The Priesthood of All Believers

Grk/Heb Fonts

By P. G. Mathew, M.A., M.Div.,

Part 7b

1 Peter 2:9, 10

God has accorded to Christians a certain dignity which we read about in 1 Peter 2. Not only are we a chosen race but Peter says we are also a royal priesthood. We are kings and priests in Jesus Christ, the King and Priest, and even now in this life we must function in those roles.

Through Adam Death Reigned

In Romans 5:17 we read about Adam and the one disobedient act he committed. What was the result of that act? Death began to reign. Paul writes, "For if by the trespass of the one man death reigned through that one man. . ." Death came to the world through the one disobedient act of Adam, and Paul here is speaking about death in all its comprehensiveness: spiritual death, physical death, and eternal death, which is also called second death. "Death reigned," Paul wrote, using the Greek word basileuo, which means that death reigned as king. We can readily see the truth of this statement. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said the whole world is full of cemeteries, all of which stand as a vindication of the veracity of God's word.

"Death reigned through that one man." That means death's reign has no reference to what you or I may have done There is no question that human beings are sinners, but that is not the reason they are subject to death. We die because of the sin Adam committed: death is coming through him. In Genesis 2:17 God told Adam, "You must not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die," and we know that not only Adam died but all people descended from him have died or will die. That demonstrates strict justice.

Reigning in Life

However, if you continue to read Romans 5:17, you notice that the conditions described in the rest of the sentence are not based on strict justice, but on grace. Paul continues, "how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ." Our receiving God's abundant provision of grace and the gift of righteousness has nothing to do with justice. No, we receive them based on God's mercy and grace.

What is the gift of righteousness? It is not ethical righteousness, but rather positional, forensic righteousness. God legally declares a person to be righteous the moment he or she trusts in Christ. It has no reference to the practical, ethical righteousness of the individual.

This righteousness is a gift, meaning we did not earn it. We earned death—the wages of sin is death—but here we are receiving something that comes as a gift: overflowing grace for our every need, and righteousness. Those who receive this grace are those who repent and believe. And we know that nobody receives and believes unless the Holy Spirit effectually calls and regenerates that person. So Paul says those who trust in Jesus Christ and believe in him in this world will reign in life. So although, through strict justice, we inherited death—spiritual, physical, and eternal death—now we are given grace and righteousness, and we are to reign as kings and priests in life.

This means that as far as Christians are concerned, death is gone forever. When I say that, I am sure you will ask, "But Pastor, don't we all die?" Yes, we do, but unlike unbelievers we die in faith in Christ, and we die without sting. The sting of death has been taken away from us (1 Cor. 15:54-57). In fact, the Bible says that when Christians die, they sleep. The sting is gone in our physical death, and the moment we die we are ushered into the presence of God, which is life.

So through the work of Jesus Christ we have entered into life, and we are reigning in life. We have been taken out of the realm of death and have been placed in the realm called life, where we are to reign as kings every day of our lives. Our guilt is gone, our sin is dealt with, and death is totally done away with. Even when we die, we live, as St. Paul expressed in Philippians 1.

Kings Must Reign

In Romans 6:12 we see the practical application of this theological truth that we are as kings even now. It says, "Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires." You see, we are kings who have been liberated from the realm of death once and for all through Jesus Christ. Yet within our body sins have taken root and they want to dominate us. What should we do? We must tell the sin that we are kings, that we have been brought out of death to reign in life through Jesus Christ, and therefore sin cannot dominate us.

This verse says, "Do not let," and this phrase should give us tremendous freedom. When the Scripture says "Do not let," it means that we have the freedom to stop sin from reigning in our mortal bodies. That is what reigning in life means. We are not called to reign, as Joshua and David did in the Old Testament, by killing people, but we are called to deal with our problems, especially those deep within us. Understanding that we are kings, we must have faith in Jesus Christ and exercise government within ourselves.

In verse 13 Paul continues, "Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness. . ." Again, this means that we do not have to offer ourselves to sin. What glorious freedom for those who believe! If you say, "I couldn't help myself. I had to do it," then you are not reigning as a king. We previously said that we are also priests, and as such we are told in Romans 12:1 that we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God. Thus, since we are kings and priests, we have no right to offer the members of our bodies to sin as instruments of unrighteousness. We have been liberated. We are no longer slaves to sin and death.

This is ruling and reigning. This is what it means to be a king, even now in this life. We do not have to worry about dealing with sin in the world to come because there will not be any sin then. But here in this life we must actively rule to dominate, exterminate, destroy, and root out any sin that wants to dominate us. Why? We are kings under Christ.

Kings Must Judge

The second responsibility we have as kings is to judge correctly according to God's divine standard. In Deuteronomy 17 we read that a king was to make a copy of the law for himself and study it daily. Why did he do this? Only then could he judge situations according to the word of God. In the same way we must study and meditate on God's word daily, so that we can judge every situation correctly.

We have been made competent to judge by God. In 1 Corinthians 6:1-3 Paul wrote, "If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? Do you now know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!" As kings who reign in life, we have the competence, the ability, and the wisdom to judge correctly. And we must do this every day, isn't that true? Life means decisions and consequences of decisions, and therefore it is extremely important to decide correctly based on the will of God.

Why do we need to judge? It is the responsibility of kings. In the Old Testament we read about Solomon, who was confronted with a particular case about a dead child and a living child. God gave him wisdom to make a very wise judgment. In the same way, then, we should be able and competent to make correct judgments based on what will bring glory to God. How can we do this? As kings under Jesus Christ we should be studying and mediating upon the word of God. If we do so, the Spirit of God will enable us to apply the Scripture to practical situations every day. Then we will be able to judge correctly with wisdom from God.

Kings Wage Battles

The third responsibility of kings is to wage battles. In 2 Samuel 11:1 we read about this activity in reference to the opportune time for kings to go to war: "In the spring at the time when kings go off to war. . ." In those days, kings looked forward to spring because it was the season for battle. That was when they could go to other kingdoms to conquer and plunder them, which they could not do during the winter. Kings were expected to go to war. One could not be a king and not wage battles.

This is also true of us. The moment we receive Jesus Christ as Lord, it is springtime for us. We have been made kings and we now have new responsibilities: 1) to reign in life, 2) to judge situations with divine wisdom, and 3) to wage battles.

Who Are Our Enemies?

What is the nature of the war we must wage? First we must realize that as kings, God is not calling us to conduct a crusade against human beings, such as the church did in the Middle Ages. Who, then, are the enemies we are called to fight against? They are the enemies found within us.

In Romans 8:13 we read, "For if you live according to the sinful nature you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live." Here Paul uses a serious word, thanatouo , from which we have thanatology. Thanatouo means to put to death, to exterminate, to slay. It does not mean simply to control and bring something under some kind of submission. What does it say? Put to death. That means to exterminate evil passions, desires, and practices that root themselves in our bodies. Once rooted in us, these practices make use of our bodies and attack us through them. So we must do something about them.

Our enemies, therefore, are not someone else. The trouble comes from within ourselves. We can sit in a beautiful cathedral, listen to divine music, and gaze at the stained glass windows, but still have uncleanness in our minds. Where does the uncleanness come from? It is in us. And so what language does Paul use? "Put to death." You see, we are very nice about these things. Most people just commit sin, letting it have free course. Then they are filled with guilt, of course.

But Paul says there is another way to deal with sin, which is to put it to death. How can we do that? First, we must realize that we cannot do it by ourselves. It takes divine energy, and so Paul says, "if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body.. . ." We have to believe in the Holy Spirit, who is dwelling in us if we are children of God. He will help us deal with our sin.

In Colossians 3:5 Paul uses another equally sharp word in terms of how we must deal with the sins that have rooted themselves in our bodies. The Greek word is in the aorist form, nekrosate , again meaning to put to death. "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature. . . ." And what are these things? The first word is porneia , meaning habitual sexual immorality. Next, there is impurity, akatharsia , which is uncleanness in thought, word, and deed. Isn't that how these sins manifest? We think, we speak and then we act. Next, Paul says, put to death lust, pathos , meaning uncontrolled desire, and then evil desires. Lust can be uncontrolled desire for things that are not necessarily evil. For example, wanting to buy a bigger house can be lust for some people, but a bigger house is not a sin by itself. Then Paul says to put away greed, meaning the desire to have more while disregarding the rights of others. Greed is the idea that all other people and things exist for our own benefit, and that we must take advantage of other peoples and things, always looking for how can we increase our possessions and positions by making use of everything and everybody, using them as rungs of a ladder, so that I can be on the top. People even join the church out of greed. Their idea is not to serve God, but how to use the church for their own benefit. Greed is idolatry. It means a thing is desired above God. St. Paul defines idolatry as worshiping creation, rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.

What are we to do with these things? Put them to death. And we must not say we cannot do that. We were slaves, but we have been emancipated, and we have also been made kings and priests. The Spirit of God is in us, and now all that the Scripture tells us to do, we are able to do.

The Language of Extermination

Let us look more closely at this phrase "put to death." In 1 Samuel 15:2,3 we read what God spoke to Saul through Samuel, "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.'" Do you see the language? God wanted Saul to exterminate everything.

Did Saul obey God? No. He brought King Agag, whom we are using as a metaphor for the sins that dwell in us, safely back. Why did Saul spare Agag? Agag was the king. You know, we always take care of small sins, but we spare the big one, isn't that true? We want to spare a lie or whatever else it is, but we become very Pharisaical when it comes to little things. We might say, "Oh, I have dealt with my sins. I don't wear any lipstick or drink coffee anymore." But the big Agag is still with us, safe and secure.

What is our Agag? Is it that rebellious spirit, that stubborn rebellion you harbor against the kingdom of God? There is nothing greater than that. Or is it the sin of unbelief? When God tells you to ask, and it shall be given to you, to knock and it shall be opened, and to seek and you shall find, do you refuse to believe and trust the very word of God? That is Agag.

But then Samuel came, representing God. What did God do with Agag through Samuel? Look at 1 Samuel 15:32-34. "Samuel said, 'Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites.' Agag came to him confidently, thinking, 'Surely the bitterness of death is past.'" Agag was sure that he was safe and could now live as a king under Saul's protection. He had been spared by Saul, and now he figured he could live out his life in luxury, perhaps even visiting with Saul sometimes, playing cards with him or whatever, talking about wars and all. But Samuel said, "'As your sword has made women childless, so will your mother be childless among women.' And Samuel put Agag to death before the Lord at Gilgal." That was the act that pleased God.

Do not spare anything! This is harsh language. We see this again in Joshua 10 where we read about Joshua defeating five kings. Remember that story? The kings fled into a cave, which Joshua's men sealed before going on to fight other battles. How did Joshua deal with the kings when the battle was over? "Joshua said, 'Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me.' So they brought the five kings out of the cave—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon. When they had brought these kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army commanders who had come with him, 'Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.' So they came forward and placed their feet on their necks." That is correct kingly behavior. Joshua told his men, "'Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous.'" Again, he was acting as a proper king. "'This is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you are going to fight.' Then Joshua struck and killed the kings and hung them on five trees, and they were left hanging on the trees until evening" (Josh. 10:22-26).

We Must Deal with Sin

In the same way, God wants us to deal with our sin. In Matthew 5:29-30 Jesus said, "If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell." Now we know that sin does not reside in our hands or our eyes. Sin resides in our hearts, in the center of our beings. So Jesus Christ is not asking us to cut off our hands or gouge out our eyes, but he is telling us to deal with sin seriously, decisively, and urgently. This is the same language we saw in the other passages. We must use exterminate sin, use violence against it. The kingdom of God suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

In other words, we cannot massage sin to keep it under a little control. No, this language is serious. We must deal with sins, whether they are in the area of finances, relationships, or anything else. We must deal with them violently, putting them to death by the power of the Holy Spirit. How do we know we can do this? We have been made kings. We were slaves once, but we have been emancipated, liberated from the realm of death, and raised into this position of being kings that we may reign as kings, judge correctly and wage battle because the springtime has come.

In 2 Samuel 11 we read that although it was springtime, King David did not go to war. But he was defeated. Where? In his own bedroom. Who was the enemy? His own lust. That is the point I am making. We must take decisive action against sin. There must be a sense of urgency, and a vigorous, painful act of personal determination. Let me give you an illustration. Suppose you were working in a mill, and your hand became caught in the rollers. Soon your whole body will be dragged into the machinery. Suddenly you see an axe within reach. What will you do? You would take the axe and deliberately, urgently, cut your own hand off to save yourself. That is the serious charge God is giving us. We must put sin to death.

Practical Application

Let me, then, ask you some questions in terms of practical application of this great truth that you are kings in Christ. How is your health? God has given you a body. How are you treating it? Are you ruling it? Are you exercising your kingly government in the area of eating, eating for the glory of God? Do you need to lose weight, or gain weight?

How is your financial life? Are you acting as a king? If you in debt, drowning in red ink, then you must acknowledge, "O God, I have not reigned. I did not rule. I did not judge correctly, and I have committed horrible sins by dragging myself and my family into debt." God wants us to be kings in financial matters.

What about the rule in your home? Is there disorder? Are your children responding to God? Does anyone respond to you? You are kings, representing Jesus Christ. Are you ruling for him at home?

What about your witness in the world? Do you fear men, or do you open your mouth about Jesus Christ? If we fear the world, we are repudiating the fact that we are kings. Why? God has defeated the world. The reason we don't want to open our mouths is that we don't believe God has defeated the world, and we don't believe we are kings in Jesus Christ. A second reason is that there is not much difference between our lives and those of the people in the world. But this should not be so. The moment we declare that we are kings, we have to behave like kings. We must do our jobs right. We must govern our homes right. Our children must behave right.

The truth is, our spring has come. We have been liberated from darkness and slavery to sin. When Christ died on the cross, he defeated the world , sin, Satan, and death. We have been made kings and priests, meaning we will engage in reigning, deciding, judging, and waging battles every moment of our life until Jesus Christ comes again. And when he comes, no more battle will be necessary. That will be the fullness of the kingdom of God.

Victory Is Assured

What about victory in this battle? Do we know whether or not we are going to win? Yes. In fact, our victory is assured. Why? Jesus Christ conquered his enemies and rendered death itself inoperable. Revelation 12:11 tells us "they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony." That is the declaration—the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross, won the victory.

There is no question about the outcome of our battle. It is assured for anyone who believes in the gospel. Why? It is already won by Jesus Christ. In 2 Corinthians 2:14 Paul says, "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him." He leads us always in triumph. Now that is mind blowing language, that that means there will not be even one moment of defeat for those people who have put their trust in Jesus Christ.

Finally, let us consider what Paul wrote in Ephesians 6, beginning with verse 10: "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power." That simply means to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who is victorious. All authority in heaven and on earth is given to him. He ascended into the heavens and is seated on the right hand of God the Father as the sovereign King. Believe that! Then he says, "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand. . ." that means the evil is defeated ". . .that you may be able to stand your ground. And after you have done everything," which is the fighting, "to stand," meaning your opponent is fallen. "Stand firm, then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, which is the word of God. "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints" (Eph. 6:10-18).

Are You Reigning?

Jesus Christ called us out of darkness and liberated us. Death no longer reigns as far as we are concerned, and we have received abundant provision of grace and the gift of Christ's righteousness. We now reign in life, but what does that mean? It means that although springtime has come, there are battles. Now, there were no battles before, but the moment you received Christ, the battle began. People can be surprised by this. They may ask "The moment I came to know Christ, troubles began." Well, it is true that troubles began, but there is also great excitement here. Battles means excitement. We can put on the whole armor of God and march against the enemy of our sin. We can wield the sword of the Spirit and watch the enemy fall to the ground. Then we can come to church and praise God for the victory he gave.

I recently met with a man who had a very serious operation operation. Before he went into surgery, he wrote a note saying that if he came out of the surgery, it was because of Jesus Christ, and he urged his readers therefore to believe in Christ. But then he said, if he didn't come out alive, the readers should still believe in Christ, as they also would face him when they died. This man had won the battle. Why? When death was staring at him, he was given such faith that he could write consciously that he was ready to meet with whatever God wanted to do, whether he lived or died.

This battle is exciting, and without a battle there is no victory or celebration. So we must welcome troubles when they come into our lives and know that we are kings whose privilege it is to reign in life, judge correctly and engage in battle every day, especially against sin in our own life. And we must be careful not to spare the chief sin, but rather, we must take control over it and destroy it. If you can, ask someone to pray with you about it, and then exterminate it. Then you will have power and conviction and you will be praising God for the victory he gave.

Therefore, Christians, rejoice! If you are a believer in Christ, thank God for saving you, for giving you honor and dignity, for taking you out of the realm of death, depression, gloom, hell, and condemnation, and placing you in the realm of light, peace, joy and life. And if you do not have confidence today that you are in God's kingdom, may you repent and trust in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation even this day.

Priesthood of All Believer's - Part 8