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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 357

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

IX. 2016 RESOLUTION 13-01A TASK FORCE REPORT
and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young
men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream
dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and
they shall prophesy. (Acts 2:17–18)
Third, the Revelation to John echoes such themes in its three
references to the royal priesthood (Rev. 1:4–6; Rev. 5:9–10; Rev.
20:6). There we are reminded again that the priestly people of God
are all the redeemed, given our priesthood by the gracious action of
Him who “loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and
made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father” (Rev. 1:5–6).
John adds an emphasis on the catholicity of the priesthood, for the
royal priesthood is nothing less than the whole people of God in
Christ Jesus, including believers “from every tribe and language
and people and nation,” together with the lyrics for our eternal song
of praise (Rev. 5:9–10):
Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its
seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you
ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made
them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they
shall reign on the earth.
b)

The royal priesthood in the Confessions

The Confessions make only one explicit reference to the royal
priesthood, in the Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope.
During his discussion of The Power and Jurisdiction of Bishops,
Melanchthon affirms that the church can and must appoint and ordain pastors when bishops refuse to do so, and it does so because
it is the royal priesthood. Such a direct connection between royal
priesthood and the Office of Public Ministry attests to the complementarity of priesthood and Office. Although the German Reformers were more than willing to accede to the humanly established
polity of regional bishops appointing and ordaining ministers for
the churches, the Roman church had forbidden the continuation of
ordinations in German territories. Under such circumstances, argues Melanchthon, the churches in that territory could and should
ordain on their own:
Finally this is also confirmed by Peter’s declaration [1 Peter 2:9]: “You are a … royal priesthood.”
These words apply to the true church, which, since
it alone possesses the priesthood, certainly has the
right of choosing and ordaining ministers.70
Beside this explicit reference, however, we note a few of many
additional places where the identity and activity of the royal priesthood is expressed in the Book of Concord. We may note, first, that
the Apostles’ Creed confesses the Church, not in institutional terms,
but as holy persons, “the communion of saints.”71 As Luther notes,
the holiness of Christ’s people, the Church, comes only through His
Word. “For the Word of God is the true holy object above all holy
objects.” Therefore, the Church is made holy “when we make use
of God’s Word and exercise ourselves in it.”72 The Confessions understand communion of saints to refer to the true Church, the whole
people of God who have received the Holy Spirit and share the
same faith in Christ.73 Luther suggests that “community” of saints
or “holy Christian people” would communicate this understanding better than communion does.74 Though priestly language is not
here, priestly identity certainly is. As the priests of the OT were

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holy, so also is the Church, the NT priesthood of believers. For as
Christ is, so also are His priests (1 Cor. 12; Rom. 12).
The Smalcald Articles III [4:] Concerning the Gospel reads:
75

We shall now return to the Gospel, which offers
counsel and help against sin in more than one way,
for God is surpassingly rich in his grace: First,
through the spoken word, by which the forgiveness of sins (the peculiar function of the Gospel)
is preached to the whole world; second, through
Baptism; third, through the holy Sacrament of the
Altar; fourth, through the power of the keys; and
finally, through the mutual conversation and consolation of brethren.76 Matthew 18:20, “Where two
or three are gathered, etc.”77
The words we have italicized remind us that even while emphasizing the Gospel’s proclamation by ministers, Luther also
speaks of an everyday way that God’s extravagant grace is made
known. The Gospel is heard day by day as believers talk to one
another and as they console one another. This is the work of all the
royal priests and not only those called to public ministry.
In Luther’s Small Catechism the fifth chief part includes both
an emphasis on the royal priesthood and the Office of Public Ministry. It includes the confession that “The Office of the Keys is that
special authority which Christ has given to His church on earth
...” and then adds that according to the words of Christ in John
20:22–23, “I believe that when the called ministers of Christ deal
with us by His divine command ... this is just as valid and certain,
even in heaven, as if Christ our dear Lord dealt with us Himself.”78
The Small Catechism also provides a simple, profound example of the royal priesthood proclaiming the excellencies of God,
who by His Spirit has made us His own in the High Priest. Each of
the chief parts begins with this word: “As the head of the family
should teach it in a simple way to his household.”79 Here the teaching responsibility of the royal priesthood is once again emphasized,
together with a direct reminder that part of every Christian’s calling
is sharing the Gospel in ways appropriate to his vocation. Thus, a
father or mother has not only the general responsibilities of Christian life in word and deed, but also a specific responsibility toward
a household—the children God has given in particular—so that
they grow up in their baptismal identity, in the fear and knowledge
of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). Luther then addresses how priesthood and
vocation connect as part of his reminder that all Christians have
the Gospel, are in the heritage of Christ, and are thereby as much
clerics as any monk.80 This call to confess Christ daily is enacted
not only in the home, but within every sphere of Christian vocation
such as conversation with neighbors or co-workers, and in the fellowship of the church:
But after we have become Christians through this
Priest and His priestly office, incorporated in Him
by Baptism through faith, then each one, according to his calling and position, obtains the right and
the power of teaching and confessing before others this Word which we have obtained from Him.
Even though not everybody has the public office
and calling, every Christian has the right and the
duty to teach, instruct, admonish, comfort, and rebuke his neighbor with the Word of God at every
opportunity and whenever necessary. For example,
father and mother should do this for their children
2019 Convention Workbook