A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD
INTRODUCTION
It is quite evident that a large number of Christians prefer to read religious articles, which wrap them in comfortable warm and fuzzy feelings. This is perfectly understandable, and the Holy Bible is our best source for such a message. After all, there is truth in the fact that Jesus will save those who believe in Him; and that He will support you in your prosperity; He will help you have good health; and above all, Jesus will certainly make you happy. Of course, we cannot stop at this point; we need to hear the rest of the story. A part of the New Testament also addresses the reality of a Christian experiencing such things as poverty, sickness and persecution. We cannot avoid the reality of these things, but we can find comfort in the knowledge that these are earthly thing, which only exist for a brief moment in time. It is the same way with fearing the natural process of growing old and dying; the idea of death and dying is mentioned over 250 times in the New Testament. But, the New Testament makes it perfectly clear that death is only a doorway into the presence of Jesus Christ: assuming you are born again. Many also say that the New Testament smothers their pleasures and takes away joy in their life. Absurd, the New Testament is a message of liberation! If we are born again, the bible fills our hearts with an immeasurable joy and our minds with a peace that passes all understanding. And then, there are those who complain about the bible telling us the world is coming to an end. Well, the world is certainly coming to an end! What a glorious day that will be! If we are a Christian we will find the thought of a new heaven and a new earth exhilarating. So you see, all of the New Testament is a warm and fuzzy message for those who are born again.
This then is the challenge put before all who call themselves a Christian. Do you really know who you are? Do you realize just how powerful and awesome you are? Do you understand the responsibility and the authority you possess? If we are born from above we live from the perspective of spiritual power and authority. We are one of God’s peculiar people, an immortal, a member of the Royal priesthood; we are a chosen one!
BORN AGAIN
There are two basic types of people, who call themselves a Christian: those who seek after a preacher to tickle their ears with warm and fuzzy sermons, and those who work to develop a strong servant relationship with Jesus Christ. It all depends on where their mind is focused. We can focus on our earthly life or we can focus on the kingdom of God. It is kind of like the story of Nicodemus. Back during the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry, there was a man named Nicodemus; He was an important Jewish religious leader and a Pharisee. He was very knowledgeable and should have recognized the truth about Jesus; but, he was too focused on his earthly life to understand Jesus’ teachings.
After dark one evening, Nicodemus came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
Now, Jesus simply replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born from above, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
This off-the-wall remark from Jesus both startled and irritated the Pharisee. “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”
Jesus calmly replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans reproduce human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t act so surprised when I say, ‘If you are to have a spiritual life you must be born from above: be born again.’ Look at it this way, the wind blows wherever it wants; you can hear the wind but you can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going. It is the same with being born again; you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
This answer did not satisfy Nicodemus and he asked: “How are these things possible?”
Jesus just could not let this opportunity pass, so He replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things?” This hit the Pharisee right between the eyes. While Nicodemus was still reeling from the last explanation, Jesus went on to say: “Let me remind you, when we tell you what we know and have seen you ignore us and won’t believe our testimony. Therefore, if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? Don’t you realize that no one has ever gone to heaven and returned? No one that is, but the Son of Man who has come down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.” It was being made very clear to Nicodemus that Jesus had the heavenly knowledge, authority and power to explain being born again but the earthly minded Nicodemus could not understand.
It is the same today, a disciple of Jesus Christ has the heavenly knowledge, authority and power to explain being born again, but many people will not let themselves understand. Their mortal minds do not want to hear that the Law of the First Covenant illuminated sin and gave it the power to condemn all of mankind; but, Jesus took our guilt upon Himself and crucified it, covering it with His own blood. Now, there is no judgment against anyone who believes in Jesus. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. Therefore, those who are lost are not condemned because of their sins, but because they have disobeyed God and rejected Jesus Christ. Their sins are a physical manifestation of their evil nature, which is proven by their failing to bow their knee to the supreme deity of Christ. In fact, all who are disobedient to God automatically hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants. That is why, if you are born again, you strive to do what is right and you cannot stand for sin to reign in your bodies. This is not to say we never sin; but, we never allow sin to rule over us and generate in us a sinful lifestyle. As present day disciples, we are not perfect but we do have access to the word of God and we have the authority to share the word of God with others.
If we are spiritually reborn we are in both a perpetual battle with sin and a constant struggle to manifest the fruit of the spirit in our lives. We know we are born again because our spirit has developed a tremendous thirst for the teachings of Jesus and our will id focused on obeying all that we have learned. Thus, the heavenly knowledge, authority, and power that come from being born again fills us with a deep love for everything written in the New Testament. And, more remarkably, it makes us anxious to be finished with this wicked world and to be joined with Jesus in Paradise.
DEATH & RESURRECTION
We want to leave this earthly life because there is nothing this old world has to offer that can compare to the joy we will experience when we see Jesus in Paradise. We know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself; made from heavenly elements and not earthly elements. We grow weary in our present tent, and we long to be in our heavenly house. Yes, we will indeed put on heavenly bodies; for in truth, we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we simply want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to die so that we can put on our new bodies and let these earthly bodies be swallowed up by natural events. So you see, the earthly body was formed of earthly elements and it remains as earthly elements, but our real life is found in a spiritual body, which God himself has prepared for us, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.
Look at it this way. There will come a time when God will reunite our spirits with a new body. Now, there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. We plant in the grave the glory of the earthly body, which was kicked out of the Garden of Eden; but when our spirits are resurrected from Paradise, God will give us the glory of a heavenly body. What is sown in the grave is perishable; what is raised from paradise is imperishable. Our earthly body is sown in dishonor; our heavenly body is raised in glory. Our earthly body is sown in weakness; our heavenly body is raised in power. Our earthly body is sown a natural body; our heavenly body is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man (Adam) was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man (Jesus) is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are lost, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are born again. Just as we have lived an earthly life in the image of the man of dust, we who are born again will also bear the image of the man of heaven.
GROWING UP IN CHRIST
If you fully understand the destiny given to us by the sacrifice of Jesus’ you will also understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord: we are to live in such a way that we persuade others to follow Jesus. The world will think we are crazy because our first priority is to bring glory to God; but it does not matter as long as Christ’s love controls us. We know that Christ died for all so that all people would have an opportunity to die to their old life. Jesus died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. This means that anyone who belongs to Christ, who has been born again, has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. We are not born again to please ourselves. We are born again for the singular purpose of living a life that reconciles people to God. Our lives should be a testimony to the fact that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, and that He no longer counts people’s sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We must live a life that speaks for Christ’s love and urges people to come back to God! Do you not see that being born again is a gift from God, which results in our becoming a new creation … we are created again through the blood of Jesus.
So, if you are born again, you will strive to get rid of all evil behavior. You will no longer be a slave to deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. But just as no earthly baby is born into manhood, but is born as a baby, which must grow and be nurtured into manhood, so too are you who are born again; like newborn babies, you will crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Like a new born child, you will cry out for this nourishment. Therefore you must seek out those who are mature in their salvation, so that you can grow as a Christian; for to remain as an infant is dangerous and will leave one vulnerable to prowling lions.
If we are to mature, we will avoid those who keep going over the same basic teachings about Christ … again and again. Instead, we must go on and become mature in our understanding. What good does it do for those who are truly born again to constantly repeat training in the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God? By now faith in God and resisting evil should be a way of life! We don’t need further instruction about: baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead or eternal judgment. If we are truly born again, we have already made this knowledge the very underpinning of our lifestyle; so, is it not time to move forward to further understanding? In this, keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what we hope for will come true. Then we will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, we will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance. We will constantly grow in Christ because we eat the meat of the word of God.
A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD
Jesus made it perfectly clear that the requirement for entering the Kingdom of God is our experiencing a spiritual rebirth. The New Testament makes it perfectly clear that our experiencing a spiritual rebirth will dramatically change us and it will generate in us a totally new perspective on life. Our spiritual rebirth has also given us the requirement for growing up and maturing in our spirit. This is why it is imperative we realize that when we came to Christ, and experience a new birth, we came to the living cornerstone of God’s temple.
If you are born from above, you need to close your earthly eyes so that you can see with the spirit and behold all the living stones: all those who are born again. Look, God is building His spiritual temple with all these living stones and with Jesus Christ as the chief corner stone. What’s more, we are the holy priests in this spiritual temple. And as a royal priest we offer spiritual sacrifices, which please God, through our worship of Jesus Christ.
As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” Yes, you who trust Him recognize the honor God has given Him. But for those who reject Him, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.” And, “He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, the reject the corner stone and so they meet the fate that was planned for them. But we are not like that, for we are a chosen people. We are royal priests, a holy nation, and God’s very own possession. As a result, we can show others the goodness of God, for he called us out of the darkness into His wonderful light. “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” We serve Jesus Christ, as His Royal Priesthood, in the Holy Temple built with living stones.
Brothers and Sisters, you are born from above as exalted priests and now you must grow into spiritual maturity by embracing all of the New Testament. As a Royal Priesthood we must focus on the work of Christ, for we are temporary residents and foreigners in this world, therefore we must keep away from worldly desires that wage war against our very souls. We must be careful to live properly among our unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse us of doing wrong, they will see our honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world. I appeal to you therefore, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. We do not belong here on this earth and thus our time here is very short. We must not waste what little time we have by seeking earthly pleasures. If we seek first the Kingdom of God, we will find that God will fill our hearts and minds with pleasure beyond measure. Thus, our joy is in the entire message of the New Testament, and our only ambition in life is to live the words of the New Testament.
Never let the things of this world smother the joy that we have in living for Christ. If we have been raised with Christ, we will overcome the world because we seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For we have died to our old life and we have been reborn from above; our life is now hidden with Christ in God. Never forget who you are: a child of the king. Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, is the king of kings and now has authority over all the angels; He has dominion over all the heavenly authorities; and He has control over all the heavenly powers. That is why, you who have been born again as part of the Royal Priesthood in the kingdom of Jesus Christ, have been given authority over all of Satan’s demons. You even have the power to resist Satan and he will have to flee from you. There is no greater earthly power than being a child of the King.
So you see, even if we may endure trials and tribulations from time to time, we are not a defeated people. Our attitude totally depends on where our mind is focused. If we focus on earthly things we are living in defeat; if our focus is on the kingdom of Jesus we are victorious and our mind will be at peace. After all, we are immortals; we are a Royal Priesthood; we serve our King in a spiritual temple; we exercise the power and authority of Jesus Christ. The entire New Testament is one massive warm and fuzzy sermon and things like poverty, sickness, persecution, and tribulations are seen as temporary inconveniences; all of which pale in the light of an eternity with Jesus.
References:
Luke 10:17-20 – our authority
John 3:1-15 – You Must Be Born Again
Romans 12:1-2 – A Living Sacrifice
1 Corinthians 15:35 – The Resurrection Body
2 Corinthians 5:11-21 – The Ministry of Reconciliation
Colossians 3:1-17 – Put On the New Self
Hebrews 6: 1-12 – Spiritual Growth
James 4:1-12 – Defeat Worldliness
1 Peter 2:1-12 – A Living Stone and a Holy People
1 Peter 3:21-22 – the Authority of Jesus
