The Priesthood of All Believers/Every believer a Priest
INTRODUCTION-
Central theme-You are a priest
Historical Background-Luther vs Catholic Church
The medieval church (5th-15th Century Europe) taught that
● God works exclusively through a select class of priests as they administered the seven sacraments of the church: baptism, the Eucharist (Lord’s Supper), confirmation, penance, extreme unction, marriage, and holy orders.
● Salvation chiefly comes through the sacraments and the priests who administer them, and
● The priests are a unique class of individual who have been gifted by God to contemplate the things of God.
● They are of a higher order than ordinary people who have no capacity for such sublime truth. In 1517 Martin Luther came to reject several teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church; in particular, he disputed the view on indulgences.
In the Roman Catholic Church, an indulgence is the remission of a temporal punishment brought about by sin. This punishment consists of either earthly sufferings or time spent after death in Purgatory.
Typically, a writ of indulgence is issued by the Church and given to an individual who has demonstrated some type of penance, or good work. Indulgences can be applied to oneself or to the soul of a deceased person}. Contrary to the church teachings
His “95 Theses,” had some central beliefs
1. That the Bible is the central religious authority
2. That humans may reach salvation only by their faith and not by their deeds—was to spark the Protestant Reformation.
salvation and, consequently, eternal life are not earned by good deeds but are received only as the free gift of God’s grace through the believer’s faith in Jesus Christ as redeemer from sin.
3. Opposed sacerdotalism (is the belief that priests are meant to be mediators between God and
humankind. by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood). There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 1tim 2v5
COMPARE WITH TODAY
● Bible as authority – HBR
● Salvation by faith alone – not Oil, handkerchiefs, mountain, etc.
● Intermediary – Bring money to pray, Hero worship, Pastors hear for members.
Most of what we see today in the churches is simply the ministry of one, or perhaps a few selected individuals while the majority remain passive observers.
CONCLUSION
It is pure (human) invention that pope, bishops, priests and monks are to be called the “spiritual estate;” princes, lords, artisans, and farmers the “temporal estate.” [On the contrary] . . . all Christians are truly of the “spiritual estate,” and there is among them no difference at all but that of office. So the next time you look in the mirror, know that you are a Priest. In the upcoming episodes, I will be expanding this thought of priesthood of all believers by looking at our responsibilities, privileges, etc.
