LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 104

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letters of indulgence.” With these words Luther stresses
the direct relationship of forgiveness of sins that exists
between God and the penitent sinner without the neces-
sity of any intermediary authority. And Luther does not
imit this relationship between the believer and God to
forgiveness, but includes, “all the benefits of Christ and
the church” as freely available to “any Christian.”

In 1520, three years after posting the 95 theses, Dr.
Luther wrote his Treatise on Christian Liberty, also
commonly known as the Freedom of a Christian. In that
reatise Luther sets forth clearly and emphatically the
siblical truth that all true believers in Christ are indeed
priests before God when he writes,

Not only are we the freest of kings, we are also priests
forever, which is far more excellent than being kings, for as
priests we are worthy to appear before God to pray for
others and to teach one another divine things. These are the
, functions of priests, and they cannot be granted to any
“‘unbeliever. Thus Christ has made it possible for us, pro-
vided we believe in Him, to be not only His brethren, co-
:sheirs and fellow-kings, but also His fellow-priests. There-
_fore we may boldly come into the presence of God in the
._ Spirit of faith (Heb. 10:19, 22) and cry, “Abba, Father!” pray
or one another, and do all things which we see done and

~ foreshadowed in the outer and visible works of priests.”
Luther’s Works, (Vol. 31, p. 355)

[tis in our special role as priests that every Christian
rivileged to communicate directly with God and
make intercessions on behalf of others. It is because of
Christ and His work of atonement that all believers in
‘Him now have the right to address God directly in
‘ayer and call Him, “Our Father.” This is so because
-have been born again through the waters of Holy
Baptism and have been adopted into the family of God
the Father, as sons and daughters and joint heirs with
His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
Priests before God is a privileged status which none
us deserves but which we all receive solely because of
perfect merits of our Lord Jesus Christ. To fail to
rcise our priesthood regularly on behalf of others by
ing to pray for them is a serious omission in our
itual life. Praying for others is a Christian duty
ich the New Testament exhorts us to practice. Neg-
seting to intercede for those who are in need is a sin of
mission. Our Lord Jesus Christ commanded us to pray
ot only for our loved ones but also for our enemies. The
Acred right to approach God the Father directly in the
aime of His Son Jesus Christ is more than a blessed
uty? itis alsoa unique privilege, granted only to those
ho have been called by the Gospel, enlightened by the
oly Spirit, and given the gift of faith.
Even though Luther stresses the equality of all true
levers in Christ as priests before God, he never
Nacillates or waivers on the question of the necessity of
office of the public ministry in relation to the
iversal priesthood. He writes in the same treatise
se words, “Although we are all equally priests, we
ot all publicly minister and teach. We ought not do
en.if we could. Paul writes accordingly in 1 Cor. 4:1,

*

PRIESTS BEFORE GOD

EE _ ee

OS SSSSSSPUSSRSSS

105

‘This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ
and stewards of the mysteries of God’” (LW 31, 356).
In his essay directed To the Christian Nobility, also
written in 1520, Luther adds another important dimen-
sion to the meaning of being priests before God when he
emphasizes that it is by our baptism that all Christians
become priests before God. But even as he stresses the
universal priesthood of all believers which results from
Baptism, Luther never fails to point out the necessity for
the office of the public ministry. He writes,
For whoever comes out of the water of baptism can boast
that he is already a consecrated priest, bishop, and pope,
although of courseitis not seemly that just anybody should
exercise such office. Because we are all priests of equal
standing, no one must push himself forward and take it
upon himself, without our consent and election, to do that
for which we all have equal authority. For no one dare take

upon himself what is common to all without the authority
and consent of the community.” (LW 44, 129)

Luther’s concept of the distinctiveness of the office of
the public ministry from the universal priesthood of all
believers is inextricably linked to his total understand-
ing of the meaning of vocation. Luther saw every honest
occupation as a God-pleasing activity which contributes
to the welfare of the community. He saw the members of
the body of Christ as ministering to one another’s
physical needs as well as to their spiritual needs. Listen
to his beautiful description of a practical, functioning
universal priesthood of believers,

A cobbler, a smith, a peasant—each has the work and office

of his trade, and yet they are all alike consecrated priests

and bishops. Further, every one must benefit and serve
every other by means of his own work or office so that in
this way many kinds of work may be done for the bodily

and spiritual welfare of the community, just as all members
of the body serve one another.” (LW 44, 130)

In support of this statement Luther cites St. Paul’s
description in 1 Cor. 12 of the members of the body of
Christ each serving one another and the whole body by
carrying out their distinctive specialized function
whether it be the function of hearing, smelling, or
seeing.

The sedes doctrinae for the teaching of the universal
priesthood of all believers is, of course, located in 1 Peter
2:5 and 9 where we read:

[You] also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house, an
holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable
to God by Jesus Christ... . You area chosen race, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, that you may
declare the wonderful deeds of Him who called you out of
darkness into His marvelous light.

Listen now to some excerpts from Dr. Luther’s
sermonic commentary on these passages from the First
Epistle of Peter written sometime in 1522. They show a
much more developed insight and a more detailed
articulation of this important doctrine. Luther writes:

It would please me very much if the word “priest” were
used as commonly as the term “Christian” is applied to us.
For priests, the baptized, and Christians are all one and the
same. Forjust as I should not put up with it when those who
have been anointed and tonsured want to have exclusive
right to the terms, “Christians” and “baptized,” so I should
also not put up with it when they alone want to be called

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