THE PRIEST WE NEED
by Ed Stevens
All who investigate will find the Bible teaches very definitely that we need a priest, for God in His awful holiness is otherwise unapproachable. A priest is one who mediates between God and man. The priests of Old Testament times were types and shadows of the one pointed out in the New Testament. We should be sure we have the right priest, one who meets all of God's requirements. Using a Douay translation of the Bible we find that the priest we need must be:
1. A Divine Teacher and God-appointed Priest.The following Douay Bible quotations confirm and clarify these five qualifications. Please consider them carefully for your eternal destiny hangs in the balance as you accept or reject this truth.
2. A man chosen of God to be mediator between God and man.
3. Able to take away the sin of all mankind.
4. Able to save from fear of death and from hell, instantly and eternally.
5. Perfectly sinless, though tempted in all things like as we are.
1. "That was the true light (Christ) which ENLIGHTENETH EVERY MAN that cometh into this world." "Understand what I say for the Lord will give thee in all things understanding." (John 1:9; II Timothy 2:7)The Lord Jesus said, "Which of you shall convince me of sin?" (John 8:46) Will any human priest dare to speak thus? One has "mass" for the other and in some cases leave behind large sums of money to get them out of a traditional unscriptural "purgatory"! Do you not now see, reader, that no other priest, save Christ, has ever met or can ever meet God's requirements to be the priest we need? Do you not see that the very Bible from whence their assumed authority is supposed to have originated thoroughly exposes them as counterfeits?
"For what man knoweth the things of a man but the spirit of a man that is in him ? So the things also that are of God no man knoweth but the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of this world, but the Spirit that is of God; that we may KNOW the things that are given us from God". "And the spirits of the prophets (men of God) are subject to the prophets", or the Bible, God's FINAL authority which men "made void" by their ("church") "tradition". I Corinthians 2:11,12; 14:32; Matthew 15:6,9.
"He saith also in another place, THOU art a PRIEST FOREVER according to the order of Melchisedech." "But CHRIST, being come an high priest of the good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation: neither by the blood of goats or of calves, but by HIS OWN BLOOD entered ONCE into the holies, having obtained ETERNAL REDEMPTION." A footnote given here reads, "By that ONE SACRIFICE of His blood ONCE OFFERED on the cross, Christ our Lord paid ONCE FOR ALL the general price and ransom of all mankind, WHICH NO OTHER PRIEST COULD DO". (Hebrews 5:8, 9:11,12)
"And the others indeed were made many priests, because by reason of death they were not suffered to continue, but this, for that HE continueth forever bath AN EVERLASTING PRIESTHOOD, whereby HE is able to save forever them that come unto God BY HIM; always living to make intercession for us." (Hebrews 7:23-25) The Bible nowhere speaks of "apostolic succession" or of "priestly powers" handed down by Christ's apostles. They took not the name "priests", were not known as such, nor assumed to be lords over others. Peter declared ALL Christians to be priests in "a holy priesthood" (I Pet. 2:2, 5).
2. "For there is one God and ONE MEDIATOR of God and man, THE MAN JESUS CHRIST." (I Timothy 2:5) Does this not definitely exclude all others and also Mary as a "mediatrix"? She was merely chosen of God to bear a human body for His eternal Son. As to her having any other special prominence please read Luke 11:27,28; John 2:4; and Matthew 12:47-50. Christ said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father but BY ME" (John 6:14). The virgin Mary confessed her need of a "SAVIOR" from sin (Luke 1:47). "For ALL have sinned and do need the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). "And Jesus said . . . NONE is good but One, that is God" (Mark 10:18). Thus Mary was not sinless!
3. "The next day John saw Jesus coming to him and he said. Behold the Lamb of God, behold HIM who TAKETH AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD." (John 1:29)
"Every (human) priest STANDETH daily ministering and OFTEN offering the same sacrifices, which CAN NEVER TAKE AWAY SINS. But THIS MAN (Christ) offering ONE SACRIFICE for sins, forever SITTETH on the right hand of God. . . . For by ONE OBLATION He hath PERFECTED FOREVER them that are sanctified" (i.e., all who believe on Jesus Christ, trusting :n His Word). "Now where there is a remission of these (sins) there is NO MORE an oblation for sin." (Hebrews 10:11,12,14,18)
4. "Therefore because the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also in like manner hath been partaker of the same: that, through death, He might DESTROY him who had the empire of death, that is to say, the devil: and might DELIVER them who through the FEAR OF DEATH were all their life-tine subject to servitude." (Hebrews 2;14,15) How tragic that millions have been in trembling servitude to powerless men, in their fear of death when all the while there was deliverance for them freely by their God-appointed Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ!
"Amen, amen, I say unto you that he who heareth my Word and BELIEVETH Him that sent me, HATH everlasting life; and cometh NOT into judgment but IS PASSED from death into life." (John 5:24)
"Now I make known unto you, brethren, THE GOSPEL which I preached unto you, and wherein ye STAND; by which also you ARE SAVED, if you hold fast after what manner I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all, which I also received: how that CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS, according to the scriptures: and that He was buried, and that He ROSE AGAIN the third day, according to the scriptures, and that He was SEEN . . . " (I Corinthians 15:1-6)
5. "Him (God's Son) who knew NO SIN, He (God) hath made sin FOR US, that we might be made the justice (or righteousness) of God IN HIM." "For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, HOLY, INNOCENT, UNDEFILED, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; who NEEDETH NOT DAILY, as the other priests, to offer sacrifices first for HIS OWN SINS and then for the people's, for this HE DID ONCE in offering HIMSELF. For the law maketh men priests who have infirmity, but the word of the oath which was since the law, (maketh) THE SON who is perfected forevermore." "For we have not an high priest who can not have compassion on our infirmities, but was tempted in all things like as we are, WITHOUT SIN. Let us go therefore with confidence to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace in seasonable aid." (I Thessalonians 5:21; Hebrews 7:26-28; 4:15)
"Thus saith the Lord, Cursed be the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm (or help) and whose heart departeth from the Lord." (Jeremiah 17:5) Please read also Jeremiah 5:30,31; Isaiah 43:8-13; 56:10, 11 and II Corinthians 11:3, 13-15.
What presumption that sin-stained man should demand confession of sin from, others and claim to have the power to forgive them on their own, arrogant terms! Our great heavenly Priest, who knows all our thoughts and deeds, informs us that a believer's sins will be forgiven when he simply confesses them TO HIM in prayer:—"If we confess our sins HE is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all iniquity" (I John 1:9). He said, as recorded in Matthew 23:9,10, "Call none your father upon earth; for ONE is your Father, who is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters; for ONE is your Master, Christ".
Again, in all finality, men are not divinely authorized to be priests today but rather, AMBASSADORS: — "For God indeed was in Christ reconciling the world unto. Himself, NOT IMPUTING TO MEN THEIR SINS: and He hath placed in us the word of reconciliation. For Christ therefore we (who are saved) are AMBASSADORS, God as it were exhorting by us. For Christ, we beseech you, be reconciled to God" (II. Corinthians 5:19,20).
"What must I DO that I may be saved?"; the Philippian jailor asked. The answer came. "BELIEVE in the Lord Jesus and THOU SHALT BE SAVED". (Acts 16:30,31).
"For by GRACE (unmerited favor) you are saved through FAITH and, that not of yourselves, for it is the GIFT of God; NOT OF WORKS, that no man may glory." (Ephesians 2:8,9)
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Written by men' of God "outside the camp", whose Bible teaching is not bound by or adulterated with, sectarian prejudice and tradition. We are not so-called "protestants" for we protest not only against ROMAN Catholicism, but also against all other human religious organizations, in that these all deny in practice the catholicity of the ONE TRUE CHURCH "which is Christ's Body". "There is ONE (catholic or, universal) BODY" or church, its "members" being "joined' thereto by the Lord alone (Ephesians 1:22,23; 2:20,22; 4:4; I Corinthians '12:13, 18; Acts 2:47;5:14).