The Priesthood Of Christ
In his letter to the Hebrews the apostle Paul wrote that God spake to Christ and said "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee: he saith in another place, thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek." (Heb. 5:5, 6) Again, "Having then a great high priest, who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but one that hath been in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." (Heb. 4:14, 15).
In our thought of Christ as Saviour we often completely overlook the fact of His priesthood and its meaning to us. He is not only Priest, but also Great High Priest. Probably because of the priestcraft of certain large groups, and because the poor nations less prosperous and progressive are priest ridden, most Protestants have formed a revulsion for the whole idea of the priest; hence, have eliminated it from their thinking.
There is a marked difference between the idea back of the priest and the preacher. The priest is one to make the sacrifice for the people and to intercede for their forgiveness. The preacher's task is to proclaim the Word of God; i.e., to teach and preach the God-given gospel. The preacher teaches men the truths of sin and salvation, and thus places the responsibility upon the individual. The priest assumes the responsibility by doing the interceding and performing certain rituals. The preacher assumes that power of God rests in the truth; the priest leads men to rely on rituals which, at best, are but symbols of the truth. One develops the individual in grace and knowledge of truth, the other leaves him a dependent.
The modern-day idea of priesthood comes directly from the Jewish priesthood, which was wholly done away. The Jewish high priest only, could enter the Holy of Holies and intercede for the sins of the people. Men had no direct approach to the Father. When the temple veil was rent, the separation from God was ended and henceforth all men were permitted to approach the throne of God. All Christians today, therefore constitute the priesthood. "Ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable unto God through Christ Jesus." (I Pet. 2:5).
Where, then, does Christ as priest enter in? In Heb. 4:14 Christ is called the "Great High Priest." All may approach the throne of God and present their case, yet there is need for an intercessor or mediator. After all, it is not in our own goodness nor in our extremity that we may claim the gracious forgiveness of God against whom we have sinned. It is only in Christ and through Christ that our sins be removed. There is no Scripture to lead us to believe that Mary or any of the so-called saints either will or can intercede for us, the fact remains that we do need an intercessor, and that One is Christ. "It is Christ Jesus that died, yea rather, that was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." (Rom. 8:34). It is true that in the twenty-seventh verse we are told that the Spirit maketh intercession for us but this embraces another subject and in no way diminishes the significance of Christ's intercession for us as our Great High Priest.
What does the priesthood of Christ mean to Christians? It may mean much or little. In Jesus' death He made offering for our sins, He was not only priest, but lamb as well. He offered Himself. Thus work of Christ as priest was and is twofold. He makes the atoning offering for our sins and He ever intercedes before the throne of God for us. This fact, being understood, will have much to do with the frequency, spirit, temper and tone of our prayers. Understanding this thought brings the Saviour much closer to us each day. He not only died for us nearly two thousand years ago, but He is the living Christ, my Christ, your Christ, my friend, your friend, my daily intercessor, your daily intercessor before the throne of God.
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