrine based on several passages of the New Testament. It is most stressed in Protestantism and was introduced by Martin Luther to reject any concept of ministerial priesthood, as found in the Orthodox and Catholic traditions. One prominent example is found in the First Epistle of Peter, 2:9:
:But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. (NLT)
Other relevant Scripture passages include 1 Peter 2:4-8, Revelation 1:4-6, 5:6-10, and many passages in the Epistle to the Hebrews.

Contents

Overview

History

Non-Protestant Interpretations of 1 Peter 2:9

See also

External links

Overview

In ancient Israel, priests acted as mediators between God and people. They ministered according to God's instruction and they offered sacrifices to God on behalf of the people. Once a year, the high priest would enter the holiest part of the temple and offer a sacrifice for the sins of all the people, including all the priests.
Although many religions use priests, most Protestant faiths reject the idea of a priesthood as group that is spiritually distinct from lay people. They typically employ professional clergy who perform many of the same functions as priests such as clarifying doctrine, administering communion, performing baptisms, marriages, etc. In many instances, Protestants see professional clergy as servants acting on behalf of the local believers. This is in contrast to the priest, who is seen as an agent of formal religious hierarchy with a distinct authority and spiritual nature different from that of ordinary believers.
Most Protestants today recognize only one mediator between them and God, Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5). The Epistle to the Hebrews calls Jesus the supreme "high priest," who offered himself as a perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 7:23-28). Protestants believe that through Christ they have been given direct access to God, just like a priest; thus the doctrine is called the 'priesthood of all believers'. God is equally accessible to all the faithful, and every Christian has equal potential to minister for God. This doctrine stands in opposition to the concept of a spiritual aristocracy or hierarchy within Christianity.
It should be noted that the belief in the priesthood of all believers does not preclude structure, authority or discipline within congregations or denominational structures. For example, the Lutheran tradition holds that any Christian can preside in a communion service; however, Article 14 of the Augsburg Confession notes that for the sake of religious order, no one should do these things without a "call" to do so from God and from the congregation of believers being served. In most cases, the individual "called" is member of the professional clergy; however, in the case of a community of Christians in a remote or isolated place, the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers would allow that community to "call" one of its own to preside at a communion service.

History

The origins of the doctrine within Protestantism are somewhat obscure. The idea was found in a radical form in Lollard thought. Martin Luther later picked up on the idea and it became a central tenet of Lutheranism.
Some recent scholars have made a distinction between what Martin Luther taught and how the matter has been interpreted by the Protestantism of later generations. They argue that Luther never made use of the phrase nor did he deny the importance of distinguishing a "common priesthood of all the baptized" for works of charity from the specific sacramental role of ordained clergy. However, others note that the Augsburg Confession, one of the seminal documents of Lutheranism, only specifies that an individual be properly (or regularly) "called" to administer the sacraments. No mention is made of ordination or priestly status.
The doctrine is strongly asserted within Methodism, and can plausibly be linked to the strong emphasis on social action and political radicalism evident within that denomination. Baptist movements, which generally operate on a form of congregational polity, also lean heavily on this concept.
The vast majority of Protestants nonetheless draw some distinction between their own ordained ministers and lay people, but regard it as a matter of church order and discipline rather than spiritual hierarchy.
Some Protestants believe that priesthood authority is still needed, but has been lost from the earth. Roger Williams believed, "There is no regularly constituted church of Christ on earth, nor any person qualified to administer any church ordinances; nor can there be until new apostles are sent by the Great Head of the Church for whose coming I am seeking." Another group, the Seekers, believed that the Roman Catholic Church had lost its authority through corruption and waited for Christ to restore his true church and authority.

Non-Protestant Interpretations of 1 Peter 2:9

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints interpret this scripture to mean that the members of Jesus Christ's church should aspire to receive the priesthood and perform the ordinances of the priesthood rather than depending upon a professional clergy.
Orthodox Christians and Catholic Christians traditionally believe that this passage gives responsibility to all believers for the preservation and propagation of the Gospel and the Church, as distinct from the liturgical and sacramental roles of the ordained priesthood and consecrated episcopate (see Apostolic Succession). This seems to go against Exodus 19:6, to which Saint Peter was alluding in the First Epistle of Peter:
:" ...you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.'
These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites." (NIV)
At Sinai, the Israelites rejected being individual kingdom priests, after hearing God speak once directly to them, but instead asked Moses to be their mediator. See Exodus 20:19 "They said to Moses, 'Speak with us yourself, and we will listen; but don't let God speak with us, lest we die.'"
Thus, the Kingdom of Israel retained a priesthood distinct from the common priesthood of the individual Israelites, the chosen people of God. To reaffirm this interpretation, the Schism of Korah from Israel. Korah restates Exodus 19:6 in [(Numbers 16:3)] saying:
:"The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the LORD'S assembly?" ([NIV])
Korah then with his 250 followers breaks away from the authority of Moses to follow their personal interpretation of the "priesthood" and as a result are slain by God for offering incense [(Numbers 16:35)]:
:"And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense." ([NIV])
1 Timothy 2:5-6 ("...who gave himself as ransom for all. This was the testimony at the proper time."), to Christians of Apostolic Churches, is understood as meaning Jesus is the only mediator in terms of the sacrifice for salvation.
Apostolic Churches also see the ministerial priesthood as being necessary when saying "Do this in memory (anamnesis) of me."
Apostolic Churches also point to Matthew 28:19-20, where Jesus tells the apostles to teach and baptize all the nations.
Roman Catholics point to passages such as Matthew 16:18-19 ("upon this rock I will build my Church;" as the establishment of the Papacy and ecclestiastical hierarchy. [Most Protestants believe Jesus was referring to Peter's confession of faith or himself as "rock."] Roman Catholics also interpret John 21:15-17 (where Jesus tells Peter, "Feed my lambs") as Jesus' establishment of religious orders in the church.
The Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches have always taught implicitly that a Christian's personal relationship with God is independent of whatever ordination they have received.

See also

★ Saint: Protestantism

External links

★ “The Priesthood of All Believers and Other Pious Myths”