What is the Priesthood of Every Believer? explains this neecssary and essential Bible doctrine and how it works.
The short definition is that God has ordered every single believer (saved person) in this dispensation of the New Testament to be a priest before God, offering sacrifices and serving God and the body of Christ.
1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Revelation 1:6 (God) hath made us… priests unto God
If words mean something, then God declaring us to be a royal priesthood should mean something. We are not under the Old Testament rule and structure of things. In other words, we (all male believers) do not go to the temple in Jerusalem to offer a sacrifical lamb. The temple is closed as far as offering animal sacrifices, and a non-Jew would not be allowed in to sacrifice anyway. Moreover, under the Old Testament law, no Israelite was allowed to offer sacrifice in the temple except with the help or mediation of a legitimate Jewish priest. Messianic Jews try to mix New and Old Testament such as forcing the New Testament believers to obey the Old Testament law, and that is just not possible today.
Elaborating on the Short Definition
While this is the doctrine, we need to meditate on exactly how God orders this and what this means. Usually, most good Baptist churches hold to the priesthood of the believer at least in word, although many fail horribly to do things in the light of this teaching (actually it is a command, not optional but essential).
There is a foundation to understanding the priesthood of the believer. It is very important and very little taught in our churches today.
1 Peter 5:3 Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
2 Corinthians 1:24 Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.
God prohibits any “brother” from being a lord over God’s people. Nobody is to have dominion over the faith of another. There are so many cult churches that ignore exactly this principle and the leaders fleece these people for everything they can. But within mainline Christian churches, this is also a common practice, and there are even “exit” ministries for people breaking away from this type of ministry when they release the pain and wrong of being there. Unfortunately, some of these mainline churches are even Baptist and/or Baptist Fundamental churches.
The alternative to a strong dictatorial leader is the priesthood of the believer. As Satan pushes and then pulls to get the believer off balance, some go the other extreme and deny any kind of church government. 1 Timothy 3 lays out the requirements of a church’s pastor.
1 Timothy 3:4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
1 Timothy 3:5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
The Apostle Paul understood the teaching and command of God that churches were to have pastors, so he commended Titus to do exactly this.
Titus 1:5 For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:
Jesus lamented that his people were sheep without a pastor.
Numbers 27:16 Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation,
Numbers 27:17 Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the LORD be not as sheep which have no shepherd.Ezekiel 34:5 And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.
Mark 6:34 And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.
The role of pastor is to guide the sheep
The Bible teaches that pastors have the responsibility before God (it is their office, their role, their ministry) to guide the sheep in following God. There are only two things that shepherds want from sheep usually, fruit and reproduction. The fruit is their wool, and reproduction is sheep doing what is natural in producing more sheep.
The way that comes about is very specific, through growth.
We cannot get away from or twist the meaning of Scripture. 1 Timothy 3:4-5 explains the ministry of pastor as being the same as a father ruling or governing over his own family. Perhaps that is where so much problem comes into play. Because just surveying how men rule their families, and the consequences, i.e. rebellious children and wife, divorce, disaster, and ruin, we understand why our churches are the same.
Either pastors don’t follow God’s rules, or they twist them to mean something that God did not mean. But nonetheless, you have to (1) declare the biblical existence of a pastor who governs the church, and (2) define that government as being the same as a godly father administration and rule over his family.
Sheep graze
Psalms 23:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psalms 23:2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
Psalms 23:3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
The point of Psalms 23 is to focus on this spiritual grazing of the sheep. When sheep eat, they grow, and if their environment is not filled with arduous labors, with wolves, with conflict with goats, etc. then they will grow. Reproduction should be natural when everything else is right.
But the pastor is to maintain that calm environment so that the sheep can grow. Shepherds of animals (sheep) have said that most of the time, sheep will not drink from a running brook or stream. The pastor has to make a small damn to block the water and make it still before they will drink. That is how picky sheep are. Human sheep are probably a lot worse all the time.
Understanding Pastors
God uses the literary presentation of a pastor of sheep as also being the spiritual ruler of his people. We understand that there is a difference between the owner of the sheep and the pastor. They are two different people. The owner is the head pastor, pastor meaning caretaker.
1 Peter 5:2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
1 Peter 5:3 Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
1 Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
Specifically in the context of human ministers over God’s flock (pastors), they prohibited from being “lord’s” over the church.
G2634 κατακυριεύω katakurieuo (ka-ta-kï-riy-ev’-ō) v.
to lord against, i.e. control, subjugate.
KJV: exercise dominion over (lordship), be lord over, overcome (Strongs)
In this passage, Peter sets things in biblical perspect. God through Jesus Christ is the chief Shepherd, and all other pastors over churches are subshepherds. They are ministers working under the command of Jesus.
Scattering of the Sheep versus Staying in the Fold
For these civil-religious rulers in ruling over Israel, God had a lot of rebukes for them because they ruled incorrectly. This is not, God has authorized me to be the church’s ruler therefore I will do what I want and everybody that is submissive to God has to obey my every whim. That is foolish. We are all under the authority of God including Christian husbands and fathers, and while holding that authority, we have to do things the way God wants. Instead of abusing those under that authority, we have responsibilities and obligations, and even to the point of giving the shepherd’s life to defend his flock, we have to insist here.
Jeremiah 23:1 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:2 Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.
It is important to see that a pastor’s job description is to congregate the sheep. To get them into a sheepfold, and protect them within that fold. God’s criticism of these fautly and deficient pastors was that they were doing the direct opposite of their primary duty. Instead of gathering, they were scattering.
There is a big difference between attendance and congregating. Attendance is that a person is physically in the building, even if he is playing with his phone, sleeping, or whispering with his neighbor. Congregating is present and participating.
How does a bad pastor scatter the sheep? Remember that sheep are naturally timid people. A saved person has entered salvation first by being humbled by his own sin. So when there are aggressions, pressures, yelling, arguing, fighting, etc. that causes a true sheep to be timid and want to get away. Often they just stop coming to church, and later on, they don’t come back.
The Priesthood of Every Believer
The priesthood aspect enters into this in that the false prophet, the novice minister, the pastor in error for whatever reason, is going to dominate the sheep. He will rule over the sheep as those bad shepherds of Israel in the Old Testament did.
So the key element here to see is the dependency between a spiritual leader and the Christian. That dependence really should not exist. As Paul put it in
2 Corinthians 1:24 Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.
the minister of God is to be a “helper of your joy”, or a colaborer. When there is dominion of the spiritual life of Christians by spiritual leaders, within or without the church, God’s will is not being done.
This ideal situation is impossible in various key points.
(1) An ignornat Christian.
When the Christian is ignorant of God’s Word, then wolves can enter in and dominate his faith. That is why our churches should be heavily invested in preaching and teaching. We should pressure our people to go further beyond. Some people think that they are good Christians simply because they come into the church at 11:45 and sit in the sermon for 15 minutes and until next week. The entire church experience, Sunday School, Sunday night, Wednesday prayer service, and beyond that even, self study at home, is necessary to fix this spiritual ignorance.
Note that there are secrets here also. First of all, the teacher of spiritual principles has to be a living example of those very same principles. Therefore, when the life of the preacher is not exemplary, he is a hypocrite, and all people will learn from a hypocrite is hypocrisy.
Secondly, knowledge is a step, not an end in itself. Knowledge puffs up, and knowledge put to use for practical advantage in one’s life is called wisdom. We want wisdom, not smarties, know-it-alls. Things can be deceptive often here. A college Bible degree does not mean that that person really understands and practices the Bible more than a lower education Christian who reads, meditates and consumes the Word and practices it.
(2) Positions of Authority carry Obligations and Responsibilities
When anyone in the church has some office, duty, ministry, etc. and they seem to being doing it well, Satan can easily fill their heart with spiritual pride over the rest. They nullify any good from that ministry because they are not humbly serving.
Every good minister of God is homble and meek, because that is what Jesus is, and that is what is obligatory on us all.
(3) Conflictive people are not spiritual.
I would say that in general, conflictive, proud, arrogant people always pushing others to do their own will are probably not even saved. A pastor has to motivate his people through God pushing them to obey God’s Word. Any other motive for working in a religious context is wrong. We obey. That is our motive, because God commanded us to do so.
A Priest-Believer is Dedicated to His Priesthood
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
The first duty of a believer priest is the same as the Levis in the Old Testament. They personal holiness before God. They cannot serve God if their own lives are filled with sin.
A Priest-Believer Functions in Relation to other Christians
2 Corinthians 1:24 Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.
Note the contrast and context here. Paul denied being a pope over the Corinthian church. He was not going to dominate their Christian faith and life. He was a helper or colaborer with them in their service to God. The attitude is everything.
Paul was a catalyst for other believers to serve God better. In that point of view, rather than taking a place and recognition of grandure, greatness, human glory, Paul gloried in them. That they were serving God. That is the priest of the believer exactly. Each Christian serving God with his brethren helping and amplifying that ministry to God.
What is the Priesthood of Every Believer?