Priests occupy a special class or category of ministers within their church. They are clergymen, they are men ordained to the ministry of the church.

Although I am also an ordained minister of the church, I am not dressed like a typical RC priest. In fact, our church does not even use the word “priest” to describe my work in the church. I am a pastor, not a priest. There is a major difference between those two words.

As Baptists, we deeply disagree with the practice of calling ministers priests. One of the most important biblical distinctives of Baptists is the belief that every Christian is a priest. The Bible teaches the priesthood of all believers. Every child of God has free access to God through Christ. We don’t need another mediator; there is only one mediator and high priest, and this Jesus Christ. In fact, we find it deeply unbiblical and wrong to insert another priest between us and God.

The priesthood of all believers is one of the great doctrines rediscovered during the Reformation, and that idea radically altered the operation of the church. It’s also a key Baptist distinctive; Baptists historically have taught this idea. The individual priesthood of the believers is an important element of the Christian identity.

Today we are continuing in our Summer Sermon Series on Christian identity. Thus far, we’ve looked at the ideas of being made in the image of God, being a child of God, being part of the people of God, and how being “in Christ” affects our identity.

Today we want to consider how being a believer-priest affects our identity.