“Priesthood of Believers”

The phrase “Priesthood of Believers”. Through faith in Christ Jesus we have been made a royal priesthood, part of God’s own household. This appointment is not based on any other precondition other than faith. It is not based on Jew or Gentle, male or female, it is Christ and Him alone. We are a priesthood of believers, meaning that our priesthood was given to us on the basis of faith in the promise that through Jesus Christ we have received forgiveness of sin to boldly enter the throne of God.

The Old Testament priest acted on behalf of the people as a mediator between God and the people, now in Christ Jesus who is our high priest we have been assigned the appointment of priest so that we can come before the throne of God in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To understand the meaning of the appointment we need to understand the Hebrew context to when we say, “in the name”. The Hebrew meaning of “in the name” is to a reference to the persons character and authority. 

In the name of Jesus, means that we as priest appointed in the name of Jesus come not based on our authority but the authority of the one in who’s name we come. Jesus was and is appointed

The priestly position is not without responsibilities, for as priest we became a witness of Christ Jesus, not through words alone but through faith. [RHB8] Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power after the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses to Me, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth.

The mentioned responsibilities is a calling we received based on our recreated status in Christ Jesus for we received the promised Holy Spirit to be witnesses unto Jesus. We witness as priesthood, called ministers of reconciliation, for reconciling man to God; Called to bring spiritual sacrifice before God, as written in Romans 12:1 we should give our bodies as a living sacrifice; Called to proclaim the Word of God in Spirit and in truth, as guided by the Holy Spirit. Called to pray, for in Christ Jesus we have direct access to the Throne of grace.

Priests in the OT ministered unto the Lord within the outer court and the holy place. This ministry had two elements, the first is to assist the sinners in their repentance and then to ensure that all things within the holy place are daily attended to. Likewise, we have been recreated in Christ Jesus to do the good works that God predestined for us to do, we become priest in Christ Jesus for God. In like manner as the OT priesthood have two elements, we are called as John the Baptist to prepare a way for unbelievers to repentance in Christ Jesus for the forgiveness of sin. The second part is that as a believers in Christ we need to come in the presence (bread of His presence) of God on a daily basis in order to receive from God through the Holy Spirit and praise God for His presence.