Priesthood of All Believers
Every baptized Christian a priest, with direct access to God
The priesthood of all believers holds that all baptized Christians share in Christ's priesthood and have direct access to God. It draws on texts such as 1 Peter 2:9 and Revelation 1:6, and was emphasized by Luther. The principle is affirmed broadly across Christianity, but Protestant traditions press it especially against the idea of a separate sacerdotal caste, whereas Catholic and Orthodox teaching holds it alongside a distinct ministerial priesthood.
How it traveled
- 1 PeterRome · 64explains
- RevelationPatmos · 100explains
- Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic ChurchGeneva · 1564explains
- Seventeen Occasional SermonsNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
Key passages(20)
Seventeen Occasional Sermons · Jonathan Edwards
Jesus Christ is the only proper priest that is to offer sacrifices, and make atonement for sin, under the New Testament. He was the priest of whom all the priests of old were typical. But yet all beli
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You also, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
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But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:
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Seventeen Occasional Sermons · Jonathan Edwards
In this world, though there is greater liberty of access than there was of old, yet still Christians are kept at a great distance from God in comparison of what they will be in heaven, where they shal
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Seventeen Occasional Sermons · Jonathan Edwards
2d. This spiritual priesthood offers to God the sacrifice of praise. Many of their sacrifices under the law were sacrifices of peace-offerings, which were mostly for thanksgiving and praise. But the s
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Seventeen Occasional Sermons · Jonathan Edwards
5th. Another offering of this spiritual priesthood to God, is the prayer of faith. Though this is rather compared to incense in Scripture than to a sacrifice, yet it is equally an evidence of their pr
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Seventeen Occasional Sermons · Jonathan Edwards
Be ready to distribute, willing to communicate, and do good; consider it as part of your office thus to do, to which you are called and anointed, and as a sacrifice well-pleasing to God; pity others i
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Seventeen Occasional Sermons · Jonathan Edwards
Therefore, in some of the prophecies of Christ, it is spoken of as a remarkable thing of him, that he should be a priest after the order of Melchizedek. Psal. cx. 4. “The Lord hath sworn and will not
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Seventeen Occasional Sermons · Jonathan Edwards
Thirdly. The saints shall also be advanced to the authority of kings. Christ has appointed to them a kingdom, and in that kingdom they shall reign. It is promised concerning the saints, that they shal
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
14. Wherefore, I conclude, that it is an abominable insult and intolerable blasphemy, as well against Christ as the sacrifice, which, by his death, he performed for us on the cross, for any one to thi
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and he made us to be a Kingdom, priests to his God and Father; to him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
28. There remain the three orders which they call major. Of these, what they call the subdeaconate was transferred to this class, after the crowd of minor began to be prolific. But as they think they
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
25. Let us now attend to the ceremonies which they employ. And first, all whom they enroll among their militia they initiate into the clerical status by a common symbol. They shave them on the top of
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Book Second. of the Knowledge of God the Redeemer, in Christ, as First Manifested to the Fathers, Under the Law, and Thereafter to Us Under the Gospel · John Calvin
1. From the whole course of the observations now made, we may infer, that the Law was not superadded about four hundred years after the death of Abraham in order that it might lead the chosen people a
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Expositions on the Book of Psalms · Augustine of Hippo
6. “We will go into His tabernacles” (ver. 7). Whose? Those of the Lord God of Jacob. They who enter to dwell therein, are the very same who enter that they may be dwelt in. Thou enterest into thy hou
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Seventeen Occasional Sermons · Jonathan Edwards
1 peter ii. 9. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvell
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Seventeen Occasional Sermons · Jonathan Edwards
There are many things that are very base, and too mean for such as you; such are a giving way to earthly-minded-ness, a grovelling like moles in the earth, a suffering your soul to cleave to those ear
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Inquiry Concerning Qualification for Communion · Jonathan Edwards
The apostle James, writing to the Christians of the twelve tribes which were scattered abroad, speaks of them as regenerated persons, meaning, as I observed before, those which were in good standing.
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Seventeen Occasional Sermons · Jonathan Edwards
But God has an interest in the hearts of true Christians: however small and inconsiderable it is in comparison of what it ought to be, yet they are of a spirit to prefer God above all. He has an inter
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Seventeen Occasional Sermons · Jonathan Edwards
Self-interest governs the generality of men; they will mind their own interest rather than any thing else. But it may well be expected of those who profess godliness, that they should show themselves
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