My Thoughts on the Term "Royal Priesthood" by Peter
As I'm studying the epistles of the Apostle Peter - I'm still left pondering on the term "royal priesthood". Ephesians 4:11 doesn't make mention of priests. When Paul wrote 1 Timothy 3:1-7, he doesn't say, "If any man desires the office of a priest." or "The priest must, therefore, be the husband of one wife." The office of the priesthood is gone. Nowhere in the New Testament have priests become part of the office. Today, we don't call the pastor (also referred to as bishop or overseer) as a priest. Leviticus 22 had the order for priests to be the husband of one wife. The New Testament priesthood has been set for all believers.
We need to see the contrast. In the Old Testament, only people from the Tribe of Levi can be priests. The restrictions were even greater as people with physical deformities can't be priests. Priests were to marry only virgins. The priesthood had to be from father to son. Aaron's priesthood was passed down to Eleazar. The default order is by the Levite. Only the priests had direct access to God during that time. Only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies.
However, we have the new priesthood after the Order of Melchizedek. Some preachers believe Melchizedek to be a type of Christ whose genealogy is not recorded. Others believe Melchizedek to be a theophany. Now, we've got Jesus as the Great High Priest. Vernon McGee also preached a sermon called "You are a Catholic Priest". One must realize that catholic (notice the lowercase c) is different from Catholic (uppercase C) or Roman Catholic. The word catholic is a synonym for universal. The Christian Church is catholic but not Roman Catholic. Since the believers are now considered of the royal priesthood then what's the point of calling the pastor as a priest?
However, we have the new priesthood after the Order of Melchizedek. Some preachers believe Melchizedek to be a type of Christ whose genealogy is not recorded. Others believe Melchizedek to be a theophany. Now, we've got Jesus as the Great High Priest. Vernon McGee also preached a sermon called "You are a Catholic Priest". One must realize that catholic (notice the lowercase c) is different from Catholic (uppercase C) or Roman Catholic. The word catholic is a synonym for universal. The Christian Church is catholic but not Roman Catholic. Since the believers are now considered of the royal priesthood then what's the point of calling the pastor as a priest?
How was the new priesthood established and structured? Consider that the veil separating everyone from the Holy of Holies has been torn down. Today, everybody has equal access to God by the Great High Priest, the Lord Jesus. This means that every Christian today is given the tremendous duty to live righteously. Today, the pastor's office is not the Holy of Holies. Although the pastor's office is closed at certain times - people can enter it during office hours or by appointment. Nobody could enter the Holy of Holies with the high priest even if he or she had an appointment.
The word priesthood used by Peter is "hierateuma" which is defined as the office of the priest. The word pastor uses the word "poimen" which refers to presiding officer or shepherd. Paul uses the word bishop which is translated from "episkopos" meaning an overseer or superintendent. The word priest is from "hierus" or one who offers sacrifices to God. Every believer now offers sacrifices to God. The offerings aren't given to the pastor then the pastor must enter a place where only he can enter. Today, the church has its members offering sacrifices. Yesterday, the priest had to take the sin offering. Today, every believer can now confess directly to God like a priest would in the Old Testament.
With that in mind, it wouldn't make sense if Paul used the word "priest" instead of pastor and bishop. What's the point of calling the pastor a priest if everyone now has equal access to God? That alone did confuse me before as to why we don't call the pastor a priest. It's not just because the pastor is not from the Tribe of Levi. It's because the pastor's function is an overseer and he doesn't enter the Holy of Holies like the high priest would. Instead, the pastor and the believer may have unequal positions but they have equal access to God in terms of prayer.