“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 Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:5
January 10, 2023
Have you ever thought of yourself as a priest? As a believer who has put his trust in Jesus Christ alone, by faith alone, we are priests indeed. But not priests in the Roman Catholic sense of the word. The biblical teaching on the priesthood of the believer stands in stark contrast to the priests in the Catholic Church. Nowhere in the New Testament is an elder or ordained minister called a priest. If you belong to Christ, you are a priest. As priests we can offer the sacrifices of good works (Phil. 2:17; Heb. 13:16) by being merciful in care-giving to the hurting. As priests we are to present our bodies a living and holy sacrifice. Are you developing your spiritual gift(s): Serving, teaching, giving, encouraging others. As priests we can offer the sacrifice of bringing the lost to Christ (Rom. 15:16-17). We don’t do the saving. That’s the Holy Spirit’s work, but we can offer the gospel to the unsaved. As priests we can offer the sacrifice of giving financially to the Lord’s work (Phil. 4:18). Our giving can be a sweet aroma to God. Have you thought of it that way? As priests we can offer the sacrifice of praise (Heb. 13:15). We can do that privately or publicly in singing praises to our Heavenly Father.
H
“O Lord, I praise you for calling me into the priesthood of being one of your children in Christ.”