What is the Christian Priesthood?

Introduction

Some Christian denominations, besides having an appointed group of Elders, also appoint certain men or women, to act as “priests” in their congregations.

Priests of God have existed since the ancient times and can be traced back into the Old Testament Bible, and were agents of God who partook in several religious rituals and traditions, such as sacrifices, offerings, and blessings, and also acted as mediators between God and his people (Numbers 18).

For this reason, some Christian churches of specific denominations, also ordain priests as part of their “clergy” or leadership. These priests often are the ones who preside over things such as the Lords Supper, Baptisms, and even other functions such as the marriage of couples.

The New Testament, however, the holy scriptures which were written to instruct Christians, do not mention a distinct role of clerical priests who minister in the Congregation, other than the one High Priest we all have, Yeshua (Jesus) the Son of God:

• “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Yeshua the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess”. – Hebrews 4:14

However, as the Lord Yeshua is the High Priest, this does imply that there are other priests who do serve under him. What then is the Christian Priesthood?

The Universal Priesthood

Nation of Priests

The Bible describes as far back as the beginning of the nation of Israel, that his people would be a universal priesthood, a nation of priests:

• “‘Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel”. – Exodus 19:5-6

The Apostle Peter makes a reference to this verse in his letter to the congregations of Jewish Christians scattered about the world:

• “Peter, an apostle of Yeshua [the] Anointed. To those who are elect exiles of the [Jewish] Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia… As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Yeshua [the] Anointed… you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light”. – 1 Peter 1:1, 2:4-5, 9

New Israel of Jew & Gentile

This national priesthood also isn’t limited to Jews, or Jewish believers in Yeshua either, but we are told that it is all those who “believe” and obey in the Lord, both Jews and non-Jews (Gentiles):

• “So the honour is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'”. – 1 Peter 2:7
• “…Yeshua [the] Anointed, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen”. – Revelation 1:5-6
• “…you [Gentiles], although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree…” – Romans 11:17
• “…present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God”. – Romans 12:1
• “Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands… So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the set-apart ones and members of the household of God.” – Ephesians 2:11, 19

We also see, a prophecy in Malachi, which speaks of the inclusion of Gentiles as to be partaking in the priestly gift and thanks giving offerings due to Israel’s continual pattern of sinfulness:

• “Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the YHWH of armies, and I will not accept an offering from your hand. For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says YHWH armies“. – Malachi 1:10-11

What are Christian Sacrifices?

As we are no longer required to make sacrifices of animals, or drink, or grain on altars as the Israelite priests did, seeing that Yeshua was the one and final sacrificial offering for all time (Hebrews 10:11-12), Christians offer up a different kind of sacrifice.

These sacrifices are our worship, service, living conduct, and prayers to God, and being members of the Lord’s united body as both living crucified sacrifices:

• “May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.” – Psalm 141:2
• “And at the hour of the incense offering, the whole congregation was praying outside.” – Luke 1:10
• “And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God.” – Acts 10:4
• “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin“. – Romans 6:6
• “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship”. – Romans 12:1
• “Through him [Yeshua] then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.” – Hebrews 13:15
• “…you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Yeshua [the] Anointed.” – 1 Peter 2:4
• “Then another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the set-apart, on the golden altar before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the set-apart, rose up before God from the hand of the angel.” – Revelation 8:3-4

In order that our “sacrifices” can be accepted by God, they must hence be “unpolluted”, clean sacrifices. This means that we must be sure to live in cleanness, love our fellow man, and be repentant of sin, by means of the ultimate sin sacrifice made by our High Priest, the Lord Yeshua.

• “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world“. – James 1:27

Consecrated for God

The Levite priesthood of the Old Testament were an extra special property set aside and consecrated by God for his service.

We see the priests, once set up in God’s temple, were made separate from other worldly and national affairs, including exclusion from partaking in war, for they were to be pure before God and to represent his highest and holy ideals as God’s representatives, which included purity, holiness, meekness and pacifism (with exception to personal self-defence and very specific sacred wars ordered by God himself).

• “YHWH spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, ‘Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, by clans, by fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, every male, head by head. From twenty years old and upward, all in Israel who are able to go to war, you and Aaron shall list them, company by company’ …But the Levites were not listed along with them by their ancestral tribe. For YHWH spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Only the tribe of Levi you shall not list, and you shall not take a census of them among the people of Israel‘”. – Numbers 1:1-3, 47-49

“Why did the tribe of Levi not merit a portion in the Land of Israel and its spoils, as their brothers did? Because they have been separated out to serve G‑d as His ministers… Therefore, they were also separated from worldly matters. They are not required to fight in war, like other Jewish people, and they do not inherit the Land”. – Rabbi Rambam, Laws of the Sabbatical and Jubilee Years 13:12

This echoes Yeshua’s teachings to those who would become his followers, in that to be part of his Kingdom was to be no part of this world (John 17:16, 18:36), and to “turn the other cheek” (Matthew 5:39), and to “put away the sword” (Matthew 26:52).

In this all Christians are said to be “saints”, or “set apart” (Ephesians 2:19).

Unlike the Levite priesthood however, Christians, who do not come under the priesthood of Levi, but of Lord Yeshua, are members of the “Melchizedek type Priesthood”, and this priesthood is said to in future inherit the land of the whole world, a dualistic Priesthood of Consecration and Kingship:

• “For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace… For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of him, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” – Hebrews 7:1-2, 14-17
• “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth“. – Matthew 5:5
• “And you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth“. – Revelation 5:10

Clerical Priests & Laity Priests?

A detail of note, is that the nature of the universal national priesthood in the Old Testament, and how it was contrasted to the Temple priesthood.

Levite Priesthood & Civil Priesthood

Though all of Israel were said to be “priests”, the Tribe of Levi under High Priest Aaron specifically were set aside by God to function as an ordained clergy for Israel. We see also that there was a rebellion against that Priesthood led by Korah, who stated that since all of Israel were said to be priests of God, that they all had the right to perform the priestly duties and sacrifice offerings, and didn’t have to fall under the authority of an Ordained Priesthood or religious authority – specifically the High Priest.

We see however, that Korah was punished for this rebellion:

• “They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, ‘You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and YHWH is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of YHWH?’ …And YHWH spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, ‘Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment‘… And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods.” – Numbers 16:3, 20-21, 32

Based on this passage, several churches that have an ordained priesthood, such as the Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, and so on, argue that whilst all Christians are a universal priesthood, this does not take away from the notion of their being a “clerical” priesthood set up to perform religious duties, rituals and sacraments.

However, it is of note that Korah himself was of the Tribe of Levi (Exodus 6:16, 21, Numbers 16:1), making him also an type of ordained clerical priest of Israel in temple service, and so the context his own personal rebellion, though he did lead others who were not of the priestly tribes to join with him in this rebellion, was less of the notion that he himself couldn’t be a priest – for he already was, but more aimed toward Aaron specifically for being the “leader” and “High Priest” of the priesthood, and against Moses for being the head of Israel. A modern application then for us if we were to be modern day Korahs, would be to assert that others can be priests and sons of God, without being believers in, brothers of, and in submission of the Lord Yeshua, or of any attempt of trying to usurp the Lord’s authority as High Priest in manner of an antichrist.

Furthermore, as aforementioned, the Christian scriptures make no mention of an ordained clerical Christian priesthood outside of that the Universal Priesthood of all believers, and has only set up Lord Yeshua as our one and ordained High Priest of us all, who performs his mediating duties in Heaven (Hebrews 4:14-16).

In Yeshua and the New Covenant, the Temple Priesthood and the Civil Priesthood have become merged into one entity. Where there was once distiniction between the two types; Judah and Levi, there is now unity. In the same manner that Yeshua himself is a unity in of himself, of High Priest, King, and Prophet; of Moses, Aaron, and David – being the greater fulfillment of all three of those roles within himself in one.

By this, no longer are there two seperate lineages or inheritances of a Civil Priesthood and Temple Priesthood through a seperate man or tribe for each, but in and through one man, the Lord King High Priest Yeshua, we become all these things (Romans 8:17, 1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6, Hebrews 4:14, Hebrews 7:1).

The Universal Christian Priesthood Offers Sacrifice

Unlike the Levite Priesthood, Christians are not commanded to offer any specific ritual sacrifices to God that would require any kind of higher clerical priesthood. But we’ve seen evidence that the priests we as Christians all are, have been directly contrasted throughout the New Testament, to the ordained Levite Temple priesthood who make sacrifices to God. Our own worship being directly equated to those priestly altar offerings (Romans 6:6, Romans 12:1, 1 Peter 2:4).

In the prophecies of Isaiah concerning the Messianic Suffering Servant, we also see that the nation of Israel itself is also its own kind of suffering servant identified almost collectively alongside the Messiah. As members of the New Israel by means of being part of the Lord’s body, those of us who conjoin with him also then become in our own way suffering servants, spiritually fulfilling our part of being crucified along with him and being as the Apostles stated, “living sacrifices” offered up to God, this being a deeper part of our shared and universal priesthood.

Likewise, as aforementioned, the prophecy of Malachi also, foretold of Christians giving up offerings of grain, and incense, all of which were offerings and sacrifices of devotion, worship, giving of thanks, and prayer.

In this respect, as opposed to the notion that the concept of the sole Universal Priesthood of all Christians is a rebellion against the “ordained clerical priesthood” of the churches that lay claim to such a system, it is in fact to deny all Christians their inherent right of sacrifice, and their role as universal ministers of God by making a clergy-laity distiniction in this respect, undoing the work of the Lord who united all of these things as one in himself.

One Body, One Temple, One Family, One Inheritence

Further evidence that there is no ordained clerical priesthood of the Christian faith besides that of the Universal Priesthood, is that all Christians are said to be both one body and brothers of Yeshua, his bride to be, his Adamic sons, direct members of his royal priestly order, and his Temple:

• “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Yeshua [the] Anointed” – 1 Peter 1:1, 2:4-5, 9
• “…we are members of his body. ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’. This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to [the] Anointed [One] and the Congregation“. – Ephesians 5:30-32
• “Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations'”. – Revelation 11:1-2
• “For as in Adam all die, so in [the] Anointed [One] all will be made alive”. – 1 Corinthians 15:22
• “Everyone who believes that Yeshua is the Anointed has been born of God...” – 1 John 5:1
• “The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with [the] Anointed [One], provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” – Romans 8:16-17

Because we are children of God and brothers of the Lord Yeshua, and also his Adamic children with him being the “Last Adam” who replaces our original human forefather, we come under the lineage and co-heirship of the Lord, in the same manner that the sons of Aaron the High Priest of the Old Testament, the Tribe of Levi, came under him.

As such, we are for a lack of better words, of the “Tribe of Yeshua”, and hence, we are all a “Royal” Priesthood, for we come to “inherit” his belongings.

Hence, this fits the language used throughout the New Testament of our priesthood making up the his New Temple of New Jerusalem of New Israel. And of our individual sacrificial offerings to God. We are the worshippers at the Temple Altar “measured out” for salvation (Revelation 11:1-2). We are all “one” in this arrangement (Galatians 3:28), by means of our one and only mediator, Yeshua the Son of God (1 Timothy 2:5).

The only rebellion akin to Korah now a Christian can engage in, is rebellion against the appointed High Priest, Lord Yeshua himself, to engage in the acts of the antichrist.

Greater Fulfillment of the National Priesthood

Whilst the Old Testament called Israel a nation of priests, the fullness of that statement arguably had not come into affect, until the Christian New Covenant, hence explaining why there was a Levite priesthood at the time that was distinict from the rest of the “priestly” nation, that priesthood being what the ultimate goal for the rest of Israel were eventually to become.

Isaiah himself also foretells of such a thing concerning Israel and the Messiah:

• “The Spirit of YHWH God is upon me, because YHWH has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives,and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of YHWH’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of YHWH, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities,the devastations of many generations. Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers; but you shall be called the priests of YHWH; they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations,and in their glory you shall boast”. – Isaiah 61:1-6

Yeshua had spoken the opening lines of this passage in his day, and declared the first portion to be fulfilled (Luke 4:20-21) by his coming. We see however that the rest of the prophecy still awaits fulfillment, which is the coming of God’s Kingdom and Israel’s rule over the world, something which is promised to the New Israel consisting of both Jew and Gentile upon his Second Coming.

We also see here, that those part of this redeemed Israel would be called “priests of YHWH”. Seeing that this is a part of a prophecy, it indicates something more special about this statement, and adds a richer layer of meaning to the statement made in Exodus 19:5-6, that all of God’s people were to serve as ministering priests. As followers of the Lord, we take part in this progressive revelation of the fulfillment of Isaiah.

Christian Clerical Priests are a Later Concept

Throughout Christian history, the earliest mention of a Christian “priest” in regard to a specific ordained role distinict from Elders, Overseers and Servants, is in the 3rd Century, and even in these writings, the term may either mean “Elder” or “Priest”, for the terms “Presbyter” (Greek for Elder) and “Sacerdos” (Latin for Priest) became conflated in later translation:

“This word (etymologically “elder“, from presbyteros, presbyter) has taken the meaning of “sacerdos“, from which no substantive has been formed in various modern languages (English, French, German)”. – New Advent, Priest

“…they [the congregation] themselves have the power either of choosing worthy Priests/Elders(?), or of rejecting unworthy ones…” – Cyprian of Carthage, Epistle 67:3 (3rd Century A.D)

“Although no early Christian document uses the title ‘priest’ (Greek, Hiereus; Latin sacerdos) directly to designate any Christian minister, from the beginning of the third century such language starts to emerge. This marks the inception of a major change in the relationship between the people and their ordained ministers: the latter will eventually cease to be seen as the presiders within a priestly people, and become instead a priesthood acting on behalf of the others“. – Paul F. Bradshaw, “Theology and Rite AD 200 – 400,” The Study of Liturgy, Revised Edition

Before this, the only roles of ordination in the congregations were the Overseers and Servants, who made up the Elder class.

Whilst Elders have the responsibility of shepherding their flocks and overseeing congregational affairs, the scriptures make no mention that they alone have exclusive rights to the duty of a “priest role” or that they alone are the ones making any kind of “offerings” or “sacrifices” to God.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Christian Priesthood, is the Universal Priesthood of all believers and followers of the Lord Yeshua.

The Priesthood is the greater fulfillment and fullness of the role of the Old Testament Levite Priesthood, but of the “manner of Melchizedek”, a priesthood which has a promise of kingship and inheritance of the Earth. We are co-heirs with the King High Priest Son of God, his brothers, and Adamic children, inheriting his lot, and sharing in his Royal Priesthood as part of his Body and Temple, serving around God’s altar and measured for salvation, as we minister God’s and his Son’s will and Good News to the world, and into the New World beyond.

With our Lord Yeshua being the one and final blood offering for sin, and the one single mediator between all of humanity and God, our only offerings now are those of purity, worship, praise, prayer, giving thanks, and our very lives as living sacrifices before God.