Confession - the Priesthood - "We're all priests"

[Joseph_Smith]

Of course some one could think these are hard questions. That is why God gives us scripture alone to help you muddel thru until the truth become apparent. In the time of Israels creation GOD gave them a Levitical Priesthood and that is atested to by The book of exodus chapter 27 thru 40 are give to the people of God for the administration of the office of the priest. Every detail spelled out exact and in great detail. It goes on an on till it is even put into the book of Leviticus. That is another 27 chapters. So that is 40 chapters covering a earthly priesthood. Everything from the garments of the high priest to the washing of the hands is covered. What is clean what is unclean. how to clean the unclean and how to heal the sick and the forgiveness of sin. GOD is really laying out everypart of the earthly priesthood. And Mosus his friend gave us every word so we know it is fact with out a dought Gods word.
In the new testiment we have Hebrews Chapters 6, 7, 8 & 9given to us explaining the nature of the new priesthood that all believers of Jesus Christ are born into. His priesthood is simple He is the one high priest and we are priest unto him.
Hebrews 9:11 and 12 declare that Christ presented his own blood once for all, Having optained eternal redemption.
Hebrews 8:28 makes a very interesting clarification. For the law appoints as HIgh priest men who have weakness, but the the word of a oath, which came after the Law, appoints The Son who has been prefected forever. So in effect the old priesthood is by the law and under the law. The new priesthood is by the obidence of Jesus. Who became our only high Priest. So his priesthood is under grace.
Hebrews 6:20 Where the forrunner has entered for us, even Jesus, Having become HIGH PRIEST forever according to the order of Melchizedek. The priest hood of Melchizedek predates all other priesthoods.
God has from the beginning saw that in would Glorify Christ at the end of the ages and allowed the earthly priesthood to atest to the need of a priesthood that was not under the law or flesh of men. To this end he established a everlasting priesthood in Christ who with out sin can go into the Holiest of All and be seated next to his father once and for all times. So the weakness of the first priesthood made it not profitable and God established a priesthood that is not dependant on man but is dependant on the Son of Man Jesus Christ.
In Hebrews 7:12 For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change to the law. This change is from a earthly form of priesthood to a eternal priesthood in heaven with one high Priest Jesus.
Hebrews 10:1 for the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, Can never with these same sacrifices, Which they offer year by year, make those who approach perfect. If that is the case there remains no need for a earthly priesthood. For God provide a Lamb for salvation who was slain one time and then Christ set down with the Father as high priest for ever having provided his one blood once for all time. Thus he is not subject to the suffering of the cross anew
As Hebrews 10 tell is that the law provided us a shadow of the good things to Come. Show me the earthly roman catholic priesthood in the law. For We have obtained a more blessed hope, We have optained a endless priesthood, And a eternal promise. Not of the earthly things which are passing away but of the heavely things which things shall never pass away.
For the law was given that we might know the need for grace and if Grace how Great is that Grace. For by Grace we have recieved the hope of a new day, By grace we have recieved salvation and that is by faith alone least any man boast.
For as the law does not have power over Grace. That former priesthood which was caretaker of the Law. is anulled and there remains no earthly priesthood. For grace has destroyed the affect of the law. All believers in Christ who are born again are geithered under his Authority of Grace. And we are not subject to the law of sin and death. Nor are we under the bondage of the priesthood of the Law. The law and the former priesthood were only teachers. They serve no purpose in the body of Chist.

 

[Joseph_Smith]

Were sin is death has power but the scripture tells us that the seed that is with-in a born again christian abides in him for all times. That seed being given freely at salvaiton and not of human hands but of the holy spirit.
So the real question is can there be another earthly priesthood in the likness of the former levital priesthood?
If there arises another priesthood why is it not shown in the original priesthood which is a shadow of things to come?
If Christ has been made a high priest forever how can any man claim he is a high priest? As Christ alone is High Priest seated beside the Father in heaven the one mediator between God and man?
What effect does any scament have or any sacfrice as the law of atonement has indeed passed away. For christ offered his on blood once? He does not offer it over and over!
Who is allowed to officiat as a priest before God? If Christ is high priest and his work is finished and he came and poured out his soul why would God honor any other things then His blood.
As your priest claim to transform the wine and the bread into the blood and the body of Christ and then he is crucified anew! How is it that the scripture keeps saying he offered his blood once for all and then set down at the right hand of God. No were in the bible does it teach christ is put to the cross over and over. Actually in Hebrews 6:15 this is stated as not possible. You can’t put Christ to the cross again. So by what authority is this being taught in mass?
If God was going to creat another priesthood then were are the chapters and verses in order telling of the operation of the priesthood. Like God provided for the Levitel order and Eternal priesthood of Christ. Note God gave there instructions with a very clear words and he gave many chapters on it.
If the preisthood of the catholic church can’t be found in great detail as in hebrews or exodus as examples it can only be held as none existant and not of God. Christ has become the only high priest before God doing away with all other priesthoods. That is why to this very day no priest operate in Israel. You can provide one scripture her or there but that does not match the pattern of Gods operation in the past and it is writen “he changes not”.
No were in the scriptures is a new earthly priesthood supported nor has need arisen for on. For we have a high priest who is afficiation on pour behalf before GOD.
As the catholic church was 324 years after the death of christ and He is the onlyhead of his church and he is the only high priest the only lamb of slavation. And it is writen that he has become high priest forever. Any other priesthood is no of GOD. For no earthly priest has the authority to remove the finished work of salvation. You can be removed from the Hand of God or the promise. Our salvation is eternal as our high priest is eternal. So were was this priesthood of the Holy Roman church for 325 years. It did not exist. No scripture supports it or testifies of it coming. Nor did any apostle of Christ promote or teach it. It can only be held as a lie.
You are a priest and a king unto God. All born again christians are priest that present there prayers/pertitions directly to the Lord Jesus Christ the High Priest…
So what need is it that another priesthood should arise?

 

[Randy_Carson]

Joseph Smith-

Enjoy!

In the book of Jude, the author notes that there were some within the early Church who had rejected the authority of the Bishops and Priests, and he links their error directly to that of Korah and his followers who rebelled against God and the authority of the leaders He had placed over His people, Israel. Jude wrote:
Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals—these are the very things that destroy them. Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion. (Jude 10-11)
This is an obscure reference to those of us who spend the majority of our “Bible time” in the New Testament, but it is worth understanding because of what it reveals to us about the priesthood of the Church. In Numbers, we read:

Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—became insolent and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council.
**They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the LORD’s assembly?” **

When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. Then he said to Korah and all his followers: “In the morning the LORD will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him. You, Korah, and all your followers are to do this: Take censers and tomorrow put fire and incense in them before the LORD. The man the LORD chooses will be the one who is holy. You Levites have gone too far!”

Moses also said to Korah, "Now listen, you Levites! Isn’t it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the LORD’s tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them? He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too. It is against the LORD that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumble against him?" (Numbers 16:1-11)
Korah rebelled against the authority and leadership of Moses and Aaron by declaring, “all the community is holy”. It is as if Korah argued, “If we are all holy, what need is there for someone like Moses to instruct us, or why is there need for laws to make us holy? Since the people are holy, commandments from without are not necessary.” In a way, Korah was right! God had declared the entire nation of Israel to be a nation of priests in the book of Exodus.
Moses went up to God, and Yahweh called to him out of the mountain, saying, "This is what you shall tell the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel. (Exodus 19:3-6)
However, Korah’s error was not in his understanding of the “priesthood of all Israelites”, but in his rebellion against God and the authority God had vested in Moses and Aaron. God’s answer to this challenge was swift and final, “the ground under them split apart and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, with their households and all Korah’s men and all their possessions.” "And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.”

To sum up: 1) the entire nation of Israel was a “kingdom of priests”, 2) the tribe of Levi served as a ministerial priesthood, and 3) Aaron served in the highest place. Thus, in the Old Testament, we find a foreshadowing of the New Testament priesthood that includes 1) the Priesthood of All Believers, 2) the ministerial or hierarchical priesthood consisting of Bishops, Priests and Deacons, and 3) Jesus, our eternal High Priest.

Just as there were those who rebelled against the priesthood in the early church, so today there are Christians who refuse to accept the authority of the Catholic Church and the Bishops who have been established as its leaders. They believe that the “priesthood of all believers” replaces the ministerial priesthood in Christ’s church, and they reject the episcopate completely. This position is condemned by Jude.

 

[Joseph_Smith]

To Randy Carson

Thank you so much for your thoughts on the subject. Not with standing it is written “behold I do a new thing, old things are passed away and all things are made new”.

        The new thing is the Body of Christ church.
In the new testiment we are shown the picture of the new thing. God has appointed them to be apostles prophet preachers evangles and teachers. These are the only offices in the new thing that God did. The body of christ operates on the earth as a spiritual body in earthly flesh. 

The old thing that passed away is the priesthood of fleshly man. Since the time of Jesus becoming the High Priest the jewish priesthood has not operated. In fact they tried to operate it and God would not recieve the sin offering anymore.

This bringing a end to any earthly priesthood.
When christ was revealed to the high priest of his day the high priest met with Jesus by night and speaking to Jesus. He the High priest then tore his priestly garment which officially ended the Priesthood of levi.
When Christ was going to the cross they striped him of a seamless garments that is the garmet of a high priest.

As God has revealed that there is one high priest Jesus Christ and he alone officates before God. The only form of a priest hood today is that of each believer. The authority of Christ over the believers is the only authority in his Kingdom. We come to our spiritual priest as priest ourselfs and have not need of any man to officiate over any matter. Thus it is writen you are kings and priest. Thus we are not seated in churchs that are made by mens hands but we are seated in the presents of God himself as son of the living God. 

Not withstanding we do fellowship and even have services unto God and the 5 offices of the church exist. But that does not establish a new priesthood. They are fellow workers and equal in standing before God as they even in the 5 offices are subject to Grace and are redeemed sinners. This the reason the priesthood is done away with, it simple all have recieved forgiveness, all were sinners and God alone is holy. So in effect we have but one high priest who does not suffer the human conditions of sin. And he is our God, our Lord and our savior Jesus the Christ. Now there is no other that can redeem man nor none who can officiate before GOD for he alone is the high priest. We are not a high priest we are priest Under christ and equal under christ pristhood. That is why all can be saved and all can call upon him in prayer. He has Infact done away with any form of earthly priesthood and become the eternal priest before GOD on behalf of man. Christ He alone makes intersession for us. 

 I have noticed you have refered to Mosus and Arron in "JUDE" and refered to the time of the Korah rebellion. I have always enjoyed this area of the bible. But it does not add to nor take away from what it layed out in Hebrews and the new testiment.

 

[Joseph_Smith]

We the believers in Christ who are born again are born into a heavenly kingdon and a heavenly priesthood. The church does not have any offices of priest. The offices of the church are apostles prophets preachers evangles and teachers. And those offices are to teach the word of GOD to Gods people, to preach the gosple and to demostrate the powers of the age to come. And none of thes offices have passed away.

So once again i ask a simple question how has it come to pass that the need for another priesthood as arisen?

We do not battle against flesh and bone but against spiritual powers of darkness. So does a earthly priesthood battle against spiritual powers of darkness. Indeed no for a earthly priesthood is flesh and bone. We in the body have flesh and bone but we are a royal priesthood created to battle the powers of darkenss subjecting the body to prayer and fasting that the power of God is able to flow thru is thus we are his body. Gods yields the will of the body that his will is done in the spirit. In the case of all born again believers we are his vessels and his priesthood is deminostrated in the fact that we are dead to the world yeat alive to God. We are christ face to a decaying world.  

 We can only conclude as it is writen that GOD is not a respector of person. That he is a respector of Christ and his obidence and would not trample his sons priesthood underfoot. So the reason you do not find the priesthood of the Roman Holy Catholic church anywere in the whole of God word, or in any form in the new testiment is that it is not authorized by GOD he did not establish it nor will he establish a earthly priesthood other then the priesthood of each believer.

As is a proved by the letter to the Hebrews. More over God has alway defined the role of any priesthood and in he has done that in the priesthood of Christ, But he did not do that in the priesthood of the catholic church.

 God did not beat around the bush when he gave us the first priesthood and he did not when he gave us hebrews. If the apostles did not teach the priesthood of the catholic church then this priesthood is not of Christ. The 12 apostles are the foundation of the Chruch of Christ. If they have not spoke of it in great detail then it does not exist. They are Christ spokesmen to the chruch and the things of the church and there work is finished.

So in fact you can’t earn salvation or forgiveness for the old things have passed away. With the coming of the cross and the slaying of the lamb ussered a new time on this earth. A time of forgiveness by asking alone for our priest has bore our sickness and our sin. He has already paid the price for all sin he already presented the atonement for all sin. How then is another priesthood worthy to operate before God. For what would another priest bring to compare with the blood of the Lamb. So another priesthood would be foolishness and vainity for the Lamb of God alone is our high priest who bears the marks of our sin in his flesh and bears his own Crown of Glory and is forever the High Priest.

 In fact is another priesthood were to arise then Christ would have to be denounced as high priest. So is the catholic not in fact declaring there priesthood is above The eternal priesthood of Christ. In fact they are declaring this in action adding to the word of God and the Gosple of Christ. Teaching another Christ and another gosple. For the gosple of Christ has no earthly ordences other then to love one another as Christ so loved us. And to love God. These are to only ordances of the Body of Christ. Yeat there are the commandments to carry the gosple to all nations. And this to is a great thing which all christians do and will to do. So how is a earthly priesthood needed. When grace abounds to the people of his heart who are not subject to sin and the penatly of sin for we who are saved do not sin for out seed remains in us that seed is the spirit of the Christ. 

 This is why the scripture alone is used to seek God and knowedge of the truth for all men are liers. But the word of God is truth and no lies are with in them. They are given for guidence and help in a time of great confusion. So always consult the scriptures over the teaching on men. 

 My grace i leave with you and may the Lord of salvation and the God of hope peace and love overshadow all your days.

 

[Randy_Carson]

We the believers in Christ who are born again are born into a heavenly kingdon and a heavenly priesthood. The church does not have any offices of priest. The offices of the church are apostles prophets preachers evangles and teachers. And those offices are to teach the word of GOD to Gods people, to preach the gosple and to demostrate the powers of the age to come. And none of thes offices have passed away.

Joseph-

Here is some clarification for your confusion:

The sacrament of holy orders is conferred in three ranks of clergy: bishops, priests, and deacons.

Bishops (episcopoi) have the care of multiple congregations and appoint, ordain, and discipline priests and deacons. They sometimes appear to be called “evangelists” in the New Testament. Examples of first-century bishops include Timothy and Titus (1 Tim. 5:19–22; 2 Tim. 4:5; Titus 1:5).

Priests (presbuteroi) are also known as “presbyters” or “elders.” In fact, the English term “priest” is simply a contraction of the Greek word presbuteros. They have the responsibility of teaching, governing, and providing the sacraments in a given congregation (1 Tim. 5:17; Jas. 5:14–15).

Deacons (diakonoi) are the assistants of the bishops and are responsible for teaching and administering certain Church tasks, such as the distribution of food (Acts 6:1–6).

In the apostolic age, the terms for these offices were still somewhat fluid. Sometimes a term would be used in a technical sense as the title for an office, sometimes not. This non-technical use of the terms even exists today, as when the term is used in many churches (both Protestant and Catholic) to refer to either ordained ministers (as in “My minister visited him”) or non-ordained individuals. (In a Protestant church one might hear “He is a worship minister,” while in a Catholic church one might hear “He is an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion.”)

Thus, in the apostolic age Paul sometimes described himself as a diakonos (“servant” or “minister”; cf. 2 Cor. 3:6, 6:4, 11:23; Eph. 3:7), even though he held an office much higher than that of a deacon, that of apostle.

Similarly, on one occasion Peter described himself as a “fellow elder,” [1 Pet. 5:1] even though he, being an apostle, also had a much higher office than that of an ordinary elder.

The term for bishop, *episcopos *(“overseer”), was also fluid in meaning. Sometimes it designated the overseer of an individual congregation (the priest), sometimes the person who was the overseer of all the congregations in a city or area (the bishop or evangelist), and sometimes simply the highest-ranking clergyman in the local church—who could be an apostle, if one were staying there at the time.

Although the terms “bishop,” “priest,” and “deacon” were somewhat fluid in the apostolic age, by the beginning of the second century they had achieved the fixed form in which they are used today to designate the three offices whose functions are clearly distinct in the New Testament.

 

[LtTony]

I have always understood that we are all in the priesthood, but the priests/deacons/presbyters/et al are those who
ad-minister the sacraments for the bishops (who are equivalent to the apostles).