The Priesthood of All Believers

I Peter 2:5,9 (Rev. 5:9,10)

As we go through this series of sermons on the Historic Baptist Distinctives, one thing that is plain to see is that they are all based solidly in the Bible.
Remember our first distinctive is that we believe in the Sole Authority of the Holy Bible.
No other creed, confession, or tradition of men supercedes what is plainly taught in the Bible.

It is very important that we have solid doctrinal beliefs to guide us and that we get our doctrines only from the Bible because a doctrineless church is s directionless church.
- and, a doctrineless church is a spineless church who have no great convictions which shape their principles.
- they avoid controversy at all costs, forget the sacrifices of their forbears, and are easy prey for every new religious fad that comes down the pike (such as the tongues movement) and are easily led into heresy.
- they do not sense the dangers of liberalism, nor do they understand the issues involved.

Definition...Every true Believer is a priest before God and may enter into His presence in prayer directly through our great high priest, Jesus Christ. No other human mediator is needed to represent man to God. There is no hierarchy in a New Testament Church, and every Believer has equal access to the throne of grace. As priests we may study the Bible, pray for ourselves and others, and offer spiritual sacrifices to God.

At the heart of the teaching called The Priesthood of All Believers, is the idea that the Christian faith teaches that all true believers have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
- Faith is established and maintained only through Jesus Christ. I Tim. 2:5
No one is competent in themselves to bypass Christ and go to God directly on their own, Jn. 14:6b.
- How well we cultivate that relationship is up to us, because no one can do it for us.
- Baptist have always believed and taught that this relationship is direct, while others teach that it is indirect, and one can only approach God through another person called a priest.

- That is another reason that Baptists are not Protestants. We were never a part of the Roman Catholic church, and so we did not “protest’ and come out of her as did Martin Luther, John Calvin, and their followers. You cannot come from somewhere you have never been.

Not only are we able to go to God in prayer, we must do so because according to the New Testament there is no proxy or ceremonial evangelism.

Misunderstandings and misinterpretations

Priesthood is a great privilege and a great responsibility, and like every other teaching there are misunderstandings:
- Don’t think that because you are a priest that you can do anything you want, or that you can interpret the Bible any way you and even change it teachings to mean what you want it to mean.
- It doesn’t work that way, and we are still responsible to get it right.
- God is never worshipped by a lie, no matter how sincere the worshipper may be, Jn. 4:24.

As we study the Bible and pray Holy Spirit leads us into the truth, Jn. 16:13,14.
- We are not allowed to invent our own doctrines, they are only revealed by God, Matt. 16:17,

I Cor. 2:1-5.

The Duties of New Testament Priests

Every Believer has direct access to God through Jesus Christ, and the Church is a fellowship of priests serving together under the Lordship of Christ.
- In the Old Testament only the high priest could represent man to God by coming before the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies once per year.
When Jesus was crucified, the veil separating between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies was miraculously ripped into two pieces, Mk 15:38.
- By His death Jesus opened the way to God, and there is no more need for the temple, an altar, sacrifices, or an established priesthood.

Our duties primarily consist in three things: Sacrifice, Witness, and Intercession.
1. Sacrifice...Rom 12:1,2; Phil. 2:17
We are to offer ourselves as spiritual sacrifices in worship to God and in service for others.

2. Witness...I Peter 2:9 “proclaim the praises…”
The church is to be God’s witness to the world. Israel failed in this and was rejected.

3. Intercession...It is our privilege and duty to pray for ourselves, and others that they may come to know the Lord, and be comforted in their time of trouble and trial, Heb. 4:12-14.

As we can plainly see, the doctrine of the Priesthood of All Believers is a precious teaching that, as much asany other, makes known to us the great privilege and responsibility we have as God's people.