I want to celebrate a little bit and recognize a big milestone for my blog. Today I’m celebrating my 100th blog post! It’s amazing to think how God has developed me as a writer through this blog, and has revealed so many important lessons from scripture that are essential to learn. I hope that as you have journeyed with me through this blog that you too have been impacted by what God is saying. Now, onto His teaching!
So get rid of all evil and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. And yearn like newborn infants for pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up to salvation, if you have experienced the Lord’s kindness.
So as you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight, you yourselves, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood and to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it says in scripture, “Look, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and whoever believes in him will never be put to shame.” So you who believe see his value, but for those who do not believe, the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, and a stumbling-stone and a rock to trip over. They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. You once were not a people, but now you are God’s people. You were shown no mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Dear friends, I urge you as foreigners and exiles to keep away from fleshly desires that do battle against the soul, and maintain good conduct among the non-Christians, so that though they now malign you as wrongdoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God when he appears.
…For God wants you to silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good. Live as free people, not using your freedom as a pretext for evil, but as God’s slaves. 1 Peter 2:1-12, 15-16
New English Translation
YOU are a priest. Wow. Have you ever thought about that? You, no matter whether you’re in vocational ministry or you wait tables or take pictures or write songs for a living are a priest. But, you may be asking, why is that important? What does that mean?
When I speak of a priest, I am not speaking in terms of Catholic priests, rather I am speaking in the Biblical sense. If we are using the Biblical term, we are referring to someone living with his sole purpose being to worship the Lord and minister to the people by helping them be made right with God. You getting a clearer picture?
Ok, now that we have that cleared up, let’s answer why that is important. A lot of people are called into things other than vocational ministry (like waiting tables, designing things, etc.). For that reason, a lot of times people feel they have no obligation to their Christian walk beyond attending church and getting counseling with the pastor. However, that doesn’t even stratch the surface of what believers are actually called to do by God.
Since everyone is a priest of God, not just those in vocational ministry are held to higher standards and expectations by God. Sure, yes, vocational ministers do have a higher standard on them that if they preach falsely of scripture they will be harshly judged, but that is something God directly placed on those taking on the job of teaching His believers how to embrace their priesthood and walk with Him. Other than that, it’s a pretty level playing field.
Why do you think Peter highlighted individual conduct within this chapter? Everyone is supposed to live as representatives of God, leading others in how to honor the Lord and do right by Him. Thus, our freedom and forgiveness granted us by God is not permission to keep on sinning and come back for more forgiveness and freedom. Rather, He has forgiven us so that we are no longer bound by those sins and no longer defined by them.
As far as the eastern horizon is from the west,
New English Translation
so he removes the guilt of our rebellious actions from us. Psalm 103:12
The psalmist declared that forgiveness is a removal of sin that makes it obsolete to who you are. So, if He has removed it and said that 1. you don’t need it and 2. you shouldn’t have, then why are we still living like that? He doesn’t remove it so we can replace it with that same sin again or other sins. He removes it so we can replace it with Him and become more like Him.
When we live with our lives transformed, we’re already a step further than before. However, we’re not fully living in our priesthood if we leave it at that. Christian priesthood is not just living like a good person who everyone gets along with. It’s intentionally making decisions for the purpose of honoring God, and being willing to share with people that you are a Christian and why.
Basically, a pastor’s mission field is their family and church and then everyone in their community. Your mission field is everyone in your community, work place, and family.
Pretty cool, right? No matter where you are and what you do, you’re a priest! I encourage you to, starting with today, live out that priesthood. You represent Jesus in all you do!