We're All Priests

1 PETER 2:4 - 5

4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 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.

I preached the later verses of this passage (1 Peter 2:9 - 10) just a few weeks ago...this idea from Martin Luther that we're all priests...that its not the pastor's job alone to be out sharing the gospel, to counsel the lost, to care for the sick, to bring people into the church. It's the responsibility of every believer because we all share the priesthood...in our own temples...the temple that is the body.

The idea of priesthood over individual temples, individual houses of worship--in other words, spiritual houses--begins with the foundation built on Christ. We don't build individual spiritual houses in order to become all-powerful rulers over our own kingdoms. We build these houses so that we can offer spiritual sacrifices to God. No longer do we approach an altar to offer the life of an animal, mixed with fragrant incense. No longer does this type of sacrifice please God or pay for our unfaithfulness and disobedience. A single sacrifice has been made to settle that score. One sacrifice, once for all.

As priests of this new priesthood, we offer God ourselves...our very lives. We are priests over our own temples to offer sacrifices of prayer; prayers of praise, of intercession, of thanks. We offer sacrifices of listening, of peaceful countenance, of hope. We offer sacrifices of intervention, of hospitality, of unconditional friendship. These are the pleasing sacrifices to God--sacrifices built on the life, on faith in the eternal life of Jesus Christ. There is no other response, no other structure can be built, except the one that lives to offer sacrifice to Him...the living sacrifice.

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