As Followers of Jesus, We Are All Priests
The priesthood of believers says that as followers of Jesus we are all priests—every one of us. It’s time we start acting like it. Let’s discover what this means.
Though the Bible never mentions the phrase priesthood of believers, we find the idea of us all being priests in both the Old and New Testaments.
A key passage for the priesthood of believers comes from 1 Peter 2:4-9.
He says that as we come to Jesus, the living Stone, we will likewise become living stones, built into a spiritual house, to be a royal priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices to Father God (v5).
This makes us a chosen people, a royal priesthood, and the holy nation (v9).
A Nation of Priests
This idea of being a priesthood of believers, however, doesn’t start with Peter. It goes back to Moses. It was God’s desire—his plan—for his people to become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:5-6).
God intended to speak to his people directly (Exodus 19:9. But the people were afraid and didn’t want God to talk to them. Instead, they asked Moses to be their intermediary (Exodus 20:18-19).
Plan B: The Priesthood
It’s only after the people reject God’s plan for them to be a kingdom of priests and for him to speak to them directly that he institutes the priesthood. In this regard, it seems that having designated priests is a contingency plan.
The people ask Moses to serve as an intermediary between them and God. And God does as they request.
God tells Moses about his plan for the priesthood, and Moses tells the people. As such, we see that God does not speak to them directly or make them a kingdom of priests.
They rejected that idea, and he went with Plan B.
Rebellion: Going Too Far
In this Old Testament priesthood, instituted by God through Moses, only descendants of Aaron can serve as priests. But it doesn’t take long for some people to object. Led by Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On confront Moses and Aaron.
They rebel against this idea that only descendants of Aaron can be priests. They claim Moses and Aaron have gone too far and that everyone is holy. This implies they think everyone can serve as a priest.
Though we don’t know Korah’s motivation—whether he remembered God’s plan for them to be a kingdom of priests or if he sought power—God views it as rebellion against him. He punishes Korah and his followers. They all die (Numbers 16:1-35).
The priesthood continues to function throughout the Old Testament. Yet Isaiah foresees a future time when everyone would be called priests and all would be named ministers (Isaiah 61:6).
Jesus Gives Us Direct Access
We later see Jesus fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy—and God’s original plan—for us to be a kingdom of priests. When our Savior dies on the cross as the ultimate sin sacrifice to save all people, the curtain in the temple rips in two, from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51).
This curtain separated the Most Holy Place—representing God’s dwelling place on earth—from the Holy Place and all the people. This symbolically gives us direct access to God. Since it ripped from top to bottom, we see this as being orchestrated by God.
The book of Hebrews covers these concepts of the priesthood and having direct access to God, in depth.
We also see this come up repeatedly in John’s epic revelation from God, first as a present condition (Revelation 1:6) and as a future reality (Revelation 5:10 and Revelation 20:6)
No Need for an Intermediary
Through Jesus, we now have direct access to Father God. This means we no longer need a priest to serve as our intermediary. We can approach God directly, and he can speak to us directly.
To help us in this, God promised to send us the Holy Spirit to teach and guide us (John 14:26). And it soon happened (John 20:21-23 and Acts 2:1-39).
This is also egalitarian. No longer should there be a division between priests and people. We all have equal access to God and an equal standing through God.
Yet we haven’t done a good job of implementing this. Even today, we persist in this division between clergy and laity. We ordain priests and ministers to serve as our liaison with God.
We expect them to speak to us and to guide us. We hire them to do the work that we should be doing ourselves.
What Does It Mean to Be a Priesthood of Believers?
Let’s go back to Peter’s letter. He calls us both a holy priesthood and a royal priesthood. We are living stones in a spiritual house (a temple) offering spiritual sacrifices to God.
We’re chosen as his special possession to praise him, who calls us into his light (1 Peter 2:5 & 9).
As priests we can approach him directly and hear from him directly. We serve him and point others to him. We no longer need clergy to guide us, teach us, and do this work for us. This means we can read and study his word, with the Holy Spirit’s help.
From a spiritual standpoint, anything that we hire a priest or minister to do for us, we should do ourselves. Since we are all priests, we all serve one another in an egalitarian manner. We sharpened one another (Proverbs 27:17).
Consider everything that the priest or minister does. Because we’re part of the priesthood of believers, this is what we should do.
Though we can’t assume this all at once, we can—we must—move in that direction. It’s what Father God wants, what Jesus died for, and what the Holy Spirit provides.
May we truly become a priesthood of believers.
Read more about this in Peter’s thought-provoking book, Jesus’s Broken Church, available in e-book, audiobook, paperback, and hardcover.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.