At various times in my ministry I have engaged leaders of religious groups whose adherents call them “priests.” Those groups include the Roman Catholic Church, Anglican (Episcopalian) churches, Eastern Orthodox churches, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS/Mormons), and some Lutheran churches. Of course, those groups have very different concepts of what being a “priest” means. In every case, however, they recognize a special class of ordained people through which the common believer must go to receive God’s grace and blessings or to commune with Him.
Roman Catholics regard their ordained clergymen (unmarried and celibate men only) as priests who are authorized to perform certain sacramental duties that ordinary members of the church cannot. Those duties include the seven sacraments. Those sacraments include the following.
1) The Sacrament of Baptism – Baptism (performed by a priest by sprinkling on infants and adult converts) removes original and actual sin. It imparts saving grace to the recipient, makes one a Christian, and inducts them into the body of Christ (the Roman Catholic Church).
2) The Sacrament of Confirmation – When the person reaches maturity, usually about age 12, they make confirmation of their baptism which imparts the Holy Spirit to the recipient. “Through the sacrament of confirmation, those who have been born anew in baptism receive the inexpressible Gift, the Holy Spirit himself, by which ‘they are endowed . . . with special strength’” (The Catholic Encyclopedia).
3) The Sacrament of the Eucharist (Lord’s Supper) – The elements (bread dipped in wine) literally becomes the body and blood of Christ by a miraculous process called transubstantiation. It is also called the Mass and is performed by a priest whenever possible for communicants in fellowship with the church.
(Most Protestant and Evangelical churches do not agree with the sacramental concept of the Eucharist. They regard the elements of the Lord’s Supper only as symbols of the body and blood of Jesus. Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19; Matthew 26:26-28; and John 6:35 indicates the Lord’s supper was intended to be understood symbolically, not literally.)
4) The Sacrament of Penance – Penance consists of feeling sincere remorse and sorrow for one’s sin, and making a confession to a priest. If the priest is satisfied with the confession, he will grant absolution (forgiveness). He may also require the person to perform certain acts of penance (such as repeating the rosary) to remove the effects of the sin.
5) The Sacrament of Matrimony – This is the sanctifying of a marriage performed by a priest. According to Catholic Law, no valid marriage can be broken by divorce for any reason. Some marriages may be broken by a church granted annulment, which indicates that because of certain circumstances the marriage was never valid.
6) The Sacrament of Holy Orders – This is the calling and ordination of men into one of three levels service: the Bishopric, the Priesthood, and the Diaconate. These ordinations are for life.
7) The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick (Formerly known as Extreme Unction or Last Rites) – This sacrament is the anointing of oil by a priest when a Catholic is thought to be near death.
(see Bill Gordon: http://www.namb.net/apologetics/roman-catholicism-overview )
Anglicans also regard their ordained clergy (married or unmarried men and women) as priests. They also are regarded as authorized to perform religious duties including their two sacraments of Baptism (of infants or converts by sprinkling) and the Lords Supper. This is also the case of some Lutheran churches which call their pastors priests. Oddly enough, male Anglican priests who convert to Catholicism may transfer their ordination and, if already married, may remain in that state as long as their spouse lives.
Eastern Orthodox churches also regard their male clergy as priests who perform the complex rituals of that faith. They differ with Roman Catholics in that they may have a wife, if they were already married before being ordained. Orthodox Bishops, however, must be unmarried and celibate. The rituals Eastern Orthodox Priests perform include their seven sacraments (or mysteries) which are baptism, the Eucharist, chrismation (confirmation with consecrated oil), ordination, penance, marriage, and holy oil for the sick.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also has priests. We must not forget, however, that the LDS church, unlike the ones mentioned above, is totally unorthodox theologically. LDS doctrines regarding the nature of God (a finite man of flesh and bone), the person and work Jesus Christ, and other of its basic tenets, are incompatible with historic Christianity. The LDS has no professional clergy, as such, so all worthy Mormon males may be ordained to the church’s priesthood. That priesthood consists of two levels. (1) The Aaronic Priesthood which is received when a boy reaches the age of twelve. (2) The Melchizedek Priesthood which is bestowed on young men at about age eighteen. Male converts may also receive these priesthoods when deemed appropriate by church leaders.
When those LDS priesthoods are bestowed on a boy or man, he may then perform certain functions and hold certain offices in the church. For instances, baptisms must be performed by holders of the Aaronic Priesthood (at least). The rite of the laying on of hands for the receiving of the Holy Ghost on recently baptized members can only be done by holders of the Melchizedek Priesthood. All local, regional, and national LDS officials must hold the Melchizedek Priesthood.
So, our question in all of this is: Just which of these priesthoods is correct according to the Bible? Based on a complete study of both the Old and New Testaments, we can only conclude, respectfully, that none of the above concepts is correct. Let’s examine what the Scriptures teach.
The first character we find in Scripture called a priest was a somewhat enigmatic person named Melchizedek (“Zedek is my king” or “My king is righteous”). He is mentioned in Genesis 14:18-20 as the King of Salem (later Jerusalem), and is called a priest of “God Most High” (El Elyon). Melchizedek blessed Abraham, who apparently regarded God Most High as equivalent to the LORD God he worshipped. Melchizedek is only mentioned one other time in the Old Testament in Psalm 110:4, where it is promised that a messianic king would have a priesthood like his that would stand forever.
“The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind, ‘You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.'” (Psalm 110:4 NASB)
In the New Testament book of Hebrews, the author asserts that the promise of Psalm 110:4 was fulfilled only in the person of Jesus Christ.
5 “So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He who said to Him,
‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You’; 6 just as He says also in another passage, ‘You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.’ 7 In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. 8 Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. 9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, 10 being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 5:5-10 NASB)
19 “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, 20 where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 6:19-20 NASB) (See also Hebrews 7:1-21)
Those passages clearly indicate that Melchizedek was a type of Christ and that only Christ can or ever will have that eternal priesthood. That fact makes untenable the LDS’ assertion that the lost Melchizedek priesthood was restored to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in June of 1829 by the spirits of Peter, James, and John. That priesthood was never lost since only Jesus holds it in perpetuity.
The other priesthood authorized in the Old Testament was the Levitical Priesthood, first bestowed on Moses’ brother Aaron. (Note: Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, was called a “priest of Midian,” but nothing is said about what that entailed – Exodus 2:18.) The Levitical Priesthood was strictly reserved only for those Hebrews of the tribe of Levi.
5 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Bring the tribe of Levi near and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him. 7 They shall perform the duties for him and for the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle. 8 They shall also keep all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, along with the duties of the sons of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. 9 You shall thus give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the sons of Israel. 10 So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons that they may keep their priesthood, but the layman who comes near shall be put to death.” (Numbers 3:5-10 NASB) (see also Num. 8:5-22 and 38:21)
The purpose for this priesthood was originally to serve as the Lord’s ministers in the tabernacle, and later in the Jerusalem temple. They acted as mediators between the people and God, and performed sacrifices on their behalf. The minimum age to actually serve was 25 years old, and the mandatory age for retirement was 50 (Num. 8:23-25). That priesthood was rendered unnecessary with the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, and historically ceased to function in AD 70 with the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem by the Romans.
Again this biblical description of the Aaronic Priesthood is contrary to what is taught by the LDS, which claims it was restored to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in 1829 by the spirit of John the Baptist. Mormons do have temples, but they function nothing like the ancient Hebrew tabernacle and the Jerusalem Temple. LDS Aaronic Priests, including young boys ordained at age twelve, perform no duties which are anything similar to what was done by the Levitical priests.
So what about the priesthoods of the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican churches? Once again, no biblical rationale exists for their existence. Somehow, early in the history of the Christian movement, the setting apart of certain individuals as ordained priests authorized to perform specific rituals made its way into both the Western and Eastern church traditions.
This brings us to the main question of this article: Does the Bible authorize any kind of priesthood at all in the Christian era? The answer is unequivocally “Yes.” According to several New Testament passages, in the New Covenant of Christ, all true believers who have had a genuine experience of regeneration by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (all saved people) are indeed “priests.” They enjoy direct access to the throne of God through our great High Priest in Heaven Jesus Christ.
14 “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:14-16 NASB)
“Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a High Priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man.” (Hebrews 8:1-2 NASB; see also the rest of Heb. 8)
11 “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” (Hebrews 9:11-14 NASB)
Furthermore, Peter says that those people who are in Christ (the “Precious Corner Stone”) are referred to as “living stones” in a “spiritual house” (the Body of Christ) who are a “royal priesthood” charged with the proclaiming of the Gospel and ministering in Christ’s name.
1 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, 2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. 4 And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For this is contained in Scripture: “Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.” 7 This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve,
“The stone which the builders rejected, This became the very corner stone,” 8 and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:5-10 NASB)
Conclusion
So where does this all lead us? Respectfully we say, it simply means that those denominations and churches that designate their ordained clergy as “priests” really have no biblical basis for doing so. The only ordained priesthoods mentioned in Scripture were the priesthood of Melchizedek and the Levitical Priesthood of Aaron’s descendants. There is no indication that either of those priesthoods were adopted by the New Testament church or that any of its leaders were referred to as priests.
What the New Testament does say is that every Christian is to function as a priest in the world. This is what has been referred to, at least since the time of the Protestant Reformation, as “the Priesthood of the Believer.” All Christians have direct access to God through our great mediator and High Priest, Jesus Christ. We have no need for any earthly mediator to communicate with the Father. No sacraments, as such, are necessary to have our sins forgiven, or to maintain our relationship with God. Baptism and the Lord Supper, called sacraments by some denominations and ordinances by others, are only symbols of our identification with, and reliance upon, Jesus’ death and resurrection for our salvation.
The “Priesthood of the Believer” also means that we are to act as mediators to those around us through intercessory prayer, personal ministry, and telling people how to be saved. We do all of this only in the name, power, and authority of our one great High Priest, Jesus Christ!
© 2016 Tal Davis