# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2019_S311
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

II. THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS­­—COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS
Shadows are not the substance of a thing, but they
do give an outline or idea of what the thing is like. They
point to the substance itself. It is worth looking at the
shadow, but it is essential to keep looking closely for the
thing itself. Israel often allowed itself to be blinded by
the shadow, forsaking the substance and embracing only
the shadow.

(Heb. 3:1). Our High Priest provides redemption in the
new covenant He made and sealed with His own sacrifice
(Luke 22:20). This new covenant accomplishes what the
old covenant could not do with its repeated sacrifices.
Christ Himself is both priest and final sacrifice. From
this point on, priesthood rests on the blood of Christ and
on his resurrection and exaltation to the right hand of
God, where He intercedes for us.

The Great High Priest

Read Heb. 9:11–15. What has the sacrifice of our High
Priest accomplished for us? How is His sacrifice greater
than the sacrifices under the old covenant?

Israel’s high priest and the entire Levitical system were
only shadows of the coming perfect Priest, who would
offer Himself as sacrifice once for all. The great High
Priest, Christ Jesus, perfectly fulfilled the covenant in
all its parts by His humble obedience to all the Law’s
demands (Matt. 5:17; Rom. 5:19), atoning for the sins of all
the people and entering alone into the Holy Place (Heb.
9:12). He fulfills and replaces the Levitical priesthood
in His New Testament priesthood. Christ is without
sin, obedient even to “death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8). His
atoning sacrifice is not merely for Israel’s sins against the
covenant, but for the sins of the world. This Priest offers
Himself!
Read 1 Peter 2:24–25 and Heb. 7:23–28. What has our
High Priest done for us and what does He still do for us?
All priesthood is made clear only in the great High
Priest, Christ Jesus, and His work. His radical mercy
became a stumbling block for many (Rom. 9:32–33; 1 Cor.
1:23). “He came to his own, and his own people did not
receive him” (John 1:11). They preferred the shadow of
the Old Testament’s sinful, weak priests and all the old
rhythms and rituals to the sinless Servant-Priest whose
deep sympathy for sinners results in complete and eternal redemption (Heb. 9:12). The people of Israel deluded
themselves into thinking that they were the end of what
God was doing instead of a tool through which He
worked for all the world.
Our High Priest comes by the Father’s call and
anointing (Heb. 5:4–6; Is. 61:1). Jesus is the only-begotten
Son of the Father, now higher than the angels because
He has been raised from the dead and exalted to God’s
right hand (Col. 3:1; Heb. 1:13). He is also a king, with a
kingdom not of this world, yet far greater than any of
this world (John 18:36).

Priesthood in the New Covenant
As Christ’s people we consider our priesthood in light
of “Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession.”

THE ROYAL PRIESTHOOD

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Christ’s sacrifice is representative, perfect and universal. The sacrifice is representative because Christ stands
in for every sinner, the substitute whose life, death and
resurrection are mine. Unlike the old covenant sacrifices,
His sacrifice is perfect because He is the sinless, only-begotten Son, whose death is full atonement for sin. There
are no more atoning sacrifices to come. His sacrifice is
universal, that is, it is salvation won for all (2 Cor. 5:19).
Israel of old looked forward to this great day (Heb. 11:13),
and now the new Israel looks back at what Christ has
accomplished. The new Israel also looks forward in eager
anticipation to His promised return, when He will raise
the dead, judge all people and establish the new heaven
and earth.
Faith trusts the promises of what Christ accomplished for all people in every age when He died on
the cross. Already in the Old Testament God saw Jesus’
death and resurrection as reality, so He has always saved
by Christ’s work (1 Peter 1:19–20; Rev. 13:8). The rituals and
sacrifices tied to the old priesthood are set aside. What
saves is not “yesterday’s news” but today’s reality, today’s
promises and faith in those promises. This cross is yours.
This empty tomb is yours.
Read 1 Peter 2:9; Rev. 1:5–6 and Rev. 5:9–10. What
has our High Priest, “the firstborn from the dead,” done for
all who believe? How does the great High Priest shape the
royal priesthood?
The royal priesthood is rooted in Christ, the great
High Priest, and not in the Law or the Levitical priesthood. In Christ’s atoning sacrifice for the sins of the
world, the promise of salvation is declared to all the
nations (Is. 49:6; Gal. 3:27–29; Eph. 2:12–13) and not only to
Abraham’s physical descendants. The priesthood is then
also extended to all who believe in Him “from every tribe
and language and people and nation.” There is no need to
become part of the nation of Israel (let alone members of
Levi’s tribe) to be included in this new priesthood. The

DISCUSSION GUIDE AND BIBLE STUDY

cies in weekly liturgy, daily devotions, Bible studies with
fellow church members and casual conversations with
a brother or sister in Christ. Our vocations, our callings
from God, are to specific people and places: family, work,
society and congregation.
Read 1 Peter 2:11–17. How are royal priests to carry
out their priestly duties, by word and behavior, in their
personal vocations?
What about carrying the message “to the end of the
earth” (Acts 1:8)? Remote mission fields are, of course,
included, but the first challenge is simply to take one step
beyond wherever there is safety and familiarity. As Jesus
sends the disciples, He starts with Jerusalem, then Judea,
then Samaria — and then to “the end of the earth.” The
mission of the Church — of the royal priesthood, the
baptized — begins at home, but it does not end there.
We have God-granted time to spread the Word, and
there is service that is needed and people to serve. This
does not mean, however, that every member of the royal
priesthood offers identical types of priestly service.
All, in various ways, proclaim the excellencies of God’s
saving grace in Christ Jesus, but not everyone is a pastor
or minister or teacher of the church. “Not many of you
should become teachers” (James 3:1). The Holy Scriptures
teach not only the general priesthood of all believers, but
also the public Office of the Ministry.
All members of the royal priesthood are gifted by the
Holy Spirit. The Spirit’s work alone enables the confession
that marks the Church: “Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever
says ‘Jesus is accursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’
except in the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts,
but the same Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:3–4).
Read 1 Cor. 12:4–11. For what purpose does the Spirit
give His gifts to the Church? How might these Spirit-given
gifts be used in proclaiming the excellencies of God?
There is continuity with the Old Testament, but in
the New Testament the priesthood has been transformed
by the work of Christ. The task is to be faithful to the
message, while also translating the message for people
in new circumstances. As the last days before Christ’s
return stretched out, the church needed to keep an eye
on the idea of the royal priesthood lest it lose its identity
and mission. Efforts were made, but in the long run, the
focus shifted.

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PRIESTHOOD IN THE EARLY AND
MEDIEVAL CHURCH

POLYCARP (c. 69–c. 155)
Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna, wrote to the Christians
in Philippi, addressing them as “brothers.” He saw them
as actively involved in the life of the congregation and,
concerning a problem with a presbyter, called on them
to “be reasonable in this matter, and do not regard such
people as enemies, but, as sick and straying members,
restore them, in order that you may save your body in its
entirety.”8 Widows were not marginalized, but as “God’s
altar” offered prayers for the community.9 Polycarp
emphasizes the idea of sacrifice in response to the
believers’ identity as members of the royal priesthood
of Christ.
JUSTIN MARTYR (c. 100–c.165)
Another theologian, Justin Martyr, emphasized the
corporate action of the community in the Eucharist, as
the people together offered prayers and brought bread,
wine and water for the celebration of the Sacrament.
While Justin speaks of the public ministry — the one
who presides at the celebration — he also refers to those
present as “the true high priestly race of God.”10

The Letter of Polycarp to the Philippians 4:3, Holmes 285.

Dialogue with Trypho, ch. 116; Ante-Nicene Fathers, 10 vols. ed.
Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (Buffalo: Christian Literature,
1885–87; reprint, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1994), 257.
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DISCUSSION GUIDE AND BIBLE STUDY

Baptized into His death, we are linked to Christ’s
priestly act at the point of His own sacrifice. Baptism
is not a superficial naming — a social christening —
but marks one as new, reborn not of flesh, but of the
Spirit. God makes priests in Baptism. Infant or adult,
all are priests.

The Priestly Calling of All Christians
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, a people for his own possession, that you may
proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of
darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).
As a believer comes forth out of the waters of
Baptism, priesthood comes along as well. The threefold dimension — sacrifice, prayer and teaching — still
marks the priesthood, but the New Testament priesthood
portrays these responsibilities differently. There is no reference in the New Testament to any priestly office other
than the royal priesthood of the baptized. In the New
Testament individuals are still called and authorized for
the public ministry on behalf of the royal priesthood, but
“priest” is not included in the various titles applied to the
church’s public ministers.
Sacrifice marks all in the royal priesthood, but in the
New Testament, sacrifice is differently conceived. There
are no blood sacrifices of slaughtered beasts or offerings
of grain or wine. Now the sacrifices are the “spiritual sacrifices” of the royal priesthood, prompted by the ultimate
sacrifice of our great High Priest.

THE ROYAL PRIESTHOOD

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MATHETES (writing c. 130)
The early Christian teacher Mathetes said that Christians
are in the world like the soul is in the body. The soul is
there to enliven and sustain the body: “God has assigned
them this illustrious position, which it were unlawful of
them to forsake.”12 That is, there is no avoiding the ministry and mission of the priesthood to make salvation
known. Witness and mission is not the work simply of
those in the public office. It is the work of all in the body.
TERTULLIAN (c.160–c.225)
The theologian Tertullian understood that there are
certainly those who serve publicly, but he saw all people
touched by the Holy Spirit as priests offering spiritual
sacrifices to God. Referring to all Christians, he said,
“We are the true adorers and the true priests praying
in the spirit.”13 Tertullian believed that the same high
standards concerning marriage for those in the public
ministry also applied to all Christians.
The early church fathers discussed the concept of the
royal priesthood in a matter of fact way, without first
needing to lay out a theological foundation for it. This
suggests that the spiritual priesthood of all believers was
not an obscure teaching but was widely understood by
those who read their various texts. The whole church was
a priestly people and, while there were those who presided publicly in worship, all offered spiritual sacrifices
because of their spiritual identity and their relationship
with Christ.

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12
The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus, ch. 6[, 5], Anti-Nicene Fathers,
1: 27.
13

On Prayer, ch. 28; Ante-Nicene Fathers, 3: 690.

THE ROYAL PRIESTHOOD

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Read Ps. 51:17; Rom. 12:1; Heb. 13:15–16 and Phil.
4:18. What sacrifices do we offer as God’s royal priests?
Read 1 Peter 2:13–25 and 1 Peter 3:1–8. Suffering is a
mark of those who belong to the great High Priest. Some
may be called to martyrdom, but what daily examples of
sacrificial living does the apostle Peter give?
The royal priesthood offers the sacrifice of prayer.
Our High Priest Jesus, who prays for us, invites us to join
in prayer in the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:2–4; Matt. 6:9–13).
The royal priesthood is involved in the mediatorial
work of constant prayer, interceding for others before
God (1 Thess. 5:17; 1 Tim. 2:1–5). The priesthood prays in
obedience to God’s command and in confident response
to His promise to hear us. Our great High Priest prayed
both alone and with His disciples, and our priestly life of
prayer is both corporate and individual. Priestly prayer is
not limited to formal, liturgical settings, as important as
the prayers of public worship are.
Read Acts 4:27–30; Acts 12:5 and Acts 13:2–3. For
what purpose is each of these sacrifices of prayer offered
up to God? Read 1 Peter 2:9. What are God’s royal priests
to do?
Royal priests serve by proclaiming the Gospel,
passing on what they first received from Christ — the
promises of God made plain in Baptism, in the Word
spoken and in the Word tied to bread and wine, to
body and blood. By participating in all these things, the
royal priests “proclaim the excellencies” of God. What
are God’s “excellencies”? The Greek term, arete, may be
defined in English as “uncommon character worthy of
praise, excellence of character, exceptional civic virtue” or
as a “manifestation of divine power, miracle.”6 Here the
term describes God’s goodness, His excellence and worthiness of praise. The Church’s mission to proclaim the
excellencies of God, to make the Gospel known, is not a
work set aside to be carried out only by a few.
Read Luke 2:36–38; Acts 8:1–4 and Acts 11:19–21.
How do these royal priests proclaim the excellencies of
God?
Holding up the excellencies of God is also important
among our fellow royal priests (Col. 3:16). We need to
hear the story of God’s work and His promises again and
again, so the royal priesthood proclaims God’s excellen6
Frederick Danker, ed., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
and other Early Christian Literature, 3rd edition (BDAG) (Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 2000), 130. Its plural is translated as
“excellencies” by the ESV in 1 Pet. 2:9, but elsewhere as “praises” (KJV,
NIV, CSB), “goodness” (NLT), or “virtues.” Luther’s German Bible
rendered it Tugenden, virtues or good deeds.

DISCUSSION GUIDE AND BIBLE STUDY

11
Iranaeus Against Heresies, Book IV, ch. 8:3, Anti-Nicene Fathers, 1:
471.

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THE ROYAL PRIESTHOOD

Read John 3:5–6; Rom. 6:3–4 and Titus 3:5. What
takes place when we are baptized?

Read Ps. 50:7–15, 23; Ps. 51:17 and Ps. 107:20–22.
What does God command concerning the spiritual sacrifices that His people are to offer?

7
1 Clement 41:1. In Michael W. Holmes, ed. and trans., The Apostolic
Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations, (Grand Rapids: Baker
Academic, 2007), 99.

The Letter of Polycarp to the Philippians 11:4, Holmes, 293, 295.

God makes priests from among all the nations and He
does it one at a time, adding to His kingdom of priests
in Holy Baptism. They are “born again to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and
unfading” (1 Peter 1:3–4). Baptism is the gracious work of
God, done without any thought of bringing good works
to the font. The baptismal covenant is forged entirely
from one side — God’s side.

Read Acts 2:42–47. In what ways do these early believers express their sacerdotal, or priestly, rank?

Read 1 Thess. 5:12–13; Heb. 13:17 and 1 Peter 5:1–4.
How are clergy and laypeople to respond to one another?

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The New Covenant of Holy Baptism

IRENAEUS (c. 130–c.200)
Irenaeus, the Bishop of Lyon, believed that the church
had a priestly nature because of the priestly character
of all those who made up the church. Irenaeus wrote,
“For all the righteous possess the sacerdotal rank.”11 The
church has a priestly character because God has made it
so, giving spiritual gifts to be used in service.

CLEMENT (Bishop of Rome from AD 88–99)
Clement urged believers, “[L]et each of you, brothers,
give thanks to God with your own group, maintaining a
good conscience, not overstepping the designated rule
of his ministry, but acting with reverence.”7 Clement
and the Christian community understood that everyone
involved — the people and those in the public Office of
the Ministry — had particular roles to play, and that all
should respect the responsibilities of others and carry
out their own tasks. Clement writes that the church in
Corinth identified and provided for those who would
minister to them in the public office and use their
abilities for the upbuilding of all. The laity should honor
those serving in the public office and those in the office
should allow the laity truly to be the body of Christ.

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sacrifices offered are no longer slaughtered animals, but
the living, spiritual sacrifices of the people of God and
the “excellencies” they proclaim are the mighty saving
deeds of God for all people.

311

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ORIGEN (c. 185–c. 254)
Origen responded to the accusations of the pagan Celsus
that Christians do not serve any valuable role in society. Celsus had charged that if Christians really wanted
to help, they should work together with the emperor,
even serving as soldiers and generals in his army. To
this charge, Origen responded that Christians do serve
as the emperor’s soldiers when they take on the “whole
armor of God” (Eph. 6:11) and offer their prayers for all in
authority, including the emperor himself, as the apostle
Paul instructed them to do (1 Tim. 2:1–2). Origen continued by pointing out that even non-Christian society
exempts priests from military service, so that they may
remain undefiled and continue their religious service
to the supposed gods of the empire. How much more,
then, should Christians serve the emperor by “fighting
as priests and worshippers of God,” offering up their
prayers to the true God, asking Him to aid the emperor
in righteous causes. Christians, Origen pointed out, form
a “special army of piety” through their intercessions to
God. Nor is it only the emperor that Christians pray
for; prayers are sent up “as from priests on behalf of the
people in our country.” He continued: “Christians do
more good to their countries than the rest of mankind,
since they educate citizens and teach them to be devoted
to God,” the real guardian of their cities. That is the way
Christians serve as soldiers and generals: an “army of
piety,” priests who “fight” for their nation and their communities through intercession and teaching. That is the
“more divine and necessary service” (leitourgia) to which
Christians are devoting themselves, the “service in the
church of God for the salvation of men.”14
Read 1 Tim. 2:1–6. How does God regard this work of
priestly intercession for those in positions of governmental
authority? When we take on such a mediatorial role for
the sake of our society, in whose work are we taking part?

Growth and Changes
CYPRIAN (c.200–258)
Cyprian changed the focus of priesthood, identifying
it only with the public office. He believed the bishops
and other clergy were a special priesthood who offered
special sacrifices. The royal priesthood gave way to a
high priestly class. The spiritual sacrifices of the whole
14
See Origen: Contra Celsum (trans. Henry Chadwick; Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1953), 509-510 (= Contra Celsum
VIII.73-75). This passage from Origen was not included in the full
CTCR report.

DISCUSSION GUIDE AND BIBLE STUDY

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2019 Convention Workbook