Message: God's Royal Priesthood
Time: Peter wrote to a group of people that probably included Jews and Christians at the time of probably AD 64, as the persecution of Christians by Nero was ramping up. It is thought Peter spent his final years in Rome. Peter calls people to root themselves in the perseverance and presence of Christ.
What the Lord is Saying: The last 2 lessons have emphasized the principle of having a mediator. The old covenant had a priest, a person designated by God to be the mediator between God and man for the purpose of offering sacrifices and atoning for sin and entering the Holiest of Holies. But then in Christ, God provided atonement for all sin through the One that was fully man and yet equal with God.
But, is it necessary to have these two distinct groups still - those that are deemed ordinary Christians while others are truly Spiritual Christians? There are distinctions for people have different roles, but another thing that happened 500 years ago in 1517 was this move to think of people at the same level spiritual, no matter their vocation. Thus, a laypersons service to God is equal to a ministers service to God. A layperson has the same access to God as a minister.
The phrase that has come to describe this is "the priesthood of all believers" and is rooted in I Peter 2:9.
I Peter 2:9 is a quote from Exodus 19:6 which states, "...and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel." This text is part of what we refer to now as the Mosaic Covenant. It is a conditional covenant which followed the unconditional Abrahamic covenant. That covenant established God's blessing on His people. The Mosaic covenant is God's expectation for His people. Works follows blessing is an important distinction. The Mosaic covenant established the Law of God, judgments and the governance of Law so that people knew how to approach God. The Abrahamic Covenant established that God will make Israel a great nation and would bless them and make them great to all the families of the earth.
I Peter starts as a message in verse "to those who reside as aliens." Peter is speaking to all people set apart for the service of God - Jew and Gentile. And it is to these people that are attributed now the role of priests. We are all a royal priesthood. We are "choice and precious in the sight of God" in verse 4. And "built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood" in verse 5. And then culminates in verse 9 as "a chosen race." Chosen from all the peoples of the earth (Amos 3:2).
What is our sacrifice? Ourselves. Romans 12:1 - "I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual services of worship." We proclaim His excellence, each of us, all of us. All of our lives are a service to Him: as neighbors, in our vocations, in our families. All Christians are alike.
Summary: There is no distinction among believers. We are all a chosen race and all set apart as priests to proclaim the excellence of Him.
Promise: No matter what you are called to do in life, God honors your service when you seek to love Him and other people through your work.
Prayer: O Lord, as I read your word more and more, I see consistency and a God that has never changed. You have called people to be yours and we are all to serve you in the same way. Thank you for choosing. I pray that my life is a praise to You and is a life that does proclaim You. I pray that it is acceptable to You. I believe it is, not because of me, but because of Christ and His work in life and on the cross. What makes me acceptable to you is not my deeds but the forgiveness of my sin and then in response I live for You. Give me that strength and help me to continue to live for You each day I am on this earth.
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